The Science of Everyday Life: An Entertaining and Enlightening Examination of Everything We Do and Everything We See

by Len Fisher

Scientists are in the business of trying to understand the world. Exploring commonplace phenomena, they have uncovered some of nature’s deepest laws. We can in turn apply these laws to our own lives, to better grasp and enhance our performance in daily activities as varied as cooking, home improvement, sports—even dunking a doughnut! This book makes the science of the familiar a key to opening the door for those who want to know what scientists do, why they do it, and how they go about it. Following the routine of a normal day, from coffee and breakfast to shopping, household chores, sports, a drink, supper, and a bath, we see how the seemingly mundane can provide insight into the most profound scientific questions. Some of the topics included are the art and science of dunking; how to boil an egg; how to tally a supermarket bill; the science behind hand tools; catching a ball or throwing a boomerang; the secrets of haute cuisine, bath (or beer) foam; and the physics of sex. Fisher writes with great authority and a light touch, giving us an entertaining and accessible look at the science behind our daily activities.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Ebooks

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2011

Reviews

[Chendall Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having finished this book ages ago, I guess I'm just now getting to writing a review on it... This will be brief. It was good. Fisher shows us how science affects everyday things. It is exactly what it says. interesting, not groundbreaking. It's like science candy, bringing the reader some of the most interesting bits while ignoring the reality that a true grasp of the subject will not be attained in such a small volume. Excellent for the casual science reader or for those looking for a lighter read. Think of a Neil DeGrasse Tyson explainer in a book.

[Grrlscientist · Rating 4 out of 5]

A close examination of the familiar and the ordinary can reveal how extraordinary everyday life really is. In the book, The Science of Everyday Life: An Entertaining and Enlightening Examination of Everything We Do and Everything We See (Arcade Publishing, NYC; reprint edition 2011), physicist and foodie Len Fisher accompanies us on a tour through everyday life. For those of you who don’t remember such things, Dr Fisher is famous for winning an IgNobel Prize in Physics for working out that cookies (that’s “biscuits” to you Brits) taste best when dunked in chocolate milk. (Actually, I think most foods taste better when dipped in chocolate milk.)

Contrary to what the book’s title promises, Dr Fisher doesn’t examine everything we see and do, but he does explain scientific principles underlying a few aspects of everyday life without scaring the bejesus out of his readers with mathematical equations. With a light touch and an infectious child-like enthusiasm, Dr Fisher talks about the art and science of cookie/biscuit dunking, how to boil an egg, the physics of beer (or bath) foam, and even the physics of sex, where the winning spermatozoon overcomes a plethora of barriers to be rewarded “like a knight of old, scaling the defended ramparts and eventually breaking through to the maiden within”.

Well!

Also amusing is the story of the man who made a transparent boomerang and realised — only after he had thrown it — that he was unable see it looping back to crack him in the skull. And those who think physics is dull will especially enjoy Fisher’s method for teaching Newton’s Laws of Motion by calculating how long it would take an astronaut to move from one end of the space station to the other exclusively on the reaction force of one ejaculation.

In addition to solid storytelling, Dr Fisher provides some historical context for the science he discusses and even shares tales about a few of his colleagues. In one example, he mentions that some scientists react to success by singing or shouting, but then tells us about one colleague who removed all his clothes and did a series of handsprings — reminiscent of Archimedes’ famous “Eureka!” moment.

This amusing and informative paperback was originally published in 2002 in the UK, but was rewritten with an American audience in mind. Blog-like, it is a collection of nine essays that can be read either individually or collectively and in any order. In this book, Dr Fisher mostly writes about physics and food, but there’s also a lot of chemistry, biology and even one essay on basic statistics. There are 70 black-and-white charts and diagrams sprinkled throughout the book’s nine chapters, a coda, two appendices, extensive and interesting endnotes, and an index.

This witty and informative collection is fun to read. It provides a clear look at how the scientific method (and the scientific mind) work. I think this book will be most appreciated by those who ride public transit, those who teach science and those who are trying to keep up with their kids’ numerous questions about the “why’s” of everyday life.


NOTE: Originally published at The Guardian on 11 August 2011.

[Elentarri · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book, Len Fisher discusses the science of "everyday life", covering such topics as: dunking cookies in coffee; boiling eggs; the physics of tools; adding up supermarket bulls; the physics of boomerang throwing; ball catching in baseball; foam; taste and aroma; and the physics of sex. The book includes a few equations

While the book is enlightening it is not particularly entertaining. I found the text in general to be somewhat long winded and the author discussions about his own experiments to be tedious. I was also not particularly interested in most of the topics covered in this book. Storm in a Teacup by Helen Czerski, is in my opinion, a more entertaining and interesting books that covers many more topics than this book.

[Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does not get stellar reviews but this is the second time I have read it. I found charming if explaining science can be called such. But the important contribution of the author is how he relates science to the common place and how that produces awe. By awe I mean encouraging one to look at the mundane from a different point of view. It is worth spending time with this little book, you may walk away a few discoveries and a new appreciation of the work of science and how it brings us together through understanding.

[Terry Szesny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were really interesting, parts (especially when explaining his own research) are pretty slow going. And the mathematical/algebraic expressions used to explain certain phenomena are well beyond what most of us can remember, assuming we were even even exposed to them. Still, I like and agree with his main point, that scientific investigation should not be limited to that which appears 'useful'. Great discoveries have come from people trying to find answers to what at the time seemed to be trivial questions.

[Bill Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out great and had some wonderfully interesting stories about all manner of topics, but then he sneaks in a long chapter all about his own research which really dragged it down in my opinion. All in all, a mixed bag - some great stuff and some meh.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started strong with the chapters on cookie dunking and boiling eggs, but lost a lot of momentum in the middle section. Redeemed itself somewhat with the penultimate chapter on taste and aroma.

[Jonathan Bechtel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually haven't finished the book. I'm on page 160 of 200. The book sucks goat.