Penguin Dictionary of Science

by M.J. Clugston

The Penguin Dictionary of Science covers all the important topics in this key subject area including chemistry, physics, molecular biology, biochemistry, human anatomy, mathematics, astronomy and computing. Superbly comprehensive and accessible, this newly updated dictionary is the ideal reference tool for anyone who needs to understand scientific terms, whether student, researcher or enthusiastic layperson. - Provides clear definitions of some 7,000 scientific terms - Gives succinct explanations of fundamental terms (ammonia, base pairing, cell) and more specialist concepts (allosteric enzyme, Bravais lattice, close packing) - Covers individual elements and chemical compounds in detail - Contains appendices ranging from lists of SI units and fundamental constants to the periodic table and an outline classification of living organisms - Includes hundreds of illustrations and diagrams

Genres: Science

752 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2014

Reviews

[Omer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lucid and fascinating collection of fundamental scientific concepts and terms provides around 7000 definitions, intended for use by researchers, students and the enthusiastic layperson. Key elements, compounds, constants, tables, classifications are included with hundreds of useful illustrations and diagrams. One wonders how such a compendium of human intellect would be received many hundreds of years prior at the outset of the age of enlightenment, and where this would have left us now. What a thought! There are a couple bugbears I have, which I qualify by saying for me this makes the dictionary a four rather than five star endeavour. Firstly, occasionally I find definitions lacking in substance. For example, entropy is a concept of material importance, yet a cohesive descriptor is absent with the exception of an eloquent but ultimately unexplained illustration - if we leave a plate of hot food in a cool room, its temperature will always decrease. A fine example, agreed, but this doesn't adequately explain the second law of thermodynamics. While it doesn't fault the work itself, the foreword proves the usefulness of the dictionary for laypeople with another example - a barrister will not find much use in the dictionary to understand the carcinogenic effects of overhead power lines, for this reason it is of little use, yet a mathematician will enjoy a greater understanding of the genetic disorder of Downs Syndrome caused by a third copy of chromosome 21. But are no barristers parents? Can they not understand odd numbers? This suggests a subtle manner of transdisciplinary snobbery, as I would not agree barristers have any such intellectual disadvantage, generally speaking. There but the great polymaths and founders of the philosophy of science tread - in the interim, grey middle ground between what are now divisions in knowledge and understanding. Having said this, I think the book does a great service. And even though some may find the occasional definition disappointing particularly if within their belly-wick, it is a wholly entertaining and enlightening read, for those with such attuned enthusiasm, and not seeking a visible plot line - after all, it's a dictionary! Highly recommended.