Science and Inquiry discussion

For December 2017, we will be reading Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski.

Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

I reserved it from my library and it came in early, so I got it and finished it already.

The book was a total waste of time. Watered down to nothing. The author was afraid to get into anything more technical than angular momentum. Most of the books was just talking about herself, and when she finally did sneak in some scientific explanation, it wasn't that clear.

And her transitions were just strange - she'd end each paragraph by introducing some new topic out of the blue that was totally unrelated. Then the next paragraph would introduce something totally unrelated and get all poetic and descriptive, like some experience she had in the park, and you're not sure where she's going with it. It was like watching an overproduced BBC TV documentary, which makes sense because the author is a BBC television host in her other job.

I gave it two stars. Not sure why I didn't give it one. I guess because there was one interesting passage about tuberculosis and another about countercurrent heat exchange in ducks' legs. Also, she makes a good point about the laws of physics being consistent at any scale, but that at different scales, different forces become dominant. So I did learn something interesting. But two-hundred-fifty pages, when one-hundred-seventy-five of them were about how often she had to change her clothes when she was filming in India and other such trivialities, and the other seventy-five totally watered down science is just not worth anyone's time. There is much better science writing out there, even for those who have no scientific inclination.

Am I the only one who liked Storm in a Teacup? Yes, it was a simple read ... middle school kids could grasp it ... but I managed to learn a lot anyway. I studied electricity in college physics, but this is the clearest it's been to me. I really did not know how electricity works! The author's personal tangents did not bother me, I found them amusing. This is a good book for mentally lazy people who would like a painless way to better our knowledge of physics.

Nancy wrote: "Am I the only one who liked Storm in a Teacup? Yes, it was a simple read ... middle school kids could grasp it ... but I managed to learn a lot anyway. I studied electricity in college physics, but..."

I'm liking it too, Nancy, and I'm a physicist. I've been looking for a book to give as a present to someone who is not a scientists as a way to show them the amazing world a physicist sees, and this might be it. This is not a textbook and therefore it doesn't need to get more technical. I actually like the fact that she talks about herself. It humanizes scientists. People too often see us as abnormal, weird, cold, arrogant, etc.

I am starting it today. Seems ok to me. I am a science learner, not an expert in anything.

Jehona wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Am I the only one who liked Storm in a Teacup? Yes, it was a simple read ... middle school kids could grasp it ... but I managed to learn a lot anyway. I studied electricity in colleg..."
Jehona, people probably watch too much "Big Bang Theory" on tv lol
I'm not a scientist but I love science. A lot of the books that have really affected me have some personal stuff thrown in. I will never forget "Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms". I fell a little bit in love with the author. What a beautiful view he has of life. And then there's Mary Roach .... Mary Roach. ... if you don't fall over laughing at her books, you're not human!

Excellent book, well written and extremely fun to read! Highly recommend. Simple explanations, but not at all juvenile or patronizing. She explains what the physics is behind everyday stuff, like what makes a toaster toast bread. Amazing. I had no idea magnets were at work. I had no idea of how ducks' feet worked. I had no idea of how thunder worked. She talks about bubbles and centrifugal force and soundwaves.

Really interesting book.

I finally got around to reading this book and I really enjoyed it. I'm a non-scientist and have always been intimidated by physics. But I was able to understand most of the principles discussed in this book, without feeling stupid or patronized. I enjoyed the personal bits, too.

Betsy wrote: "I finally got around to reading this book and I really enjoyed it. I'm a non-scientist and have always been intimidated by physics. But I was able to understand most of the principles discussed in ..."

Completely agree!