Overview

There are few times when science is so immediate as when you're in a plane. Your life is in the hands of the scientists and engineers who enable tons of metal and plastic to hurtle through the sky at hundreds of miles an hour. Inflight Science shows how you stay alive up there - but that's only the beginning. Brian Clegg explains the ever changing view, whether it's crop circles or clouds, mountains or river deltas, and describes simple experiments to show how a wing provides lift, or what happens if you try to open a door in midair (don't!). On a plane you'll experience the impact of relativity, the power of natural radiation and the effect of altitude on the boiling point of tea. Among the many things you'll learn is why the sky is blue, the cause of thunderstorms and the impact of volcanic ash in an enjoyable tour of mid-air science. Every moment of your journey is an opportunity to experience science in action: Inflight Science will be your guide.

Full Product Details

9781848312418

Table of Contents

Reviews

'We should be grateful for this book from Brian Clegg, an unabashed aircraft geek ... With this book in hand, we have all we need to set off on our next flight with our eyes open to the sheer wonder of what is involved.' Alain de Botton, Mail on Sunday 'Inflight Science, by Brian Clegg, is essentially an eye-spy book for adults ... The great strength of the book is its ability to pull out from the mundane experiences of modern air travel - the contrails and cumulonimbus, the security scanners and salted snacks - to explain a wider technical point' The Times

Author Information

Brian Clegg is a science writer. He runs popularscience.co.uk and his most recent book was Armageddon Science (St Martin's Press, 2010).

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