Overview

Overlooked, under-explored and misunderstood – this is the story of spin, the force which, quite literally, makes the world go round. In this comprehensive and wide-ranging book, Roland Ennos examines the seemingly infinite ways spin affects our lives, from the structure of galaxies to the way we walk. Artfully moving between astrophysics and anthropology, Ennos provides a riveting account of spin’s human history, charting the development of engineering and technology from the earliest prehistoric drills to the turbine engine. The Science of Spin brings physics back down to earth, zooming in on our own biomechanics, and revealing the surprising similarities between ballerinas and basketball players. Answering questions as disperse as why the solar system is the shape it is, to why cats always manage to land on their feet, The Science of Spin rekindles a childlike fascination with rotation and sheds light on this often overlooked, but crucial, area of life.

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9780861546718

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Reviews

'Nothing less than a complete reinterpretation of human history and prehistory...written with enormous verve and pinpoint clarity.' -- John Carey on The Wood Age 'An eye-opening piece of environmental history ... Excellent.' -- The Inquisitive Biologist on The Wood Age

'This is a wonderfully fascinating book with answers to so many everyday questions you never knew you needed to know. The explanations are lucid and so clear that the one thing it doesn’t do is cause your head to spin.' -- Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters 'An original and highly engaging insight into how our universe works, encompassing black holes, the cotton mills of the industrial revolution, the biomechanics of walking and more!' -- Paul Sen, author of Einstein's Fridge

'This is a wonderfully fascinating book with answers to so many everyday questions you never knew you needed to know. The explanations are lucid and so clear that the one thing it doesn’t do is cause your head to spin.' -- Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters ‘More than a few authors have found success with books that look at a broad swath of history, ideas or science through the lens of a single topic… Roland Ennos elevates this approach to dizzying heights in The Science of Spin… The physics are fascinating.’ -- Wall Street Journal 'An original and highly engaging insight into how our universe works, encompassing black holes, the cotton mills of the industrial revolution, the biomechanics of walking and more!' -- Paul Sen, author of Einstein's Fridge

Author Information

Roland Ennos is a visiting professor of biological sciences at the University of Hull. His previous books include The Wood Age: How Wood Shaped the Whole of Human History and Trees: A Complete Guide to their Biology and Structure. He lives in Hull.

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