Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light

(Paperback)

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Description

It comes from deep space and from the sun. It zooms at you from nuclear power plants, microwaves, mobiles, CT scanners and mammogram machines. You cannot see, hear, smell or feel it, but there is never a moment when it isnt flying through your body. Too much of it will kill you, but without it you wouldnt make it through a year. This is the story of all the light we cannot see. Bob Berman traces infrared, microwaves, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays, radio waves and other forms of radiation from their historic, world-altering discoveries in the 19thcentury to their role in our world today. He sets the record straight on costs and benefits to our health and peeks into the future to see how invisible light will make waves in medicine and computing. Packed with fun facts, fascinating tales and eureka! moments,Zappedwill delight anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of our world.

Reviews

A fascinating and entertaining book for anyone curious about the seen and unseen world of electromagnetism.

A rip-roaring ride along the electromagnetic highway. Inspiring and insightful.

The narrative is briskly conversational: were on the porch, shooting the breeze with a knowledgeable neighbour. Mr. Bermans avowed goal in writing this book, he says, was to open a window onto the enormous universe of omnipresent energies. Once that window is thrown open, it is hard to look at the world the same way.

Nimbly busts common myths Erudite but never stuffy, Berman writes with enthusiasm and clarity, making this an informative and digestible read for the science-curious.

Captivatingfear not the long-winded scientific discourse: Berman zings through historical and scientific adventures.

[Berman is] an unfailingly congenial explainer, always ready with the kinds of fascinating facts his readers might have missed in school.

An enthusiastic account deftly separates fact from myths about cell-phones, brain scans, and other sources of radiation.

Astronomy writer Berman runs through a fascinating history of the rainbows invisible bands in this breezy, accessible read... In the style of a favorite professor, Berman injects bits of odd humor and captivating tangents into this complex but familiar topic.

Like any good pop science book, along the way Zapped offers an endless series of tidbits, from how GPS works to how a software glitch led to the worst incident of radiation poisoning from a medical device (the notorious Therac-25).

[Berman] excels at making complex concepts accessible for lay readersthis is a great option for those curious about history, theories, and function of everyday things.

Explaining light using anecdotal history and colloquial explication, Zapped makes entertaining sense out of what could be dry maths and physics.

Author Bio

Bob Berman is a leading astronomy writer and the author of Zoom and The Suns Heartbeat. He contributed the popular Night Watchman column for Discover for seventeen years and is currently a columnist for Astronomy, a host on Northeast Public Radio and science editor of The Old Farmers Almanac. He lives in Willow, New York.