The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science

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The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science
by Natalie Angier
from Mariner Books

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• A quip trip through science
  Inspiration 1/5,education 2/5,distraction 1/5,overall 2/5. An attempt to explain science with literary flourishes but without tables, pictures, graphs, abstracts or summaries. She uses none of the tools common in the scientific literature. Stories can be helpful but the stories here tend to be about modern researchers and their journey, not very inspirational and not very explanatory.

• Thanks, Natalie....
  The process of reading this book reminded me of a story I once heard in which Claire Booth Luce was asked if she like to write. "No," she replied, "but I like having written." Reading 'The Canon' was a lot like that: it was sometimes tough going, but I liked having read it. No one ever said science was easy, but with a little effort an attempt to understand the basics behind Physics, Chemistry, and the other branches of science can make living in the world a richer experience.
  I am grateful to Natalie... more info

• Basic? It most certainly is not!
  After reading the torturous "Canon" I can honestly say that it was the most terrible book I have ever read. Angier promises to help the common man understand the "beautiful basics of science", and there was nothing "beautiful" or "basic" about this book. Throughtout the reading, I was confused and lost on what Angier was speaking about. Many of the references went right over my head and I had to read sections 3-4 times in order to fully grasp what she was trying to say. In addition, Angier never fully... more info

• A Fine Introduction To The Major Areas of Science
  Sometimes the best explainers of a topic are outsiders or laymen, rather than practitioners in the field. The author isn't a scientist so she can still see complex topics from the layman's viewpoint. This is, simply put, a great book. It covers not only the nuts and bolts of science (what is the doppler effect?) but the philosophy behind science (why does the scientific method do such a good job at explaining our world?)
  The writing is breezy and not stilted, using metaphors instead of math to explain... more info

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