A stimulating, detailed, yet remarkably clear book about physics and how to connect to and understand a little more about our world. If you find yourself wondering about the why, the how, the what and when… then this is the book for you. Helen Czerski is a physicist and her passion and enthusiasm is clear to see. I will admit, that even though I have a fascination and love for the world around us, my brain freezes at the very mention of physics, so a big round of applause to Helen Czerski, because my brain didn't shut me out! Instead I found myself reading out loud, passing facts on and wanting to find out more. Her discussion points include gravity, atoms, and equilibrium, and she hooked my interest, by relating them to an everyday something, and then used experiments, fun ‘tricks’ to try, findings from history, the animal kingdom and her thoughts, as a link, an explanation and connection to physics. You may well catch the physics bug after reading ‘Storm In A Teacup’, at the very least you will be able to look around you and essentially see the world with new eyes. ~ Liz Robinson
Storm in a Teacup The Physics of Everyday Life Synopsis
Just as Freakonomics brought economics to life, so Storm in a Teacup brings physics into our daily lives and makes it fascinating.
What is it that helps both scorpions and cyclists to survive? What do raw eggs and gyroscopes have in common? And why does it matter? In an age of string theory, fluid dynamics and biophysics, it can seem as if the science of our world is only for specialists and academics. Not so, insists Helen Czerski - and in this sparkling new book she explores the patterns and connections that illustrate the grandest theories in the smallest everyday objects and experiences. Linking what makes popcorn pop to Antarctic winds, coffee stains to blood tests or ketchup bottles to aliens in space, every thread you pull in the fabric of everyday life shows you something new about the intricate patterns of our world. Read Storm in a Teacup and you will see and understand the world as you never did before.
'A quite delightful book on the joys, and universality, of physics. Czerski's enthusiasm is infectious because she brings our humdrum everyday world to life, showing us that it is just as fascinating as anything that can be seen by the Hubble Telescope or created at the Large Hadron Collider.' Jim Al-Khalili
'If you've ever felt like understanding how things work is just too big a mountain to climb then read this book. It'll carry you gently to the peak and show you how stunning and beautiful the view is. It is rare that someone can explain that which seems endlessly complex and makes you feel like in fact you'd understood it all along. Helen Czerski's book does just that. Fun, fascinating and brilliantly well written - 'Right there, in my teacup, I can see the storm. Me too and I know what it is now.' Marcus Brigstocke
'This book is charming, accessible and enthusiastic. Helen invites you in to see the world through a her eyes and understand how a physicist thinks. It's a wonderful way to discover the hidden scientific connections behind the ordinary and everyday. Dr Hannah Fry Helen Czerski has a remarkable knack for finding scientific wonders under every rock, alongside every raindrop, and inside every grain of sand.' -- -- Jordan Ellenberg, How Not to Be Wrong: The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life
'The written equivalent of a spectrum beaming out from a prism. Thanks to Helen's brilliantly engaging book you'll never consider anything to be mundane or ordinary again.' Jon Culshaw
Author
About Helen Czerski
Helen Czerski was born in Manchester. She is a lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department at University College London. As a physicist she studies the bubbles underneath breaking waves in the open ocean to understand their effects on weather and climate. Helen regularly presents BBC programmes on physics, the ocean and the atmosphere - recent series include Colour: The Spectrum of Science, Orbit, Operation Iceberg, Super Senses, Dara O'Briain's Science Club, as well as programmes on bubbles, the sun and our weather. She is also a columnist for Focus magazine, shortlisted for PPA columnist of the year in 2014, and has written numerous articles for national newspapers. She lives in London.
