I'm tired of being scientifically illiterate!

[Zovc]

As the title says, I wish I knew more about how the world works. I feel like part of the problem is my general lack of motivation, but also a lack of access to information.

It's not to say that information isn't available to me (I clearly have access to the internets), it's that I don't know where to start.

I spent a lot of time with a friend who seemed to know how everything worked, it was fascinating. I had so many discussions with him, and it was as if I had the creative spark to be an influential figure in the scientific world, just not the education. I could 'conceptually' hold discussions with John, but when he would start to bring in theory (particularly mathematical jargon), I would get confused.

I've always had trouble with mathematics, from simple issues with the order of operations, to just being completely baffled by Calculus. I've yet to encounter a teacher who could get me to 'get' higher maths. It's not to say that I'm stupid or incapable, it's just something I struggle with. I like to think I'm above average in most mental aspects (although apparently everyone does that to some extent), and most people seem to think I am as well--but Math just kicks my butt.

So, now that I've expressed my issues with Math, are there any good sources I could try to learn from?

I'm currently watching Carl Sagan's cosmos, because I saw a variety of media reference him and I expected a sort of "science for dummies" show--I feel like that's what I've got, and I am captivated. I'm considering getting some of his books--could anyone recommend (or recommend against) any of his books?

Sorry if this topic is somewhat scatterbrained, I'm pulling an all-nighter.

[raitalin]

Science for the unscientific? That's practically the mission statement of Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Short_History_of_Nearly_Everything). An absolutely fascinating and entertaining read that not only teaches science, but also explain how scientists figure things out.

For a beginners course in Quantum Mechanics check out What the #$*! do we know? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Bleep_Do_We_Know!%3F)

[llamamushroom]

I'm seconding the Bill Bryson - so much fun to be had with A Short History Of Nearly Everything.

If you get that, then I've heard that A Brief History Of Time (Stephen Hawking) is pretty accessible.

Personally, I've never even heard of Carl Sagan, but have considered any of the [insert concept here] For Dummies books? They're generally quite informative, and despite the title actually treat their audience like human beings (a first for someone used to school textbooks).

[Starscream]

Check out "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. It's super fascinating stuff about physics, but written for normal people. In fact, there is only one equation in the entire book (E = mc^2).

[Zovc]

Just to be sure, you're referring to this book (http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Nearly-Everything/dp/076790818X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269595650&sr=1-1) (link to amazon.com entry)? I'll look into it, thanks!

I suppose I'll also have to look into A Brief History of Time, as well! XD

[raitalin]

Just to be sure, you're referring to this book (http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Nearly-Everything/dp/076790818X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269595650&sr=1-1) (link to amazon.com entry)? I'll look into it, thanks!

I suppose I'll also have to look into A Brief History of Time, as well! XD

Yep, that's the one. Though there is a badass illustrated hardcover version. I think it was a limited run though, and might be tough to find.

EDIT: Not so hard, but a bit pricey. (http://www.alibris.com/search/books/invid/10046340984?cm_mmc=shopcompare-_-base-_-aisbn2-_-na)

[Zovc]

It looks like there is an abridged version of A Brief History of Time, A Briefer History of Time (http://www.amazon.com/Briefer-History-Time-Stephen-Hawking/dp/0553385461/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269596145&sr=1-3) (again, an amazon.com link). Does anyone know anything about it?

[Jimorian]

To build on Cosmos, I highly recommend the various James Burke TV series, Connections, The Day the Universe Changed, and Connections 2. They're all great explanations of how we figured out the STUFF that has led to the cool things we know and have today. Very entertaining as well as informative.

EDIT: Oooh, http://www.youtube.com/user/JamesBurkeWeb

[Zovc]

To build on Cosmos, I highly recommend the various James Burke TV series, Connections, The Day the Universe Changed, and Connections 2. They're all great explanations of how we figured out the STUFF that has led to the cool things we know and have today. Very entertaining as well as informative.

EDIT: Oooh, http://www.youtube.com/user/JamesBurkeWeb

Oooh, indeed! Thanks!

[Manga Shoggoth]

You also might like "The Physics of Superheroes" (sorry - can't remember Author or ISBN). It uses comic-book characters as examples (when they get the physics nearly right, that is...).

[Asta Kask]

Here's (http://www.theskepticsguide.org/) an excellent science podcast. I recommend it most highly.

[bosssmiley]

The Science of Discworld series. It's a fantastic jumping off point if you want to get into popular science.

[Shishnarfne]

For a beginners course in Quantum Mechanics check out What the #$*! do we know? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Bleep_Do_We_Know!%3F)

Uh, better yet, don't: find a webpage by a physicist pointing out the mistakes. What the Bleep pretends to know more than it really does, and has a fair number of overstated conclusions. (Sorry, just a little irritation about "popular" science works that include bad information and misinformation. People who think quantum mechanics is "spooky" or "profound" tend to make scientists nervous.)

Honestly, Quantum Mechanics can't be explained without a certain mathematical background, only some of the results can be explained, and they don't make much sense even to physicists at times.

Sagan is very good as an author. Gould (Stephen Jay Gould) is excellent in the field of biology, if you're looking for more information.

Leon Lederman's "The God Particle," albeit a poor choice of title, is probably the best lay introduction to particle physics that I've read. Yes, it is slightly dated, but the level is fairly accessible and he talks through some of the basic mathematics.

Hawking's A Brief History of Time can be a little difficult for some readers, but is a relatively accessible (he hides the math) introduction to black hole theory.

[Iruka]

You also might like "The Physics of Superheroes" (sorry - can't remember Author or ISBN). It uses comic-book characters as examples (when they get the physics nearly right, that is...).

The author is James Kakalios, published by Gotham Books. I can recommend this book, too. It is interesting to read and easy to follow because of all the examples. While reading it, I was several times "Wait, it's actually that easy to understand? Why didn't my teachers just tell me in those words?"
It covers the basics of physics (and classic super hero comics) and goes into some "advanced" stuff like Quantum Mechanics and tunnling effects.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Thanks Iruka - that saves me digging it out when I get home.

To the OP: Depending on where you are in the world: The Royal Institution does a series of lectures for children around Christmas to New Year (in the UK). If you have access to the UK TV channels they are worth a look.

Some of the recent ones have been a little information-light, but this years was excellent. Don't be put off by the "for children" tag - they can get into quite advanced territory.

[Asta Kask]

Brian Green's The Fabric of the Cosmos is an excellent book about modern physics.

[Winterwind]

Uh, better yet, don't: find a webpage by a physicist pointing out the mistakes. What the Bleep pretends to know more than it really does, and has a fair number of overstated conclusions. (Sorry, just a little irritation about "popular" science works that include bad information and misinformation. People who think quantum mechanics is "spooky" or "profound" tend to make scientists nervous.)Judging from what I heard, it's even far worse than that - it's actively anti-scientific, thinly veiled propaganda for some sect. Stay the hell away from that.

Personally, other than the books of Carl Sagan (which are all around excellent), I rather liked a lot of the works of Michio Kaku. From my current perspective they are a tad too populist, but back in mid-school times, they were what put me on the track to where I am right now (working on my PhD in physics). :smallwink:

[shadow_archmagi]

Douglas Adams always has some nice things to say about science. Which isn't to say his FICTION is real-world accurate. But when he isn't telling a story, he can be entertaining and informative.

[The Extinguisher]

I'll be honest, I tend to look at wikipedia for science information if I'm just out to learn.

The ability to jump to whatever I want to learn is really helpful.

[kamikasei]

On the subject of general-overview popular science books, you might check out The Canon (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Whirligig-Beautiful-Basics-Science/dp/0618242953). Author is a bit too much in love with the sound of her own voice (or the cleverness of her wordplay), but it does go over a lot of fundamental ideas from a bunch of different branches of science.

There are a bunch of good science blogs out there, too (though you'll often find "basic science" stuff mixed in with "combatting antiscience", which can be less clear than something written purely to inform). Try Scienceblogs (http://www.scienceblogs.com), Cosmic Variance (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/), Bad Astronomy (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/) (and the old site (http://www.badastronomy.com/intro.html)), etc.


Uh, better yet, don't: find a webpage by a physicist pointing out the mistakes. What the Bleep pretends to know more than it really does, and has a fair number of overstated conclusions. (Sorry, just a little irritation about "popular" science works that include bad information and misinformation. People who think quantum mechanics is "spooky" or "profound" tend to make scientists nervous.)

That's putting it charitably, as the original WP link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Bleep_Do_We_Know!%3F#Academic_reaction) makes clear. A less NPOV reaction here (http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/04/what_the_bleep_.html).

[Creed]

Watch some Mythbusters. It has stuff blowin up, but it's educationally blowin stuff up. GO SCIENCE!

[Asta Kask]

Fools! FOOLS! Do You Think Your Science Will Help You??!!??!! (http://www.fredvanlente.com/downloads/WhyWeHere.pdf)

[Telonius]

This one might interest you:

The New Way Things Work (http://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473), by David MacAulay. (It's a newer edition of "The Way Things Work"). It's basically a scientific explanation of how just about anything works, using woolly mammoths to help illustrate it.

A certain amount of math is absolutely essential if you want to get into research in any field of science, physics in particular. (If you're going to be writing research papers, a trained statistician on the team is almost a requirement in many fields). But a good portion of the day-to-day stuff is applied math. That means, you basically just have to understand the underlying formula, and be able to ask which situation most closely applies.

For most people, understanding it conceptually is more important than understanding the underlying math. For example, three statements:

1: "F=G(m1m2/r^2); where G=6.67428*10^-11"

2: "Every massive particle in the universe attracts every other massive particle with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them."

3: "If you have two objects, the more stuff there is in them, and the closer they are to each other, the stronger the force of gravity between them."

All three of those statements are accurate descriptions of Newton's law of universal gravitation. If you know and remember #3, you're better off than most people, and can have something approaching an intelligent conversation about his views on gravity.

(Note that universal gravitation isn't exactly correct; Einstein's equation on General Relativity replaced it. However, for anyone who is not a theoretical physicist, a rocket scientist, or a NASA employee, it's close enough to accurate).

[Astrella]

This one might interest you:

The New Way Things Work (http://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473), by David MacAulay. (It's a newer edition of "The Way Things Work"). It's basically a scientific explanation of how just about anything works, using woolly mammoths to help illustrate it.

Oh, I loved that book when I was in secondary school.

[Seonor]

Academic Earth (http://academicearth.org/) has many lectures from basicly all fields of science. Most are a bit more complicated, but the introductions are understandable for most people.

Scitable (http://www.nature.com/scitable)
Different other ressources (http://lifehacker.com/software/technophilia/discover-the-edu-underground-307427.php)

[Capt Spanner]

For a beginners course in Quantum Mechanics check out What the #$*! do we know? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Bleep_Do_We_Know!%3F)

No no no no no no no no.

Just no.

That's the kind of quantum mechanics they try to use to sell vials of water for £50 each. It's not science at all, it's pseudoscientific bantha poodoo. It's trying to sell you a philosophical cult (this is especially obvious in the film version) and is, in fact, worse than simply wrong. It is misinformation.

I've found the ...For Beginners (http://www.forbeginnersbooks.com/) series to be excellent. Einstein for beginners is extremely accessible, and they also have one on quantum mechanics.

[RS14]

This is more a general mechanical than scientific video, but I thought it was really cool.

How Differential Gears Work (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4JhruinbWc).

[Egiam]

Here are two short videos on a hypothetical 4th spacial dimension. I thought that these were awesome.

Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KT4M7kiSw) is a simple introduction to the idea by the great Carl Sagan.

Once you have that down, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDaKzQNlMFw) is a more complicated, detailed explanation.

[The Poet]

While not exactly simple, I've always enjoyed watching the TED talks to learn super triple awesome stuff which is also really neat.

[MethosH]

First question I have to ask is "how old are you?".
As age itself shouldn't be a problem while searching for knowledge our society have some barricades for young people that want to get advanced knowledge on certain areas.

I really applaud your interest in search for knowledge and I wish that at least half of the world were more like you.

Now to recommendations.

If you like Carl Sagan you will enjoy this, not much of advanced science (just a little) and yet a lot about life and science:
(images with links)


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Billions_and_Billions.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billions_and_Billions:_Thoughts_on_Life_and_Death_ at_the_Brink_of_the_Millennium)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/Broca%27s_Brain.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broca%27s_Brain:_Reflections_on_the_Romance_of_Sci ence)

[Capt Spanner]

The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) is a book to change the way you view the natural world.

It takes evolution, and turns it from something that happens because scientists says it does to a necessary consequence of life. It's a beautifully written book, worthy of all the praise it receives. I would, for similar reasons recommend The Blind Watchmaker too.

(Actually most of Dawkins books are good, but I'd give The God Delusion and Unweaving The Rainbow a miss).

[Zovc]

First question I have to ask is "how old are you?".
As age itself shouldn't be a problem while searching for knowledge our society have some barricades for young people that want to get advanced knowledge on certain areas.

I really applaud your interest in search for knowledge and I wish that at least half of the world were more like you.

I recently turned 20 years old.

I appreciate your appraisal, but I have a bad history with education. I never got interested in schoolwork and even flunked out of college; I'm working on giving college another chance, though.

Thanks for the recommendations, as well.

So far, the books I'm looking at are:
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Byrson
A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Billions and Billions by Carl Sagan

Is there a particular one of those I should start with?

I borrowed a book from my dad, The Basic Mathematics of Electronics, I believe, and intended to read it, but I have a hard time pulling myself through books. I'm hoping my desire to learn science better will be enough to get me through a book, and from there I can make a better habit of finishing books.

In English 101, I did a book report of sorts on a book I didn't even read. I got a B. :P

[Soterion]

If you want a good book on why science is important, try Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World. Albrecht Folsing's Einstein is an excellent biography of a great scientist. Or you could try Boas' Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences. :smallwink: Or not.

[Lord of Syntax]

Read Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, in fact, read all of his books, take my money go now!

[Zovc]

Read Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, in fact, read all of his books, take my money go now!

Are you actually offering to buy me his books? :P

[Ripped Shirt Kirk]

http://howstuffworks.com/



Your source from learning everything to how stocks work to nanotechnology! And the discover channel sponsors it, and we all know how much they like their science!

[Iruka]

So far, the books I'm looking at are:
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Byrson
A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Billions and Billions by Carl Sagan

Is there a particular one of those I should start with?



I'd recommend reading Bryson first, since it is more about the history of science and scientists. It gives an overview about the different fields and if some particular scientist or his works spark your interest, use this as a kind of starting point and look for further books about that topic.

[Zovc]

I'd recommend reading Bryson first, since it is more about the history of science and scientists. It gives an overview about the different fields and if some particular scientist or his works spark your interest, use this as a kind of starting point and look for further books about that topic.

My girlfriend, being as awesome as she is, got me A Short History of Nearly Everything, and I'm gonna start reading it tonight!

[Capt Spanner]

Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynmann is hilarious and a great insight into one of the modern worlds greatest scientists.