Our Magnetic Earth: The Science of Geomagnetism - Couverture souple

Merrill, Ronald T.

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 022600659X ISBN 13 : 9780226006598

Editeur : University of Chicago Press, 2012

Synopsis

For the general public, magnetism often seems more the province of new age quacks, movie mad scientists, and grade-school teachers than an area of actual, ongoing scientific inquiry.

But as Ronald T. Merrill reveals in Our Magnetic Earth, geomagnetism really is an enduring, vibrant area of science, one that offers answers to some of the biggest questions about our planet’s past—and maybe even its future. In a clear and careful fashion, he lays out the physics of geomagnetism and magnetic fields, then goes on to explain how Earth’s magnetic field provides crucial evidence for our understanding of continental drift and plate tectonics; how and why animals, ranging from bacteria to mammals, sense and use the magnetic field; how changes in climate over eons can be studied through variations in the magnetic field in rocks; and much more. Throughout, Merrill peppers his scientific account with bizarre anecdotes and fascinating details, from levitating pizzas to Moon missions to blackmailing KGB agents—a reminder that real science can at times be stranger, and more amusing, than fiction.

A winning primer for anyone who has ever struggled with a compass or admired a ragged V of migrating geese, Our Magnetic Earth demonstrates that education and entertainment need not be polar opposites.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Ronald T. Merrill is professor emeritus of earth and space sciences at the University of Washington. In 2002 he was awarded the John Adam Fleming Medal of the American Geophysical Union.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: University of Chicago Press
• Date d'édition: 2012
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 022600659X
• ISBN 13: 9780226006598
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 269
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible