Archaeologists and archaeology students have long since needed an authoritative account of the techniques now available to them, designed to be understood by non-scientists. This book fills the gap and it offers a two-tier approach to the subject. The main text is a coherent introduction to the whole field of science-based dating, written in plain langauge for non-scientists. Additional end-notes, however, offer a a more technical understanding, and cater for those who have a scientific and mathematical background.

Devising and performing a scientific experiment is an art, and it is common to hear scientists talk about the 'beauty' of an experiment. What does this mean in chemistry, the experimental science par excellence? And what are the most beautiful chemical experiments of all time? This book offers ten suggestions for where beauty might reside in experimental chemistry. In some cases the beauty lies in the clarity of conception; sometimes it is a feature of the instrumental design. But for chemistry, there can also be a unique beauty in the way atoms are put together to make new molecules, substances not known in nature. The ten experiments described here offer a window into the way that chemists think and work, and how what they do affects the rest of science and the wider world. This book aims to stimulate the reader to think anew about some of the relationships and differences between science and art, and to challenge some of the common notions about particular 'famous experiments'. Elegant Solutions: Ten Beautiful Experiments in Chemistry is accessible to all readers, including those without a scientific background and can provide an unusual point of entry into some of the basic concepts of chemistry. Phillip Ball is a renowned, prolific, award winning science writer.

Research powers innovation and technoscientific advance, but it is due for a rethink, one consistent with its deeply holistic nature, requiring deeply human nurturing. Research is a deeply human endeavor that must be nurtured to achieve its full potential. As with tending a garden, care must be taken to organize, plant, feed, and weed-and the manner in which this nurturing is done must be consistent with the nature of what is being nurtured. In The Genesis of Technoscientific Revolutions, Venkatesh Narayanamurti and Jeffrey Tsao propose a new and holistic system, a rethinking of the nature and nurturing of research. They share lessons from their vast research experience in the physical sciences and engineering, as well as from perspectives drawn from the history and philosophy of science and technology, research policy and management, and the evolutionary biological, complexity, physical, and economic sciences. Narayanamurti and Tsao argue that research is a recursive, reciprocal process at many levels: between science and technology; between questions and answer finding; and between the consolidation and challenging of conventional wisdom. These fundamental aspects of the nature of research should be reflected in how it is nurtured. To that end, Narayanamurti and Tsao propose aligning organization, funding, and governance with research; embracing a culture of holistic technoscientific exploration; and instructing people with care and accountability.

This is the engaging true story of kids competing in the high-stakes, high-drama world of international science fairs. Every year the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair brings together 1,500 high schoolers from more than 50 countries to compete for over $4 million dollars in prizes and scholarships. These amazing kids are doing everything from creating bionic prosthetics to conducting groundbreaking stem cell research, from training drug-sniffing cockroaches to building a nuclear reactor. In "Science Fair Season," Judy Dutton follows twelve teens looking for science fair greatness and tells the gripping stories of their road to the big competition. Some will win, some will lose, but all of their lives are changed forever.
The Intel International Science & Engineering Fair is the most prominent science fair in the country, and it takes a special blend of drive, heart, and smarts to win there. Dutton goes inside the inner sanctum of science fair competitions and reveals the awe-inspiring projects and the competitors there. Each of the kids--ranging from a young Erin Brokovich who made the FBI watch list for taking on a big corporation, to a quietly driven boy who lives in a run-down trailer on a Navajo reservation, to a wealthy Connecticut girl who dreams of being an actress and finds her calling studying bees, to a troubled teenager in a juvenile detention facility, to the next Bill Gates--take readers on an unforgettable journey.
Along the way, "Science Fair Season" gives readers a glimpse of America's brightest young minds and shows how our country is still a place for inventors and dreamers--the "geeks" our future depends upon.

Taking advantage of recent advances throughout the sciences, Matthew Hedman brings the distant past closer to us than it has ever been. Here, he shows how scientists have determined the age of everything from the colonization of the New World over 13,000 years ago to the origin of the universe nearly fourteen billion years ago.
Hedman details, for example, how interdisciplinary studies of the Great Pyramids of Egypt can determine exactly when and how these incredible structures were built. He shows how the remains of humble trees can illuminate how the surface of the sun has changed over the past ten millennia. And he also explores how the origins of the earth, solar system, and universe are being discerned with help from rocks that fall from the sky, the light from distant stars, and even the static seen on television sets.
Covering a wide range of time scales, from the Big Bang to human history, "The Age of Everything" is a provocative and far-ranging look at how science has determined the age of everything from modern mammals to the oldest stars, and will be indispensable for all armchair time travelers.
"We are used to being told confidently of an enormous, measurable past: that some collection of dusty bones is tens of thousands of years old, or that astronomical bodies have an age of some billions. But how exactly do scientists come to know these things? That is the subject of this quite fascinating book. . . . As told by Hedman, an astronomer, each story is a marvel of compressed exegesis that takes into account some of the most modern and intriguing hypotheses."--Steven Poole, "Guardian """ "Hedman is worth reading because he is careful to present both the power and peril of trying to extract precise chronological data. These are all very active areas of study, and as you read Hedman you begin to see how researchers have to be both very careful and incredibly audacious, and how much of our understanding of ourselves--through history, through paleontology, through astronomy--depends on determining the age of everything."--Anthony Doerr, "Boston"" Globe"

A definitive work on ESR and polymer science by today's leading authorities

The past twenty years have seen extraordinary advances in electron spin resonance (ESR) techniques, particularly as they apply to polymeric materials. With contributions from over a dozen of the world's top polymer scientists, Advanced ESR Methods in Polymer Research is the first book to bring together all the current trends in this exciting field into one comprehensive reference.
Part I establishes the fundamentals of ESR, from experimental techniques to data analysis, and serves as a valuable overview for the beginning ESR student. Part II introduces the broad range of ESR applications to polymeric systems, including living radical polymerization, block copoly-mers, polymer solutions, ion-containing polymers, polymer lattices, membranes in fuel cells, degradation, polymer coatings, dendrimers, and conductive polymers. By exposing readers to the great potential of ESR, the authors hope to encourage more extensive application of these methods.

FROM REVIEWS OF THE SERIES
"Reviews in Computational Chemistry remains the most valuable reference to methods and techniques in computational chemistry."
-JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR GRAPHICS AND MODELLING
"One cannot generally do better than to try to find an appropriate article in the highly successful Reviews in Computational Chemistry. The basic philosophy of the editors seems to be to help the authors produce chapters that are complete, accurate, clear, and accessible to experimentalists (in particular) and other nonspecialists (in general)."
-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Do you own a TI-89, TI-89 Titanium, TI-92 Plus, or a Voyage 200 graphing calculator? If you do, or if you need to get one for school or your job, then you need to know how it works and how to make the most of its functions. "TI-89 For Dummies" is the plain-English nuts-and-bolts guide that gets you up and running on all the things your TI-89 can do, quickly and easily. This hands-on reference guides you step by step through various tasks and even shows you how to add applications to your calculator.Soon you'll have the tools you need to: solve equations and systems of equations; factor polynomials; evaluate derivatives and integrals; graph functions, parametric equations, polar equations, and sequences; create Stat Plots and analyze statistical data; multiply matrices; solve differential equations and systems of differential equations; transfer files between two or more calculators; and save calculator files on your computer. Packed with exciting and valuable applications that you can download from the Internet and install through your computer, as well as common errors and messages with explanations and solutions, "TI-89 For Dummies" is the one-stop reference for all your graphing calculator questions!

The most comprehensive textbook and detailed presentation of the lab techniques organic chemistry students need to know. Compatible with any organic chemistry lab manual or set of experiments, it combines specific instructions for three different kinds of laboratory glassware: miniscale, standard taper microscale, and Williamson microscale. This title provides effective support to all those looking for guided-inquiry and design-based experiments and projects, as well as for traditional lab experiments. This title is for organic students of all levels looking to improve and understand their knowledge of lab work. With new authors David Alberg and Gretchen Hofmeister on board for this fourth edition, both bring copious amounts of experience in organic chemistry. They have been able to revive the writing in the book, while also adding new examples and pitfalls for students to avoid.

This procedure offers complete methodologies for sampling and measuring particle streams and summarizes methods of particle size analysis. It also lists operating variables to be considered and measured. Although the procedure is intended specifically for particle classification equipment, many of the items are also relevant to particle collection devices.

Provides students with the solid grounding in biological laboratory techniques needed to pursue any major in the life and health sciences Building on the success of its American Publishers Award-winning predecessor, Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques, Second Edition gives new researchers the skills and understanding of the fundamental laboratory procedures that are needed to run experiments, solve problems, and become a productive member of the modern life science laboratory. An indispensable tool for readers, this Second Edition includes chapters on cell culture techniques, electrophoresis, microscopy, enzymatic reactions, and bioinformatics. In addition to covering measurement, preparation of reagents, blotting, chromatography, and real-time PCR, Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques also: * Teaches new investigators how to perform basic laboratory research techniques * Explains solution chemistry and preparation * Describes care and use of common equipment such as pH meters, spectrophotometers, centrifuges, and microscopes * Covers basic laboratory safety * Provides access to Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques online Written by distinguished investigators and outstanding faculty, Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques, Second Edition is a great source for beginning scientists who want to develop the skills for a fruitful career in research.

This bestselling DIY handbook now features new and expanded projects, enabling ordinary folks to construct 16 awesome ballistic devices in their garage or basement workshops using inexpensive household or hardware store materials and this step-by-step guide. Clear instructions, diagrams, and photographs show how to build projects ranging from the simple match-powered rocket to the more complex tabletop catapult and the offbeat Cincinnati fire kite. The classic potato cannon has a new evil twin--the piezo-electric spud gun and the electromagnetic pipe gun has joined the company of such favorites as the tennis ball mortar. With a strong emphasis on safety, the book also gives tips on troubleshooting, explains the physics behind the projects, and profiles scientists and extraordinary experimenters such as Alfred Nobel, Robert Goddard, and Isaac Newton. This book will be indispensable for the legions of backyard toy-rocket launchers and fireworks fanatics who wish every day was the fourth of July.

Praise for The Laboratory Handbook by Gary S. Coyne

"This is probably the most useful volume I have encountered for many years and should be made compulsory reading for all those involved in research, particularly new research students."
--Chromatographia

"The book will be valuable for readers needing to understand the theory and proper use, cleaning, and storing methods of laboratory equipment. Safety issues are thoroughly covered. The book is a useful 'how-to-use' reference for students, novices, and experienced laboratory personnel."
--JACS

An updated version of the critically acclaimed Laboratory Handbook, this guide to laboratory materials, equipment, and techniques is an important resource for students as well as veteran scientists and lab technicians.

From vacuum technology and glass vacuum systems to volumetric glassware, gas-oxygen torches, and cryogenic tanks, The Laboratory Companion provides complete coverage of all commonly used lab equipment, including essential information about its selection, use, cleaning, and maintenance. It clearly explains the historical development and rationale behind how and why things are done in the lab, and includes helpful guidelines and step-by-step procedures for each topic discussed.

Since glassware is typically the most prevalent type of lab equipment, much of the book is devoted to the properties and handling of glass apparatus, with additional material on rubber and plastic tubing, corks, stoppers, and O-rings. Readers will also find broad coverage of measurement systems, high- and low-temperature apparatus and techniques, compressed gases, vacuum systems, and other essential subjects.

A renowned philosopher's final work, illuminating how the logical empiricist tradition has failed to appreciate the role of actual experiments in forming its philosophy of science. The logical empiricist treatment of physics dominated twentieth-century philosophy of science. But the logical empiricist tradition, for all it accomplished, does not do justice to the way in which empirical evidence functions in modern physics. In his final work, the late philosopher of science William Demopoulos contends that philosophers have failed to provide an adequate epistemology of science because they have failed to appreciate the tightly woven character of theory and evidence. As a consequence, theory comes apart from evidence. This trouble is nowhere more evident than in theorizing about particle and quantum physics. Arguing that we must consider actual experiments as they have unfolded across history, Demopoulos provides a new epistemology of theories and evidence, albeit one that stands on the shoulders of giants. On Theories finds clarity in Isaac Newton's suspicion of mere "hypotheses." Newton's methodology lies in the background of Jean Perrin's experimental investigations of molecular reality and of the subatomic investigations of J. J. Thomson and Robert Millikan. Demopoulos extends this account to offer novel insights into the distinctive nature of quantum reality, where a logico-mathematical reconstruction of Bohrian complementarity meets John Stewart Bell's empirical analysis of Einstein's "local realism." On Theories ultimately provides a new interpretation of quantum probabilities as themselves objectively representing empirical reality.