The Handy Science Answer Book, Fifth Edition

By The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, James Bobick and Naomi Balaban

“… an enjoyable way for the scientifically inclined to while away a few hours.” —Library Journal

“This update of the 2010 edition offers a plethora of fun facts along with brief scientific explanations. … informative and entertaining title …” —Booklist

“Clear, concise and straightforward, with a wide range of information … This newly updated 5th edition continues to be an educational resource that is both informative and enjoyable. The questions are interesting, unusual, frequently asked, or difficult to answer. … answers burning questions, supports homework assignments, provides engaging trivia, and helps satisfy an innate thirst for knowledge.” —SirReadALog.org

“… addresses questions in general science, math, physics, chemistry, astronomy and space, geology and earth science, meteorology and climatology, biology, genetics, botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology, ecology, and applied science and technology …” —Book News

Praise for the previous edition …

“Easily read by students in grades 4-12, this resource invites the curious mind to explore…. What a fun and educational way to explore the wonders of the world of science, the world in which we live.” —National Science Teachers Association

“… this science resource will resolve arguments, support homework assignments, provide engaging trivia, and help satisfy readers’ curiosity.” —SciTech Book News

“… a superior source on essential science data…” —American Reference Books

“A book filled with answers to the frequently asked questions of science and technology, this fourth edition updates the research. The straight-forward writing could be understood by fourth grade and up. The book is organized with an extensive table of contents at the beginning and an even more extensive index at the end.” —Children’s Literature

“A user-friendly guide explaining scientific concepts in plain English. Recommended.” —Christian Library Journal

“Here’s a way to answer those burning questions you wonder about, or the ones your teacher asks for homework.” —Dallas Morning News

“The eight years since this title’s last appearance constitute an era in some sciences, marking high time for a new edition. Recommended.” —Library Journal

“Fascinating stuff. Most readers will have hours of fun just picking pages at random.” —Pittsburgh Magazine

Informative, easy-to-use guide to everyday science questions, concepts and fundamentals celebrates its twenty-fifth year!

Science is everywhere, and it affects everything! DNA and CRISPR. Artificial sweeteners. Sea level changes caused by melting glaciers. Gravitational waves. Bees in a colony. The human body. Microplastics. The largest active volcano. Designer dog breeds. Molecules. The length of the Grand Canyon. Viruses and retroviruses. The weight of a cloud. Forces, motion, energy, and inertia. It can often seem complex and complicated, but it need not be so difficult to understand. The thoroughly updated and completely revised fifth edition of The Handy Science Answer Book makes science and its impact on the world fun and easy to understand.

Clear, concise, and straightforward, this informative primer covers hundreds of intriguing topics, from the basics of math, physics, and chemistry to the discoveries being made about the human body, stars, outer space, rivers, mountains, and our entire planet. It covers plants, animals, computers, planes, trains, and cars. This friendly resource answers more than 1,600 of the most frequently asked, most interesting, and most unusual science questions, including …

When was a symbol for the concept of zero first used?
How large is a google?
Why do golf balls have dimples?
What is a chemical bond?
What is a light-year?
What was the grand finale of the Cassini mission?
How many exoplanets have been discovered?
Where is the deepest cave in the United States?
How long is the Grand Canyon?
What is the difference between weather and climate?
What causes a red tide?
What is cell cloning and how is it used in scientific research?
How did humans evolve?
Do pine trees keep their needles forever?
What is the most abundant group of organisms?
How do insects survive the winter in cold climates?
Which animals drink seawater?
Why do geese fly in formation?
What is FrogWatch?
Why do cats’ eyes shine in the dark?
Which industries release the most toxic chemicals?
What causes most wildfires in the United States?
Which woman received the Nobel Prize in two different fields (two different years)?
What is the difference between science and technology?

For anyone wanting to know how the universe, Earth, plants, animals, and human beings work and fit into our world, this informative book also includes a helpful bibliography, and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. It will help anyone’s science questions!

All Books by This Author:

The Handy Science Answer Book, Fifth Edition

Purchase Options:

Mail orders are welcome. For more information, see HERE. Also available from bookstores everywhere, including:

Amazon

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Bookshop

IndiePubs

Quick Facts:

ISBN: 9781578596911

Ebook ISBN: 9781578597024

Hardback ISBN: 9781578597895

624 Pages
140 Photos and Illustrations
7.5″ x 9.25″
Trade Paperback Price: $59.95
eBook Price: $19.99
Hardbound Price: $84.95

Related Titles:

The Book of Facts and Trivia: Science

The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, Second Edition

The Handy Astronomy Answer Book, Third Edition

The Handy Biology Answer Book, Second Edition

The Handy Chemistry Answer Book

The Handy Engineering Answer Book

The Handy Geology Answer Book

The Handy Math Answer Book, Second Edition

The Handy Ocean Answer Book

The Handy Physics Answer Book, Third Edition

The Handy Psychology Answer Book, Second Edition

The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book

The Handy Technology Answer Book

The Handy Weather Answer Book, Second Edition

About the Author:

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, established in 1902, fields—and answers—more than 60,000 science and technology questions every single year, which is how a library became an author. The most common questions were collected in the library’s ready reference file.

James Bobick was the Head of the Science and Technology Department at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for sixteen years. During the same time, he taught the science resources course in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He coauthored, with G. Lynn Berard of Carnegie Mellon University, Science and Technology Resources: A Guide for Information Professionals and Researchers. He passed away in 2020.

Naomi E. Balaban, a reference librarian for more than twenty-five years at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, has extensive experience in the areas of science and consumer health. She edited, with James Bobick, The Handy Science Answer Book, The Handy Technology Answer Book, The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, and The Handy Biology Answer Book. She has a background in linguistics and a master’s degree in library science.