How to Dunk a Doughnut : Using Science in Everyday Life - Hardcover

FISHER, Len

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0297607561 ISBN 13: 9780297607564

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002

Synopsis

In 1998 Len Fisher attracted world-wide attention with his experiments on the physics of biscuit dunking. These won him a spoof 'IgNobel Prize', a letter of commendation from the royal society and a nomination as 'an enemy of the people' by the Times newspaper. In this funny, fascinating and accessible book the author tells the true stories behind this and other projects, taking a scientific look at the familiar and the everday as a way of opening the door to science, and showing, from an insider's viewpoint, what it feels like to be a scientist, what things scientists do, why they do it and how they go about it. Scientists exploring the most commonplace and mundane phenomena have provided insight into some of the most profound scientific questions and uncovered some of nature’s deepest laws - see Count Rumford, who discovered the principle of heat convection after burning his mouth on hot apple pie. We can in turn use these laws to understand and improve our performance in many everday activities, as How to Dunk a Doughnut shows, demonstrating the benefits of a more scientific approach to things as diverse as sport, DIY and sex. Along the way, we meet scientists from past and present and learn the solutions to many of modern life's most pressing problems, from the scientific way to add up a shopping bill, to how to use the laws of thermodynamics to boil the perfect egg.

About this title

About the Author

Born in 1942, Len Fisher received a PhD from the University of New South Wales. He has written around eighty scientific papers and book chapters on surface science, food science, chemical engineering, scientific instrumentation and the applications of physics to biology. He is currently honorary research fellow at the University of Bristol.

Review

The book has entered the top 20 Popular Science Bestsellers on Amazon.co.uk.The author is also listed as a top 10 Popular Science Author on www.countrybookshop.co.uk. There has been a fantastic level of interest in Len and the book was listed as a hardback fast climber in The Times (31 August 2002). A full page feature ran in the Independent, a feature has also appeared in the Irish Independent and Daily Express, an extract has been bought by the Mail on Sunday, Len has also been interviewed for features in Daily Record - Glasgow, Bristol Evening Post, Teletext, Western Daily Press, Herald - Glasgow and Venue Magazine - Bristol. There is interest in Len taking up a regular column inthe Express Magazine. He is currently writing features for publication in the New Statesman, The Mirror, Times Higher Education Supplement and The Daily Telegraph. Len has appeared on BBC Radio Essex, LBC, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Leeds, Today FM - Ireland, BBC Wiltshire Sound, BBC Radio Bristol, GWR Radio Bristol, Newstalk - New Zealand Radio, and through the General News Service BBC Radio Breakfast programmes in Humberside, Lancashire, Bristol, Sheffield, Leicester, Northampton, BFBS, Stoke, Newcastle, Norfolk, West Midlands and Wales. Interviews are booked with CBS News, and have been recorded for ABC Radio Australia. Len Fisher author did a fun and popular piece for the Today Program - BBC Radio 4 on 8/1/03 to discuss whether bird baths freeze more quickly with hot or cold water in them, many listeners carried out their own experiments and reported the results. He then wrote afull page piece in the DAILY MAIL the day after. His book reached no 8 on Blackwells popular science bestseller list just prior to Christmas and was reported as no 8 in Bestsellers from Oxford in the New Scientist 12/12/02. The author has signed stock copies of his book in Bristol and signed copies of his book at the Science Museumbookstore, London on 24 August. He presented a paper on flavours and foods at an Oxford Symposium attended by international media on September 7th. The book is in the top ten science books as listed by the Science Museum. Len's Radio 4 series of 15 min programmes (based around DIY - Len pottering in the shed with a gang of pals) will air on five consecutive afternoons at 3.45pm, beginnig on 3rd March. Len is also taking part in the IgNobel Laureates' tour, startingon 7th March and will be appearing at the following venues: Instituteof Electrical Engineers, London (Friday 7th March), University of Manchester(Monday 10th March), Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh (Tuesday 11th March), University of Leicester (Wednesday 12th March) and Bristol (Thursday 13thMarch). Reviews have appeared in New Scientist, Physics World, Financial Times, Chemistry in Britain and in Rated Magazine; a review is due to appear in the Yorkshire Post. ... a flavoursome read.Financial Times ..fascinating ... entertaining ..New Scientist ... informative and often very funny ...Chemistry in Britain Book Clubs and InternetThe book was a TSP recommended title, along with Randy Cohen's "The Good, the Bad and the Difference". The two together are described as "Discover how a philosopher and a scientist view the real world". The book was also choice of the month by World Books www.worldbooks.co.uk. Streetsonline.co.uk listed "How to Dunk a Doughnut" as an "essential pre-order", and now lists it in their selected list of new releases. There is arecommendation at studentbookworld.com and features on BBC web-site http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/news/2002/08/15/news1/doughnuts.shtml SciTech dai

About this edition

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0297607561
• ISBN 13: 9780297607564
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1