Science in a Nanosecond: Illustrated Answers to 100 Basic Science Questions

Journalist James Haught grew up in an Appalachian farm town in the 1930's and clearly remembers the use of outdoor plumbing, kerosene lamps, handle pumps, and horses and wagons. He now does his work at a video terminal, with a roof dish that fills the screen with news from a satellite 22,000 miles above the equator. As he points out in the introduction to Science in a Nanosecond, there have been greater scientific advances in his lifetime than in all previous human history; and now, more than ever before, science awareness is necessary to grasp the amazing technological revolutions that are changing our lives.

How do we communicate the wonders of science to children and young adults? This book was Haught's attempt to do just that for his four children as they were growing up. He presents 100 common science questions and provides simple answers with clear illustrations. Why is the sky blue? Why are there seasons? What is the Milky Way? How fast does the earth rotate? What holds an airplane up in the sky? These and many more questions are addressed in a breezy style that conveys broad, basic science information - "in a nanosecond."