View:
- no detail
- some detail
- full detail

3. Bridging matter
Peter Atkins
in Physical Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
‘Bridging matter’ introduces statistical thermodynamics, which provides the link between the notional insides and outsides of atoms and molecules. It identifies the bulk properties of a ...
More

3. Mathematical Information
Luciano Floridi
in Information: A Very Short Introduction
‘Mathematical information’ explores mathematical approaches to investigating information. The Mathematical Theory of Communication (MTC) is the most important of these approaches, and aims ...
More

3. The second law: The increase in entropy
Peter Atkins
in The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction
The second law of thermodynamics introduces the concept of entropy: a measure of the disorder, or the quality of energy, that a system possesses. The law itself states that the entropy of ...
More

3. Its principles: energy and entropy
Peter Atkins
in Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
To understand why and how reactions take place and why and how bonds form in all their variety, chemists think about the energy changes that take place when processes occur. ‘Its ...
More

3. The age of heat – you can’t get something for nothing
David Blockley
in Engineering: A Very Short Introduction
‘The age of heat — you can't get something for nothing’ explores the development of heat engines, from early steam engines up to modern methods of energy generation. Despite being easily ...
More

2. Matter from the outside
Peter Atkins
in Physical Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
‘Matter from the outside’ focuses on the applications of thermodynamics in physical chemistry. Thermodynamics is the science of energy and the transformations that it can undergo. It plays ...
More

The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction
Peter Atkins
The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction explains how the laws of thermodynamics establish fundamental concepts such as temperature and heat, and the nature of ...
More

4. The burning issue: molecules and energy
Philip Ball
in Molecules: A Very Short Introduction
‘The burning issue: molecules and energy’ describes how energy can be transferred through molecular reactions. Metabolic processes are the foundation of cellular life. All chemical ...
More

Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Peter Atkins
Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction encourages us to look at chemistry anew, through a chemist's eyes, in order to understand its central concepts and to see how it ...
More

5. Entropy and thermodynamics of black holes
Katherine Blundell
in Black Holes: A Very Short Introduction
‘Entropy and thermodynamics of black holes’ considers how the laws of thermodynamics and entropy can be applied to black holes. It discusses the work of Roger Penrose, James Bardeen, ...
More

Black Holes: A Very Short Introduction
Katherine Blundell
Black holes are a constant source of fascination to many due to their mysterious nature. Black Holes: A Very Short Introduction addresses a variety of questions, including what a black hole ...
More

Information: A Very Short Introduction
Luciano Floridi
Information: A Very Short Introduction explores the concept of information, central to modern science and society, from thermodynamics and DNA to our use of the mobile phone ...
More

6. Biological information
Luciano Floridi
in Information: A Very Short Introduction
‘Biological information’ outlines the nature of information in genetics and neuroscience. Genes are instructions for creating proteins in organisms, and these instructions are carried ...
More

5. The third law: The unattainability of zero
Peter Atkins
in The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction
Although the third law of thermodynamics does not have the same practical implications as the first two, it does make possible their application. ‘The third law’ examines how considerations ...
More

1. What is astrobiology?
David C. Catling
in Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction
Astrobiology is defined as a branch of science concerned with the study of the origin and evolution of life on Earth and the possible variety of life elsewhere. Astrobiologists agree that ...
More

Physical Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction
Peter Atkins
With the development of a variety of exciting new areas of research involving computational chemistry, nano- and smart materials, and applications of the recently discovered graphene, there ...
More
View:
- no detail
- some detail
- full detail