Synopses & Reviews
From the speed of light to moving mountains-and everything in between-ZOOM explores how the universe and its objects move. If you sit as still as you can in a quiet room, you might be able to convince yourself that nothing is moving. But air currents still waft around you. Blood rushes through your veins. The atoms in your chair jiggle furiously. And the planet you sit on is whizzing through space 35 times faster than the speed of sound.
Natural motion dominates our lives and the intricate mechanics of the world around us. In ZOOM, Bob Berman explores how motion shapes every aspect of the universe. With an informative and entertaining style, Berman spans astronomy, geology, biology, meteorology, and the history of science, uncovering how clouds stay aloft, how the earth's rotation curves a home run's flight, and why a mosquito's familiar whine resembles a telephone's dial tone.
Review
"An engagingly quirky popular treatment of the ongoing debate about the nature of space and time in the universe and our place as both observers and participants."--Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Berman has a knack for clearly explaining potentially difficult scientific concepts in layman-friendly terms and applying these concepts to natural phenomena with engaging anecdotes.... Zoom is an entertaining journey through a variety of scientific fields, accessible even to readers with light science knowledge."--Tobias Mutter, Shelf Awareness
Review
"This light-hearted expedition combines impeccably sound science with a caustic sense of humor...both enlightening and entertaining.... A thoroughly enjoyable and educational journey."--Frank L. Cloutier, The Post and Courier
About the Author
Bob Berman is one of America's top science writers. For many years, he wrote the popular "Night Watchman" column for Discover magazine. He is currently a columnist for Astronomy magazine and a host on NPR's Northeast Public Radio, and he is the science editor of the Old Farmer's Almanac.