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 are still wafting around you. Blood rushes through your veins. The atoms in your chair jiggle furiously. In fact, the planet you are sitting on is whizzing through space thirty-five 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, literally from the ground up. With an entertaining style and a gift for distilling the wondrous, 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.
For readers who love to get smarter without realizing it, ZOOM bursts with science writing at its best.
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
Review
Praise for THE SUN'S HEARTBEAT"Bob Berman's The Sun's Heartbeat glitters and skips with the joy and excitement of science at its best. He explains things I always wondered about without diminishing the star-gazer's sense of awe." -- Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt and Cod
Review
"A good read....light-hearted....[and] fun...Above all, the author's enthusiasm for science shines through." --
Wall Street JournalReview
"A deeply enjoyable book...[Berman] comes across as the world's most enthusiastic science teacher....[who] writes 'everything about the sun is either amazing or useful.' It's hard not to enjoy a book when someone says that and does their cheerful best to back it up." --
Washington PostReview
"Berman directs your attention to our neighborhood ball of nuclear fire, telling its story with charm and wit....He makes a compelling case for putting on a wide-brimmed hat, stepping outside, and giving a second thought to the star that illuminates and powers our planet." --
Discover MagazineReview
"If ever there were a physics book to read at the beach, this is it.... Berman is an engaging writer, and Zoom is an entertaining read."--Sheilla Jones, Winnipeg Free Press
Review
"Entertainingly kinetic.... [Berman] transmits science geekery in vivid prose stuffed with unexpected insights and arresting observations.... Absorbing."--Michael Benson, New York Times
About the Author
Bob Berman, one of America's top astronomy writers, contributed the popular "Night Watchman" column for Discover for seventeen years. He is currently a columnist for Astronomy, a host on Northeast Public Radio, and the science editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac. He lives in Willow, New York.