Synopses & Reviews
How an American teenager became the youngest person ever to build a working nuclear fusion reactorand#160; By the age of nine, Taylor Wilson had mastered the science of rocket propulsion. At eleven, his grandmotherandrsquo;s cancer diagnosis drove him to investigate new ways to produce medical isotopes. And by fourteen, Wilson had built a 500-million-degree reactor and become the youngest person in history to achieve nuclear fusion. How could someone so young achieve so much, and what can Wilsonandrsquo;s story teach parents and teachers about how to support high-achieving kids?
In The Boy Who Played with Fusion, science journalist Tom Clynes narrates Taylor Wilsonandrsquo;s extraordinary journeyandmdash;from his Arkansas home where his parents fully supported his intellectual passions, to a unique Reno, Nevada, public high school just for academic superstars, to the present, when now nineteen-year-old Wilson is winning international science competitions with devices designed to prevent terrorists from shipping radioactive material into the country. Along the way, Clynes reveals how our education system shortchanges gifted students, and what we can do to fix it.
Review
Amazon Best Books of 2012: Science and Math
"A delightful exploration of the beauty and fun of mathematics, in the best tradition of Lewis Carroll, George Gamow, and Martin Gardner. The Joy of x will entertain you, amaze you, and make you smarter."
and#8212; Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Language Instinct
"Steven Strogatz should do for math what Julia Child did for cookery. He shows that this stuff really matters, and he shows that it can nourish us."
and#8212; James Gleick, author of The Information and Chaos
"Steve Strogatz may be the only person alive with the skill to pied piper me into the murky abyss of set theory. I literally learned something on every page, despite my innumerate brain. This is a fantastic book, conveyed with clarity, technical mastery and infectious joy."
and#8212; Jad Abumrad, host of Radiolab
"This joyous book will remind you just how beautiful and mesmerizing math can be. Steve Strogatz is the teacher we all wish we had."
and#8212; Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein
"I loved this beautiful book from the first page. With his unique ingenuity and affable charm, Strogatz disassembles mathematics as a subject, both feared and revered, and reassembles it as a world, both accessible and magical. The Joy of x is, well, a joy."
and#8212; Janna Levin, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College, Columbia University, and author of How the Universe Got Its Spots and A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines
"Amazingly, mathematicians can see patterns in the universe that the rest of us are usually blind to. With clarity and dry wit, The Joy of x opens a window onto this hidden world with its landscapes of beauty and wonder."
and#8212; Alan Alda
"This book is, simply put, fantastic. It introduces the reader to the underlying concepts of mathematics and#8212; presenting reasons for its unfamiliar language and explaining conceptual frameworks that do in fact make understanding complex problems easier. In a world where mathematics is essential but, largely, poorly understood, Steve Strogatzand#8217;s teaching skills and deft writing style are an important contribution."
and#8212; Lisa Randall, Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science, Harvard University, and author of Warped Passages and Knocking on Heaven's Door
"Strogatzand#8217;s graceful prose is perfectly pitched for a popular math book: authoritative without being patronizing, friendly without being whimsical, and always clear and accessible. His x marks the spot and#8211; and hits it."
and#8212; Alex Bellos, author of Here's Looking at Euclid
"Strogatz has discovered a magical function that transforms and#8216;mathand#8217; into and#8216;joy,and#8217; page after wonderful page. He takes everything that ever mystified you about math and makes it better than clear and#8212; he makes it wondrous, delicious, and amazing."
and#8212; Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Stumbling on Happiness
Synopsis
A delightful tour of the greatest ideas of math, showing how math intersects withand#160;philosophy, science, art, business, current events, and everyday life, by an acclaimed science communicator and regular contributor to the New York Times.
Synopsis
2016 PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalist
"The amazing story of an unbelievable boy . . . The world that opens up to us through his story is both fascinating and slightly terrifying . . . but in a good way. You won't be able to walk away from this tale." -- Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
"Imagine if cartoon whiz kid Jimmy Neutron were real and had a brainchild with MacGyver and his adolescence got told as a rollicking bildungsroman about American prodigies and DIY nuclear reactors--well, that's this book." --Jack Hitt, author of Bunch of Amateurs
By the age of nine, Taylor Wilson had mastered the science of rocket propulsion. At eleven, his grandmother's cancer diagnosis inspired him to investigate new ways to produce medical isotopes. And by fourteen, Wilson had built a 500-million-degree reactor and become the youngest person in history to achieve nuclear fusion. How could someone so young achieve so much, and what can Wilson's story teach parents and teachers about how to support high-achieving kids?
In The Boy Who Played with Fusion, science journalist Tom Clynes narrates Taylor's extraordinary journey--from his Arkansas home, to a unique public high school just for academic superstars, to the present, when Wilson is designing devices to prevent terrorists from shipping radioactive material and inspiring a new generation to take on the challenges of science.
"Clynes guides us on an engrossing journey to the outer realms of science and parenting. The Boy Who Played with Fusion is a fascinating exploration of 'giftedness' and all its consequences." --Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish and American Catch
"An essential contribution to our understanding of the most important underlying questions about the development of giftedness, talent, creativity, and intelligence." --Psychology Today
Synopsis
"Delightful . . . easily digestible chapters include plenty of helpful examples and illustrations. You'll never forget the Pythagorean theorem again!"and#8212;
Scientific AmericanMany people take math in high school and promptly forget much of it. But math plays a part in all of our lives all of the time, whether we know it or not. In The Joy of x, Steven Strogatz expands on his hit New York Times series to explain the big ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations.
Whether he is illuminating how often you should flip your mattress to get the maximum lifespan from it, explaining just how Google searches the internet, or determining how many people you should date before settling down, Strogatz shows how math connects to every aspect of life. Discussing pop culture, medicine, law, philosophy, art, and business, Strogatz is the math teacher you wish youand#8217;d had. Whether you aced integral calculus or arenand#8217;t sure what an integer is, youand#8217;ll find profound wisdom and persistent delight in The Joy of x.
Synopsis
An account of child genius Taylor Wilsonandrsquo;s successful quest to build his own nuclear reactor at the age of fourteen, and an exploration of how gifted children can be nurtured to do extraordinary things
About the Author
TOM CLYNESandnbsp;writes regularly forandnbsp;National Geographicandnbsp;andandnbsp;Popular Science, where he is a contributing editor.andnbsp;His work has also appeared inandnbsp;Menand#39;s Journal,andnbsp;Nature,andnbsp;New York,andnbsp;the Sunday Times Magazineandnbsp;(London),andnbsp;theandnbsp;Washington Post,andnbsp;and many other publications.andnbsp;He isandnbsp;also the author of the book Wild Planet!