Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Light Years - The Extraordinary Story of Mankind's Fascination with Light - cover

We are sorry! The publisher (or author) gave us the instruction to take down this book from our catalog. But please don't worry, you still have more than 500,000 other books you can enjoy!

Light Years - The Extraordinary Story of Mankind's Fascination with Light

Brian Clegg

Publisher: Icon Books

  • 0
  • 1
  • 0

Summary

This is the story of light and the people who were determined to unlock the secrets of one of the greatest puzzles of the Universe.

Acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg recounts how civilisations from the Ancient Egyptians to the Mayans understood light spiritually, and looks at the first scientific grapplings with light by the ancient Chinese sage Mo Ti, the Greek philosopher Empedocles, Arab genius Alhazen and others.

Clegg also explores the contribution of artists such as Brunellschi, Leonardo de Vinci and Durer to our understanding of light and examines the great revolutionaries of light theory including Galileo, Descartes, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday and Albert Einstein. 

In this new edition of one of his best-loved books, Clegg finally discusses the work of scientists such as Maxwell, Edison and Gould that led to light-driven inventions from the camera to the laser, CDs and optical computers and explains the mind-bending advances of quantum physics.
Available since: 01/08/2015.

Other books that might interest you

  • The IPhone 12 Pro Photography User Guide - Your Guide For Smartphone Photography For Taking Pictures Like A Pro Even As A Beginner - cover

    The IPhone 12 Pro Photography...

    Wendy Hills

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Maximize the use of your iPhone 12 to take great shots 
    A Complete Guide to Using the iPhone 12 Pro Camera 
    The best camera for the job is the one you have in your hands when there is an opportunity for a photoshoot, especially when that camera is the iPhone 12 Pro. The question then becomes, are you making the most of that powerful tool in your pocket? Do the photos you take seem to be from an amateur because of how blurry they look, and very different from the kind of picture you had in mind to take? If this is you and you want to be able to take incredible pictures with your iPhone, then this book is for you. 
    At the end of this book, you should be comfortable taking great shots with your iPhone 12 Pro even in low light conditions. You will also be equipped with the skills needed to capture awesome portrait pictures of people and nail down your composition such that others can be amazed at how professional your pictures consistently look, as you create jaw-dropping landscapes, food, and travel photos of the events you are involved in. 
    The book starts by covering some of the basic things about the iPhone 12 Pro and the relevance of some of these features on the iPhone and how they affect the quality of the pictures taken with it. In no time after you start using this book, you will begin to start snapping with your camera with far more confidence and dexterity than others who simply go through the motions of pointing their cameras at an object and taking pictures without some of these basic knowledge and skills. 
    With this book in your hands, you can move from being just a mediocre basic iPhone user to an iPhone photography specialist. It will save you the time and energy of stumbling into some of these features by deliberately exposing you to these features and functions.
    Show book
  • At first glance in NFT Investing for Kids and Beginners - cover

    At first glance in NFT Investing...

    Sweet Smart Books

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The world of NFTs and cryptocurrency is filled with technicality and jargon, so much so that it leaves us shaking our heads and shivering at the thought of seeing a trading chart.But you really do not want to be missing out on all the opportunities that come within crypto, stocks, and NFTs.So what do you do?Well, you start at the beginning, and you start very simple.At first glance in NFT Investing for Kids and Beginners is all about beginners, placing down the foundational information that you need to kickstart your investing journey in a fun and simple way! It covers the basics you need to know about crypto, NFTs, stocks, and kickstarting your journey into trading while playing safe.This is a safe space for beginners in a world that seems to be getting infinitely more complicated, and starting your journey without fear. It is perfect for beginners who really want to start out working on cryptocurrencies and NFTs, but really do not know where to start.In the end, you will understand NFTs, crypto, stocks, and the steps you need to take to start:Staying safe while investingUse the right resources and practice trading strategiesBecome a savvy investorThe world is not waiting for anyone, so start your trading and investing journey today!
    Show book
  • The Great Texas Wind Rush - How George Bush Ann Richards and a Bunch of Tinkerers Helped the Oil and Gas State Win the Race to Wind Power - cover

    The Great Texas Wind Rush - How...

    Kate Galbraith, Asher Price

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    From two environmental journalists, “the improbable story of how the oil and gas state became the nation’s wind-power leader” (The Texas Observer).   In the late 1990s, West Texas was full of rundown towns and pumpjacks, aging reminders of the oil rush of an earlier era. Today, the towns are thriving as 300-foot-tall wind turbines tower above those pumpjacks. Wind energy has become Texas’s latest boom. How did this dramatic transformation happen in a state that fights federal environmental policies at every turn? In The Great Texas Wind Rush, environmental reporters Kate Galbraith and Asher Price tell the compelling story of a group of unlikely dreamers and innovators, politicos and profiteers. The tale spans a generation and more, and it begins with the early wind pioneers, precocious idealists who saw opportunity after the 1970s oil crisis. Operating in an economy accustomed to exploiting natural resources and always looking for the next big thing, their ideas eventually led to surprising partnerships between entrepreneurs and environmentalists, as everyone from Enron executives to T. Boone Pickens, as well as Ann Richards, George W. Bush and Rick Perry, ended up backing the new technology. In this down-to-earth account, the authors explain the policies and science that propelled the “windcatters” to reap the great harvest of Texas wind. They also explore what the future holds for this relentless resource that is changing the face of Texas energy.   “Enjoyable to read. . . . I learned something on every page.” —Michael Webber, Associate Director, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Texas at Austin   “A thoughtful, valuable story for anyone who cares about renewable energy or climate change.” ―The Associated Press
    Show book
  • The Scientific Genius (and Rivalry) of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla - cover

    The Scientific Genius (and...

    Craig Wright

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    One Day University presents a series of audio lectures recorded in real-time from some of the top minds in the United States. Given by award-winning professors and experts in their field, these recorded lectures dive deep into the worlds of religion, government, literature, and social justice. When Thomas Edison died on October 18, 1931, the lights went out. In his honor, President Herbert Hoover asked Americans everywhere to turn off their Edison lightbulbs at 10 p.m. on the evening of his funeral. "Thomas Edison, Genius Inventor, Dies at 84" screamed the front-page headline in the New York Daily News. When Nikola Tesla died in room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel on January 7, 1943, the lights went out for him alone. Tesla was surrounded, not by a family, but by his pet pigeons. The obituary in The New York Times did not call Tesla a genius. Instead, its final paragraphs implied he was a crackpot: Tesla had conceived of a "death beam" powerful enough to annihilate an army of 1,000,000 soldiers; and he was certain of intergalactic messaging that would allow communication with Mars. Edison and Tesla were arch-enemies with competing visions as to how to electrically empower America. Their hostility played out in the infamous War of the Currents. Radio, television, robots, electric cars, self-driving cars, solar heating, the internet, and the cellphone were on the mind of one or the other of these geniuses. Which one ultimately proved to have the more accurate and enduring vision for the world? Who is in the news today and why? Come and find out the answers. This audio lecture includes a supplemental PDF.
    Show book
  • Economic Crisis: World Food System - The Battle against Poverty Pollution and Corruption - cover

    Economic Crisis: World Food...

    Amanda Eliza Bertha

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The world food system is in serious danger. People are starving to death because their food is being hoarded, sold to other countries or is just not being produced. 
    This book takes a look at the economic crisis with special attention to the world food system.
    Show book
  • COVID-19: The Genetically Engineered Pandemic - cover

    COVID-19: The Genetically...

    Peter Tremblay

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A milieu in which citizens can freely examine information distinguishes a democracy from a fascist society that seeks to control and oppress knowledge. 
    Society's ability to rid itself of COVID-19 has been prevented by groups that seek to repress information because they apparently view the pandemic to be in their interest. 
    The stated official origin of COVID-19-that it was spontaneously generated from nature-is a myth that is being proselytized in a disinformation steamroll against freedom of information and critical thought. 
    Investigative journalist Peter Tremblay suggests that COVID-19 is essentially a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) unleashed against humanity because of ideological goals. 
    COVID-19 was spawned from the minds of evil men who seek to depopulate our planet Earth and pursue unlimited control over the remainder of a population that will no longer be the "humans" we are presently.
    Show book