Einstein's Fridge: The Science of Fire, Ice and the Universe

Description

'Hugely readable and entertaining' JIM AL-KHALILI 'an accessible and crystal-clear portrait of this discipline's breadth, largely told through its history' PHIL BALL, PHYSICS WORLD Einstein's Fridge tells the story of how scientists uncovered the least known and yet most consequential of all the sciences, and learned to harness the power of heat and ice. The laws of thermodynamics govern everything from the behaviour of atoms to that of living cells, from the engines that power our world to the black hole at the centre of our galaxy. Not only that, but thermodynamics explains why we must eat and breathe, how the lights come on, and ultimately how the universe will end. The people who decoded its laws came from every branch of the sciences - they were engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, cosmologists and mathematicians. Their discoveries, set over two hundred years, kick-started the industrial revolution, changed the course of world wars and informed modern understanding of black holes. This book captures the thrill of discovery and the power of revolutionary science to change the world forever.

Paul Sen first encountered thermodynamics while studying engineering at Cambridge. After graduating, he began a career in television. Starting at the BBC, he made films on a diverse range of subjects, including dance culture, plane building, the internet revolution and the social history of Britain. His 90-minute film, Oak Tree, Nature's Greatest Survivor, won the prestigious Royal Television Society Award for best science and natural history programme and the Grierson Award for best science documentary in 2016.

'Sen knows how to grab the attention of an audience ... [An] elegantly written and engaging book ... It's a measure of Sen's achievement that by combining science, history, and biography he takes us on a successful tour through thermodynamics.' Manjit Kumar, Financial Times 'When you combine some of the most profound concepts in physics with exceptional storytelling, this is what you get: popular science writing at its very best. Einstein's Fridge is a hugely readable and entertaining history of thermodynamics and how it has created and shaped our world.' Jim Al-Khalili, author of The World According to Physics 'Makes a strong case that thermodynamics is every bit as lively as those other fields - and vastly more useful for understanding what makes the universe tick ... Thermodynamics does not bow to other fields; other fields bow to it.' Sam Kean, Wall Street Journal 'Superb ... Einstein's Fridge offers an accessible and crystal-clear portrait of this discipline's breadth ... [The book] wanders widely while never losing its connection to the central theme ... Splendid' Phil Ball, Physics World 'Although thermodynamics has been studied for hundreds of years, film-maker Sen writes, few nonscientists appreciate how its principles have shaped the modern world.' Scientific American 'Sen makes a convincing case for the importance of thermodynamics in his impressive debut ... He accomplishes all of this with splendid prose, making ample use of analogies to explain complex scientific ideas. Sen's history of hot and cold is pop-science that hits the mark.' Publisher's Weekly 'This entertaining, eye-opening account of how the laws of thermodynamics are essential to understanding the world today - from refrigeration and jet engines to calorie counting and global warming - is a lesson in how to do popular science right.' Kirkus Reviews 'Sen performs an exquisite examination of an ostensibly simple distinction, the difference between hot and cold.' Booklist