Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the 18th Century

by Jonathan Shectman

Overview

In over 60 alphabetical entries, Shectman examines at the tremendous scientific discoveries, inventions, and inquiries of the period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313072437
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/30/2003
Series:	Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions and Discoveries through the Ages
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

JONATHAN SHECTMAN is former editor of a series of science education books written by the National Science Resources Center, an arm of the Smithsonian Institution.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Entries
Appendix: Entries by Scientific Field
Glossary of Technical Terms
Bibliography
Names and Subject Index

Editorial Reviews

Shectman, previously editor of a series of science education books, writes about 18th-century science in the latest title of the publisher's five-volume series. Series adviser Robert E. Krebs opposes postmodern narratives in science studies, and in his 60-plus entries, Shectman follows suit by largely ignoring issues of social context and social meaning. He does, however, attempt to situate each experiment, invention, or discovery in the context of other scientific work. Regrettably, Shectman often resorts to anachronistic language, as when he describes Evangelista Torricelli's work in the 1600s with reference to hydrodynamics, a term derived from Daniel Bernoulli's 1738 essay. The figures included are helpful but, again, sometimes anachronistic. While Shectman's diagram showing the application of Bernoulli's principle to airplane-wing design is useful, his discussion of Thomas Wright's findings on the shape of the Milky Way might have benefited from the inclusion of one of Wright's engravings rather than, or in addition to, the more modern graphics that he does use. The articles are arranged alphabetically by title, which is often useless; for example, the essay on primary colors is titled "Three `Primary' Colors Are Sufficient To Produce All Others." Poor indexing similarly minimizes the volume's value as a reference tool: neither "primary" nor "color" appears in the index. The series is aimed at middle school and high school students, undergraduates who are not science majors, and the general public-an audience that would probably find the ignored social and cultural aspects valuable and interesting. Since few history of science texts are written for these readers, it is disappointing that this volume cannot boast a more balanced coverage.-Barbarly Korper McConnell, California State Univ. Lib., Fullerton Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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