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What makes popular science books so popular?
Tai Sen claimed that astrophysics ranked first among the most popular sciences. Although there is no exact data, this view is really convincing. He explained that most people have looked up at the starry sky at night and thought, "Where am I in the vast universe?" He hopes that this book can help people answer this question ―― although this goal is a bit ambitious for a book with only 200 pages. However, his next sentence really inspired (or frightened) readers: "If I succeed, then you will be culturally familiar with my expertise." Are we laymen destined to talk about Kan Kan in astrophysics? As soon as the standard was raised to "basic fluency", Tai Sen quickly lowered it to the level of "no embarrassment when chatting in the teahouse". The emphasis here is cultural understanding. But then again, is this dangerous? In the process of trying to get familiar with the professional field, does one run the risk of becoming a superficial passer-by of scientific discourse? Or worse, become a tourist who really believes that he can show the way after reading this reference manual? Tai Sen recommended his books to those who were "too busy to learn about the universe through courses, textbooks or documentaries", which deepened our initial worries.
However, once Tai Sen began to write down important data of the young universe, this worry soon disappeared. He wrote: 654.38+0.4 billion years ago, the universe was smaller than a full stop. Then there are more precise details: in 10-45 seconds, the width of the universe does not exceed 10-35 meters. By page 4 of this book, we have just reached one trillionth of a second in the history of the universe, but our guide is moving at full speed: he has written about the Planck period. The period named by Planck is the earliest time stage in the history of the universe) and four forces (weak force, strong force, electromagnetic force and gravity). At this time, we are confident that he will talk about 20 17, and then we will turn over the whole book anyway. 18 page, we find ourselves in a millionth of a second after the birth of the universe. At this time, the temperature has dropped below one trillion Kelvin. "Yes, antimatter is real." Two pages later, we began to think in a more human-like way: a whole second passed. Things slowed down, when the width of the universe was several light years and the temperature was only one billion kelvin. Tai Sen reports the time every few pages. This writing technique has a good effect, which not only allows readers to perceive the measurement dimension in time, but also brings a sense of drama: there is not much time left for the universe to change and shape. Compared with most people in the field of physics, his description of these events is more certain, and his efforts are aimed at enabling readers to cope with a dialogue, rather than being so intense that people cheer "Long live".
Astrophysics of People in a hurry is a collection of works in form, but the arrangement is very clear. There are no charts, timelines and a set of detailed theoretical standards in the book, but there are shocking cold jokes and borrowed online buzzwords. Faced with this, those who are really anxious may feel depressed. Nevertheless, Tai Sen is still the best science disseminator in the world. This may sound a little subjective, but there are data to support this assertion. He recreated Carl on 20 14? The first episode of carl sagan's TV movie Cosmos was watched by 40 million people all over the world. His current program "StarTalk" is also very popular, which is an astrophysical talk show and invites former presidents, Hollywood A-listers and scientists.
Tai Sen's achievement is hard-won: few blacks can become astrophysicists. In the1970s, when he was studying at Harvard University, Tai Sen had to not only resist the established system established by whites, but also face the pressure from his peers. Someone once said to him, "It is extravagant for African-Americans to spend their talents on astrophysics." Now, he stubbornly defends science as a way to explore the truth, which enables him to stand in the political center and observe the "hot air on both sides." In fact, in the last chapter of this book, "Reflection on the Cosmic Perspective", readers can understand Tai Sen's political stance more clearly. In the book, Tai Sen asks: Who can enjoy a life with a cosmic view? "Not a sweatshop worker, nor a tramp rummaging through the garbage for food. You need to have enough time, not just to survive all day. " This chapter discusses the most trivial issues, and the conclusion is a belief: "Cosmic perspective" is to embrace goodwill, environmentalism and intimacy, explore the truth, and reject "low-level narrow prejudice". He urged readers to "think deeply about what kind of cosmic truth will be discovered in front of us at least once a week, if not once a day".
"Does God exist?" This question has been raised for a long time. "Some religious people with a sense of justice insist that there must be some kind of existence that triggered all this." Tai Sen seems to be tired of answering the old question: he is the spokesman of American science and the most outstanding expert on the origin of life and matter in this country. Therefore, he is often asked what he thinks of God. He protested against this and said with conclusive evidence: "We know that the universe has a beginning", "Our life originated from cosmic dust, and then we were endowed with the ability to explore the universe by the universe". The language of this book hints at the complex role of spirituality in astrophysics from beginning to end. Although he borrowed Christian images (the titles of the first three chapters are "Immortality", "It's like entering heaven on earth" and "Let there be light"), Tai Sen's world view is "spiritual, even redemptive ―― but not religious".
If Astrophysics for People in a hurry tests the infinity of time and space, what about Helen? Cerschi's "Storm in a Teacup: Physics of Everyday Life" discusses the length of life and related dimensions. Her purpose is to inspire readers with such details: "To make a whole pot of water in a standard domestic bathtub as salty as seawater, you need to add about 10 kg of salt, that is, a vat is full." If someone is not surprised by this information, he may be born dull. The book also explains buoyancy, ocean temperature and salt circulation. Cerschi is a physicist who studies bubbles, which is a professional field that is not paid much attention to. Bubbles are everywhere, and this little thing can lead us from our daily life (bubble bath, bread dough, cheese) to the complex physical world. Physics will keep many people away, but bubbles will not. A large part of the charm of this book comes from its approachable side. For example, the discussion about gravity and why the Titanic sank in the book began with her and her family making raisin lava lamps in her mother's backyard. She explained this interesting story in a footnote: "Coincidentally, the sinking depth of the Titanic relative to its own volume? This is very similar to the depth of raisins sinking in a 2-liter bottle. " This change in perspective allows readers to witness a shipwreck in a bottle like God.
Although Tai Sen avoids discussing her personal role in the universal perspective of the universe, Chelsea imagines her personal identity as a tool to find a perspective, though perhaps not in a predictable way (the proportion of women in physics departments of most British universities is less than 20%). In the last few pages of The Storm in the Teacup, she talked about her northern origin and the importance of having different backgrounds to "enrich and develop this collective cause". She thinks that we should "welcome people from any background to put forward valuable opinions".
Why are science books like this so popular? The most important factor is that they seem to inspire readers' awe. 20 10 the researchers of the university of Pennsylvania analyzed a series of articles forwarded by The New York Times the most, and came to the conclusion that readers are seeking an "emotional experience of self-transcendence, a feeling of admiration and worship, even if what they face is higher than themselves". Physics and astrophysics seem to meet this requirement, but only a few people have the ability or hobby to seek transcendence from these knowledge.
In fact, respect is only one of the reasons. Scientists are being strongly encouraged to participate in popular science: many research funds now depend on the degree of public participation, and public opinions have a great influence on fund policies. Science itself may be an exploration of truth, which has nothing to do with politics, but the will of the public can influence the highest-level scientific research projects led by the state. The funding of Hubble and Weber telescopes has come back and forth in the ridicule and support of the public. Hubble's images that inspire the public's imagination have contributed a lot to its ultimate success, and the data generated by the research has basically played the same role.
In addition, public participation has gone beyond simple interest and support: people without formal training can now contribute their image recognition ability, manpower or computer skills to scientific research projects. 1999, "International Solar-Terrestrial Explorer 3" was abandoned in orbit around the sun by NASA, and successfully restarted in 20 14. This attempt is the first "citizen science, crowdfunding space research mission". The project was conducted in an abandoned McDonald's store on the campus of the Ames Research Center of NASA in California. Two civic science projects, "Zooniverse" (an online platform for recruiting volunteers for university scientific research projects) and "protein Fold-it" (an online video intelligence game in which players decide the structure of real protein), have published their research results in peer-reviewed academic journals. It turns out that your position in the universe is one of the teams exploring the mysteries of the universe.
For those science books that have become bestsellers, the fact that they are written by scientists is their core attraction. These writers are producers of truth, and the methods they use in their research are as magical as alchemy. Their wisdom is indescribable and charming. When reading their words, we can understand how their brains work. Stephen? Hawking set a precedent for a brief history of time. Although this book is one of the best-selling scientific books written by scientists, it is almost incomprehensible to non-professionals, especially in the last few chapters. But when you read, you gradually realize that the process of not keeping up with the author is also part of the wonderful content. At this time, you are not only in awe of the universe, but also in awe of this person who is trying to understand the universe. Read Neil? Degrees? Tai Sen and Helen? When Cerschi and other scientists write books, you can estimate your understanding ability relative to those smart people-things will immediately become both frightening and inspiring. You are like an audience who ran hundreds of meters along the track of the Olympic marathon: in a short time, you can keep up with the speed of the contestants, and soon you will be left behind. But for a moment, you were next to them, and the feeling of awe was born at this moment.
(Translation: Sydney)
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