《THE PHYSICS OF CHRISTMAS（聖誕節中的物理學）》是Little Brown and Company出版的圖書，作者是Roger Highfield
基本介紹
- ISBN：9780316366113
- 作者：Roger Highfield
- 出版社：Little Brown and Company
- 出版時間：1998年12月
- 頁數：293
- 定價：50.00
- 裝幀：精裝
內容簡介
In The Physics of Christmas, award-winning science journalist D. Roger Highfield acts as a guiding spirit to everyone's favorite holiday, illuminating Christmas by viewing its many cherished rituals and icons from a new and fascinating perspective: science. Calling upon the latest research in chemistry, mathematics, genetics, anthropology, physics, psychology, and astronomy, ...(展開全部) In The Physics of Christmas, award-winning science journalist D. Roger Highfield acts as a guiding spirit to everyone's favorite holiday, illuminating Christmas by viewing its many cherished rituals and icons from a new and fascinating perspective: science. Calling upon the latest research in chemistry, mathematics, genetics, anthropology, physics, psychology, and astronomy, Highfield explores such questions as these: Could reindeer really fly? How do snowflakes form, and what could scientists do to guarantee an annual white Christmas? Is there a biological reason that so many people prefer not to eat Brussels sprouts at Christmas dinner? Why is Santa so obese? Why are we so frequently depressed after the holiday season? Roger Highfield loves science, and he loves Christmas, too. Combining the two in The Physics of Christmas is his attempt to refute the notion that "the materialist insights of science destroy our capacity to wonder, leaving the world a more boring and predictable place." To that end, Highfield presents an amusing, eclectic, and trivia-filled collection of scientific observations about one of the Western world's most beloved holidays. Contrary to the title, Highfield doesn't limit himself to physics. His anthropological observations include tracing the origins of Santa Claus--an especially amusing and enlightening chapter entitled "Santa: The Hallucinogenic Connection" examines the possibilities of the psychoactive mushroom Amanita muscaria's red-and-white cap being the inspiration for Santa's robes. In a tip o
