Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold

Front Cover
HMH, Dec 12, 2000 - Science - 272 pages
“A lovely, fascinating book, which brings science to life.” —Alan Lightman

Combining science, history, and adventure, Tom Shachtman “holds the reader’s attention with the skill of a novelist” as he chronicles the story of humans’ four-centuries-long quest to master the secrets of cold (Scientific American).
 
“A disarming portrait of an exquisite, ferocious, world-ending extreme,” Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold demonstrates how temperature science produced astonishing scientific insights and applications that have revolutionized civilization (Kirkus Reviews). It also illustrates how scientific advancement, fueled by fortuitous discoveries and the efforts of determined individuals, has allowed people to adapt to—and change—the environments in which they live and work, shaping man’s very understanding of, and relationship, with the world.
 
This “truly wonderful book” was adapted into an acclaimed documentary underwritten by the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, directed by British Emmy Award winner David Dugan, and aired on the BBC and PBS’s Nova in 2008 (Library Journal).
 
“An absorbing account to chill out with.” —Booklist
 

Contents

1 Winter in Summer
1
2 Exploring the Frontiers
16
3 Battle of the Thermometers
36
4 Adventures in the Ice Trade
56
5 The Confraternity of the Overlooked
78
6 Through Heat to Cold
95
7 Of Explosions and Mysterious Mists
109
8 Painting the Map of Frigor
125
10 The Fifth Step
167
11 A Sudden and Profound Disappearance
183
12 Three Puzzles and a Solution
200
13 Mastery of the Cold
219
Back Matter
241
Back Cover
263
Spine
264
Copyright

9 Rare and Common Gases
153

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Page 10 - Drebell conceived, that it is not the whole body of the air, but a certain quintessence (as Chymists speak) or spirituous part of it, that makes it fit for respiration...

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About the author (2000)

Tom Shachtman has written twenty-eight nonfiction books, including the acclaimed Around the Block and Skyscraper Dreams. He has also written documentary films and tapes, which have won many awards. Shachtman lives with his wife in New York City.

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