Science books for non-scientists

jp_bl_68

jp_bl_68

jp_bl_68

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By that I mean books that explain scientific theories in a way that would make them accessible and interesting to those who don't have a strong background in the sciences and in mathematics.

I suppose I'm most interested in physics and getting a better understanding of how the universe works. Would any of Brian Cox's books be suitable?
 
Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything is an excellent book about many of the key scientific developments in human history and how they came about.
 
The Science of Discworld is brilliant if you're into Terry Pratchett. The wizards create the planet earth and study it to see how it differs from their world.
 
Actually A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking is an eminently readable work considering how complex the subject matter could be and despite having very little scientific background I enjoyed it. As mentioned Bill Bryson's book is great for a relatively simple introduction to a number of areas.

If it's not purely physics that you want then The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is another great book.
 
semi-pro waster said:
Actually A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking is an eminently readable work considering how complex the subject matter could be and despite having very little scientific background I enjoyed it. As mentioned Bill Bryson's book is great for a relatively simple introduction to a number of areas.

If it's not purely physics that you want then The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is another great book.
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Good call on the Dawkins, before he got too preachy.
 
Be prepared for it to go like this:

This book is so easy to understand
This is fascinating, I love this, I'll talk about the theories in the pub!
This is getting slightly harder but it's fine, I'll read that last part again
I don't get this bit either but the stuff before it was great
I can't be bothered to read more today, I will tomorrow though
Stop halfway through
 
Along with the ones that have already been mentioned, Quantum is a great book and, as well as giving the layperson an insight into the development of quantum theory, goes into detail about the physicists involved, their personalities and interactions.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quantum-Ein...0358/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1296401042&sr=8-2

I can also recommend one not to get.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lightness-B...3148/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1296401082&sr=8-2

I have a theoretical physics degree and I struggled with it, so for the average guy on the street they'd have no chance!
If you do have the background it's definitely worth a look though.
 
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene is a bit heavier, but still very well written to make many of the concepts approachable and highly recommended.
 
Yup the Bill Bryson one definately. It was actually recommended reading in our first year at uni as it was concise, accurate and easy to read.:)
 
The best book I have read on quantum is, 'In Search of Schrödinger's Cat' by John Gribbin. An utterly fascinating book.

I would also not hesitate to recommend a few of the books mentioned above: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson and The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.
 
Ones that I enjoyed, but maybe not the sort you are interested:

Bad Science - Ben Goldacre
Irrationality (changed my outlook on life) - Stuart Sutherland
 
50 Physics Ideas You Really Need to Know

I bought this for someone I know who, like you, is interested in these kinds of things but has minimal background knowledge to the concepts and reasonings behind them.

As someone who has studied Engineering before I would say it is a very good book that explains everything it covers well for the layman whilst not getting too deep or confusing. Say, you could buy and read this first and use it as a stepping stone to purchase further material on certain areas that interest you as it covers many various areas of physics.
 
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Jokester said:
Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything is an excellent book about many of the key scientific developments in human history and how they came about.
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I am a scientist, but this is a very good book for someone after a good read / basic understanding. I also found 'Almost Like a Whale' (Steve Jones) an excellent read for something more towards the biology side of things. I personally detest Richard Dawkins' writing style (and having been lectured by him, I wasn't that bothered about him as a person either), but many like his books if you want something that has a poke at religion.
 
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