About this item
Water is so ubiquitous in our lives that it is easy to take for granted. The average American uses ninety gallons of water a day; nearly every liquid we encounter is mostly water--milk, for example, is 87 percent water. Clouds and ice--water in other forms--affect our climate. Water is the most abundant substance on Earth, and the third-most abundant molecule in the universe. In this lavishly illustrated volume, science writer Jack Challoner tells the story of water, from its origins in the birth of stars to its importance in the living world. Water is perhaps the most studied compound in the universe--although mysteries about it remain--and Challoner describes how thinkers from ancient times have approached the subject. He offers a detailed and fascinating look at the structure and behavior of water molecules, explores the physics of water--explaining, among other things, why ice is slippery--and examines the chemistry of water.
About the Author
Always frustrated by lack of clarity in books he read as a child, Jack long felt the need to make the amazing things that science and technology have achieved accessible to a wide audience. After studying physics in London, he trained as a science and maths teacher, then worked at London's Science Museum, in the education department and in their flagship interactive gallery, Launch Pad. Jack left the museum in 1991 to write science and technology books, and to write and perform science shows in museums, libraries and schools. He's been doing all that ever since, with nearly forty books to his name. He also works as a consultant on other people's science books, and sometimes in television, helping to develop new ideas or work up existing ones. He is also a musician and singer, writing, producing and performing music. He lives in Bristol, England.
