Why are candle flames yellow? Why does ultraviolet light supposedly kill vampires? What about the monocle? Why was the monocle--a corrective lens that only corrects vision in a single eye--so popular among businessmen and politicians for so many years? Stephen R. Wilk answers all this and so
much more in Sandbows and Black Lights.
This book is a collection of original essays on weird and unusual topics surrounding optics. Wilk uses the BBC's formula of "Education by Stealth" to explain unusual facets of science and technology through the matrix of interesting and cultural paths, all the while weaving in math equations in an
accessible way. The first part of the book focuses on the history, the second moves to odd scientific approaches to visual phenomena, and the third part explains the unique use of optics in fiction, movies, and comic books over time. Chapters cover everything from endless corridors to the beam of
light over treasure chests in movies.
Whether he is explaining a rare discovery or answering a seemingly unapproachable question, Wilk is able to lure readers in on every page. He has a unique ability to turn complex science into an engaging story, and this book is full of narratives on esoteric topics anyone will find intriguing.
Sandbows and Black Lights provides an enticing and entertaining look at physical illusions in a whole new way.
Author(s): Stephen R. Wilk
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 216
City: Oxford
Title_Pages (1)
Zap_II_Introduction
Who_Invented_the_Black_Light
Revolutionary_OpticsJeanPaul_Marat
Globulism
Acoustic_Mirrors
Friedrich_Richard_Ulbrichts_Kugelphotometer
The_Monocle
Fringe_Science
Lightas_a_Feather
Lacemakers_Lamps
Thoreaus_Rainbow
The_WellTempered_Spectrometer
Sacred_Sun
Fiat_Lux
Not_Worth_the_Candle
Why_Are_Candle_Flames_Yellow
Brown
Indiana_Jones_and_the_Temple_of_Light
Deck_Prisms_and_Vault_Lights
FortyFour_Fewer_Shades_of_Gray
Barrel_and_Pincushion
Preppy_Physics
The_Sandbow
Mistbow_versus_Glory
Edible_Optics
Thoughtographs_and_the_Stanhope_Lens
The_Best_Disinfectant
Walter_Darcy_Ryan_and_His_Electric_Scintillator
The_Trilobites_Eye
Infinitely_Distant
I_Was_a_Teenage_Optical_Engineer
Killing_Vampires_Efficiently_with_Ultraviolet_Light
The_Endless_Corridor
The_Great_19thCentury_Green_Spectacle_Craze
Tanagra_Theater_and_the_Fishbowl_Mermaid
The_Secrets_of_XRay_Spex
Fluorescent_Paint_before_DayGlo
The_First_3D_Movies
Perspective_Machines_Zograscopes_Megalethoscopes_and_Boites_dOptiques
The_Claude_Lorrain_Mirror
How_the_Ray_Gun_Got_Its_Zap_Part_IIHandheld_Ray_Guns
Afterword
Index (1)
