Gravity: Life's Ups and Downs

Gravity by David Howe offers a playful look at one of nature's fundamental forcers as it governs so much of everyday life, from apples falling to skiers descending, from water clocks trickling to sewage flowing. Head on a journey of discovery down rivers and by water wheels. Explore the part that gravity plays in the world of roller coasters, the ocean's tides, and plate tectonics. In the second half of the book, Howe considers ways in which nature and humanity have attempted to overcome the pull of gravity. Bats, birds and bees, aeroplanes, rockets and balloons have all achieved the wonder of flight. Gravity's story is rounded off by considering the science that explains it and the literature it has inspired. Writing with enthusiasm and flair, the author draws out the exciting and unexpected affects of gravity, making a heavy subject seem light as air. Through gravity's lens, see the everyday world in a whole new, surprising light!