Overview

Since its foundation in 1799, the Royal Institution of Great Britain has aimed to inspire enthusiasm for science, as a means to understanding the world around us. The Friday Evening Discourses of the Royal Institution, initiated by Michael Faraday in 1826, are one of the most prestigious series of lectures on science in the world. During these lecture-demonstrations famous scientists describe their work in language accessible to a general audience. Each year accounts of the Discourses are brought together in the Proceedings . These volumes provide some of the best popular writing by active scientists, and also include topics of a less scientific nature, but still of interest to a scientific audience. The latest volume of the Proceedings covers diverse areas of contemporary and historical interest. Topics covered include the use of the natural products in pharmacology, the role of the brain in art appreciation, the Hubble space telescope, the laser treatment of myopia, nature conservation, the role of alcohol in the development of human civilization, one hundred years of radioactivity, and one hundred years of radio. This book is intended for scientists and non-scientists wishing to learn about the development of contemporary science and its relationship with the world-at-large.

Full Product Details

Author:   Peter Day
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.00cm , Height: 0.50cm , Length: 23.00cm
Weight:   0.820kg
ISBN:  

9780198500841

ISBN 10:   019850084
Pages:   386
Publication Date:   01 June 1997
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General/trade ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

John Mann: Aphrodisiacs, psychedelics, and the elusive magic bullet. Semir Zeki: Visual art and the visual brain. Alexander Boksenberg: Exploring the universe with the Hubble space telescope. Peter Christmas: Sheathing the two-edged sword - one hundred years of radioactivity. Bert Vallee: Alcohol in the development of human civilization. Chris Elliott: Incremental decisions in a complex world. James McQuaid: Safety's debt to Davy and Faraday. William Lemperer: The chemistry of the interstellar medium as revealed by spectroscopy. David Gartry: Laser treatment of myopia - is it really the bottom line?. David Jones: The art of scientific demonstrations. Frank James: Faraday in the pits. Faraday at sea: the role of the Royal Institution in changing the practice of science and technology in nineteenth century Britain. Giorgio Parisi: Complex systems: a physicist's viewpoint. Ralph Barrett: Popov versus Marconi: the centry of radio. The Earl of Cranbrook: A strategy for nature conservation in England. Ian Taylor: Do we get value from the UK science base?

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Peter Day is Director and Fullerian Professor of Chemistry, The Royal Institution

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