Overview

"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."

Full Product Details

Author:   Stephen R. Wilk (Optical Engineer and Project Manager, Optical Engineer and Project Manager, Xenon Corporation)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.60cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 16.00cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780197518571

ISBN 10:   0197518575
Pages:   216
Publication Date:   02 September 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
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

Introduction Part I: History Chapter 1: Who Invented the Black Light? Chapter 2: Revolutionary Optics-Jean-Paul Marat Chapter 3: Globulism Chapter 4: Acoustic Mirrors Chapter 5: Friedrich Richard Ulbricht's Kugelphotometer Chapter 6: The Monocle Chapter 7: Fringe Science Chapter 8: Light-as a Feather Chapter 9: Lacemaker's Lamps Chapter 10: Thoreau's Rainbow Chapter 11: The Well-Tempered Spectrometer Chapter 12: Sacred Sun Chapter 13: Fiat Lux! Chapter 14: Not Worth the Candle Chapter 15: Why Are Candle Flames Yellow? Part II: Weird Science Chapter 16: Brown Chapter 17: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Light Chapter 18: Deck Prisms and Vault Lights Chapter 19: Forty-Four Fewer Shades of Gray Chapter 20: Barrel and Pincushion Chapter 21: Preppy Physics Chapter 22: The Sandbow Chapter 23: Mistbow versus Glory Chapter 24: Edible Optics Chapter 25: Thoughtographs and the Stanhope Lens Chapter 26: The Best Disinfectant Chapter 27: Walter Darcy Ryan and His Electric Scintillator Chapter 28: The Trilobite's Eye Chapter 29: Infinitely Distant Part III: Pop Culture Chapter 30: I Was a Teenage Optical Engineer Chapter 31: Killing Vampires Efficiently with Ultraviolet Light Chapter 32: The Endless Corridor Chapter 33: The Great 19th-Century Green Spectacle Craze Chapter 34: Tanagra Theater and the Fishbowl Mermaid Chapter 35: The Secrets of X-Ray Spex Chapter 36: Fluorescent Paint before Day-Glo Chapter 37: The First 3D Movies Chapter 38: Perspective Machines, Zograscopes, Megalethoscopes, and Boites d'Optiques Chapter 39: The Claude Lorrain Mirror Chapter 40: How the Ray Gun Got Its Zap! Part II: Handheld Ray Guns Afterword Index

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Author Information

Stephen R. Wilk is an optical engineer and project manager at XENON Corporation. He has worked at research labs and small optics firms in the Greater Boston area for many years, and he has written nonfiction books and articles relating to physics, optics, general science, history, mythology, and popular culture. Wilk is perpetually intrigued by the unusual, and he has written about the physics of karate, the trial of an 18th century Lenape Sachem, edible optics, and the inventor of the black light. In addition to his work as a physicist and engineer, he has published several works of genre fiction.

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