Lights On!
The Science of Power Generation
Published on 27. October 2013
264 pages
978-1-4214-0997-9 (ISBN)
Description
Watt's up? A reader-friendly introduction to all things power.
Power generation is a relatively recent concern because humans had little need for sustained power until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Today, modern civilization is wholly dependent on the production and distribution of power. Without it, our way of life would be extinguished.
In Lights On!, Mark Denny reveals the mysterious world of power generation. He takes us on a fun tour, examining the nature of energy, tracing the history of power generation, explaining the processes from production through transmission to use, and addressing questions that are currently in the headlines, such as:
Is natural gas the best alternative energy source in the near term?
Could solar power be the answer to all our problems?
Why is nuclear power such a hard sell, and are the concerns valid?
Devoting individual chapters to each of the forms of power in use today-electrical, coal, oil and natural gas, hydro, nuclear, and solar-Denny explains the pros and cons of each, their availability worldwide, and which are in dwindling supply. Making clear that his approach is that of "a scientist and engineer, not a politician or businessman," Denny addresses environmental concerns by providing information to help readers understand the science and engineering of power generation so they can discuss contemporary energy issues from an informed perspective. For those who wish to delve deeper into the science, a technical appendix provides estimations for a variety of power generators.
Anyone who is interested in how energy works and how it is transformed to power our lives will get a charge out of Lights On!
Power generation is a relatively recent concern because humans had little need for sustained power until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Today, modern civilization is wholly dependent on the production and distribution of power. Without it, our way of life would be extinguished.
In Lights On!, Mark Denny reveals the mysterious world of power generation. He takes us on a fun tour, examining the nature of energy, tracing the history of power generation, explaining the processes from production through transmission to use, and addressing questions that are currently in the headlines, such as:
Is natural gas the best alternative energy source in the near term?
Could solar power be the answer to all our problems?
Why is nuclear power such a hard sell, and are the concerns valid?
Devoting individual chapters to each of the forms of power in use today-electrical, coal, oil and natural gas, hydro, nuclear, and solar-Denny explains the pros and cons of each, their availability worldwide, and which are in dwindling supply. Making clear that his approach is that of "a scientist and engineer, not a politician or businessman," Denny addresses environmental concerns by providing information to help readers understand the science and engineering of power generation so they can discuss contemporary energy issues from an informed perspective. For those who wish to delve deeper into the science, a technical appendix provides estimations for a variety of power generators.
Anyone who is interested in how energy works and how it is transformed to power our lives will get a charge out of Lights On!
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Illustrations
23 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 29 s/w Zeichnungen
29 Line drawings, black and white; 23 Halftones, black and white
File size
7,96 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4214-0997-9 (9781421409979)
DOI
10.1353/book.25267
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
10/2013
Johns Hopkins University Press
€31.00
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Book
10/2013
Johns Hopkins University Press
€67.00
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Person
Mark Denny is a theoretical physicist who worked in academia and industry. He is author of a number of popular science books, most recently Gliding for Gold: The Physics of Winter Sports and The Science of Navigation: From Dead Reckoning to GPS, both published by Johns Hopkins.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Newton's Legacy
2. What All the World Wants
3. The Vital Spark
4. Old King Coal
5. The Seven Sisters-Old and New
6. Water, Water, Everywhere
7. Too Cheap to Meter
8. Here Comes the Sun
Afterword
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
1. Newton's Legacy
2. What All the World Wants
3. The Vital Spark
4. Old King Coal
5. The Seven Sisters-Old and New
6. Water, Water, Everywhere
7. Too Cheap to Meter
8. Here Comes the Sun
Afterword
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
