Sun in a Bottle: The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking
Written by Charles Seife
Narrated by Bill Weideman
4/5
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About this audiobook
With his knack for translating science into understandable, anecdotal prose and his trademark dry humor, award-winning science writer Charles Seife presents the first narrative account of the history of fusion for general readers in more than a decade. Tracing the story from its beginning into the twenty-first century, Sun in a Bottle reveals fusion's explosive role in some of the biggest scientific scandals of all time. Throughout this journey, he introduces us to the daring geniuses, villains, and victims of fusion science. With the giant international fusion project ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) now under construction, it's clear that the science of wishful thinking is as strong as ever. This book is our key to understanding why.
Charles Seife
Charles Seife, a professor of journalism at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, has been writing about physics and mathematics for two decades. He is the author of six books, Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea, which won a PEN/Martha Albrand Award; Alpha & Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe; Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information is Explaining Everything in the Cosmos, From Our Brains to Black Holes; Sun in a Bottle: The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking, which won the 2009 Davis Prize from the History of Science Society; Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception; and Virtual Unreality: Just Because the Internet Told You So, How Do You Know It's True? Seife holds an A.B. in mathematics from Princeton University, an M.S. in mathematics from Yale University, and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University. He lives in New York City with his wife, Meridith, and his children, Eliza and Daniel.
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Reviews for Sun in a Bottle
38 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Huh …. Wow …. Had no idea there has been so much failure in attempting to get fusion to work. I studied nuclear engineering in college 15 years ago and recall the professors mention several times that fusion power may be a viable career option cause scientist might just get it figured out in our lifetime. This book - our rather the history of fusion over the past century - is fascinating, with all the advancements and utter failures scientists/ engineers/ etc. have seen attempting to achieve "break even". I keep seeing updates for the fusion reactor in China and wanted some background to be able to intelligently read those updates. Probably not a book for everyone to read, but if you're interested in science and engineering and need some background history on fusion, it is well written and researched. Maybe not a page turner but definitely not dull. You won't be disappointed.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not as good as ' Decoding ' but does give you some idea of what's going on ( primarily chapter 9 , which should have been longer )
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Some interesting things presented in this book, and it is a very good piece of journalism. I do, however, find many parts of the book repetitive. The author goes in circles making the same point in many occasions: fusion power is a wishful science; many of the scientists have been kidding themselves, and therefore, in many ways, deserve their self-created downfalls... Chapter 9 bored me the most, so I merely skimmed it, because I found the science more interesting than the politics. The large amount of coverage on who did what, who said what when a particular research invited skepticism, and how lobbyists lied here and there to cheat federal money, those accounts cheapen the book for me in many ways. I understand that science is about experimenting and verifying hypotheses, and by nature is prone to errors, so even if someone's folly ideas, like tabletop fusion, cold fusion, and bubble fusion, are presented, as long as it's with scientific, though misinformed, basis, it's still interesting to read. The moment that the author abandons these and turns to timelining a person's demise, when juxtaposed by diagrams and scientific claims, makes me question whether science takes centerstage, or whether it's been hijacked by politics. Having said that, I do like the conclusion of the book very much.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The telling of the dream of fusion. Lies. Mistakes. Dead ends.The billions of dollars spent trying to put a small star in a bottle - breaking reputations and careers.Even a few pictures.