Hakim Joy. The Story of Science Book 1: Aristotle Leads the Way

Smithsonian Books, 2004. — 256 p. — ISBN 9781588345264, 1588345262.In the three-book The Story of Science series, master storyteller Joy Hakim narrates the evolution of scientific thought from ancient times to the present. With lively, character-driven narrative, Hakim spotlights the achievements of some of the world's greatest scientists and encourages a similiar spirit of inquiry in readers. The books include hundreds of color photographs, charts, maps, and diagrams; informative sidebars; suggestions for further reading; and excerpts from the writings of great scientists.
Readers will travel back in time to ancient Babylonia, Egypt, and Greece. They will meet the world's first astronomers, mathematicians, and physicists and explore the lives and ideas of such famous people as Pythagoras, Archimedes, Brahmagupta, al-Khwarizmi, Fibonacci, Ptolemy, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Hakim will introduce them to Aristotle—one of the greatest philosophers of all time—whose scientific ideas dominated much of the world for eighteen centuries.A Writer’s Reasons.
There’s More to This Story.
Birthing a Universe.
Telling It Like They Thought It Was: Myths of Creation.
Making Days: Were the Calendar Makers Lunatics or Just Moonstruck?
Why Does the Moon Dazzle, Then Disappear?
Take a Number, Then Write It Down.
Ionia? What’s Ionia?
Measuring with the Mind.
The «A» Team.
More on Numerals, Geometry, and Math’s Origins.
Elementary Matters: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, Says Empedocles.
Being at Sea.
Why Do Polestars Take Turns?
Worshiping Numbers.
Chewing on Pi—or Tasting One of Math’s Mysteries.
Pythagoras Knows It’s Round.
There’s Gold in Those Irrationals.
Getting Atom.
Ode to an Atom.
Aristotle and His Teacher.
Plato, Math, and Perfect Numbers.
Does It Change? No Way, Says A.
Why Mars Is a Little Loopy.
Aristarchus Got It Right—Well, Almost!
How Far the Moon? It’s About Time.
Alexander’s City.
Smoke and Mirrors.
What’s a Hero?
Hero, an Airhead?
Euclid in His Elements.
Numbers: In Their Prime.
Archimedes’ Claw.
Is It a Claw or a Flaw?
Measuring the Earth.
How Did Eratosthenes Come So Close?
Rome Rules.
Longitude and Latitude plus Two Greek Mapmakers.
What’s the Point?
The Greatest.
A Saint Who Was No Scientist.
Do You Believe the Polyhistor? Well, Lots of People Did.
No Joke—the Earth Is Pancake Flat!
Don’t Worry—the Round Earth Is Back!
Absolute Zero.
Mr. Fibonacci’s Numbers.
An «Ox» Who Bellowed.
Roger Bacon Predicts.
Books Will Do It.
The Antipodes: Discovering Down Under.
Cosmic Voyagers: Is It Fiction, or Could It Be True?
Finally! How Science Works.
The Prime Number Sieve of Eratosthenes.
Suggested Reading.
NSTA Recommends.
Picture Credits.
Permissions.
Index.