Some great science books for the creative mind
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The first book is Bill Bryson's 'A short History of nearly everything'. The book, in my opinion is a must read for all interested in science, engineering, and the creative process of inventing and discovering things that has been essential to all great scientific, engineering and technological revolutions, in the past several centuries. A lot of interesting scientific stuff has been explained in a nice almost-laymen's language, making it a good reading for even young middle school students. It has a wide range of sub-fields like solar systems, astromomy, earth-science and geo-physics, about the discoveries of pre-historic relics enabling scientists to find out about dinosaurs, and about earth in the earlier ages, about elements, chemistry and the evolution of the periodic table, about the atom, the oceans, about meteors and the famous craters created by their impacts, et al. This also touches upon the lives and personalities of the great scientists, down the ages, with some interesting conjectures, about the politics of that era, in the scientific and intellectual communities.
The next book is 'E=mc squared' by David Bodanis. The book made very interesting reading (for me !) and also touches upon the lives and travails, idiosyncracies, strengths, and genius of many other scientists like Einstein, especially those who lived just before, during and after his periods. A good science student can get a lot of insights by reading this, into the actual science of the famous equation. With a little luck he may even understand the physics behind the equation !
I would rate this book in the same class as Bill Bryson's one. The third book, 'The last man who know everything' by Andrew Robinson, is also of the same class. This is about Thomas Young the genius scientist, Egyptologist, doctor, and scholar in multiple fields, who has made wonderful contributions to science, and whose life and achievements make very interesting reading. I must confess that I have not completely read this third book yet ! The fourth one which also I have not read completely, after starting it is RAMANUJAN- the man who know infinity !
On the whole I recommend the first three strongly to any student of science - you can try reading it even when you are in your 7 th or 9th grade, skipping those things which you cant understand easily. The first two books are easier to read, and the other two become a bit serious in places, I feel, and may need close to a school final level for great take-aways and benefits to the reader. Still I would recommend students who are in the science and engineering streams to give them a shot.
