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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
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Searching... | 30000010047152 | Q125 H58 2002 v.1 | Open Access Book | Great Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000010047149 | Q125 H58 2002 v.4 | Open Access Book | Great Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000010047150 | Q125 H58 2002 v.3 | Open Access Book | Great Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000010047151 | Q125 H58 2002 v.2 | Open Access Book | Great Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
The History of Modern Science and Mathematics is an innovative, multi-volume encyclopedia for students high school level and above. Organized topically around the various disciplines of science and mathematics -- from algebra, anthropology and astronomy to paleontology, physics and trigonometry -- this comprehensive reference takes readers through revolutions scientific and industrial, outward to the far limits of space and inward to the tiniest particles. Sidebar features and explanatory illustrations and historical photographs expand and contextualize the encyclopedia-style entries. Also includes an interdisciplinary timeline, a bibliography and subject index.
Reviews 3
Booklist Review
Baigrie, associate professor at the Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto, has created a very useful reference source. Modern science is defined as post-Copernican, but the thematic coverage of 23 scientific disciplines includes their global historical origins. For example, the history of algebra encompasses Babylonian, Chinese, and Islamic along with the familiar Greek mathematics. Emphasis is on the natural rather than the applied sciences. This attractive set first presents topical essays, such as "The Relationship Between History of Science and Science" and "What Is a Proof?" followed by overview essays on biology, mathematics, and physics. Histories of the specific disciplines, from "Algebra" to "Systematics," average about 35 pages in length. The longest is "Chemistry," at 95 pages, and the shortest is "Algebra," with 19 pages. Volume 4 concludes with an "Interdisciplinary Timeline" and a name and subject index. The name and subject indexing is very solid. The bibliographies at the end of each essay contain mostly books, but Web sites are also mentioned. The coverage in the bibliographies is impressive. For example, the bibliography after the overview essay on physics includes works by Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer. The audience for this resource includes advanced high-school students, undergraduates, and general readers. Although some articles, such as "Atomic and Nuclear Physics" and "Calculus," assume prior knowledge, the essays are carefully written to present technical subjects in jargon-free terms. The text is broken up with sidebars, illustrations, graphs, and charts. The use of bold type refers readers to definitions or cross-references in the margins. Sidebars add biographies or information related to scientific instruments, practices, or methods; institutions; connections between science and society; and other topics. Examples include "Scientific Institutions: The Smithsonian and the Practice of Anthropology," in "Anthropology," and "Science and Society: Endangered Species Act, 1973," in "Ecology." The History of Modern Science and Mathematics will find a home in the reference collection on the history of science. Its topical essays nicely complement the dictionary format of the A Dictionary of the History of Science (Parthenon, 2001), and it has broader coverage in both time and place than recent one-volume history of science encyclopedias, such as Encyclopedia of the Scientific Revolution (Garland, 2000), The History of Science in the United States: An Encyclopedia (Garland, 2001), or The Scientific Revolution: An Encyclopedia [RBB Mr 1 02]. Highly recommended for high-school, public, and university libraries.
Choice Review
This multivolume work by many authors and an editor who has written similar works offers long and detailed articles including illustrations, diagrams, graphs, tables, and bibliography. Articles range from ten pages to as many as 75 pages in length. A time line of all the disciplines discussed is included. The work begins in the first volume with essays that answer questions concerning relationships in science and science history. The editor defines the term "science" and provides an explanation of science and the scientific foundations of medicine. The other three volumes discuss areas in science and mathematics such as astronomy, cosmology, physics, calculus, chemistry, and development biology. Among other areas treated are earth science, geology, genetics, molecular biology, meteorology, paleontology, statistics, and probability theory. Information in this work appears in most encyclopedias and handbooks, but the treatment here is detailed, with much more information. The seven-volume set Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery, ed. by Neil Schlager (CH, Nov'00; v.7, CH, Dec'00), is similar in scope but differs in format and treatment. Name and subject indexes. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; lower- and upper-division undergraduates; two-year technical program students. O. C. Riley Houston Baptist University
Library Journal Review
Written for high school and undergraduate students, this slim four-volume set attempts to synthesize the history of scientific developments in anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, psychology, and the earth sciences. The most recent encyclopedias on the subject are either limited to a specific time period (e.g., Encyclopedia of the Scientific Revolution: From Copernicus to Newton) or geographic region (e.g., The History of Science in the United States). This work ranges from the 17th century to the present without trying to include the most recent developments. The contributors are primarily historians, many of whom, including editor Baigrie, are from the Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto. The well-written articles are about 20 to 30 pages long and are supplemented with definitions in the margins, sidebars providing additional information, and 270 black-and-white illustrations. Each article concludes with a short bibliography of suggested readings, mostly books. There is also a 25-page year-by-year chronology and detailed name and subject indexes. This set provides a nice overview for those with a basic knowledge of science but given its small size can provide only the highlights. Nevertheless, it is a useful and interesting resource for high school, public, and college libraries.-Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
