Skip to main content

Sticking Together - Steven Abbott ***

When I saw the subtitle of this book 'the science of adhesion' and the fact that it was published by the Royal Society of Chemistry I imagined turf wars breaking out with the Institute of Physics - as surely the science of adhesion is pure physics. However, it would be fair to say that in practice the majority of the book covers the science of adhesives, where chemistry can certainly lay a firm claim.

There is no doubt that this book will answer everything you ever wanted to know about how things stick to other things - from geckos to PVA adhesive - it is both comprehensive and often fascinating. Steven Abbott has a friendly style and supports the material in the book with regular links to YouTube videos where you can see various experiments and tests being undertaken for real, which is really helpful. The reader also gets an insight into some of the more contentious aspects of the science of stickiness, where Abbott is entirely prepared to declare that some of his colleagues in the field are simply wrong.

The reason this book is excellent is that we totally under-appreciate how important adhesives are in our everyday lives. The natural tendency is just to think of the glues we use for a spot of DIY - but it's so much more. Those glues are all there, from epoxy to superglue, but that's just the start. Not just the sticky tapes we use every day but all the packaging, for instance, that relies on adhesives that we don't even notice. (Think, for example, of what keeps the top on a yoghurt pot.) This isn't just a matter of convenience, but of keeping our food safe. And, of course, adhesives also play a big role in the construction of modern cars, trains and aircraft.

Unfortunately there is a downside to the book too. Abbott has huge enthusiasm for his topic, but like the passion of a trainspotter or enthusiast for an obscure 70s prog rock band, that enthusiasm for a pet topic is hard to pass on beyond the initial 'Wow!' All the applications of adhesives are really important, and the different types of adhesive are interesting. But Abbott takes us into more detail than we really want, meaning there were pages at a time I had to force myself not to skip to get to the next interesting bit. The book would have benefited from having a much sterner editor if it was intended to appeal more to a general audience.

Don't get me wrong. It's by far the best book about adhesives and adhesion I've ever read. (Actually, it's the only book about adhesives and adhesion I've ever read.) And if you want to know more - and you really should, because they are both important and interesting - it gives you everything you'll want to know and much more. I just wish there was a bit less of the much more.

Hardback:    
Kindle:  
Using these links earns us commission at no cost to you
Review by Brian Clegg
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God: the Science, the Evidence - Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies ***

This is, to say the least, an oddity, but a fascinating one. A translation of a French bestseller, it aims to put forward an examination of the scientific evidence for the existence of a deity… and various other things, as this is a very oddly structured book (more on that in a moment). In The God Delusion , Richard Dawkins suggested that we should treat the existence of God as a scientific claim, which is exactly what the authors do reasonably well in the main part of the book. They argue that three pieces of scientific evidence in particular are supportive of the existence of a (generic) creator of the universe. These are that the universe had a beginning, the fine tuning of natural constants and the unlikeliness of life.  To support their evidence, Bolloré and Bonnassies give a reasonable introduction to thermodynamics and cosmology. They suggest that the expected heat death of the universe implies a beginning (for good thermodynamic reasons), and rightly give the impression tha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Humble Pi - Matt Parker ****

Matt Parker had me thoroughly enjoying this collection of situations where maths and numbers go wrong in everyday life. I think the book's title is a little weak - 'Humble Pi' doesn't really convey what it's about, but that subtitle 'a comedy of maths errors' is far more informative. With his delightful conversational style, honed in his stand-up maths shows, it feels as if Parker is a friend down the pub, relating the story of some technical disaster driven by maths and computing, or regaling us with a numerical cock-up. These range from the spectacular - wobbling and collapsing bridges, for example - to the small but beautifully formed, such as Excel's rounding errors. Sometimes it's Parker's little asides that are particularly attractive. I loved his rant on why phone numbers aren't numbers at all (would it be meaningful for someone to ask you what half your phone number is?). We discover the trials and tribulations of getting cal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Quantum 2.0 - Paul Davies ****

Unlike the general theory of relativity or cosmology, quantum physics is an aspect of physics that has had a huge impact on everyday lives, particularly through the deployment of electronics, but also, for example, where superconductivity has led to practical applications. But when Paul Davies is talking about version 2.0, he is specifically describing quantum information, where quantum particles and systems are used in information technology. This obviously includes quantum computers, but Davies also brings in, for example, the potential for quantum AI technology. Quantum computers have been discussed for decades - algorithms had already been written for them as early as the 1990s - but it's only now that they are starting to become usable devices, not at the personal level but in servers. In his usual approachable style, Davies gives us four chapters bringing us up to speed on quantum basics, but then brings in quantum computing. After this we don't get solid quantum informat...
Post a Comment
Read more