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Why Don't Things Fall Up? - Alom Shaha *****

At first glance, Alom Shaha's book is another of those compact hardbacks with six or seven essays that have done so well in the popular science field since Rovelli's Seven Brief Lessons in Physics. Even the subtitle 'and six other science lessons you missed at school' suggests this. But in reality, Shaha is doing something far more original and interesting. Popular science for absolute beginners.

The thing is, most popular science titles are written either by scientists or professional science writers who typically have a science-based degree. Shaha is, indeed, such a science writer, but he is also a secondary school science teacher. Scientists rarely grasp how to present science in a way that doesn't assume a reasonable amount of pre-knowledge. Science writers are usually better than this, but tend to favour the exotic and exciting bits of science, which often means going into more depth than many readers feel comfortable with. This is genuinely a book on science for people who don't read science books.

At first sight, Shaha's seven questions are distinctly simplistic. We get 'Why is the sky blue?', 'Why don't things fall up?', Why does ice cream melt?', 'What is the smallest thing?', 'What are stars?', 'Are fish animals?' and 'What am I made of?' Although these might seem something that could be answered in a couple of paragraphs (or with 'Yes' in answer to 'Are fish animals?'), Shaha uses the questions as starting points to delve into a whole range of scientific concepts, starting at the most basic level. So, for example, in the ice cream chapter, we get explorations of atoms/molecules, temperature, states of matter, statistical mechanics, Brownian motion and the basics of chemistry.

All this is done in a chatty, approachable fashion with some lovely little surprises. The absolute best is that when talking about waves, Shaha introduces the 'jelly baby wave machine' - I was hooked at its first mention, but in an appendix he even tells you how to build one. I might never do it, but it's somehow very pleasing that I now know how to do so.

There is one inevitable downside to a book like this - because Shaha is intent on keeping things as simple as possible (though a couple of equations do creep in), there is the occasional oversimplification. For example we are told that the force of gravity 'exists between any two objects with mass', which, while true, misses the reality that things without mass (photons, for example) can also be influenced by gravity. Similarly we are told about Franklin's infamous kite-in-a-thunderstorm experiment as if he actually undertook it, while it's generally considered by historians of science that he didn't actually do it.

Apart from that, I have just one concern. This is a book about science for people who don't read science books. Which is a great concept. But would someone who doesn't read science books ever read this book (even though they might benefit hugely)? I've a horrible feeling it won't necessarily reach the audience who most need to read it - but hopefully it will. Either way, it's a great idea, beautifully executed. 

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Review by Brian Clegg - See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here
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