My First Book of Science – serie

Everything around us – trees, buildings, food, light, water, air and even ourselves – is composed of minute particles, smaller than a nanometre (a billionth of a metre). Quantum physics is the science of these particles and without it, none of our electronic devices, from smartphones to computers and microwave ovens, would exist.But quantum physics also pushes us to the very boundaries of what we know about science, reality and the structure of the universe. The world of quantum physics is an amazing place, where quantum particles can do weird and wonderful things, acting totally unlike the objects we experience in day-to-day life. How can atoms exist in two places at once? And just how can a cat be dead and alive at the same time? Find out more with this entertaining illustrated guide to the fascinating, mysterious world of quantum physics.Topics include: quanta, light, waves and particles, mass, photons, atoms, molecules, spectra, wave-particle duality, matter and antimatter, Schrödinger’s cat, the Uncertainty Principle, probability waves, quantum entanglement, radioactivity and quarks.

Einstein’s theory of relativity is one of the cornerstones of modern physics but it requires a total rethink of our notions of time and space. Strange things happen in a relative universe: length and time are not fixed and depend upon your frame of reference. If you move at high speed, time slows down, space contracts and weight increases. So a period of time for someone on Earth that lasts for hundreds of years may only be a couple of hours for someone travelling in a rocket close to the speed of light. It’s mind-boggling stuff, but the theory of relativity has a real impact on our world today. A car’s GPS navigation system, for example, uses information received from orbiting satellites and is designed to account for the fact that time ticks at a different rate on these satellites than it does on the ground. Without allowing for relativity’s effects, after just a day, your whereabouts according to GPS could be up to 8km from your actual location. So to find out more about how our universe works and how space and time are connected, look no further than this fascinating, illustrated guide to relativity.

My First Book of the Cosmos is the latest title from the awarding winning illustrator and author duo Eduard Altarriba and Sheddad Kaid-Salah Ferrón. Cosmology is closely related to astronomy and studies the origin and evolution of the universe. As with Eduard and Sheddad’s first book published by Button Books My First Book of Quantum Physics, My First Book of the Cosmos introduces children to what is an incredibly complex subject in a fun and entertaining way, using highly attractive and absorbing illustrations to explain the basic principals and concepts of this complex and fascinating subject.

You’ll discover what they are, where they come from and what they do, as well as which ones are good and which can be harmful. Especially pertinent are the clear explanations about how viruses spread, the role of antibodies and the importance of vaccines – essential understanding for us all during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic; in fact, there’s a whole spread dedicated to COVID-19. Packed with clever analogies that make understanding a difficult topic easy, this STEM title is perfect for young budding scientists with an active and enquiring mind and for people of any age who are interested in learning about the natural world and the human body.

Nowadays, electricity and magnetism are all around us and we use them for nearly everything. In fact, it’s hard to find anything that works without them. But what actually is electricity? What has it got to do with magnets? What is magnetism? And the most fascinating thing of all, what has all this got to do with light? All these questions are answered in this introduction to the fabulous world of electromagnetism.My First Book of Electromagnetism tells the story of humankind’s growing understanding of the forces around us, from Thales of Miletus’s first experiments with magnetic attraction in 600 BCE to Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell unifying the fields of magnetism and electricity to develop the theory of electromagnetism. At various stages in this fascinating journey the reader can find out how to make their own experiments, including making their own electroscope to test for electric charge and how to construct a working motor from safety pins, wire, sticky tape, a magnet and a battery.Bestselling My First Book of Science series by award-winning illustrator and author duoIntroduces children aged 8 and up to a complex area of science in a fun and entertaining wayAdults are likely to enjoy the content and find that it increases their understandingEasy-to-follow, bite-size text – uses different colours to draw out key words and information, making them easier to absorb and remember