Get the straight, scientific story on things like astrology, ghosts, spontaneous human combustion, psychic surgery, and ESP. You hear about these fantastic happenings every day on television and in the supermarket tabloids. Is any of this true or are they making it all up? While many people tune in just for laughs, plenty of readers believe their outrageous claims - often because they simply don't have a clear notion of what science really is. So how do you figure out what constitutes real science and what is nonsense? Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction carefully deconstructs five examples of pseudoscience - UFOs, out-of-body experiences, astrology, creationism, and ESP - and gives easy recipes to test other dubious notions so that you can tell what lies in the realm of real science and what more properly deserves the tag of pseudoscience. This second edition of Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction will include a brand new chapter on alternative medicine, up-to-date links for reliable skeptical websites, organizations and meetings, and a fully updated additional reading section.

Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction: Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoscience Begins

Science & Math

Wynn, Charles M.

Wiggins, Arthur W.

History & Philosophy

Oxford University Press

The Five Biggest Ideas in Science

In a thought-provoking and entertaining exploration of The Five Biggest Ideas in Science, authors Charles Wynn and Arthur Wiggins provide a panoramic view of the questions scientists seek to answer about the natural world: * Do basic building blocks of matter exist, and if so, what do they look like? * BIG IDEA #1: Physics' Model of the Atom * What relationships, if any, exist among different kinds of atoms? * BIG IDEA #2: Chemistry's Periodic Law * Where did the atoms of the universe come from,and what is their destiny? * BIG IDEA #3: Astronomy's Big Bang Theory * How is the matter of the universe arranged in planet Earth? * BIG IDEA #4: Geology's Plate Tectonics Model * How did life on planet Earth originate and develop? * BIG IDEA #5: Biology's Theory of Evolution Get set for a lively and informative discussion, as you also learn how to evaluate potential applications of these and other scientific ideas.

Children's Books

Science, Nature & How It Works

Trade Paper Press

How did a simple glover's son with a Stratford grammar school education become the world's greatest playwright? It wasn't easy. This book intersperses family and financial challenges with sparse documented facts to provide a plausible, entertaining story of Shakespeare's life. Easy to read, accessible, and lively, this book provides a wide range of readers a unique opportunity to enjoy his works by visiting the root of his genius. Play-goers, students, book club members or anyone with curiosity about Shakespeare may enjoy this behind-the-scenes view, based on 25 years of study and travel by experienced educators and writers.

Good Will: Shakespeare's Novel Life

Biographies & Memoirs

Wiggins, Barbara M.

Arts & Literature

First Edition Design Publishing

For those who have always wanted to discover the joy of physics, this is the book that they’ve been waiting for. Many people remember their struggles with physics in high school and have wished for the right opportunity to gain an appreciation of this significant area of knowledge. Now is their chance not only to understand physics, but to do physics. The author provides the general reader with a fun-filled, entertaining, and truly educational tour of this all-important science. What makes the study of physics so worthwhile? The author says that, despite its reputation for difficulty, physics has an enormously ambitious goal, which appeals to people’s innate curiosity: to understand the workings of the entire universe, from the smallest quarks to the largest galaxies. Learning and comprehending as much as we can about the inner and outer workings of the universe is what evokes the joy of physics. Taking a hands-on approach, he invites the reader to share the joy. Easy, practical experiments pepper the book and connect the ideas of physics with the reality of the universe. The yo-yo, flying disc, shake flashlight, laser pointer, LED, and even a microwave experiment with an edible result add to the fun. Complete with lively, memorable cartoons by Sidney Harris—America’s premier science cartoonist—this book reveals the inherent fun, intellectual pleasure, and supreme importance of a subject that we can now finally tackle and enjoy. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Joy of Physics

Science for Kids

Prometheus+books

In a thought-provoking and entertaining exploration of The Five Biggest Ideas in Science, authors Charles Wynn and Arthur Wiggins provide a panoramic view of the questions scientists seek to answer about the natural world:* Do basic building blocks of matter exist, and if so, what do they look like?* BIG IDEA #1: Physics' Model of the Atom* What relationships, if any, exist among different kinds of atoms?* BIG IDEA #2: Chemistry's Periodic Law* Where did the atoms of the universe come from,and what is their destiny?* BIG IDEA #3: Astronomy's Big Bang Theory* How is the matter of the universe arranged in planet Earth?* BIG IDEA #4: Geology's Plate Tectonics Model* How did life on planet Earth originate and develop?* BIG IDEA #5: Biology's Theory of EvolutionGet set for a lively and informative discussion, as you also learn how to evaluate potential applications of these and other scientific ideas.

This lively and humorous book focuses attention on the fact that science is a human enterprise. The reader learns about the foibles and quirks as well as the admirable ingenuity and impressive accomplishments of famous scientists who made some of the greatest discoveries of the past and present.Examples abound: James Watson and Francis Crick formed a legendary partnership that led to the discovery of DNA, but they essentially ignored the contribution of female colleague Rosalind Franklin. Later, in the race to sequence the human genome, Watson criticized J. Craig Venter's technique as a process that "could be run by monkeys." Nikola Tesla once worked for Thomas Edison, but then quit after a dispute about a bonus. Robert Hooke accused Isaac Newton of stealing his ideas about optics. Plato declared that the works of Democritus should be burned. With tongue-in-cheek illustrations by renowned science cartoonist Sidney Harris, this book takes the reader behind the scenes of scientific research to shine new light on the all-too-human people who "do" science.

The Human Side of Science: Edison and Tesla, Watson and Crick, and Other Personal Stories behind Science's Big Ideas

Professionals & Academics

Prometheus

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wiggins, Arthur W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Wiggins, Arthur W.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wiggins, Arthur W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction: Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoscience Begins

The Five Biggest Ideas in Science

Good Will: Shakespeare's Novel Life

The Joy of Physics

The Five Biggest Ideas in Science

The Human Side of Science: Edison and Tesla, Watson and Crick, and Other Personal Stories behind Science's Big Ideas