The Matchbox That Ate a Forty-Ton Truck

"Why can't a broken teacup reassemble itself? How do stars turn hydrogen into iron? This lively, nontechnical look at the physics behind the world around us is rich with entertaining anecdotes and examples of some pretty complex ideas. Caltech astronomer Chown (The Quantum Zoo) uses simple examples from everyday life—a reflection on a windowpane, the solidity of the ground underfoot, the heat of our sun, the immense variety of objects in the world—to reveal evidence of everything from the Big Bang to the life cycle of stars and the inner structure of the atom. Skillful explanations are leavened with humor. Invocations of pop culture and literary references, from Homer Simpson and Walt Whitman to Edgar Allan Poe and Douglas Adams, help introduce each complex idea and enhance the discussion. Chapter notes and a comprehensive glossary offer additional information. Both deliberate readers and those who like to jump into things at random will be entertained and informed by this charming book."—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Marcus Chown

“One of Britain’s most respected science writers. He uniquely combines a deep understanding of science and an ability to communicate the most esoteric ideas to the ordinary person in the street.”—Simon Singh, author of Fermat’s Last Theorem and Big Bang

"So many times I've gone to Google to research a story about a new idea at the very edge of cosmology and physics only to find that Marcus Chown got there first—with a fascinating, engaging and expertly written piece."—George Johnson, author of Miss Leavitt's Stars and science writer, New York Times

"One of the premier writers on astronomy and physics working today—highly knowledgeable, and with a flair for presenting difficult concepts in a clear and entertaining fashion."—Michael Lemonick, author of Echo of the Big Bang and Senior Science Writer emeritus, Time magazine