Items related to Can Reindeer Fly?: The Science of Christmas
This perennial Christmas bestseller takes a lighted-hearted scientific look at the rituals and icons of Christmas. What are the thermodynamics involved in cooking a turkey? What are the likely celestial candidates for the Star of Bethlehem? Is the concept of a virgin birth scientifically feasible? What happens to us physically when we overindulge in alcohol? How does snow form? Why are we always depressed after Christmas? How does Santa manage to deliver all those presents in one night? (He has, in fact, little over two ten-thousandths of a second to get between each of the 842 million households he must visit.) This new paperback edition has been extensively updated and contains a new chapter on the latest seasonal science - how religion can help your mental life!
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Roger Highfield, science editor of The Daily Telegraph and author of The Arrow of Time, takes an offbeat look at Christmas by examining it from a scientific perspective. Can Reindeer Fly? ranges across every field of science--from cloned Christmas trees and the genetic defect that makes Santa so plump, to warp-drive sleights and the physics of snow-flakes--and disentangles they myriad cultural influences that come together to make up our modern Christmas. What are the thermodynamics involved in cooking a turkey? Is the concept of a virgin birth scientifically feasible? What happens to us physically when we overindulge in alcohol? Do people really feel more depressed around Christmas? How does Santa manage to deliver all those presents in one night? (He has, in fact, little over two ten-thousandths of a second to get between each of the 842 million households he must visit.) With topics ranging from "The Decline and Fall of Virgin Births" to "Christmas Astrology"; from "Santa: The Hallucinogenic Connection" to "The Dreadful Sprout", Can Reindeer Fly will convince you that Christmas is for everyone-- even scientists.
Review:
A delightful compendium of seasonal science...enchanting -- New York Times Dec 6 by Simon Singh
An amusing, eclectic, and trivial filled collection of scientific observations about one of the western world's most beloved holidays -- Amazon.com Therese Littleton
Controversial, readable and fun, The Physics of Christmas provides excellent entertainment for the Christmas connoisseurs in your circle -- USA Today 3 Dec 98 by Allegra Young
For anyone curious about the science behind the season this book is just what the elves ordered... -- Newsweek, Dec 14 Sharon Begley
Whimsical...engaging...immensely entertaining -- Washington Post Book World 29 Nov by Jonathan Yardley
An amusing, eclectic, and trivial filled collection of scientific observations about one of the western world's most beloved holidays -- Amazon.com Therese Littleton
Controversial, readable and fun, The Physics of Christmas provides excellent entertainment for the Christmas connoisseurs in your circle -- USA Today 3 Dec 98 by Allegra Young
For anyone curious about the science behind the season this book is just what the elves ordered... -- Newsweek, Dec 14 Sharon Begley
Whimsical...engaging...immensely entertaining -- Washington Post Book World 29 Nov by Jonathan Yardley
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBlake Publishing
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 190051298X
- ISBN 13 9781900512985
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages352
- Rating
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