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In 1859, officers of the Hudson's Bay Company are given the mission to found a fort at 70 degrees north of the polar circle. At some point, an earthquake occurs, and from then on, laws of physics seem altered (a total eclipse happens to be only partial; tides are not perceived anymore). They eventually realise that they are not where they are supposed to be. (wikipedia)...

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Adventure, Historical Fiction

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Published in 1920, Slosson’s Easy Lessons in Einstein is one of the first popularizations of Einstein’s theory of relativity. This book is meant to convey to the general reader the ideas of relativity in non-mathematical terms, by the use of thought experiements and pop-cultural references of the day. This edition also includes a short article by Einstein on Time, Space and Gravitation. (Summary by JoeD)...

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Instruction, Nature, Science

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Marie Curie, born in Warsaw in 1867, was a French physicist and chemist famous for her work on radioactivity. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes - in physics (1903) and chemistry (1911). The risks of working with strongly radioactive materials were not known at that time, and she eventually died in 1934 from an illness likely caused by radiation poisoning. Radioactive Substances is the thesis of Marie Curie, presented to the Faculté de Sciences de Paris in 1903, and subsequently published in Chemical News vol 88, 1903. Marie Curie gives a detailed description of her research on radioactive substances carried out at the Sorbonne. She details how she obtained the two new elements radium and polonium from pitchblende, explains her numerous experiments and presents measurements of all kinds. (Summary by Availle)...

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Science

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On Generation and Corruption (Ancient Greek: Περὶ γενέσεως καὶ φθορᾶς, Latin: De Generatione et Corruptione, also known as On Coming to Be and Passing Away) is a treatise by Aristotle. Like many of his texts, it is both scientific and philosophic (although not necessarily scientific in the modern sense). The philosophy, though, is essentially empirical; as in all Aristotle's works, the deductions made about the unexperienced and unobservable are based on observations and real experiences. The question raised at the beginning of the text builds on an idea from Aristotle's earlier work The Physics. Namely, whether things come into being through causes, through some prime material, or whether everything is generated purely through alteration. From this important work Aristotle gives us two of his most remembered contributions. First, the Four Causes and also the Four Elements (earth, wind, fire and water). (Summary Adapted from Wikipedia)...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Nature, Philosophy, Science

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In The Concept of Nature , Alfred North Whitehead discusses the interrelatedness of time, space, and human perception. The idea of objects as 'occasions of experience', arguments against body-mind duality and the search for an all-encompassing 'philosophy of nature' are examined, with specific reference to contemporary (Einstein, with whose theory of relativity he has some complaints) and ancient (Plato, Aristotle) approaches. (Summary by mb)...

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Philosophy, Science

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Sidelights on Relativity contains ETHER AND THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY, an address delivered on May 5th, 1920, in the University of Leyden; and GEOMETRY AND EXPERIENCE, an expanded form of an address to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin on January 27th, 1921. (Intro from Project Gutenberg)...

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Nature, Science

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After several years working on a treatise putting forth his mechanistic philosophy and physics, Descartes shelved the project when his contemporary, Galileo, was charged with heresy. That work, The World, was only published after Descartes’ death. It seems that Descartes must have had this, in part at least, in mind when writing his more famous philosophical works. This is especially clear in the Meditations , not only in the obsequiousness of the Letter of Dedication, but also in the specific mode of argument, which does not seek merely to found science upon grounds acceptable to religious authority, but to specifically found a mathematical science; one which clearly privileges mathematical demonstrations even over common sense judgments based upon everyday and constant experience. His Copernicanism, put forth posthumously in The World, would require just such a defense. The Meditations are a central work of early modern philosophy, and play a crucial role in the conceptual development of basic perspectives and problems in the Western tradition, including substance dualism, external world skepticism, and the modern notion of the su...

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Philosophy

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The World eBook Library’s Millenium Collection consists of more than 3 million primary source materials spanning the past 1,000 years of world history. The Millenium Collectoin; built to help you and your library reach even greater heights. ...

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Hello. My name is Mia. I’m here today to introduce you to the World eBook Library’s Millenium Collection and tell you exactly how the Millenium Collection can benefit your institution. The World eBook Library’s Millenium Collection consists of more than 3 million primary source materials spanning the past 1,000 years of world history. As you know, much has happened in the last 1000 years. Events such as: The Evolution of English linguistics in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The discovery, by Europeans, of the American continents. The European Renaissance. Johannes Gutenberg inventing the printing press. Karl Benz inventing the automobile. Einstein’s theory of relativity. World War I and II. Man’s journey to the moon and beyond As well as the Internet. The Millenium Collection has gathered the millions of primary written sources directly documenting or inspired by events such as these; and made them available through a single eBook portal. ...

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The World eBook Library’s Millenium Collection consists of more than 3 million primary source materials spanning the past 1,000 years of world history. The Millenium Collection; built to help you and your library reach even greater heights. - See more at: http://worldlibrary.net/details.aspx?bookid=3437268#sthash.FlNjYVi1.dpuf...

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Hello. My name is Mia. I’m here today to introduce you to the World eBook Library’s Millenium Collection and tell you exactly how the Millenium Collection can benefit your institution. The World eBook Library’s Millenium Collection consists of more than 3 million primary source materials spanning the past 1,000 years of world history. As you know, much has happened in the last 1000 years. Events such as: The Evolution of English linguistics in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The discovery, by Europeans, of the American continents. The European Renaissance. Johannes Gutenberg inventing the printing press. Karl Benz inventing the automobile. Einstein’s theory of relativity. World War I and II. Man’s journey to the moon and beyond As well as the Internet. The Millenium Collection has gathered the millions of primary written sources directly documenting or inspired by events such as these; and made them available through a single eBook portal. - See more at: http://worldlibrary.net/details.aspx?bookid=3437268#sthash.FlNjYVi1.dpuf...

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This is a step-by-step presentation on how to download eBooks to your Android device.

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Today we are going to learn how library patrons can access books, articles and other resources, from the World eBook Library, for viewing on an Android tablet or Android mobile device. To get started, you will need Your Android tablet or Android mobile device An internet connection or data service And an eLibrary card for the World eBook Library Let’s begin: If your institution gave you a direct link to the library, skip this part of the tutorial, otherwise go to the library by typing ebooklibrary.org into your browser. Now, open the menu and select Sign In. From here you can enter an offsite access code provided to you by your institution or enter your username and password and tap “Sign In” After you log in, the homepage of the World eBook Library will load. Your homepage may look different than this one but all of the information in our tutorial still applies. Before we talk about downloading books, let’s investigate some of the discovery tools available to patrons on the homepage. First, our eBook Finder. This is a great tool for finding interesting resources quickly. Simply type in a search term and tap ...

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Thomas H. Huxley, an English biologist and essayist, was an advocate of the theory of evolution and a self-proclaimed agnostic. A talented writer, his essays helped to popularize science in the 19th century, and he is credited with the quote, Try to learn something about everything and everything about something. In The Advance of Science in the Last Half Century , he presents a summary of the major developments in Physics, Chemistry and Biology during the period 1839-1889 and their impact on society, within the historical context of philosophical thought and scientific inquiry going back to Aristotle. Huxley’s clear and readable prose makes this subject equally enjoyable for both the student of scientific history and the casual listener alike. (Summary by the reader.)...

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Science

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Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 science fiction novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott. As a satire, Flatland offered pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions. As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics and computer science students....

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Fiction, Science fiction, Satire

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Talking about viewing the Ocean If I take the attitude of appreciation, it would be absurd to say that this wave is composed of chemical elements which I do not see; and if I take the attitude of physical explanation, it would be equally absurd to deny that such elements are all of which the wave is made. From the one standpoint, the ocean is really excited; from the other standpoint, the molecules are moving according to the laws of hydrodynamics. If I want to understand the meaning of this scene every reminiscence of physics will lead me astray; if I want to calculate the movement of my boat, physics alone can help me. (from the Introduction)...

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Psychology

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The Outline of Science, Volume 1 was written specifically with the man-on-the-street in mind as the target audience. Covering scientific subjects ranging from astronomy to biology to elementary physics in clear, concise and easily understood prose, this popular science work is largely as relevant today as when first published in 1922. Special emphasis is given to the principles of biological adaptation and evolution, especially how they relate to the rise of the human species from lower orders. Also included are the basics of the (then) fairly new concept of relativity and its impact on emerging scientific theories. Since first posted at Project Gutenberg in 2006, the text of The Outline of Science, Volume 1 has consistently ranked in the Top 100 EBooks category. (Summary by James Christopher)...

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Science

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The Nobel Prizes are international awards bestowed once a year by Scandinavian committees for cultural and scientific advances. They were established in 1895 by the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. The prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace were first awarded in 1901. The Laureats of 1904 were: in Physics: Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt, 1842 - 1919), for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery of argon in connection with these studies; in Chemistry: Sir William Ramsay (1852 - 1916), for his discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air, and his determination of their place in the periodic system; in Physiology or Medicine: Ivan Petrovich Pawlow (1849 - 1936), in recognition of his work on the physiology of digestion, through which knowledge on vital aspects of the subject has been transformed and enlarged; in Literature: Frédéric Mistral (one half, 1830 - 1914), in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his peopl...

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Science, Biography

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The Brothers Karamazov (Russian: Братья Карамазовы) is the final novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, and is generally considered the culmination of his life's work. The book portrays a parricide in which each of a murdered man's sons share a varying degree of complicity. The Brothers Karamazov is a passionate philosophical novel that explores deep into the ethical debates of God, free will, and morality. It is a spiritual drama of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, reason, and modern Russia. Since its publication, it has been acclaimed all over the world by thinkers as diverse as Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Pope Benedict XVI as one of the supreme achievements in literature....

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Literature, Psychology, Philosophy

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“Doc” E.E. Smith pretty much invented the space opera genre, and Triplanetary is a good and well-known example. Physics, time, and politics never stand in the way of a plot that gallops ahead without letup. Having earned a PhD in chemical engineering, it’s understandable that the heroes of Smith’s story are all scientists. He didn’t want to be constrained by the limits of known science, however, so in his hands the electromagnetic spectrum becomes a raw material to be molded into ever-more amazing and lethal forms, and the speed of light is no bar to traveling through the interstellar void. Come enjoy this story of yesteryear, set in tomorrow, where real women ignite love at a glance, real men achieve in days what governments manage in decades, and aliens are an ever-present threat to Life-As-We-Know-It! (Summary by Mark F. Smith)...

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Adventure, Fiction, Science fiction

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This book, a reprint of a successful English publication, has been so enlarged as to be to all intents and purposes new. It has been carefully revised by a Reverend gentleman, who for some time filled the chair of Physics and Chemistry in one of our colleges. Recent inventions and improvements are described in a simple, popular style, so as to be easily understood by all, and short notices are given of prominent inventors and scientists. The paragraphs relating to doctrinal matters conform in every respect to the teachings of the Church. A feature which will commend the book to every teacher is the definitions of difficult words and terms, following the paragraphs in which such words occur. (from the Preface)...

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Science

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Set in a future in which humanity’s dream of total equality is fully realized and poverty in terms of material wealth has been eliminated, humanity has straight-jacketed itself into the only social system which could make this possible. Class differentiation is entirely horizontal rather than vertical and no matter what one’s chosen field, all advancement is based solely on seniority rather than ability. What is an intelligent and ambitious man to do when enslaved by a culture that forbids him from utilizing his God-given talents? If he’s a military officer in time of war, he might just decide to switch sides. If said officer is a true believer in the principles that enslave him and every bit as loyal as he is ambitious, that’s tantamount to breaking a universal law of physics, but Colonel Sebastian MacMaine has what it takes to meet the challenge. (Summary by Lee)...

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Science fiction

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In The Outline of Science, Thomson gives us a window into scientific thinking as it stood in 1922 on the big, the little, and the biological. With straightforward language intended for a general audience, this book covers astronomy from the Solar System to the Milky Way, the submicroscopic makeup of matter from protons and electrons, and the evolution of simple living beings into the varied fauna of the world today. Thomson cites many examples that would have been familiar to his readers of the day and notes where scientific understanding leaves off and conjecture begins. He clearly shows how the accumulation of observation and experiment stacked up to form the body of knowledge reported in the book. For even the scientifically well-versed, there will be interesting nuggets, for investigation into how the world came to be as it was, was both wide and deep. To a modern listener, what was not known may be as interesting as what was. With the 100-inch Mt. Wilson reflector the largest telescope in the world, the existence of galaxies outside the Milky Way was suspected but not confirmed. Neutrons, soon to become important in the field o...

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Nature, Science

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Jules Henri Poincaré (1854 – 1912) was one of France's greatest mathematicians and theoretical physicists, and a philosopher of science. As a mathematician and physicist, he made many original fundamental contributions to pure and applied mathematics, mathematical physics and celestial mechanics. He was responsible for formulating the Poincaré conjecture, one of the most famous problems in mathematics. In his research on the three-body problem, Poincaré became the first person to discover a chaotic deterministic system which laid the foundations of modern chaos theory. He is considered to be one of the founders of the field of topology. Poincaré introduced the modern principle of relativity and was the first to present the Lorentz transformations in their modern symmetrical form. He discovered the remaining relativistic velocity transformations and recorded them in a letter to Lorentz in 1905. Thus he obtained perfect invariance of all of Maxwell's equations, an important step in the formulation of the theory of special relativity. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Science

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This is an introduction to Einstein’s space-bending, time-stretching theory of Relativity, written by the master himself. Special and General relativity explain the structure of space time and provide a theory of gravitation, respectively. Einstein’s theories shocked the world with their counterintuitive results, including the dissolution of absolute time. In this book he brings a simplified form of his profound understanding of the subject to the layperson. In the words of Einstein: “The present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics.” The book is challenging at times but, when approached patiently, proves itself one of the most lucid explanations of Relativity to be found anywhere. [Due to transcription or optical character recognition errors in creating online texts, and because of less-than-clear fonts in some printed texts, the variables as read in some of the equations here are not as...

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Science

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The Outline of Science was written specifically with the man-on-the-street in mind as the target audience. Covering scientific subjects ranging from astronomy to biology to elementary physics in clear, concise and easily understood prose, this popular science work is largely as relevant today as when first published in 1922. In this second volume (of four), we learn about microscopy, and the intricate workings of the human body and mind. The major part, however, is devoted to the Natural History of birds, mammals, and insects. (Summary adapted from the first volume by Availle.)...

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Nature, Psychology, Science