Books with author Kitty Ferguson

On his deathbed in 1601, the Danish nobleman and greatest naked-eye astronomer, Tycho Brahe, begged his young colleague, Johannes Kepler, "Let me not seem to have lived in vain." For more than thirty years-- mostly in his native Denmark and then in Prague under the patronage of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph II-- Tycho had meticulously observed the movements of the planets and the positions of the stars. From these observations he developed his Tychonic system of the universe-- a highly original, if incorrect, scheme that attempted to reconcile the ancient belief that the Earth stood still with Nicolaus Copernicus's revolutionary rearrangement of the solar system some fifty years earlier. Tycho knew that Kepler, the brilliant young mathematician he had engaged to interpret his findings, believed in Copernicus's arrangement, in which all the planets circled the Sun; and he was afraid his system-- the product of a lifetime of effort to explain how the universe worked-- would be abandoned.In point of fact, it was. From his study of Tycho's observations came Kepler's stunning three Laws of Planetary Motion-- ever since the cornerstone of cosmology and our understanding of the heavens. Yet, as Kitty Ferguson reveals, neither of these giant figures would have his reputation today without the other. The story of how their lives and talents were fatefully intertwined is one of the more memorable sagas in the long history of science.Set in a singularly turbulent and colorful era in European history, at the turning point when medieval gave way to modern, Tycho & Kepler is both a highly original dual biography and a masterful recreation of how science advances. From Tycho's fabulous Uraniborg Observatory on an island off the Danish coast to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph II; from the religious conflict of the Thirty Years' War that rocked all of Europe to Kepler's extraordinary leaps of understanding, Ferguson recounts a fascinating interplay of science and religion, politics and personality. Her insights recolor the established characters of Tycho and Kepler, and her book opens a rich window onto our place in the universe.

"Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?" ~Stephen HawkingWhen author Kitty Ferguson approached British physicist Stephen Hawking with the idea of writing a book about him and his theories, he agreed to help her "in any way I can." She also interviewed numerous other eminent physicists about the next frontier of physics. Now you hold in your hands the splendid result of this endeavor.You may only know of Stephen Hawking as a scientist confined to a wheelchair. He has actually led a life of astounding mobility, in which he has ranged about the universe. This is not a biography per se. It is rather the story of one man's quest to find, in physics parlance, the "Theory of Everything." The "Theory of Everything" would be nothing short of an explanation of the universe and everything that happens in it. Stephen Hawking was born in 1942 in Oxford, England, the son of Isobel and Frank Hawking, a medical researcher. Hawking describes himself as having been an ordinary English schoolboy. He attended Oxford University and went on to pursue his graduate studies in physics at Cambridge University.It was during his college years that Hawking first began to show the symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the degenerative neurological disorder known in the United States as "Lou Gehrig's disease." Despite this ailment, he went on to marry, have three children, and all the while build his reputation as a physicist.In these pages you will encounter a multitude of amazing paradoxes: Beginnings may be endings…. Two great scientific theories taken together seem to give us nonsense…. Empty space isn’t empty…. Black holes aren't black…. Cruel circumstances can lead to happiness, although fame and success may not….and a man whose appearance inspires shock and pity takes us laughing to where the boundaries of space and time ought to be--but are not.

Careers in Focus: Geriatric Care, Third Edition profiles 20 careers for anyone interested in working with the elderly.New and updated job profiles include:-Adult day care coordinators -Creative arts therapists -Elder law attorneys -Financial planners -Geriatric nurses -Geriatric social workers -Grief therapists -Health advocates -Hospice workers -Nursing home administrators -Orientation and mobility specialists -Senior care pharmacists -Speech-language pathologists and audiologists -and more.

Careers in Focus: Construction, Fifth Edition profiles 23 careers for students interested in this growing field.New and updated job profiles include:-Architects -Bricklayers and stonemasons -Cement masons -Construction inspectors -Drafters -Drywall installers and finishers -Electricians -Floor covering installers -Heating and cooling technicians -Landscape architects -Operating engineers -Roofers -Surveyors -and more.