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Elemental
- How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
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Elemental
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Summary
Selected as one of the best books of 2018 by the Daily Mail.
In 2016, with the addition of four final elements - nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson - to make a total of 118 elements, the periodic table was finally complete, rendering any pre-existing books on the subject obsolete.
Tim James, the secondary-school science teacher we all wish we'd had, provides an accessible and wonderfully entertaining 'biography of chemistry' that uses stories to explain the positions and patterns of elements in the periodic table. Many popular science titles tend to tell the history of scientific developments, leaving the actual science largely unexplained; James, however, makes use of stories to explain the principles of chemistry within the table, showing its relevance to everyday life.
Filled with humour, this is the perfect audiobook for students wanting to learn chemistry or for parents wanting to help, but it is also for anyone who wants to understand how our world works at a fundamental level. The periodic table, that abstract and seemingly jumbled graphic, holds (nearly) all the answers.
As James puts it, elements are 'the building blocks nature uses for cosmic cookery; the purest substances making up everything from beetroot to bicycles.'
Whether you're studying the periodic table for the first time or are simply interested in the fundamental building blocks of the universe - from the core of the sun to the networks in our brains - Elemental is the perfect guide.
Critic reviews
"Witty, pacy and fascinating...the best book on science I've ever read." (Karl Dixon)
"A hugely entertaining tour of the periodic table and the 118 elements that are the basic building blocks of everything." (Daily Mail)
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What listeners say about Elemental
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. GG Platt
- 01-03-21
Interesting and entertaining
An illuminating trip through the periodic table. Not too heavy on the science or the history of the elements but just enough to keep you listening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- A. Schoon
- 05-07-20
A quirky look at chemistry
From Shröedinger's sex life to the illuminating metaphors of electron orbits as "wildlife enclosures at the zoo" and acids as "proton juice" - this book is an absolute delight. The understated tongue in cheek delivery of the narrator ensures the puns land dead centre.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- D. Oneill
- 22-01-20
Informative and entertaining
This is an enjoyable overview of the periodic table of the elements. It blows the cobwebs off cherished memories of O and A level chemistry, and complements them with more historical facts than I learned back then, including, in particular, amusing mini biographies of some of the key figures that contributed to its development. There are also many interesting facts about the properties in which certain elements excel, which recommend them to their use in the modern world. The upper end of the table now contains more elements than the ones I learned at school and I enjoyed expanding my knowledge a little about these, beyond my sketchy awareness of their existence and of their exotic nature. The occasionally (but not always!) corny jokes also provided an enjoyable throwback to sixth form humour. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lady of the lake
- 24-03-24
interesting worth listening to
the narrator makes the book.
the book is not condensing or complicated
it is informative and educational
not just a list of science facts or often told tales
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-06-20
Very interesting
Very interesting and accessible filled in a lot of gaps in my knowlege good background for anyone studying science
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Robert M B Brandt
- 14-08-20
Informative and entertaining
With a very well chosen narrator this book handles a weighty topic with humour and a lightness of touch in a way that really helps information to stick in one's mind, a rare trick, especially with an audiobook. Although I'll certainly give this book more than one listen, I'm aware that I have processed and remembered much more information than with other popular science titles and I've been entertained!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Gilles Guichard
- 19-05-22
Brilliant teacher. A+++ to Roger Davis Narrative
A gift to teaching fantastic explanation of science and chemistries. I recommend anyone to read it.
But where is the PDF reference!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- K T.
- 28-07-18
Best lay book
This is the best lay book I have read on quantum mechanics. Entertaining throughout and very informative. Makes sense of a difficult subject. Recommend to any curious mind
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- mjheath
- 19-11-19
This was the most fantastic book that I have heard in science. And being a doctor that is saying something.
I would recommend this book to anyone with interest in chemistry. Brilliantly read and will be using some of the information in my future lectures to medical student. Well done to both the author and narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dean Randall
- 30-03-21
Great book
Very interesting and fun. Well explained and researched. Would recommend for all ages if your interested in science.
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