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It's a gas : the sublime and elusive elements that expand our world / Mark Miodownik.

It's a gas : (other title)
It is a gas (portion title)
Miodownik, Mark, (author.).

Summary:

"[A] rollicking guided tour of the secret lives of gases: the magnificent, strange, and fascinating substances that shape our world. Gases are all around us -- they fill our lungs, power our movement, create stars, and warm our atmosphere. Often invisible and sometimes odorless, these ubiquitous substances are also the least understood materials in our world, and always have been. It wasn't long ago that gases were seen as the work of ancient spirits: the sudden closing of a door after a change in airflow signaled a ghost's presence. Scientists and engineers have struggled with their own gaseous demons. The development of high-pressure steam power in the eighteenth century literally blew away some researchers, ushering in a new era for both safety regulations and mass transit. And carbon dioxide, that noxious by-product of fossil fuel consumption and cow burps, gave rise to modern civilization. Its warming properties known for centuries, it now spells ruin for our fragile atmosphere. In It's a Gas, bestselling materials scientist Mark Miodownik chronicles twelve gases and technologies that shaped human history. From hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and neon to laughing gas, steam, and even wind, the story of gases is the story of the space where science and belief collide, and of the elusive limits of human understanding."-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 0358157153
  • ISBN: 9780358157151
  • Physical Description: xxii, 279 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
  • Edition: First US edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2024]

Content descriptions

General Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Introduction -- Magical -- Delusional -- Spooky -- Elixir -- Musical -- Enchanting -- Gods -- Dreams -- Sublime -- Sprites -- Phantom -- Ghostly -- The hereafter -- Further reading -- Acknowledgments -- Index.
Subject:
Gases > Popular works.
Gases > Properties.
Gases > Environmental aspects.
Gases > History.
Gases > Analysis > Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Matter > Properties > Popular works.
Genre:
Informational works.

Available copies

  • 14 of 15 copies available at NC Cardinal.
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library. (Show)

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 15 total copies.
Sort by distance from:
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Mars Hill Library 530.4 MIO (Text) 30229101454980 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Black Mountain Library 530.43 MIO (Text) 0020660379726 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Cumberland Headquarters 530.43 M (Text) 31781068963303 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Forsyth Central 530.43 M 2024 (Text) 0112524221524 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Goldsboro Library 530.43 MIO (Text) 900005000264578 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Harmony Branch Library 530.43 MIO (Text) 33114018660654 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Henderson Main Branch 530.43 M (Text) 33258009647863 Adult Nonfiction Available -
High Point Library 530.43 Miodownik (Text) 30519010948662 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Hope Mills Library 530.43 M (Text) 31781068963311 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Margaret and James Harper, Jr. Library 530.43 MIO (Text) 31421621454934 Adult Nonfiction Available -