The Quirks & Quarks Question Book: 101 Answers to Listeners' Questions

By CBC

Book Overview

- Is there really such a thing as a blue moon? - What time is it at the North Pole? - Why don't woodpeckers get concussed? - Why don't snorers wake themselves with the racket they make? - Do insects sleep? These are just a few of the intriguing questions asked and answered in The Quirks & Quarks Question Book, the first question and answer book to come out of CBC Radio's enormously popular weekly science program. Quirks & Quarks producers have combed through ten years' worth of archives to find the most puzzling questions - or the most fascinating answers to apparently simple questions - from the program's Question of the Week segment or its once-a-season all-question show. The scientists and researchers with the answers (many of whom updated their answers for the book in light of new research findings) come from all scientific disciplines and all parts of the country. What they have in common is their ability to explain serious, complicated science in layman's terms. This isn't science made simple, but science made understandable. Introduced by the program's host for the past ten years, the genial and ever-curious Bob McDonald, The Quirks & Quarks Question Book has the answers to questions you may never have thought to ask (why does Uranus spin on a different axis from all the other planets in our solar system?) or have spent idle time wondering about (why is there a calm before a storm?). Whether you want to know if you can sweat while you swim or what the view would be like if you could travel at the speed of light, or perhaps you just want to peruse the latest scientific thinking on a wide range of topics, The Quirks & Quarks Question Book has the answer. Quirks & Quarks has been keeping Canadians up to date on the world of science for more than 25 years. Every week, the program presents the people behind the latest discoveries in the physical and natural sciences. The program also examines the political, social, environmental, and ethical implications of new developments in science and technology. Over its lifetime, Quirks & Quarks has won more than 40 national and international awards for science journalism.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0771054483
• ISBN13: 9780771054488
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Pop Science at its Best

First, Quirks and Quarks is a great radio show on CBC radio. So in line with the quality of that production you have this wonderful book that addresses everyday questions that are not that intuitive to answer. A good example is the question about catching the same cold twice. I read the answer one morning and that very evening at a meeting someone mentioned that they caught the same cold twice. I pointed out with authority that he could not have caught the "same" cold twice, based on Dr. Kathryn Wright's answer to that very issue. All the answers to the questions are presented by academic experts who just seem like your next door neighbor, or in some cases someone you would want living next door to you. Now, you don't make too many friends going around acting like you know everything so I would suggest that the book be used with caution in this respect. On the other hand it is a wonderful tool to work with your children on answering their perplexing questions. Though, one deficiency is the lack of an index. With this book you may not have to tell your child to go and ask your spouse for the answer as to why the wheel that just fell off your axel is running ahead of the car. You can also have science night with your kids (probably 8 years old and up) and on a regular basis read one of the questions and then the answer. A discussion would follow and maybe some follow-up effort if need be. But the responses are presented in laypersons terms and does not require a PhD. It really can be a family event that teaches everyone a little more about this miraculous world we live in. The bottom line is that the information in this book is interesting, approachable and just down right fun.