000 03969cam a22003373u 4500
001 36547
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610133832.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2011||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
010 _a06002330
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aQ
100 1 _aPhin, John,
_d1830-1913
245 1 4 _aThe Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.] :
_bA popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them. To which is added a small budget of interesting paradoxes, illusions, and marvels
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2011
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
500 _aRelease date is 2011-06-28
505 0 _aPreface -- The seven follies of science: Introductory note. Squaring the circle. The duplication of the cube. The trisection of an angle. Perpetual motion. The transmutation of metals, alchemy. The fixation of mercury. The universal medicine and the elixir of life -- Additional follies: Perpetual or ever-burning lamps. The alkahest or universal solvent. Palingenesy. The powder of sympathy -- A small budget of paradoxes, illusions, and marvels (with apologies to Professor De Morgan): The fourth dimension. How a space may be apparently enlarged by merely changing its shape. Can a man lift himself by the straps of his boots? How a spider lifted a snake. How the shadow may be made to move backward on the sun-dial. How a watch may be used as a compass. Micrography or minute writing; writing so fine that the whole Bible, if written in characters of the same size, might be inscribed twenty-two times on a square inch. Illusions of the senses (taste and smell; sense of heat; sense of hearing; sense of touch, one thing appearing as two). How objects may be apparently seen through a hole in the hand. How to see (apparently) through a solid brick -- Curious arithmetical problems: The chess-board problem. The nail problem. A question of population. How to become a millionaire. The actual cost and present value of the First Folio Shakespeare. Arithmetical puzzles. Archimedes and his fulcrum.
508 _aProduced by Jonathan Ingram, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
520 _a"The Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.]" by John Phin is a scientific publication written in the early 20th century. This work explores some of the most infamous scientific impossibilities and the historical attempts made to solve them, detailing concepts such as squaring the circle, perpetual motion, and the philosopher's stone. By presenting these topics in a straightforward manner, the author aims to make complex ideas accessible to the general reader. At the start of the publication, the author introduces the concept of 'scientific follies'—problems that have captivated the human imagination despite being mathematically impossible. Phin emphasizes the allure these challenges hold, noting that many seek to solve them out of sheer curiosity and sometimes misguided confidence. In addition to shedding light on various famous problems, he touches upon the historical context and cultural fascination surrounding them, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of each folly in the chapters to follow. Overall, the opening portion lays a foundation for examining the intersection of human curiosity, error, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge in science. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aGeometry -- Famous problems
653 _aScientific recreations
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36547
999 _c77387
_d77387