A Riddle of the Universe by Edward Harrison (review). And definitions. Aswell DARKNESS AT NIGHT: A RIDDLE OF THE as. If the universe is. Darkness at Night: A Riddle of the Universe. Heart of Darkness. PDF 0 comments. Physics Today 41, 9, 110. Darkness at Night: A Riddle of the Universe. Darkness at night. PDF First Page.
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Truckenbrod organizes the book around an information-processing model of work with computers that identifies the phases of image input, processingand output. Her approach is innovative,however,in that she defines each of these multidimensionally and leads the reader to consider non-traditional aswell as traditional options. For example, the output discussion includes consideration of such modes as textiles, lasers, performance and sculpture. Her goal is to stimulate creative thinking about the new possibilitiescreated by the new technologies and to push artists and designers beyond the narrow technical thinking that is beginning to dominate the field.
The book also includes useful sectionson the details of establishingan image studio and descriptions of real-worldapplications of the technology. To illustration. Most of the illustrations are samplesof work Truckenbrod produced to illustrate particular approaches.
For example, the discussion of the processingphase looks at processes such as colorize,fragment, move/slide, scale, stretch/compress, symmetriesand blend. For each process there are illustrations and concrete discussionsof some of the techniques involved.This willingness to discussreal-worlddetails is a major contribution to a field that often seems to promote mystificationrather than dissemination. Because the illustrations consistentlyshow similar images undergoing different processes, the reader gets a very clear idea about the potentials of the different processes. Although the restriction of images to the author’s own work providesa unity and pedagogical power, it does miss a certain range that would be useful.
Readers might have enjoyed a short section at the end that showed how other artistshave made use of the techniques discussed.Also the author has included no bibliography and few references to other artists’ work. This omission is an unfortunate lack in such an excellent teaching text. In spite of these shortcomings, however,I stronglyrecommend the book to people who want to learn about computer graphics. It succeeds in the rare combination of stimulating artisticenterprise and concretely teaching technique. California trial setting conference statement. The book is unique in its approach For the more mathematicallyable and curious there are copious notes on formulae and definitions. Aswell DARKNESS AT NIGHT: A RIDDLE OF THE as extensive passagesquoted from original sources, often making colourful reading. These are all gathered to form a separate last third of the book.
It is almost like having two parallel books on the subject,written on two levels; one popular and the other UNIVERsE by Edward Harrison. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, U.S.A., 1987.
Reviewed by Robert Dixon, 125 Cricklade Avenue, London SW2, U. For all those who have ever been intrigued by Olber’s paradox and would like to know more, this book is probably a must.
Edward Harrison offers in popular terms a thorough account of this single question, which seemsso silly at first but turns out to raise profound questions about the size,shape and age of the universe, as well as about the nature of light, of space and of time: Why is the sky dark at night? If the universe is clear, endless and infinitelypopulated with stars, as astronomers frequently suppose, should we not see some star or another in every direction we care to look? Every line of sight would eventually, so it is argued, strike a star. This would mean that every point of the celestial sphere would shine, giving us a sky entirely filled with light, everywhere about as bright as the surface of the sun, itself an average star. This fascinatingcosmological question back to Wilhelm Olbers, who stated the riddle and offered an answer in 1823. Harrison prefers not to call the paradox after Olbers, as is usual nowadays followingBondi, because he finds a clear and earlier statement of the riddle, together with a different solution, in the sixteenthcentury work of Thomas Digges. Torically to outline the storyof cosmology since ancient Greek times as it relates to the riddle, and introduces numerous thinkers between Digges and Bondi who had something new and serious to say on the matter, including Lord Kelvin and Edgar Allan Poe.
Each fresh contribution exemplifiesa different way of finding a cosmological problem in the riddle and leads to a different kind of answer. This provides the author with a natural scheme for chaptering his book, and at the end of his. If you would like to authenticate using a different subscribed institution that supports Shibboleth authentication or have your own login and password to Project MUSE, click 'Authenticate'. You are not currently authenticated. View freely available titles: OR.
Why is the sky dark at night? The answer to this ancient and celebrated riddle, says Edward Harrison, seems relatively simple: the sun has set and is now shining on the other side of the earth. But suppose we were space travelers and far from any star. Out in the depths of space the heavens would be dark, even darker than the sky seen from the earth on cloudless and moonless nights. For more than four centuries, astronomers and other investigators have pondered the enigma of a dark sky and proposed many provocative but incorrect answers. Darkness at Night eloquently describes the misleading trails of inquiry and strange ideas that have abounded in the quest for a solution. In tracing this story of discovery - one of the most intriguing in the history of science-the astronomer and physicist Edward Harrison explores the concept of infinite space, the structure and age of the universe, the nature of light, and other subjects that once were so perplexing.
He introduces a range of stellar intellects, from Democritus in the ancient world to Digges in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, followed by Kepler, Newton, Halley, Chéseaux, Olbers, Poe, Kelvin, and Bondi. Harrison's style is engaging, incisive yet poetic, and his strong grasp of history - from the Greeks to the twentieth century - adds perspective, depth, and scope to the narrative. Richly illustrated and annotated, this book will delight and enlighten both the casual reader and the serious inquirer. Rating: (not yet rated) Subjects. More like this.
Find more information about: ISBN: 77192713 OCLC Number: 15014985 Description: 293 pages: illustrations; 24 cm Contents: Why Is the Sky Dark at Night? Why is the sky dark at night?
The answer to this ancient and celebrated riddle, says Edward Harrison, seems relatively simple: the sun has set and is now shining on the other side of the earth. But suppose we were space travelers and far from any star. Out in the depths of space the heavens would be dark, even darker than the sky seen from the earth on cloudless and moonless nights. For more than four centuries, astronomers and other investigators have pondered the enigma of a dark sky and proposed many provocative but incorrect answers. Darkness at Night eloquently describes the misleading trails of inquiry and strange ideas that have abounded in the quest for a solution. In tracing this story of discovery - one of the most intriguing in the history of science-the astronomer and physicist Edward Harrison explores the concept of infinite space, the structure and age of the universe, the nature of light, and other subjects that once were so perplexing.
He introduces a range of stellar intellects, from Democritus in the ancient world to Digges in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, followed by Kepler, Newton, Halley, Chéseaux, Olbers, Poe, Kelvin, and Bondi. Harrison's style is engaging, incisive yet poetic, and his strong grasp of history - from the Greeks to the twentieth century - adds perspective, depth, and scope to the narrative.
Richly illustrated and annotated, this book will delight and enlighten both the casual reader and the serious inquirer. A veritable Cook's tour through the history of astronomy.-Owen Gingerich 'Nature ' The night sky is dark. The question is why.
Gizmos Riddle Of The Universe
Harrison has an answer, but to state it here seems as unfair as giving away the final chapter of a mystery story. Better to read his book.-Timothy Ferris 'New York Times Book Review ' From his years of contemplation of the riddle of the dark sky, Harrison has now distilled a truly wonderful book. Darkness at Night is superbly written and excellently illustrated.-Michael Rowan-Robinson 'New Scientist ' Darkness at Night is a very elegantly written history. I think Harrison has written a beautiful book, the best available on Olber's paradox. Be sure not to miss this one.-Frank Tipler 'Times Higher Education Supplement ' Read more.