The things we make : the unknown history of invention from cathedrals to soda cans Cover Image

Book

The things we make : the unknown history of invention from cathedrals to soda cans / Bill Hammack, Ph.D.

Hammack, Bill, 1961- (author.).

Summary:

"A Carl Sagan Award-winning professor of enginering and viral "The Engineer Guy" on YouTube, Hammack has a lifelong passion for the things we make, and how we make them. Now, for the first time, he reveals the invisible method behind every invention and takes us on a whirlwind tour of how humans built the world we know today. From the grand stone arches of medieval cathedrals to the mundane modern soda can, Hammack explains the golden rules of thumb that underlie every new building technique, every technological advancement, and every creative solution that leads us one step closer to a better, more functional world. Spanning centuries and cultures, Hammack offers a fascinating perspective on how humans engineer solutions in a world full of problems"-- Cover, p. 4.

Record details

ISBN: 9781728280455
ISBN: 1728280451
Physical Description: xii, 251 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Publisher: Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks, [2024]
Copyright: ©2024

Content descriptions

General Note:	"Originally published as The things we make in 2023 in the United States of America by Sourcebooks"--T.p. verso.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-249).
Formatted Contents Note:	The invisible method: how to build a cathedral without mathematics, science, or a yardstick -- Best: the Vitruvian man, kodachrome, and the constant search for better -- Uncertainty: the art of the unknown and how engineers use it to create solutions -- Resources: from Mesopotamia to the Islamic empire to space- how materials, energy, and knowledge shape everything -- Engineering mindset: the three key strategies that created a ceramic masterpiece (and every other innovation) -- Science: the gold standard for rules of thumb -- Mathematics: how engineers offend mathematicians to predict the future -- Invention: the myth of the lone inventor and the race to light the world -- Conclusion: what the microwave oven teaches us about innovation, technology, and how the engineering method can save the world.