M... - An Ocean Of Air: Why The Wind Blows And Other

: Renaissance scientist Evangelista Torricelli, a disciple of Galileo, was the first to realize we live "submerged at the bottom of an ocean of air". To illustrate its mass, the air filling a space like Carnegie Hall weighs approximately 70,000 pounds .

: A one-eyed barnstorming pilot discovered invisible "rivers of air" five miles above the Earth that blow with hurricane force. An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other M...

In her book , Gabrielle Walker reveals that we don’t just live in the air; we live because of it. This popular science work explores the history of atmospheric discovery through the stories of eccentric mavericks who unmasked the "invisible" substance surrounding us. Key Scientific Revelations In her book , Gabrielle Walker reveals that

: William Ferrel, a self-taught 19th-century American farmer, used a pitchfork to carve equations into a barn door to explain why hurricanes move in circles and how heat flows from the equator to the poles. The book details how humanity gradually understood the

The book details how humanity gradually understood the complex layers above our heads:

: Reclusive genius Oliver Heaviside predicted a "mirror in the sky"—a layer of electrically charged metal that allows radio signals to bounce around the globe, a discovery that would later aid in the rescue of the Titanic. The Human Side of Discovery

Walker highlights the "wacky characters" behind these breakthroughs: Go to product viewer dialog for this item.