Publishers Weekly
05/15/2023
“Spin pervades all aspects of the world around us,” according to this frustrating survey. Ennos (The Age of Wood), a biology professor at the University of Hull, England, explores spin’s role in such diverse phenomena as the operation of turbine engines, the movement of yo-yos, and the orbits of planets. He explains that the gravitational pull of the moon “sweep the seas across the globe” in the opposite direction of Earth’s rotation, slowing how fast the planet spins on its axis and elongating days by 2.3 milliseconds per century. Other insights are harder to follow. The author’s account of how the invention of the flying shuttle in 1732 improved the productivity of looms will be lost on anyone who isn’t intimately familiar with the machines, and the description of how humans stay balanced by rotating their ankles expects readers to recognize precise anatomical terminology (“We relax our gastrocnemius muscles and contract our tibialis anterior muscles”). Additionally, the extended discussion of how “the hegemony of mathematics... has greatly obstructed the progress of science” by obscuring intuitive findings and repelling people “unwilling to grind their way through” complicated equations feels out of place. This will make readers’ heads spin. (July)
From the Publisher
"Fascinating. . . . More than a few authors have found success with books that look at a broad swath of history, ideas or science through the lens of a single topic. . . . Ennos elevates this approach to dizzying heights in The Science of Spin. . . . [he] really gets rolling when he describes how much of human flourishing through history has involved harnessing the power of spin." —Wall Street Journal
"From the movement of cricket balls to the shielding of the Earth’s atmosphere and even black holes, this delightful and easy-to-follow book won’t leave your head spinning." —Physics World
"An original and highly engaging insight into how our universe works, encompassing black holes, the cotton mills of the industrial revolution, the biomechanics of walking and more!" —Paul Sen, author of Einstein's Fridge
“A basic scientific concept receives long overdue attention . . . Generous with charts and pictures . . . there’s plenty to ponder.” —Kirkus Reviews
"This is a wonderfully fascinating book with answers to so many everyday questions you never knew you needed to know. The explanations are lucid and so clear that the one thing it doesn’t do is cause your head to spin." —Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters
Kirkus Reviews
2023-04-12
Rotary motion may seem uninteresting, but it turns out to be worth understanding.
Ennos, a professor of biological sciences and author of The Age of Wood, points out that Isaac Newton derived his laws from studying rotary motion via planetary orbits. With some modification, circular movements obey his laws, but few scientists took note because 17th-century life and technology didn’t feature much spin. As both grew more complex during the following centuries, scientists struggled to explain rotational forces, making a surprising number of mistakes (which Ennos happily points out). Beginning with the Big Bang, the author emphasizes that curved motion plus gravity formed the stars and planets, “so spin really did create both the heavens and the earth.” Traditionally, the invention of the wheel is considered the key landmark in the rise of civilization, although Ennos considers it overrated as a method of transportation until a much more recent development: roads. Regarding chariots, the author writes that “they would certainly have enabled wealthy aristocrats to be taken to the heart of battles without getting out of breath, but they would only have been practical on smooth, level battlefields, and so only suitable for stylized set combats.” Though wheeled vehicles have proven disappointing over the centuries, the principle of a circular disk whirling around a fixed axle has been vital to nearly all human machinery since the Bronze Age. By the 19th century, it had transformed the textile and metalworking industries and revolutionized transport, starting the process of globalization that continues to this day. Ennos divides the text into topical sections: spin related to the universe, to machines, and to the human body. Although generous with charts and pictures, inevitably, most of his explanations require words, and readers with no scientific background may struggle to understand his written descriptions of high- and low-pressure turbines or how humans keep their balance. Nonetheless, there’s plenty to ponder.
A basic scientific concept receives long overdue attention.
