Bio-mechanisms of Swimming and Flying

Book Description

The rich variety of mechanisms employed by swimming and flying organisms has long been an inspiration for engineers and scientists. Such is the range of nature's methods of locomotion that a whole new field of interdisciplinary collaboration on the possibility of utilizing this mechanical efficiency in better artificial mechanisms has developed. These areas of research, which form the basis of this volume, include the locomotive mechanisms of microorganisms, animals in flying and swimming, animal behavior models, and gill-breathing. The latest research into natural autonomous systems and locomotion in both flying and swimming organisms is reflected in the progress of interdisciplinary work in the fields of biology and engineering, yielding real-world benefits in better propulsion techniques. Finally, and at least as important as gains in mechanical efficiency, is the possibility that studying nature in motion may lead to new, environmentally friendly technologies.

Book Description

Here is an original introduction to the weather, filled with hundreds of experiments that let you discover the way the weather works. There is also an innovative "Cloud Atlas" that explains the way clouds are classified and identifies all the main types. For ages 8-14.

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See More Readers: Super Storms -Level 2
Seymour Simon
Manufacturer: SeaStar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1587171384

Book Description

Storms are swift and violent changes in the weather. From lightning to blizzards, learn all about the awesome power of these amazing natural disturbances.

The Wind at Work: An Activity Guide to Windmills

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The Wind at Work: An Activity Guide to Windmills
Gretchen Woelfle
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1556523084

Book Description

The Wind at Work traces the history of windmills and how their design and function have changed over time. It includes more than a dozen wind-related activities such as conducting science experiments, cooking a traditional windmiller meal, sewing windmill patterns, and keeping track of household energy use. Information on how wind turbines (modern windmills) can produce energy as an alternative to nonrenewable fossil fuels is covered as well.

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excellent choice
A beautifully illustrated book!

Rainbow and You
Edwin C. Krupp
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688156010
Release Date: 2000-04-04

Book Description

Everyone knows rainbows look magical, but how do they work?

You'll find out when you join the Rainbow Patrol. Rainbow expert Roy G. Biv will guide you back in time to learn the importance of rainbows in ancient cultures. You'll go inside a raindrop to discover how light bends to create the rainbow's dazzling colors. Finally, you'll return home and learn how to make your own rainbow!

You'll become a real rainbow expert as noted astronomer E.C. Krupp and artist Robin Rector Krupp combine fascinating facts with dazzling illustrations to reveal the secrets of the rainbow. The creators of The Big Dipper and You bring their celestial know-how a little closer to earth in this entertaining introduction to our most colorful natural wonder.

Customer Reviews:

excellent choice.......2001-08-30

Our kids loved this book. Explained really well the science of light defraction, with a nice history of other cultures beliefs on the history of rainbows. Even included the biblical perspective. An excellent book to use with a unit study on light and rainbows.

A beautifully illustrated book!.......2001-01-12

This book not only tells you everything that you might want to know about rainbows, but shows through amazing and interesting illustrations the rainbows many facets. A great way to get your child curious about the natural world. Also check out "The Big Dipper and You" also by the Krupps.

Fluffy, Flat, And Wet: A Book About Clouds (Amazing Science)

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Fluffy, Flat, And Wet: A Book About Clouds (Amazing Science)
Dana Meachen Rau
Manufacturer: Picture Window Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

How Things Work | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Rivers | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Weather | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1404811346

Wacky Weather (How It Works (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers).)

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How It Works Wacky Weather

Wacky Weather (How It Works (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers).)
John Malam
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Fiction | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0689811896

Customer Reviews:

How It Works Wacky Weather.......2001-06-26

Wonderful way to teach children about the weather. My son absolutely loves learning from this book. If you have a curious little soul at home get this book.

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Weather (Science Alive!)
Darlene Lauw , Cheng Puay Lim , and Lim Cheng Puay
Manufacturer: Crabtree Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

How Things Work | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 077870565X

Wind, What Makes You Move? (I Want to Know)

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Wind, What Makes You Move? (I Want to Know)
Francesca Grazzini
Manufacturer: Kane/Miller Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

How Things Work | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Richie's Picks: WIND POWER (True Books)

Wind Power (True Books)
Christine Petersen
Manufacturer: Children's Press (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0516228099

Customer Reviews:

Richie's Picks: WIND POWER (True Books).......2004-10-29

"It all begins with the Sun. During the day, hat from the Sun pours onto Earth's surface. Land absorbs the heat, while water reflects most of the Sun's rays back into the air. As the air warms, it becomes lighter and rises up into the atmosphere (the "bubble" of air that surrounds the planet.) Heavier cool air from nearby is sucked in along the ground to fill the void. The movement of this cooler air is what we feel as wind."

With a combination of simple explanation and significant information, Christine Petersen examines the nature of wind and how it has been harnessed for our energy needs beginning with Egyptian boating 7,000 years ago.

"In 2001, wind farms around the world produced enough electricity for 10 million homes."

Wind Power is filled with photographs of windmills, wind turbines, and wind farms. An up-to-date website list of relevant organizations is included at the end of the book. The wealth of information provided and the manner in which it is presented while keeping it entirely age-appropriate is so outstanding here that I found myself compelled to reject another publisher's 2004 book on wind power (while working on collection development) because it suffered so badly in comparison from reading it after enjoying this one.

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Air (Science Alive!)
Darlene Lauw , Cheng Puay Lim , and Lim Cheng Puay
Manufacturer: Crabtree Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0778705668

Book Description

air presents the latest in iconoclastic architectural design, featuring projects that challenge the current thinking on space-making,the urban environment and programmatic strategies for living. Among the world-renowned creative figures included are Ben Nicholson, Panamarenko, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Ron Herron. Alongside these high-profile names will be previously unpublished projects by young, up-and-coming architects and designers.This fascinating work sheds light on how some of the world's most creative people respond to major questions concerning our quality
of life.

Book Description

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the research and latest developments in the field of the dynamics of coupled and driven chaotic oscillators, aimed at a wide audience. Since 1990, there has been very active research devoted to the field, culminating in a considerable body of knowledge, while active research continues.

The results presented in the book will be valuable for scientific analysis and explanation in various different scientific disciplines, with potential applications in medicine and engineering. The contents include a selection of the most basic theoretical results, as well as experiments and applications presented at a mathematical level suited to readers working in non-hard sciences. It will also be of interest to physicists and mathematicians looking for an introduction to the field.

Book Description

When a widow tries to collect on her inheritance, her late husband's family is unpleasantly surprised. They're even more horrified by the news that this lovely stranger may be a bigamist. Now murder shakes the family tree, and it's time for Hercule Poirot to investigate.

Download Description

A few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow, Gordon Cloade is tragically killed by a bomb blast in the London blitz. Overnight, the former Mrs. Underhay finds herself in sole possession of the Cloade family fortune. Shortly afterwards, Hercule Poirot receives a visit from the dead man's sister-in-law who claims she has been warned by 'spirits' that Mrs. Underhay's first husband is still alive. Poirot has his suspicions when he is asked to find a missing person guided only by the spirit world. Yet what mystifies Poirot most is the woman's true motive for approaching him...

Customer Reviews:

Greed, passion, and murder make for great reading.......2007-09-11

Solid, lesser known Agatha Christie title has the author's usual hallmarks, namely clean writing and a complicated but clearly described solution to the crime (or, in this case, crimes). Added bonuses are a picturesque setting- a small isolated English village- and an unpredictable romantic subplot in addition to the unpredictable mystery.

Like virtually every Agatha Christie offering, "Taken at the Flood" is a fast, engaging reading experience, with not an iota of staleness despite its being around for decades.

Surprises to the very end.......2005-05-05

While taking refuge in a London Club during an air raid Poirot tries to take his mind off the bombing going on outside by listening to the club bore tell yet another of his endless stories. Years later the subjects of the story and the bore re-enter Poirot's life as he tries to sort out past fictions from fact to solve more recent murders.

The Cloade family had always relied on Uncle Gordon and his money to make their lives more comfortable. In post war England life was most uncomfortable so they needed Uncle Gordon (and his money) more than ever. Unfortunately for them Uncle has married a much younger woman, then died before making provisions for any of them. Now they needed to ask his young wife and her bother (or IS he her brother?) for help...or did they?

Surprise twists happen every few pages making what is seemed certain suddenly uncertain - rather like the post war turmoil many of the characters were experiencing. In typical Christie fashion though, all the clues are there for the reader to ferret out before Poirot reveals all.

Please note that this book is also available as THERE IS A TIDE

No One Can Do it Like Agatha Christie!.......2004-09-28

Agatha Christie is such a master at her chosen genre, that mystery novels are continually judged against her extensive body of work. And well they should be. She keeps her readers guessing right up until the end, over and over again. She is still truly the Grande Dame of mystey fiction writers, and her work will be around for a long time to come. In this book we have Hercule Poirot visiting a small village called Warmsley Vale. He finds himself in a real tangled mess that concerns various members of a certain family that lives in this out-of-the-way spot. The ending is a real surprise, and we the readers have such fun getting there. No one can match Ms. Christie's cunning and ingenious plots, and this book does not disappoint.

When Taken at the Flood...It Can Lead to Murder.......2004-03-02

This was a great book. The characters are really full of life and you really get inside their heads. The story opens in a London terrorized by the Blitz. Hercule Poirot hears a story told by the club bore, about a woman who's husband had died and now she was married to a millionaire. She herself is now a millionaire because he had died recently. Later, Poirot is encountered by Katherine Cloade, who is related to the millionaire. Then we are taken to the village of Warmsley Vale where we meet the members of the Cloade family, Adela Marchmont, Lynn Marchmont, Lionel Cloade, Katherine Cloade, Jeremy Cloade, Frances Cloade, and Rowley Cloade. They are all disgusted at one thing, that they haven't a penny to bless themselves with and Rosaleen Cloade and her brother David Hunter, whom they think are fortune hunters, have everything. But then, a man is murdered at a hotel, and the connection between him and the family seems to be getting greater and greater. The only downpoint of this novel is the fact that Agatha Christie seemed to have no enthusiasum in putting Hercule Poirot in the novel, as you will find happens often in most of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels. When Hercule Poirot does make his untimely appearance in Warmsley Vale, it is already a good deal through the book. All around, it's a great book.

Original, entertaining, intriguing, challenging.......2002-08-26

This is one of the most original mystery of all times. Agatha Christie treated the readers to not one, not two, but three deaths, each death being a very clever deception! The final outcome is almost guaranteed to please all mystery fans. The fourth deception is the title, which I personally thought seriously failed to convey anything meaningful to the contents.

During an air raid in London, World War 2, Poirot happened to overhear a Major Porter musing over a news report he just read. Mr Gordon Cloade, rich old man and once thought to be a confirmed bachelor, had married a young girl Rosaleen shortly before being hit by enemy bombing of London. The widow and her brother were the only people succesfully rescued, the rest of the household staff perished and Gordon Cloade did not awaken though the rescuers dug him out too.

Major Porter mused that he had known the first husband of Rosaleen in Africa, a colonial by the name of Robert Underhay. The couple realised that the marriage was a mistake. Pious Roman Catholic Underhay confided in Porter that he might do an "Enoch Arden" (in reference to Alfred Tennyson's poem of the same name), letting the world think he was dead and enabling Rosaleen to move on with her life. Whatever the case, word came to the colonial office that Underhay died in the outbacks and later, Rosaleen had a lightning marriage with rich Gordon Cloade, only to be widowed again shortly.

The story moved on to a year after the end of the war and life in Britain was difficult for most people, not the least to other members of the Cloade family. Gordon Cloade was the financial protector who had actively encouraged the other Cloades to venture out on their own, tacitly promising financial backings to pick them up if they fall or to take care of them. The quick succession of his marriage and death meant that all his money went into a trust for his widow instead. Though the Cloades were not parasitic, one by one, they ran into difficulties in post-war Britain, ranging from a housewife whose pre-war investments shrank, to a farmer struggling to make his farm viable, even those in the medical and legal profession had financial problems. They might have come to terms with the apparently simple-minded Rosaleen but for her outrightly hostile brother David Hunter.

Things became very interesting when a man arrived in their village claiming to be Enoch Arden. An inn's maid overheard David Hunter being blackmailed with news of Underhay still being alive. Shortly afterwards, Enoch Arden was found murdered.

Agatha Christie normally provided readers with one strong highly involved enigmatic girl who was either instrumental in the plot or in providing insights, such as Elinor Carlisle in Sad Cypress, Joanna Burton in The Moving Finger, and Veronica Cray in The Hollow. It was a rare treat in this novel that she had two such female characters: Frances Cloade, wife of Jeremy Cloade the lawyer who was determined to save her husband at all cost and show him that she loved him and had not married because he saved her father before, and Lynn Marchmont, a discharged WREN trying to decide if she still wanted to marry Rowland Cloade the farmer who stayed behind during the war to farm the land, or it was a different person she wanted.

Agatha Christie's female characters were always more interesting than her males, their insight, sheer determination and tenacity would quickly dispel the myth of women being the weaker sex.

In a true Christie style, readers were given a glimpse that each of branch of the Cloade family had something to hide. In a novel twist, none apparently is what could usually be guessed.

Book Description

When Rosaleen Cloade comes to sleepy Warmsley Vale to collect on her late spouse’s sizable inheritance, the Cloade family — who all rely in various ways on the funds from their dear departed Uncle Gordon — have other plans for the money.

Customer Reviews:

Another interesting Agatha title, known primarily to her deep fans.......2007-02-04

Quite good. Entertaining. Solid Agatha, and that's saying something....

Mystery Fan.......2006-08-04

I always enjoy an Agatha Christie story. Hugh Frasier (Captain Hastings) is a superb reader. For some reason I had to wipe off the CDs to get them to play without skipping. Factory dust? Anyway, they played fine after that. The audiobooks that I like have been $3 to $6 less at Amazon than from the audiobook store I had been using. Also, I have Amazon's prime shipping which has been a fantastic deal for me. I get a lot of books, audiobooks, and other Amazon items, and prime shipping has paid for itself several times over.

Taken at the Flood: Robert E. Lee and Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862

Average customer rating:

A new idea
Terrific Challenge To Conventional Wisdom!
Best study ever of the Sharpsburg Campaign
A most painful book to read!!
Well Done

Taken at the Flood: Robert E. Lee and Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862
Joseph L. Harsh
Manufacturer: Kent State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0873386310

Book Description

WINNER OF THE 1999 JEFFERSON DAVIS AWARD

Complementing Confederate Tide Rising, this detailed account focuses on the military campaign itself. Antietam languishes in the long, obscuring shadow cast by Gettysburg and Harsh advocates rethinking the Maryland campaign. He promotes the argument that Antietam was one of the most interesting, critical, and potentially enlightening episodes in U.S. history.

Customer Reviews:

A new idea.......2007-08-19

Joseph Harsh brings a very different but logical view to the Antietam Campaign in this book. This is NOT your first book on Antietam; you need to have an understanding of this critical event to really understand this book. In a very logical, systematic manner, we walk thru the campaign not as history but as the events take place. This approach puts the reader in the position of Lee or McClellan making decision with imperfect knowledge.

Starting with a full review of the CSA position after Pope's army escapes into the Washington forts to the return to Virginia on the 21st, the author display an astounding knowledge of this campaign. What he has to say about the Lee and McClellan will challenge many of the historical assumptions and make you think.

This is not an "easy read" BUT it is one that every student of the Civil War needs to read.

Terrific Challenge To Conventional Wisdom!.......2005-03-02

This book takes a totally fresh look at the 1862 Maryland Campaign and the Confederate strategy. This is by far the best book I've read on the campaign, and there have been some good ones in the past 40 years (Murphin's Gleam of Bayonets and Sears' Landscape Turned Red, for example). The book is fascinating because the author exposes numerous myths about the campaign. I was impressed with the rigor and objectivity of his investigation and analysis. What I especially liked was his philosophy toward history set forth in the introduction, wherein he explains the dangers of relying too heavily on 20/20 hindsight. I was impressed that the author showed great fairness to General McClellan--judging his actions based solely on what he knew at the time, and what he had been ordered to accomplish. McClellan was far from perfect, but the relentless trashing he has taken from historians has alway struck me as excessive. The author, among other interesting assessments, points out that the Army of Northern Virginia was much larger than what we've always been told-- 75,500 troops rather than the 40,000-55,000 number that we've often heard. I highly recommend this book - the story is terrific and the footnotes alone are worth the price!

Best study ever of the Sharpsburg Campaign.......2003-09-08

Other histories of the critical 1862 Sharpsburg campaign pale in comparison to this masterwork. Nobody else's work---nobody---can come close to Harsh's study.

Do not miss this; it is the standard by which all studies of the Sharpsburg campaign must be measured.

A most painful book to read!!.......2002-08-23

I just finished reading "Taken at the Flood: Robert E. Lee and Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862"
by Joseph L. Harsh.

Ouch!!!! Talk about painful!!! Harsh (a history professor who grew up in Hagerstown) simply cannot write!! Some people can write well; others write poorly. Harsh is at the bottom of the latter group. (I feel sorry for his students -- they probably suffered severe ear and brain trauma from his lectures. And he writes as if he were lecturing!!)

He LOVES R.E. Lee. (According to Harsh, everything that went wrong was someone else's fault -- without exception!!) Then there are Harsh's numerous "moments" when he tells you what a particular person MUST have been thinking at any given time -- as if Harsh (or anyone else!!) could know! Finally come are his analyses of various events and situations. In Harsh's eyes, all ideas that contradict his opinions OBVIOUSLY MUST be wrong -- it's just plain "foolish" to think otherwise.

It's too bad that Harsh just didn't tell what happened and allowed us to form our own judgements. (By the way, he plays pretty "fast and loose" with the facts. Plus, he omits vital information that doesn't correspond to his interpretation.)
In his preface, Harsh even has the audacity to state that, besides his book, there are only one or two other books that cover the Maryland Campaign in depth. Well, I have been studying Antietam for over 35 years, have been there several hundred times, and have read literally thousands of books, articles, and documents about Antietam. Harsh is full of it!!

If you were thinking of buying this book, don't bother. You can gain just as much by pulling out all your teeth with a pair of pliars, then dropping a 200-pound lead weight on your foot.

Well Done.......2002-04-16

I agree with much the prior reviewers have said. Although I am not a Civil War buff, I found the book readable. I appreciate his methodology also. Harsh attempts to reconstruct the intelligence available to Lee when he made crucial decisions and to assess his decisions based on the moves he could have made given what he knew and in light of his strategic aims for the campaign. All historians should stick by this method. He also does a very creditable job in his attempt to ascertain what Lee knew. On balance very well researched and well argued. I especially enjoyed the end in which he places his argument within the context of existing historiography on the subject. One criticism I have relates to the maps, which is discussed in the review of one of Dr. Harsh's other books. I bought Landscape Turned Red as the result of reading Taken at the Flood. And the maps are much more helpful in that Sears's book. When you are dealing with a lot of different place names and different corps moving around, it makes the flow a lot easier.

(Disclaimer: I sat in on a few classes of Dr. Harsh's as an undergraduate).

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Taken at the Flood
Ann watkins
Manufacturer: Harper & Brothers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JWKRG6

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Agatha Christie Crime Collection: A Caribbean Mystery; Taken At The Flood; The Seven Dials Mystery
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Lansdowne Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0701814624

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Killer Mine/Taken at the Flood
Hammond (Christie, Agatha) Innes
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IYY5JK

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Taken At The Flood

Manufacturer: Fontana
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000G7CS8E

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Taken At The Flood
Christie
Manufacturer: Fontana
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JD7RSQ

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Taken At The Flood
George Woodman
Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OILGP6

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Taken At The Flood
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UIH7ZS

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