How not to be wrong: the power of mathematical thinking

By Ellenberg, Jordan

Publishing Date: 2014

Classification: 500

Call Number: 510 ELL

"In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us that math isn't confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do--the whole world is shot through with it. Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our world. It's a science of not being wrong, hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: How early should you get to the airport? What does "public opinion" really represent? Why do tall parents have shorter children? Who really won Florida in 2000? And how likely are you, really, to develop cancer? How Not to Be Wrong presents the surprising revelations behind all of these questions and many more, using the mathematician's method of analyzing life and exposing the hard-won insights of the academic community to the layman--minus the jargon. Ellenberg pulls from history as well as from the latest theoretical developments to provide those not trained in math with the knowledge they need. "--

Trespassing on Einstein's lawn: a father, a daughter, the meaning of nothing, and the beginning of everything

By Gefter, Amanda

Publishing Date: [2014]

Classification: 500

Call Number: 530.01 GEF

"Opening with the author's attempt to sneak herself and her father into a conference attended by the planet's great scientific thinkers (including Brian Greene, Max Tegmark, and coiner of the term "black hole" John Wheeler), Trespassing on Einstein's Lawn takes readers on an exhilarating and memorable journey to the mysterious heart of the universe"--

Secrets of the oak woodlands: plants and animals among California's oaks

By Marianchild, Kate

Publishing Date: [2014]

Classification: 500

Call Number: 577.3097 MAR

The acorn woodpeckers who call "Waka! Waka!" throughout California's oak woodlands unite in marriages of up to ten birds and raise their young cooperatively. California ground squirrels roll in rattlesnake skins to hide their scent from hungry snakes. Manzanita's sensuous red skin peels away in time for summer solstice, allowing trunks and branches to produce extra sugars to fuel growth. Weaving up-to-the-minute scientific findings, personal observations, and flashes of humor into twenty-two masterful chapters, author and naturalist Kate Marianchild explores the intimate lives and interconnections of plants, animals, lichens, and fungi common to California's oak woodlands from woodrats, newts, and California quail to mistletoe, lace lichen, and California buckeye. Suffused with wonder and illustrated with lavish watercolors, this award-winning book is on its way to becoming a classic of California nature writing. Open it and you will be amazed to discover a fascinating world that "rustles, hums, and sings with the sounds of wild things."

Kingbird highway: the biggest year in the life of an extreme birder

By Kaufman, Kenn

Publishing Date: 2006

Classification: 500

Call Number: 598.072 KAU

At sixteen, Kenn Kaufman dropped out of the high school where he was student council president and hit the road, hitching back and forth across America, from Alaska to Florida, Maine to Mexico. Maybe not all that unusual a thing to do in the seventies, but what Kenn was searching for was a little different: not sex, drugs, God, or even self, but birds. A report of a rare bird would send him hitching nonstop from Pacific to Atlantic and back again. When he was broke he would pick fruit or do odd jobs to earn the fifty dollars or so that would last him for weeks. His goal was to set a record - most North American species seen in a year - but along the way he began to realize that at this breakneck pace he was only looking, not seeing. What had been a game became a quest for a deeper understanding of the natural world. Kingbird Highway is a unique coming-of-age story, combining a lyrical celebration of nature with wild, and sometimes dangerous, adventures, starring a colorful cast of characters.- (Houghton)