Review of
The
Technology Book for Girls and Other Advanced Beings,
by Trudee Romanek ISBN 0439358728
Five out of five stars
While it is
obvious that the title is meant to be inclusive of the other gender in a
humorous way, the age reference is incorrect. For adults can also learn a great
deal about how basic, everyday technologies operate from this book.
It opens with
the application of infrared beams in television remotes, smoke detectors,
automatic doors, the hand dryers and faucets and toilets that automatically
work when needed. The next step is lasers that are used to scan barcodes on
books, library cards, items in stores, on CDs and how they are used in
medicine.
The different
types of touchscreens, fiber optics, what satellites are used for and some of
the uses for radio waves are the last topics covered. The most interesting fact
was about polar bears. The hair of a polar bear is in fact a collection of
optical fibers. The hair is not white, but clear. The fibers conduct the
sunlight down to the black skin of the bears, warming the bear against the
frigid Arctic temperatures.
Many of the
devices that people in a modern industrial society use on a daily basis are
explained in detail, yet at a level that the middle school teen can understand.
This is a great book for people of all ages and genders with an interest in
technology.
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