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Sensitive matter : foams, gels, liquid crystals, and other miracles /
Life would not exist without sensitive, or soft, matter. All biological structures depend on it, including red blood globules, lung fluid, and membranes. So do industrial emulsions, gels, plastics, liquid crystals, and granular materials. What makes sensitive matter so fascinating is its inherent ve...
| Clasificación: | Libro Electrónico |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Electrónico eBook |
| Idioma: | Inglés Francés |
| Publicado: |
Cambridge, Mass. :
Harvard University Press,
2012.
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| Temas: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Texto completo |
| Sumario: | Life would not exist without sensitive, or soft, matter. All biological structures depend on it, including red blood globules, lung fluid, and membranes. So do industrial emulsions, gels, plastics, liquid crystals, and granular materials. What makes sensitive matter so fascinating is its inherent versatility. Shape-shifting at the slightest provocation, whether a change in composition or environment, it leads a fugitive existence. Physicist Michel Mitov brings drama to molecular gastronomy (as when two irreconcilable materials are mixed to achieve the miracle of mayonnaise) and offers answers to everyday questions, such as how does paint dry on canvas, why does shampoo foam better when you "repeat," and what allows for the controlled release of drugs? Along the way we meet a futurist cook, a scientist with a runaway imagination, and a penniless inventor named Goodyear who added sulfur to latex, quite possibly by accident, and created durable rubber. As Mitov demonstrates, even religious ritual is a lesson in the surprising science of sensitive matter. Thrice yearly, the reliquary of St. Januarius is carried down cobblestone streets from the Cathedral to the Church of St. Clare in Naples. If all goes as hoped--and since 1389 it often has--the dried blood contained in the reliquary's largest vial liquefies on reaching its destination, and Neapolitans are given a reaffirming symbol of renewal Life would not exist without sensitive, or soft, matter. Red blood globules, lung fluid, and membranes depend on it, as do industrial emulsions, gels, plastics, liquid crystals, and granular materials. Physicist Michel Mitov ranges from the miracle of mayonnaise to the liquefaction of dry blood in this fascinating introduction. |
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| Descripción Física: | 1 online resource (xvi, 184 pages) : illustrations |
| Bibliografía: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780674069244 0674069242 9780674065369 0674065360 |