GLOSSARY

atomic pile : a painful condition sometimes experienced by atoms

Avogadro : a vegetable used in making guacamole

Brownian motion : the movement of microscopic particles caused by Brownies

chromatic abberation : wearing brown shoes with a blue suit

circlular reasoning : see reasoning, circular

epoch : the sound made by a hen

half-life : Saturday night in Fresno

hyperbola : an ellipse as described by Howard Cosell

Loschmidt's number : (415) 767-1678

mantissa : a female mantis

midden : a kind of fingerless glove

Milky Way : a commercial confection

milliHelen : the amount of physical beauty required to launch one ship; 1/1000 of a Helen

ohm : where the art is

programmer : person with a natural sense of algorithm

quark : sound made by a durk

radiocarbon dating : courtship ritual among archaeologists

reasoning, circular : see circular reasoning

Roche's limit : three bears

semiconductor : part-time employee on a streetcar

three-body problem : dilemma sometimes faced by serial killers

unit of power : watt - I said, unit of power : watt - I SAID . . .


Introduction

The Universe / Matter & Energy / The Earth / Evolution / The Descent of Man

Appendix / Glossary / Tables & Charts / Further Reading