Is There a Forum to Discuss Isaac Asimov's Non-Fiction Books?

[praharmitra]

I don't where to post this...there should be a section to discuss sci fi books... or is it already there?

anyway...

I am trying to recall one of Isaac Asimov's book. Its not a novel or a fiction book.

He describes science in a very humorous way. discusses numbers, and then infinities... aleph 1, aleph 2 and how they are the endlessness of real nos., planes and all.
(i read only the first three chapters)

I just can't remember the name of the book..

I looked through a list of many books by asimov...and since he's written more than 400, i can't seem to find it there...

any leads? pls tell...i have been wanting to read that book again...

 

[Janus]

You are most likely thinking of one of his collections of essays that he originally wrote as a monthly column for a science fiction magazine.

The essay you mentioned was in two collections:

Asimov on Numbers
and
Adding a Dimension

Either of these might be the book you are looking for.


[Edit]
After getting home and looking through my library, it seems likely that the book you are looking for is Adding a Dimension. The first 7 essays are on Mathematics, the third of which is on transfinite numbers.(The first is on large numbers and the second is on number systems of different bases)

The book is divided into 6 sections. The first, as already mentioned, is on mathematics, the second is on physics, the third on chemistry, the fourth on biology, the fifth on astronomy and the last is general.

The Essays in order are:

1 T- formation (large numbers)
2 One, Ten Buckle My Shoe (number bases)
3 Varieties of the Infinite (transfinite numbers)
4 A Piece of Pi (pi)
5 Tools of the Trade (A continuation on pi)
6 The Imaginary That Isn't (imaginary numbers)
7 Pre-fixing It Up (metric system)

8. The Rigid Vacuum (luminiferous ether)
9. The light That failed (Michelson-Morley experiment)
10. The Light Fantastic (lasers)

11 Slow Burn (oxygen and oxidation)
12 You, Too, Can speak Gaelic (chemical nomemclature)

13 The Lost Generation (Mendel's laws)
14 He's Not My Type ( blood types)

15 The Shape of Things (shape of the Earth)
16 Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (white dwarfs)

17 The Isaac Winners (great scientists in history)

 

[praharmitra]

ahhh yes...i remember now...i read till his 5th essay..

thanks a lot...its really been bugging me for sometime now..

now i can get to some peaceful reading :)