The Atom: A Visual Tour

This is one of the very few books of its kind that I've found and I'm glad I did. Since purchasing a couple years ago I've gone back to it at least three times and enjoyed it just as much if not more. This work provides a complete picture of the nature of atoms, with enough detail and well-thought-out visuals to truly help the reader understand the nature of things at the smallest levels of reality. And exclusions of who-exactly-thought-of-what-first not withstanding, it also provides a useful summary of the basic historical findings which lead up to our current level of understanding. I don't know if any of today's high schools or junior high schools take advantage of books like this as part of their science curricula, but they absolutely should. So much better than a typical textbook in some ways. If I had had a book like this when I was that age I would've been totally capitvated by it and likely have made the choice to go into chemistry, physics, or molecular biology. Such is life and better late than never! Highly recommended. (If after reading this book you'd like a current, text-only expansion of the ideas presented, but without going into math equations, consider Frank Wilczek's [i]10 Keys to Reality[/i]. To borrow wine-geek terminology, it "pairs" well with this book and will help you get a deeper understanding without requiring an advanced degree. Also the guy is an accomplished writer of science prose and won a Nobel Prize in this exact field, so a person could do worse when selecting a guide through the maze of forces, fields, and particles that make our universe.)

Very educational! Bought for my 7th grader to help him study for science! He loved it.

There's not much to dislike about The Atom. It's intelligent, well written, and communicates a difficult topic rather well. I think of this book as a DK physics book on atoms, protons, neutrons, & electrons for technically oriented adults. Only a few formulas. Lots of great pictures and diagrams. Typically 2 pages per topic spanning opposite pages, just like DK. Quantum theory often referenced to explain sub-atomic phenomena, but not enough to lose you or go astray. Challoner explains things you wouldn't expect. Ex: An MRI uses supercooled magnets to align the hydrogen atoms in your body, stimulate them to precession, and then record your emitted radio waves as the atoms resume random orientation. He actually makes sense of that in a few pages. He explains the periodic table in terms of its electron shells, and ties it to ion characteristics and covalent bonding. He ties a lot of difficult technical concepts together at a high level, and I think that is the main value of the book. If you can handle that all of reality is the interaction of 10 or 20 quantum fields, then this is the book for you.

I didn't know anything yet on atoms and wanted a book that can help me learn a lot of the basic on the subject, and I wasn't disappointed at all. I couldn't believe how so well written and entertaining and so well illustrated is this book, without being too big or complicated. Thank you so much to the author of this book, Jack Challoner, to have teach me so much and so well about the wonder of atoms. Now, I cannot wait to also read his other book, "The Cell: A Visual Tour of the Building Block of Life" (2015), with the hope he is going to write more similar books. :-)

good review of atomic theory

I’m fascinated by science, especially physics. This book is very basic but also very informative. Step by step it guides you through all about the atom. Very crazy stuff here.

I am an advanced scientist, and I understood the atom well. This book is very clearly written, really a masterpiece. The illustrations are fantastic. It will go toward the top of my all-time favorites in science.

This book in my humble opinion is the perfect starting place to learn about atoms. The author essentially trims down the information and gives you the clear and concise fundamentals of the history, structure, uses, decay, and and major theories associated with the atom. The pictures and models in the book are easy to understand and follow making grasping the subject much easier. If you are a high school or college student who is taking a physics or earth science class, reading this short book will give you a huge advantage. I struggled to understand the various decay formulas covered in my earth science class, but after reading this book I understand it much better. For a book you can casually read in about three hours its worth every penny.

Magnifique bouquin. Tout le monde devrait lire ce livre. Il est une ouverture sur la science et une la démonstration de sa beauté et sa complexité, mais si bien vulgarisé. Magnifiquement illustré. Félicitations à l’auteur.

Nice book, bit too coffee table like for my tastes but still good.

Ideal for the enthusiast without the Math. A totally engrossing book for those that want a bed-side read where just a couple of pages of reading makes you feel you've expanded your knowledge. Extremally well illustrated to help you visualize the text. This is a marvelous introduction and I doubt there are many books out there that can deliver the subject in such a simple clear manner

Satisfeita