Catastrophe!: Great Engineering Failure-And Success (Scientific American Mysteries Of Science)

Catastrophe!: Great Engineering Failure-And Success (Scientific American Mysteries of Science)

From Booklist Gr. 4^-6. Beginning with the origin, meaning, and usefulness of Murphy's law, Bortz looks at events involving a skywalk at a Kansas City hotel, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, DC-10 airplanes, the space shuttle Challenger, nuclear power plants, and the northeastern U.S. power grid. Throughout the book, Bortz focuses on the avoidance of problems through anticipation of unusual situations. Attractive to browsers, the book offers engineering information in a readable text, illustrated with black-and-white photographs and diagrams. Carolyn Phelan Describes engineering disasters, such as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the space shuttle Challenger, and Three Mile Island, and explains what was learned from each incident Review "This intruiging book... is a recommended purchase for school library collections and would be a good choice for reading aloud in middle and high school science classes." -- Appraisal, Autumn 1995Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children for 1996 "(Selector's Choice)" Examines engineering failures and demonstrates that engineers try to look for -- and then to eliminate -- anything that can lead to failure in their designs. Pictures, diagrams, and text explain both failures and corrective measures." -- Science and Children, March 1996Two stars (highest rating): "With more than 60 graphics, ...this slender volume of the Scientific American Mysteries of Science Series will appeal to young readers, even though many of the events it describes happened before they were born. In fact, it may even spark reminiscent conversations between them and their parents, grandparents, or teachers." -- Science Books & Films, August/September 1995 From the Author For a long time, my colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University had been asking me to write a book on engineering for young readers, but I never knew where to start. That changed when I was fortunate to attend a presentation by Prof. Henry Petroski of Duke University, who has written for adults on the role of failure in successful engineering design. Catastrophe! is the result. From the Inside Flap Have you ever built a house of cards, only to watch it fall as you add one card too many? Imagine how an engineer feels when his or her "house of cards" is a bridge or a spacecraft! Engineers are responsible for creating some of the most spectacular structures of modern times. But engineers are human, so sometimes they make mistakes. If they are good engineers, they learn from the things that go wrong, whether big or small. In Catastrophe! you will read about spectacular engineering failures, some of which were tragic: the collapse of a walkway suspended several stories above a hotel lobby, an airplane that crashed into the side of a mountain, the Challenger disaster, and a nuclear power plant accident with a far-reaching aftermath. What can engineers understand from these events to prevent them from happening again. From the Back Cover A bridge collapse . . . an airplane crash . . . the Challenger disaster . . . What do these events have in common? How do they happen, and how can they be prevented from happening again? About the Author A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Fred Bortz is fast gaining recognition as one of the nation's leading writers of science and technology for young people. In his books, articles, and personal appearances, he shares with his audience the joy of discovery that fueled his previous twenty-five year career in teaching and research in physics, engineering, and science education. From 1979 through 1994, he was involved in research at Carnegie Mellon University, from which he earned his doctorate in Physics in 1971. Reviewers have commended Fred's books for their clarity, energy, and high interest level. Few children's writers have achieved his combination of subject-matter expertise, story-telling skills, and enthusiasm for knowledge. In addition to writing, Fred is an