On the Frontiers of Science: Strange Machines You Can Build
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| Author | Harry Stine |
|---|---|
| Published | 1985 |
| Publisher | Macmillan Publishing Co. |
| Pages | 111 |
| ISBN | 0689115628 |
Stine describes how to build a number of devices that appear to contradict the laws of physics or mechanics, and that, in his words, ``work for some people but ``sometimes . . . don't work for everyone. His purpose is to stimulate people to build and test these gadgets, in the hope that they may discover new scientific principles to explain them. An example is the cardboard pyramid that will keep razor blades placed inside it sharp. Stine, despite his education as a physicist and work as an engineer, forgets that a scientific experiment, by definition, is one that can be duplicated by anyonegiven the same equipment and complete directionsand give the same results. The title should use the term ``pseudoscience, not science. Not recommended. Kenneth Quinn, Geology Dept., Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater - amazon I find it amazing that this book was written by a person with the experience and credentials of the author. It's like crackpot stuff written by a very credible, experienced scientist. This guy really exposed himself to ridicule for writing this. He was definitely brave. The machines I have tried haven't worked for me, but I'm still not ready to write them off as a sham. I am open-minded because I have experienced unexplainable things in my life such as prophetic dreams. There may be a lot of things out there that science just hasn't yet discovered. I am holding-on to this book as a sort of relic. If science ever makes a big leap and explains some of that stuff, then this book may have historical value, in my opinion. As an engineer, by profession, I found it fun to analyze some of those wacky machines. Hope you enjoy the book like I did. - JM, amazon
