Roots of Modern Technology

the long version

"If the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates came to life again today he would not marvel much about the political and social changes the world underwent since his time, but why light bulbs shine and airplanes fly. The author puts himself in the position of explaining to Socrates the technological fundamentals of all the modern comforts. As he takes Socrates seriously, the author accepts the challenge of introducing the relevant mathematical and technical concepts, and he does so in a remarkably easy-to-understand but accurate way. The result is a comprehensive overview of the constituents of our technical civilization properly based upon elementary but solid mathematical and scientific ground. Everybody with an inclination for science and technology can take advantage from the clear structuring and the comprehensive presentation the book provides to this body of knowledge. Some residual high-school math will help increasing reading speed but is not necessarily required."--Jacket.