Exploring Science through Science Fiction, Second Edition
About this audiobook
This audiobook uses science fiction film as a vehicle for exploring science concepts. Over one hundred references to science fiction films and television episodes are included, spanning more than one hundred years of cinematic history. Includes numerical examples and solutions.
How does Einstein’s description of space and time compare with Doctor Who? Can James Bond really escape from an armor-plated railroad car by cutting through the floor with a laser concealed in a wristwatch? What would it take to create a fully intelligent android, such as Star Trek’s Commander Data?
Exploring Science Through Science Fiction addresses these and other intriguing questions, using science fiction as a springboard for discussing fundamental science concepts and cutting-edge science research. It includes references to original research papers, landmark scientific publications and technical documents, as well as a broad range of science literature at a more popular level.The revised second edition includes expanded discussions on topics such as gravitational waves and black holes, machine learning and quantum computing, gene editing, and more. In all, the second edition now features over 220 references to specific scenes in more than 160 sci-fi movies and TV episodes, spanning over one hundred years of cinematic history. Designed as the primary text for a college-level course, this audiobook will appeal to students across the fine arts, humanities, and hard sciences, as well as any reader with an interest in science and science fiction.
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Barry Luokkala is an author and a teaching professor and director of undergraduate laboratories in the department of physics at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his BS and MS degrees in physics at the University of Pittsburgh, where he did experimental research in the physics and chemistry of the ionosphere. He received his PhD in experimental condensed matter physics at Carnegie Mellon University. He has also served as program director for the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences and has been a science consultant for the Sloan Foundation Screenplay Competition in Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama.
Keith Sellon-Wright is an audiobook narrator and an actor with more than thirty years of experience in Hollywood. His television roles have included Frasier, Seinfeld, The West Wing, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal. He also serves as a “voice of the New York Times,” narrating selected articles for their daily audio edition.
