Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way)

Product Information

Roma Agrawal is an engineer, author and presenter who is best known for working on the design of The Shard, Western Europe's tallest tower. She studied engineering atImperial College London and physics at the University of Oxford. Roma has given talks to thousands at universities, schools and organisations around the world, including TEDx. Condition: Very Good. First edition copy. . Vol. 14. English and German. (Germany, World War 2, armored vehicles, books in German). A splendid book: clearly written, elegantly structured and full of facts you are unlikely to chance on anywhere else’ DAILY MAIL

Nuts and Bolts - 99% Invisible Nuts and Bolts - 99% Invisible

Nuts & Bolts Vol. 14: "Nashorn" 8,8 cm PaK 43/1 (L/71) auf Fgst. Pz.kpkw. III/IV (Sf) (Sd.Kfz. 164) Tracing the surprising journeys of each invention through the millennia, Roma reveals how handmade Roman nails led to modern skyscrapers, how the potter’s wheel enabled space exploration, and how humble lenses helped her conceive a child against the odds. Smartphones, skyscrapers, spacecraft. Modern technology seems mind-bogglingly complex. But beneath the surface, it can be beautifully simple.What form did this extreme domination take? No good asking Kwolek who, by her own account, “was fortunate that I worked under men who were very much interested in making discoveries and inventions. Because they were so interested in what they were doing, they left me alone.” However, one aspect that could be improved upon in Nuts and Bolts is the level of technical detail provided. While Agrawal strikes a good balance between simplicity and complexity, there were moments when I craved a deeper dive into the engineering principles behind certain structures. Including more technical illustrations or diagrams could further enhance the reader's understanding of the concepts being discussed.

Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World

So, as engineers, let’s place the good of the planet and its inhabitants at the heart of our work,” Agrawal concludes, with a glibness that would be funny if it were not so trying.

Follow E+T magazine

Tracing the surprising journeys of each invention through the millennia, Roma reveals how handmade Roman nails led to modern skyscrapers, how the potter's wheel enabled space exploration, and how humble lenses helped her conceive a child against the odds.

Nuts and Bolts - AbeBooks Nuts and Bolts - AbeBooks

Condition: Very Good. Tatum, Grant (illustrator). 1st. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. She invites us to marvel at these small but perfectly formed inventions, sharing the stories of the remarkable, and often unknown, scientists and engineers who made them possible. The nuts and bolts that make up our world may be tiny, and are often hidden, but they've changed our lives in dramatic ways. About the author Nuts & Bolts, Volume 34 : Sd.Kfz.7 - 8 ton Zugkraftwagen Krauss-Maffei und variants Text by Dr. Nicolaus HettlerExplaining the workings of familiar objects is a well-worn conceit. Agrawal enriches her account by showing how her chosen devices also work in combination, creating artefacts as unlikely as they are exotic. So, while Cochran’s dishwasher sits at the heart of the discussion of wheels, the chapter ends with a stellar flourish, describing the four 100kg gyroscopes, spinning 6,600 times a minute, whose angular momentum stabilises the International Space Station in Earth orbit. While it’s tempting to think of ‘Nuts and Bolts’ as an examination of old-fashioned things relegated to rusty tobacco tins in sheds, it’s also worth keeping in mind that the phrase ‘nuts and bolts’ has passed into our everyday language to signify what’s really important about any situation. In Nuts and Bolts, award-winning Shard engineer and broadcaster Roma Agrawal deconstructs our most complex feats of engineering into seven fundamental inventions:the nail, spring, wheel, lens, magnet, string and pump. Each of these objects is itself a wonder of design, the result of many iterations and refinements. Together, they have enabled humanity to see the invisible, build the spectacular, communicate across vast distances, and even escape our planet.