SCIENCE FOR EVERYMAN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 523, 1 July 1949, Page 20

SCIENCE FOR EVERYMAN

ELECTRICITY and WIRELESS FOR BEGINNERS. Both by C. L. Botz, Harrap’s "Torch Books." Prices, 8/6 and 7/6. HESE books are among the first of what is intended to be a series devoted to the fundamentals of various sciences and their applications, As such they will be very welcome, for they are carefully designed to bridge the gap between earnest ignorance and a suitable text-book, Electricity covers a great part of the elementary theory of the subject in a simple, nongmathematical manner, and this is followed by a useful account of’ the applications of electricity in the ‘home. Some of the practices described are not in line with New Zealand practice, but the alert reader will readily discover these. The author’s diagrams are clear and well figured. Occasionally his passion to make everything clear ‘is carried to rather ridiculous lengths,

as on page 241 we find: "The spiral markings.on a screw are called the thread." Surely that is common knowledge! Wireless for Beginners is the third edition of a work first published in 1933. While it is true that fundamentals have changed little, the constant reference to models of 16 years ago and diagrams of a similar vintage tends to "date" badly. This is unfortunate, as the ex position of principles is thorough, the diagrams clear, informative and not cluttered by unessential detail, and the extra chapters covering recent work in television are a good summary of British work in this field, It may be something of a disadvantage to the New Zealand reader that most of the British sets described are practically unknown here. Nevertheless, the reader is taken by @asy stages from a contemplation of "the parts" to some sound ideas on quite

difficult matters.

J.D.

M.