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A Matter of Degrees: What Temperature Reveals about the Past and Future of Our Species, Planet, and Universe
In a wonderful synthesis of science, history, and imagination, Gino Segrè, an internationally renowned theoretical physicist, embarks on a wide-ranging exploration of how the fundamental scientific concept of temperature is bound up with the very essence of both life and matter. Why is the internal temperature of most mammals fixed near 98.6°? How do geologists use temperature to track the history of our planet? Why is the quest for absolute zero and its quantum mechanical significance the key to understanding superconductivity? And what can we learn from neutrinos, the subatomic "messages from the sun" that may hold the key to understanding the birth-and death-of our solar system? In answering these and hundreds of other temperature-sensitive questions, Segrè presents an uncanny view of the world around us.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Gino Segrè
15 books25 followersProfessor emeritus who started teaching at the University of Pennsylvania in 1967. Pursued with enthusiasm and considerable a career as a high-energy elementary particle theorist with a side interest in astrophysics.
A long-term interest in history led to his first book, a tale of temperature in all its broad ramifications.
A long-term interest in history led to his first book, a tale of temperature in all its broad ramifications.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 21, 2024
Temperature--it is all the rage these days! Some will glue themselves to a seat or a highway to express their fear and concern over temperature. It seems like most of my own life has been somehow concerned with temperature, from wondering whether the ponds would freeze up as a kid in Connecticut to skate on, to working a midnight shift fretting about the forecast high on day 5. So Gino Segrè's 2003 small volume entitled 'A Matter of Degrees: What Temperature Reveals About Our Past and Future of Our Species, Planet and Universe' remains a very relevant, instructive and entertaining work. Apparently it appears on a list of Charlie Munger's (of Berkshire Hathaway fame) recommended reads and I can see why. It is a crucial concept to understand especially nowadays and as we go foward. It is not a difficult work per se but you must be willing to engage with a wide variety of scientific disciplines from biology, chemistry, physics, thermodynamics, climatology, oceanography, geology, astrophysics and engineering. That might be the only criticism as he tends to veer somewhat off topic at times but all of it remains fascinating and he usually ties these forays back to the main theme--the criticality of temperature to most of existence. Of the three fundamental methods of measurement--time, length and temperature, Segre sets out to demonstrate that temperature is perhaps the most revealing. He provides background science history on many of the key concepts related to the role and nature of temperature and it is a delight to read about how so many key ideas were born, refined, rejected or improved. Of course the section on climate, 'Reading the Earth' was of real interest to me. He provides a good overview of the science of global warming, some of the various theories and how we might deal with the reality (not well then, or now sadly). On page 115 he notes the then current (2002) global CO2 concentration at 360 ppm, today roughly 22 years on we are at 424.86 per the Keeling Curve (4/16/24). The other sections are also quite good and with his expertise in astrophysics perhaps the strongest discussions in that area. I found the discussion on the 'discovery' of absolute zero, superconductivity and efforts to liquify various elements quite compelling. I had never head of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist at the Leiden University who won a Nobel in physics (1913) for his efforts in this area.
There is an excellent section of references which has provided several candidates for my Want to Read List, but how to find the time?! Segre has a real respect for the many scientific personalities discussed and maintains a sense of wonder about how it all fits together that is infectious. As noted, his expertise is in astrophysics so I definitely would like to read some of his other works on folks like Enrico Fermi (2016), George Gamow and Max Delbruck (2011) and one on the discovery of the neutron (2007). I will give 4.5 stars rounded down due to being slightly dated at this point and for the tendency to wander.
There is an excellent section of references which has provided several candidates for my Want to Read List, but how to find the time?! Segre has a real respect for the many scientific personalities discussed and maintains a sense of wonder about how it all fits together that is infectious. As noted, his expertise is in astrophysics so I definitely would like to read some of his other works on folks like Enrico Fermi (2016), George Gamow and Max Delbruck (2011) and one on the discovery of the neutron (2007). I will give 4.5 stars rounded down due to being slightly dated at this point and for the tendency to wander.
July 12, 2021
A worthwhile pop science book, but I was expecting something special given the recommendations I read 3.5/5
August 7, 2008
Saw ole Gino give a magnificent talk on his new book (Faust in Copenhagen) a few weeks back. It was a small little group of physics nerds who took it in and I consider myself lucky to have been in attendance. I certainly do want to eventually get to that one as well, but for now TEMPERATURE holds a certain allure to me. I readily admit that it takes a certain breed to really get up for a li'l ditty about the chin-scratching aspects of average kinetic motion. But I even more readily admit that I am most definitely of that breed.
Did you know that it was, in essence, basically measuring a TEMPERATURE (muah ha ha ha!) that proved the big bang?! Yes, friends, the background microwave radiation in the universe excites interstellar clouds of dust and brings them to a ripe old temperature of about 2.7 K. That's COLD. Yes. But it's not zero!! NO!
update: finished. the end is the best. but then the end dealt with quantum mechanics, one of my favorite stories of physics. The stuff on Chandrasekhar was the best. At 19 he did work that ultimately won a Nobel Prize. Reminds me of my age issues, the same way watching 14-yr-old gymnasts & figure skaters win gold medals at the olympics does. Einstein was 'done making major contributions' to physics at 30. That bums me out. He did file a patent for a refrigerator pump though :).
Did you know that it was, in essence, basically measuring a TEMPERATURE (muah ha ha ha!) that proved the big bang?! Yes, friends, the background microwave radiation in the universe excites interstellar clouds of dust and brings them to a ripe old temperature of about 2.7 K. That's COLD. Yes. But it's not zero!! NO!
update: finished. the end is the best. but then the end dealt with quantum mechanics, one of my favorite stories of physics. The stuff on Chandrasekhar was the best. At 19 he did work that ultimately won a Nobel Prize. Reminds me of my age issues, the same way watching 14-yr-old gymnasts & figure skaters win gold medals at the olympics does. Einstein was 'done making major contributions' to physics at 30. That bums me out. He did file a patent for a refrigerator pump though :).
July 3, 2019
The first nonfiction book I've completed in a long time, which is why it deserves its 4 stars.
Segre does a great job of bringing a bunch of science topics together in a simple way. I found the first few chapters to be very engaging, but perhaps the author's biggest limitation is his background in physics. Towards the end, when the topics started veering towards astrophysics and relativity, I became very lost and felt the information may not have been as properly explained. Overall, this is an enlightening and clear book,
Segre does a great job of bringing a bunch of science topics together in a simple way. I found the first few chapters to be very engaging, but perhaps the author's biggest limitation is his background in physics. Towards the end, when the topics started veering towards astrophysics and relativity, I became very lost and felt the information may not have been as properly explained. Overall, this is an enlightening and clear book,
March 15, 2021
The history of science written with temperature as the main thread is relatively rare, but the author writes various explorations of temperature (the temperature of life, the temperature of the earth, the temperature of the stars, and the temperature of the universe) full of suspense and fun, and fascinating.
February 17, 2021
You know how some books are slow and kinda feel like you are wasting your time reading it?
This is not that book.
This book is jammed packed with interesting/challenging information and science right off the bat. Yes its a bit dated but overall a great read.
This is not that book.
This book is jammed packed with interesting/challenging information and science right off the bat. Yes its a bit dated but overall a great read.
November 5, 2017
One of the best books on scientific thinking!
June 19, 2020
page 133
June 28, 2020
Of the three fundamental method of measurement time, length and temperature, he is convinced that temperature is not only the most subtle but also most revealing.
May 18, 2022
Not a 5 star book anymore (too much changed since the book came out), but could easily be a 4.5 star book!
December 24, 2022
We are only specks on a continuum
One of the thought provoking books I have read in this year
You never get bored reading this
One of the thought provoking books I have read in this year
You never get bored reading this
March 19, 2023
quick read about the history of temperature and how much it has influenced modern society
July 21, 2016
First of all, while this is a sciencey book about temperature, and it goes into the science of what's happening a little bit, I would personally slide this under a 'microhistory' header. It's hard to say something has omnipresent as temperature (geesh!) is anything like micro.... but on the other hand it fits the genre (sub-genre?) by looking at history, philosophy, society, creation, even religion through the lens of a single concept, which is temperature in this case.
I saw a few reviews below that said it had too much to do with the hard science for them, personally I found it very light. Much lighter then, say, the "elegant universe" and so much so that without the graphs/charts/visuals like in "the elegant universe" Segre just leaves you with vague notions of what he's saying in many parts.
Despite this being an excellent read, I was not really 'taken' by the writing, it didn't have the sense of discovery I feel many of the other science books or microhistories have. He did a lot more explaining -- it was lecture-esque in how the material was presented.
However, the Author took on one of those oddly impossible tasks, taking something so all encompassing and prevalent, something so basic that's it relegated to a minute segment on the news for the weatherman to maybe mention it... he took the mundane and lifted it up from the ground we tread on so that we can see it independently, alone, up on the mantelpiece of sciences fireplace where past geniuses like Faraday, Bohr, Einstein, and even Kepler and Galileo studied it long and hard.
I give it a solid 4-stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes Microhistories. It read pretty fast, all digressions fit well, probably not the best written book you'll read but worth the time.
I saw a few reviews below that said it had too much to do with the hard science for them, personally I found it very light. Much lighter then, say, the "elegant universe" and so much so that without the graphs/charts/visuals like in "the elegant universe" Segre just leaves you with vague notions of what he's saying in many parts.
Despite this being an excellent read, I was not really 'taken' by the writing, it didn't have the sense of discovery I feel many of the other science books or microhistories have. He did a lot more explaining -- it was lecture-esque in how the material was presented.
However, the Author took on one of those oddly impossible tasks, taking something so all encompassing and prevalent, something so basic that's it relegated to a minute segment on the news for the weatherman to maybe mention it... he took the mundane and lifted it up from the ground we tread on so that we can see it independently, alone, up on the mantelpiece of sciences fireplace where past geniuses like Faraday, Bohr, Einstein, and even Kepler and Galileo studied it long and hard.
I give it a solid 4-stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes Microhistories. It read pretty fast, all digressions fit well, probably not the best written book you'll read but worth the time.
November 2, 2014
The first half of this book was interesting as well as educational regarding the concept of temperature and its development in classical physics. However, the main subject in latter half of the book was thoroughly diluted in the author's effort to relate temperature to everything in existence. He tries to cover diverse scientific topics that range from quantum mechanical to cosmological and biological to physical. Even though temperature is present in everything, it isn't the overwhelming element that ties everything in the universe together. He could just as well picked a concept like density or energy and done the same thing with the same effect. Among all of this he inserts odd subjects such as Einstein's refrigerator and plate tectonics. Some of the material is simply a quick rehash of topics from modern physics. While some of the topics might whet the curiosity of the general reader, the more technically literate reader is distracted and put off by the melange.
August 17, 2011
It would be quite pleasant to spend an evening in the company of Segre. Although I enjoyed Faust in Copenhagen more, this conveyed much of the same passion and interest. Exploring the role of temperature in everything from biology to oosmology was an interesting concept. It makes me want to read a book on archaea.
September 1, 2015
I enjoyed the book and I highly recommend it. It was dense and a bit complex at times, but it kept my interest along the way. I discovered so many great facts of our life and the universe. The book itself is a proof that all things created / formed in the universe are so great, so neatly integrated that in my humble opinion God is the creator of everything!
April 14, 2011
Being a science geek is not critical to enjoying this book, but it helps immensely. It brought back to life a number of college physics and chemistry class experiences. It is not an easy read, but I found it very enjoyable.
July 20, 2015
Excellent science book written in a very approachable and interesting way. There is much to learn from this book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in modern and historical physics but at a layman's level.
Read again June 2015 and equally good
Read again June 2015 and equally good
September 11, 2014
This was a riveting read in physics! If you like to learn about how temperature influences our existence and about the ordinary people who figured these truths out, this one will teach you a lot. It's dense, so you may have to break from it sometimes with another book.
December 30, 2021
If ever there was an interlocking of ideas via a particular lens, this book would be a showcase.
Fascinating book that takes the reader through biology, physics, the universe, quantum physics, chemistry, discoveries, inventions, accidents and the quirky characters of history.
Fascinating book that takes the reader through biology, physics, the universe, quantum physics, chemistry, discoveries, inventions, accidents and the quirky characters of history.
February 10, 2009
Fantastic read on how temperature plays/played an integral part in our history and our future. Brings back some memories from high school. It's a pretty simple read.
June 18, 2013
I liked it, although at times it was little bit too hard for me. It helps if you are science guy (which I am not, yet)
October 29, 2018
Shows how temperature has affected our species from the Big Bang to present date.. primer on temperature of billion degrees to absolute zero.. every degree matters
January 18, 2016
Part of the Charlie Munger list.
October 22, 2017
ENERGY FLOW OF EARTH = OCEAN CURRENTS?
Found this book way too technical.
Heat is associated with motion or internal vibrations.
Found this book way too technical.
Heat is associated with motion or internal vibrations.
April 21, 2017
When I read this many years I ago, I wrote some notes for myself. The opening lines are here. You can continue at the link if you want a fair summary of the book. I was impressed, but....
“I’m using the measurement of temperature as a guide in exploring many aspects of science.” xi
Segré, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania, is writing for a lay audience and wants to show the centrality of temperature to our lives and universe. He does a pretty good job of it, though not with the panache of others. Too often we get a page or two of various men’s relation to, say the invention of the thermometer, that might be excerpts from short encyclopedic entries; no great linking skein of thought. Not that the bios aren’t interesting, or the facts about the appearance of the thermometer – just that it might be more felicitous.
The introduction posits the three basic measuring units of our lives: the ruler, the clock and the thermometer. The thermometer – to measure heat, or its absence, cold, has the interesting property of having no obvious 0 point, unlike time, or distance. The discovery of 0 degrees was a matter of deduction, not common sense.
Full summary here... http://www.allinoneboat.org/2016/04/2...
“I’m using the measurement of temperature as a guide in exploring many aspects of science.” xi
Segré, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania, is writing for a lay audience and wants to show the centrality of temperature to our lives and universe. He does a pretty good job of it, though not with the panache of others. Too often we get a page or two of various men’s relation to, say the invention of the thermometer, that might be excerpts from short encyclopedic entries; no great linking skein of thought. Not that the bios aren’t interesting, or the facts about the appearance of the thermometer – just that it might be more felicitous.
The introduction posits the three basic measuring units of our lives: the ruler, the clock and the thermometer. The thermometer – to measure heat, or its absence, cold, has the interesting property of having no obvious 0 point, unlike time, or distance. The discovery of 0 degrees was a matter of deduction, not common sense.
Full summary here... http://www.allinoneboat.org/2016/04/2...
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews