Experiments Without Explosions

We now see another wonderful book in chemistry titled Experiments Without Explosions by O. M. Olgin.

The book consists of six parts. The first part contains advice on how to set up a home laboratory, and preliminary instructions that are essential for any beginning chemist on how to work, and the dos and don’ts of chemistry. The other five parts of this book describe the experiments, experiments without explosions. In order to separate the groups of experiments, and make it easier for the reader to select an experiment, each part is divided into chapters.

Many thanks to gnv64 for this book.

You can get the book here.

and here

Update: 23 December 2015, Added Internet Archive Link

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On Rare and Scattered Metals – Venetsky

In this post we will see a book titled On Rare and Scattered Metals by S. Venetsky, which is a sort of sequel to the book titled Tales About Metals.

This book tells about some rare metals (including those called trace elements) and can be regarded as a second part of S. I. Venetsky’s Tales About Metals (It was published in English by Mir Publishers, Moscow, in 1981).
The author follows the same principle as in his previous work: rather than giving the reader any exhaustive information about every chemical element he describes, to tell him some interesting facts, curious incidents and tales associated with rare metals, to tell about the thorny path of any major scientific discovery and about some paths yet to be trodden in the amazing world of metals.

There is a Marathi translation of the prequel Tales About Metals titled घातुंच्या नवलकथा and was one of the first Mir Books that I read.  I do not know if there are translations of this book in any other Indian language, if you know of any, please let us know.

Update: Hindi translation titled काहानियां धातुओं की for Tales About Metals is there and Marathi translation of On Rare and Scattered Metals titled दुर्मिळ आणि विखुरलेले धातु is there.

Will try to post Tales About Metals soon is posted.

This book was translated from the Russian by by N. G. Kittell, and was first published by Mir in 1983.

Many thanks to gnv64 for making this available.

You can get the book here.

and here

To get torrent for this file go here.

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Updates…

Following links have been updated some improvements from original files, check and report any errors if any:

Science for Everyone – Aptitude Test Problems in Physics

Science for Everyone – Differential Equations in Applications

Science for Everyone – Electrons and Crystals

Facing Problems? See FAQs

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Updates: Tarasov and Tarasova

Following links to Tarasov’s books have been updated.

Science for Everyone – Discussions on Refraction of Light – L. V. Tarasov, A. N. Tarasova

Calculus – Basic Concepts for High Schools – L. V. Tarasov,

another version of Calculus here (thanks to Dr. Narayanan)

Laser Age in Optics – L. V. Tarasov

Some are significantly improved versions of earlier files, single page, cleaned, indexed, OCRed. Links to the original post have also been updated.

Password, if needed: mirtitles

Facing Problems? See FAQs

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The Extraordinary Properties of Ordinary Solutions

 I, too, invite you to share my amazement at the extraordinary, 
extremely extraordinary properties of ordinary solutions.

We now come to an interesting book on chemistry titled Extraordinary Properties of Ordinary Solutions by Yu. Ya. Fialkov.
Why is it that the mixture has to be dissolved for the reaction to take place?
The answer is, Corpora non agunt soluta, which is the Latin for “Bodies (substances) do not react unless dissolved”. Alchemists discovered this rule many centuries ago. We take it for granted that chemical reactions take place in solutions, but hold this fact at the back of our minds or even completely forget about it. As chemists well know, 199 reactions out of 200 can only take place in solution.

The title of this book promises to take up some extraordinary properties of solutions. Some readers may disagree with the choice of the word. They may argue, for example, that there is nothing extraordinary in the fact that salt solutions can conduct electricity or that a solution would freeze at a lower temperature than a pure solvent. Science has explanations for everything, they may add, what is unclear today will be clarified tomorrow.
Nothing extraordinary? Well, it depends. It depends on how you look at things. Here is a tree, an ordinary tree. But if you stop to think of how its luxuriant foliage has grown out of carbon dioxide and water, you will feel it is a wonder.

The book was translated from the Russian by Boris V. Kuznetsov and was published first by Mir in 1985. The book says it is part of series Scientists to Schoolchildren, I do not about any other books in this series.

Many thanks to gnv64 for this amazing book!

You can get the book here.

and here

Update: 11 December 2015 | Added Internet Archive Link

For torrents go here.

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Physical Problems for Robinsons – Lange

In some of the problems given in this book we offer the use of what seem to be utterly unsuitable instruments and objects in order to determine various quantities. The problems, however, can be solved if these objects are applied with due skill.

This is a wonderful little book by V. Lange titled Physical Problems for Robinsons, 116?., 116!. This book is in line with that of Perelman’s works and is an excellent book on Back of the Envelope / Order of Magnitude kind of physics with experiments, with really unsuitable instruments to measure the physical quantities. You actually become a Robinson Crusoe-esque physicist, who can also do anything!

This book has little likeness to a school collection of problems, since in solving many of them items of knowledge from many different divisions of physics may be required. Therefore the author decided to divide the problems into groups according to the situation in which the task is to be performed. In each group the problems are arranged in the order of increasing difficulty, though certainly the author’s opinion on the complexity of the problem need not necessarily coincide with the reader’s.

The book is intended, in the first place, for pupils of “O” level classes, who have already mastered a considerable amount of knowledge in physics, but there are many problems which pupils who only have started to study this wonderful science will be able to cope with. It seems that the book can prove useful to teachers of secondary school, for example, in compiling a questionnaire for a school party devoted to “entertaining physics”.

Update: A translation of this book was done in Bengali, I do not know of any other translations, any inputs would be great.

The book was translated from the Russian by V. Zhitomirsky and was first published by Mir in 1976.

You can get the book here. and here

CONTENTS
FOREWORD 17
PROBLEMS:
At Home 113
On a Ramble 118
On the Lake 120
During a Journey 122
In the School Lab I23
At the Factory 127
In Outer Space I29
HINTS AND POINTERS 132
SOLUTIONS OF THE PROBLEMS 1 40

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Kutepov, Rubanov – Problems in Geometry

We now come to a problem book in Geometry by A. Kupteov and A. Rubanov titled Problems in Geometry. Earlier we had seen two problem books in Plane Geometry and Solid Geometry in the Science for Everyone Series.

From the Preface:

The book contains a collection of 1351 problems (with answers) in plane and solid geometry for technical schools and colleges. The problems are of varied content, involving calculations, proof, construction of diagrams, and determination of the spatial location of geometrical points. It gives sufficient problems to meet the needs of students for practical work in geometry, and the requirements of the teacher for varied material for tests, etc.

The book was translated from the Russian by Oleg Meshkov and was edited by Leonid Levant. Mir Publishers published this book first in 1975

You can get the book here. and here

All credits to the original uploader.

Contents

CHAPTER I. REVIEW PROBLEMS

1. The Ratio and Proportionality of Line Segments,
Similarity of Triangles 7
2. Metric Relationships in a Right-Angled Triangle 10
3. Regular Polygons, the Length of the Circumference
and the Arc 15
4. Areas of Plane Figures 17

CHAPTER II. SOLVING TRIANGLES

5. Solving Right-Angled Triangles 22
6. Solving Oblique Triangles 29
Law of Cosines 29
Law of Sines 31
Areas of Triangles, Parallelograms and
Quadrilaterals 32
Basic Cases of Solving Oblique Triangles 34
Particular Cases of Solving Oblique Triangles 34
Heron’s Formula 35
Radii r and R of Inscribed and Circumscribed Circles and the Area S of a Triangle 36
Miscellaneous Problems 37

CHAPTER III. STRAIGHT LINES AND PLANES IN SPACE

7. Basic Concepts and Axioms. Two Straight Lines in Space 43
8. Straight Lines Perpendicular and Inclined to a Plane 46
9. Angles Formed by a Straight Line and a Plane  52
10. Parallelism of a Straight Line and a Plane 55
11. Parallel Planes  59
12. Dihedral Angles. Perpendicular Planes 63
13. Areas of Projections of Plane Figures 67
14 Polyhedral Angles 69

CHAPTER IV. POLYHEDRONS AND ROUND SOLIDS

15. Prisms and Parallelepipeds 71
16. The Pyramid 77
17. The Truncated Pyramid 81
18. Regular Polyhedrons 84
19. The Right Circular Cylinder 86
20. The Right Circular Cone 89
21. The Truncated Cone 93

CHAPTER V. AREAS OF POLYHEDRONS AND ROUND SOLIDS

22. Areas of Parallelepipeds and Prisms 97
23. Areas of Pyramids 102
24. Areas of Truncated Pyramids 105
25. Areas of Cylinders 108
26. Areas of Cones Ill
27. Areas of Truncated Cones 115

CHAPTER VI. VOLUMES OF POLYHEDRONS AND ROUND SOLIDS

28. Volumes of Parallelepipeds 118
29. Volumes of Prisms 122
30. Volumes of Pyramids 127
31. Volumes of Truncated Pyramids 133
32. Volumes of Cylinders 137
33. Volumes of Cones 141
34. Volumes of Truncated Cones 145

CHAPTER VII. THE SPHERE

35. Spheres 149
36. Areas of Spheres and Their Parts 152
37. Volumes of Spheres and Their Parts 155
38. Inscribed and Circumscribed Spheres 159

CHAPTER VIII. APPLYING TRIGONOMETRY TO SOLVING GEOMETRIC PROBLEMS

39. Polyhedrons 164
40. Round Solids 168
41. Areas and Volumes of Prisms 172
42. Areas and Volumes of Pyramids ……… 176
43. Areas and Volumes of Round Solids . 181
Answers 187

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Y. Ryabov – Celestial Mechanics

How do the heavenly bodies move, and how are these 
movements related to one another? What forces of nature 
govern such motions?

We now come to another jewel of a book titled Celestial Mechanics by Y. Ryabov. This book discusses many concepts of celestial motion including planetary and lunar motion, perturbations, satellites, two body-problem etc.

From the Preface:

The aim of this book is to tell the reader how the law of universal gravitation was discovered and how, on the basis of this law, the motions of celestial bodies are studied. We will learn that the movements of the most distant stars and the falling of bodies to the ground and the flight of man-made satellites of the earth, and of cosmic rockets too, are all subject to the same law of gravitation.

Towards the end we shall deal in brief with the nature of gravitation.

The book was translated from the Russian by G. Yankovsky. This edition was published by the Foreign Languages Publishing House in 1959.

You can get the book from the Internet Archive.  

and here

Recently (2006) Dover Publishers have brought out a reprint of the book ISBN 0486450147 and costs around Rs. 650.

CONTENTS

Introduction 5
1. Ancient Conceptions Concerning the Motions of the Sun, Moon, Planets and Stars 6
2. The Geometry of Planetary Motions from Copernicus to Kepler 13
3. The Discovery of the Law of Gravitation 30
4. The Attraction of Material Bodies of Different Shapes 41
5. Experimental Detection of Attraction between Material Bodies on Earth 46
6. Newton’s Law— the Theoretical Basis of Celestial Motion 49
7. Celestial Motion and the Two-Body Problem 57
8. The Concept of Perturbed Motion. Celestial Mechanics and Practical Astronomy 63
9. Ways of Describing Perturbed Motion. The Variational Orbit 67
10. The Problem of Motion in the Solar System 69
11. Successive Approximations in the Theory of Motion of Heavenly Bodies 74
12. The Discovery of Neptune 84
13. Periodic and Secular Perturbations 85
14. Numerical Methods in Celestial Mechanics 93
15. Satellite Theory 96
16. Artificial Earth Satellites and Their Motion 99
17. The Motions of Asteroids 110
18. Planetary Rotation. 114
19. Problems of Qualitative Celestial Mechanics 126
20. Stellar Motions and the Law of Gravitation 135
21. What is Gravitation? 141
Appendix 149

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Yakov Perelman – Figures For Fun

We now come to another book by Yakov Perelman called Figures for Fun. Again this work went through a lot of editions and was translated into many Indian languages.

From the Preface

To read and enjoy this book it will suffice to possess a modest knowledge of mathematics, i.e., knowledge of arithmetical rules and elementary geometry. Very few problems require the ability of forming and solving equations and the simplest at that.

The table of contents, as you may see, is quite diversified: the subjects range from a motley collection of conundrums and mathematical stunts to useful practical prob]enls on counting and measuring.

The author has done everything to make his book as fresh as possible, avoiding repetition of all that has already appeared in his other works (Tricks and Amusements, Interesting Problems, etc.). The reader will find a hundred or so brain-teasers that have not been included in earlier books. Chapter VI – “Number Giants” – is adapted from one of the author’s earlier pamphlets, with four new stories added.

This edition was published by Foreign Languages Publishing House, published perhaps in the 1950s. The book was translated from the Russian by G. Ivanov-Mumjiev and was designed by D. Bistt.

Update: 2025-01-18 a new, hi-res and clean scan added.

You can get the book here and here.

Tamil version here and here

All credits to the original uploader.

 

Posted in books, foreign languages publishing, mathematics | Tagged , | 19 Comments