Forces of Nature

Forces of Nature
Andrew Cohen

Professor Brian Cox

A breathtaking and beautiful exploration of our planet, this groundbreaking book accompanies the BBC One TV series, providing the deepest answers to the simplest questions.‘What is motion?’‘Why is every snowflake different?’‘Why is life symmetrical?’To answer these and many other questions, Professor Brian Cox uncovers some of the most extraordinary natural events on Earth and in the Universe and beyond.From the immensity of the Universe and the roundness of Earth to the form of every single snowflake, the forces of nature shape everything we see. Pushed to extremes, the results are astonishing. In seeking to understand the everyday world, the colours, structure, behaviour and history of our home, we develop the knowledge and techniques necessary to step beyond the everyday and approach the Universe beyond.Forces of Nature takes you to the great plains of the Serengeti, the volcanoes of Indonesia and the precipitous cliffs in Nepal, to the humpback whales of the Caribbean and the northern lights of the Arctic. Brian will answer questions on Earth that will illuminate our understanding of the Universe.Think you know our planet?Think again.

Copyright (#ud609e4a3-cfd3-5313-af13-478d0afc23ad)

William Collins

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

WilliamCollinsBooks.com (http://www.WilliamCollinsBooks.com)

This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2017

Text © Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen 2016

Photographs © individual copyright holders

Diagrams, design and layout © HarperCollins Publishers 2017

By arrangement with the BBC.

The BBC logo is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence.

BBC logo © BBC 2014

The authors assert their moral right to be identified as the authors of this work.

Cover image © Shutterstock

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Source ISBN: 9780008210038

Ebook Edition © March 2017 ISBN: 9780008249335

Version: 2017-07-17

Praise for Professor Brian Cox: (#ud609e4a3-cfd3-5313-af13-478d0afc23ad)

‘Engaging, ambitious and creative.’

– Guardian

‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things.’

– Independent

‘If you didn’t utter a wow watching the TV, you will while reading the book.’

– The Times

‘In this book of the acclaimed BBC2 TV series, Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena.’

– Sunday Express

‘Cox’s romantic, lyrical approach to astrophysics all adds up to an experience that feels less like homework and more like having a story told to you. A really good story, too.’

– Guardian

‘Will entertain and delight … what a priceless gift that would be.’

– Independent on Sunday

For my dad, David.

– Brian Cox

For Benjamin, Martha, Theo, Dan, Jake, Lyla, Ellie, Toby, Phoebe, Max, Zak, Josh, Isaac and Tabitha because curious young minds always ask the smartest of questions.

– Andrew Cohen

Contents

Cover (#u0d28f18f-04e4-5009-953a-19f290e07b3f)

Title Page (#u93b62e2d-ed69-58c7-af91-c33b61eee1ea)

Copyright

Praise for Professor Brian Cox

Dedication (#uf0f3e00e-29d6-53c7-a00e-5e89e3c13cfc)

Chapter 1 (#uc933880e-c456-5798-873c-7b9f850bdf62)

SYMMETRY

The Universe in a Snowflake (#ulink_ae6635c7-1e69-5057-b4d9-2b3c28492737)

Why do Bees Build Hexagons? (#ulink_4cd52245-ec6c-5064-b71c-b92f14b2238c)

Knocking on the Doors of Chemistry (#ulink_186534ac-a241-598e-94b3-137aabd8fe67)

The Fundamental Building Blocks and the Forces of Nature (#ulink_2baa81ac-8d7c-5652-8f7c-25fc13ef6db1)