Seven Follies of Science
John Phin
25 chapters · 6 h 34 min · English
Read by tmkenny, Availle, Tom Crawford, mevans, Bev J Stevens, Corinna Schultz and others
Nature · Miscellaneous · Science
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The seven follies of science; a popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them to which is added a small budget of interesting paradoxes, illusions, and marvels.
(Summary by John Phin)
Chapters
1 Preface 5 min 2 Introductory Note 16 min 3 Folly 1: Squaring the Circle Part 1 31 min 4 Folly 1: Squaring the Circle Part 2 18 min 5 Folly 2: The Duplication of the Cube 5 min 6 Folly 3: The Trisection of an Angle 5 min 7 Folly 4: Perpetual Motion Part 1 12 min 8 Folly 4: Perpetual Motion Part 2 - Absurdities 36 min 9 Folly 4: Perpetual Motion Part 3 - Fallacies and Frauds 25 min 10 Folly 5: The Transmutation of Metals--Alchemy 30 min 11 Folly 6: The Fixation of Mercury 6 min 12 Folly 7: The Universal Medicine and the Elixir of Life 6 min 13 Additional Follies: Perpetual Lamps, Alkahest, Palingenesy, and Sympathy 23 min 14 The Fourth Dimension 20 min 15 Space, Bootstraps, Spiders, Sun-dials, and Compasses 14 min 16 Micrography 24 min 17 Illusions of the Senses 8 min 18 Seeing through a Hole in the Hand and a Brick 4 min 19 Curious Arithmetical Problems 23 min 20 Popular Fallacies and Common Errors: Accidental Discoveries and Steam Engines 13 min 21 Popular Fallacies and Common Errors: Whetstones, Lightning, Fire, Volcanoes, and Dynamite 15 min 22 Popular Fallacies and Common Errors: Copper, Steam, Vinegar, Lenses, Serpents, and Hair 14 min 23 Popular Fallacies and Common Errors: Worms, Flies, Dragon Flies, and Powdered Glass 14 min 24 Popular Fallacies and Common Errors: Age 21, Rules, Cinderella, Glass, and Frankenstein 12 min 25 Words that Convey Erroneous Ideas and Knowledge is Power 15 min
