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The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Chown
£10.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781789296853
Published:
09 Oct 2025
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
256 pages
Dimensions:
198x129x19mm
Weight:
0.235kgs
Author:
Bestselling author Marcus Chown explains the one thing you need to know to understand some of the most important and mind-blowing concepts of the twenty-first century in twenty-one accessible and engaging chapters.
From gravity to black holes, special relativity to global warming, bestselling author Marcus Chown breaks down complex science into manageable chunks, explaining the one thing you really need to know to get to grips with the subject.
Rather than trying to bend your mind around all the vast and confounding details of things such as gravitational waves, electricity and black holes, wouldn't it be easier to understand just one central concept from which everything else follows?
If you've ever found yourself fascinated by the idea of quantum computing but feel a little overwhelmed by the mindblowing subject of quantum mechanics or if you are concerned by climate change but haven't been able to get to grips with the details of global warming, this book is for you. Let's take atoms, for example - what on earth are they? Well, if you start to think of them less like things you can't see with complex little nuclei and more like the alphabet of nature, which in different configurations can make a rose, a galaxy or a newborn baby, they might start to feel a little more understandable. Or gravitational waves - they sound poetic, but why are they creating so much excitement? Think of them as the voice of space or vibrations on the drumskin of space-time, before delving into all their complexities.
In twenty-one short and engaging chapters, Chown explains the one thing you need to know to understand some of the most important scientific ideas of our time. Packed full of astounding facts, scientific history and the entertaining personalities at the heart of the most pivotal discoveries about the workings of our universe, this is an accessible guide to all the tricky stuff you've always wanted to understand more about.
About the Author: Marcus Chown is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. His books include Breakthrough, The Ascent of Gravity, (which was the Sunday Times 2017 Science Book of the Year), Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand, What A Wonderful World, Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You, We Need to Talk About Kelvin and Afterglow of Creation. The latter two of which were runners-up for the Royal Society Book Prize. Marcus has also won the Bookseller's Digital Innovation of the Year Award for Solar System for iPad.
| Number of pages | 256 |
|---|
We will despatch your order as quickly as we can. If, for whatever reason, a product is out of stock we will contact you to discuss the likely delivery time or an alternative product.
| First Item | 2 Items & Over | |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £3.75 | £5.00 |
| EU | £15.00 | £30.00 |
| USA & Canada | £30.00 | £50.00 |
| Rest of the World | £45.00 | £60.00 |
| Collect in Store | free | free |
Additional Delivery Information (and some really important bits):
UK Delivery
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First Item @ £3.75 (sometimes a shipping supplement may be added for particularly heavy books or specific postcodes*)
2 Items & over @ £5.00 in total
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Overseas Delivery
Shipments to EU countries:
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Shipments to the USA & Canada:
First Item @ £30.00
2 Items & over @ £50.00 in total
Shipments to the Rest of the World:
First Item @ £45.00
2 Items & over @ £60.00 in total
All overseas orders are shipped using a 'signed for' courier service - please provide an address at which your parcel can be signed for on receipt. We use the same packaging materials for our overseas deliveries as we do those in the UK. In some cases, particularly large and heavy books, or books being shipped to remote areas, may incur an additional shipping charge - if this is the case with your order, we'll notify you as quickly as possible of these charges and to arrange the additional payment. You can of course cancel your order with an immediate refund should you not wish to accept these additional costs. Shipments to overseas territories may incur additional Duty & Tax costs which could be requested by Fed Ex at the time of delivery. These costs may vary from country to country and are not within our control and will be in addition to the costs paid to us for your delivery. If in any doubt, please check with your local Fed Ex office what, if any, additional Tax & Duty costs will be applicable to your order - https://www.fedex.com
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It was the most impressive packaging that I have EVER SEEN!!! The books were in perfect condition!!!!!
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