Smil, Vaclav <br/><br/>
Numbers don't lie :   71 things you need to know about the world 
By Vaclav Smil 
 - 1st Ed. 
 - India:  Viking,  c2020. 
 - i-xv+366p. 
<br/><br/> Bill Gates' favourite scientist is on a mission to make facts matter Is flying dangerous? How much do the world's cows weigh? And what makes people happy? From earth's nations and inhabitants, through the fuels and foods that energize them, to the transportation and inventions of our modern world - and how all of this affects the planet itself - in Numbers Don't Lie, Professor Vaclav Smil takes us on a fact-finding adventure, using surprising statistics and illuminating graphs to challenge lazy thinking. Packed with 'Well-I-never-knew-that' information and with fascinating and unusual examples throughout, we find out how many people it took to build the Great Pyramid, that vaccination yields the best return on investment, and why electric cars aren't as great as we think (yet). There's a wonderful mix of science, history and wit, all in bite-sized chapters on a broad range of topics. Urgent and essential, Numbers Don't Lie inspires readers to interrogate what they take to be true in these significant times. Smil is on a mission to make facts matter, because after all, numbers may not lie, but which truth do they convey? 
<br/><br/>Introduction<br/>The best indicator of quality of life? Try infant mortality<br/>Growing taller<br/>How many people did it take to build the Great Pyramid?<br/>The rise of mega cities<br/>Why Europe should be more pleased with itself<br/>How far can China<br/>How things never change<br/>Why electric container ships are a hard sail<br/>Shrinking the journey across the Atlantic<br/>the age of the car begin?<br/>the jet age begin?<br/>Which is more energy efficient planes trains or automobiles?<br/>The inexcusable magnitude of global food waste<br/>Why chicken rules<br/>The Japanese diet<br/>How electric motors power modern civilization<br/>Capturing motion from horses to electrons<br/>Why technical progress takes longer than you think<br/>Why gas turbines are the best choice<br/>How big can a wind turbine<br/>The slow rise of photovoltaics<br/>Planet of the cows<br/>Concrete facts<br/>A see through energy solution<br/>Epilogue<br/>Acknowledgments  
<br/><br/> Is flying dangerous? How much do the world's cows weigh?And what makes people happy? From earth's nations and inhabitants, through the fuels and foods that energize them, to the transportation and inventions of our modern world - and how all of this affects the planet itself - in Numbers Don't Lie, Professor Vaclav Smil takes us on a fact-finding adventure, using surprising statistics and illuminating graphs to challenge lazy thinking. Packed with 'Well-I-never-knew-that' information and with fascinating and unusual examples throughout, we find out how many people it took to build the Great Pyramid, that vaccination yields the best return on investment, and why electric cars aren't as great as we think (yet). There's a wonderful mix of science, history and wit, all in bite-sized chapters on a broad range of topics. Urgent and essential, Numbers Don't Lie inspires readers to interrogate what they take to be true in these significant times. Smil is on a mission to make facts matter, because after all, numbers may not lie, but which truth do they convey? 
<br/><br/><label>ISBN: </label>9780241454428 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/> 	      Curiosities and wonders.<br/>Mathematics  -  Probability & Statistics  - General
<br/><br/><label>Dewey Class. No.: </label>032.02  / SMI-N