Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist by Chad Orzel

Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist Reviews

• 
  Richard Derus

  Simple. Direct. Understandable. And, best of all, challenging one to perceive what one's senses report in new, but attainable, ways. I was delighted to realize that I could gift this to my high-school-aged grands and expect they'd "get it"—and they did.
• 
  Jeremy

  The goal of this book is one that I am very sympathetic to - to provide a stripped-down description of scientific methods and show their connection to ordinary, fundamentally human activities. What else is science after all but making sense of the world and using our knowledge to solve problems? With "look-think-test-tell" I think he has hit on just the right formula. The writing style is clear, easy and conversational. A minor drawback for my reading enjoyment is that the examples he draws on are pretty standard and familiar for someone with a physics background, but he's going for a broader audience here than physics teachers like me, so that's probably a positive benefit.
• 
  Thom

  A collection of scientific discoveries demonstrating observational science - look to see what is happening, think of a theory that proves and predicts, test that theory with more predictions, then share your theory with others for clarification and critique. Will following this method win you a Nobel? Probably not, but it will help you understand how science led to the knowledge we have today.
  
  Other reviewers seem to think this is about specific scientific discoveries, comparing it to the quick summaries given in high school science texts. Instead, this book is about thinking like a scientist, applying the scientific method, with examples drawn from history AND the current day. Chapters have both humor and extensive footnotes.
  
  The other focus is Look / Think / Test / Tell, a way of describing how all reputable scientists back up observations and discoveries with duplication and publication. For the rest of us, this can be an easy way to avoid being fooled by Cold Fusion or Alien DNA - if it can't be duplicated and there are very few published papers (if any), then it is probably bunk.
  
  Was it 5 star? No, but definitely way above average. I'd like to see more science education among the peoples of the world, especially in some developed countries that seem to be backsliding at the moment. As some other reviews show, this might not be the best book to reach them.
• 
  David Rosage

  This book has had a huge effect on my thinking and has formed the basis of my concept to run business like an experiment. "Look" for common problems or inefficiencies, "Think" of a solution, "Test" with prototypes or surveys, and finally "Tell" or in business this would be replaced with sell. REPEAT...
• 
  Josh

  An interesting read focused on the Look / Think / Test / Tell methodology of interacting with our world. We're all scientists ~ from the earliest humans observing the changing seasons and the stars to modern physicists working at CERN; whether we realize it or not, it's what we do in countless aspects of our daily lives.
  
  Dr. Orzel takes great pains to show us just how prevalent this way of seeing the world is and how it pervades every aspect of our lives in an effort to show how "science" isn't a big, scary, abstract thing done in ivory towers of the Academy, but rather, our normal modus operandi as rational beings. His thrust though, especially throughout the conclusion is that we must not shirk our duties to be participative in the process of "science". As we go through our lives, we must observe the world around us, think about why things are the way they are, test ways to improve, and tell everyone what does/doesn't work so that they may share in our new-found knowledge.
  
  While I wasn't a huge fan of all the sportsball references, in all, I thought Dr. Orzel wove a tale that demonstrated a few things: 1.) Scientists can be effective communicators, 2.) Communication with "non-scientists" can be done and is vital to all sciences and, to a great extent, informing public policy, and importantly, 3.) Science is hopeful in its outlook towards the future ~ if we can embrace a method of looking at the world and explaining it, we can make it better.
  
  The gains of the scientists are gains for humanity. But, we must always remain vigilant and aware of unscrupulous claims ~ trust, but verify.
• 
  Jehona

  It was better than I expected it to be. It was fun, full of anecdotes from the lives of scientists and important scientific discoveries. It shows how everybody thinks and acts as a scientist in their everyday life. The reason why they don't hate it in these cases is that they don't realize that this is exactly the kind of thinking employed when studying "the scary subject" they got a bad grade at in middle school or high school. It is the kind of book that I would recommend to non-scientists, in order to help overcome their fear of science, which they so often pass down to their children making them more unlikely to choose science as their future career. I would not recommend it to young people trying to understand the world of science and how they might enter it.
  
  I was a bit disappointed by the chapter about sports. It might be interesting to someone who likes sports. But even in that case, the chosen sports were very American, which sort of limits his audience. I guess, if you are not American, just skip that one.
  
  Another annoying thing was his attack on Dawkins. I guess it has become sort of a sport to attack him in order to show what a nice guy you are. Neil deGrasse Tyson made the exact same point in a talk, yet nobody seems to attack him for it. Not that either of them was wrong. Putting religious constraints in science is a sure path to stopping its progress.
• 
  Jody Ellis

  This book does the exact opposite. It kills the inner scientist. It's an absolute bore like being trapped in high school science class. If I wanted to read a collection of historical discoveries I'd pick up a book on it!
  
  I expected to be inspired, thrilled and hungry for more. Instead it couldn't be worse and I fear for aspiring scientists. If anything this book will turn them away from science as a really monotone load of crap.
  
  It makes sense though since Orzel is a physicist so inherently dry by nature.
  
  If you want to be inspired or learn about science in a fun way try any of Stephen H's texts. At least it's inspiring and constantly relates to real life examples.
  
  Don't waste your time guys.
• 
  Beverly

  One of the first statements in the book is so true... that scientists more often say "That's funny" than "Eureka" in reaction to a discovery. The biggest take-away for me is Orzel's statement that all scientific conclusions are provisional--they cannot be really believed until the studies/experiments have been repeated and verified, preferably many times.
• 
  Evs

  I enjoyed this book as a way to reinvigorate my own personal excitement for learning and curiosity.
• 
  Kristina

  I wanted to like this book. I wanted to feel like this book was showing me how I, as a non-scientist, think like a scientist everyday. That is what the book is supposed to be about after all. But I just felt like the author was writing a textbook for a science class. Dry, boring, and above my head. It made it difficult to really get into the book when I kept having complex scientific principles thrown at me.
• 
  Anthony Faber

  The author does a good job of explaining how science and scientists work, with lots of interesting and often important examples. I don't think you have to have much background at all to read it.
  
• 
  Eegore James

  A huge bore...too much anecdotal crapola and the science
  was just rehashed stuff from 1,000 other books. Yuck.
• 
  John Oliver

  It wasn't for me.