I grew up in a small rural town in Appalachia. My dad would notice the smoke settling near the ground and then say that it was going to rain or snow. I couldn't figure out how he knew that until I thought about it after I was grown. By then, it made sense to me. Explaining "the whys and wherefores" to him, a man with a sixth-grade education, is another story.

Robert Wolke, who is a former chemistry professor at the University of Pittsburgh and has written a newspaper column about science for the general public, takes the approach of explaining a scientific concept to everyone using plain English and good humor. He realizes that the ordinary person does not have much training in science and doesn't care about a convoluted solution explained by a science geek. Most technical explanations are in separate sections called "Nitpicker's Corners" and are generally not necessary to understand the answers to common questions such as "Why is it so cold in space?" or "How do flames always know which way is up?" He calls the glossary "Techspeak": words that are a necessary evil to explain things scientific (atom, terminal velocity, half-life, etc.). He also explains scientific concepts such as series electrical circuits without your even realizing it at the time. There are even little sections called "Bar Bets" that one can use to win a drink or two at the local watering establishment.

There are only a couple of phenomena that he left out that I would have wanted addressed. Unless it was mentioned in his previous book, What Einstein Didn't Know, I would like to have had the question "Does hot water freeze faster than cold water?" discussed. However, science teachers on any level would do well to read the book, because it gives clear explanations. If science students had a copy of this book before entering our classes, they wouldn't be afraid of chemistry, physics, biology, or whatever. As a matter of fact, if I'd had this book earlier, I wouldn't be afraid to take some of the ideas and turn them into demonstrations for the general public.

I now know why there will be no need for smoke alarms in hell and why I prefer to buy wrinkle-free clothing. I can now explain to my father why smoke stays on the ground before it rains. Maybe I'll try the explanation on my barber before all my hair falls out.