Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Listen and read as much as you want
  • Over 400 000+ titles
  • Bestsellers in 10+ Indian languages
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Subscribe now
Details page - Device banner - 894x1036
Cover for Einstein’s Fridge: The Science of Fire, Ice and the Universe

Einstein’s Fridge: The Science of Fire, Ice and the Universe

3 Ratings

5

Duration
11H 4min
Language
English
Format
Category

Non-Fiction

‘Hugely readable and entertaining’ JIM AL-KHALILI ‘An accessible and crystal-clear portrait of this discipline’s breadth, largely told through its history’ PHIL BALL, PHYSICS WORLD

Einstein’s Fridge tells the story of how scientists uncovered the least known and yet most consequential of all the sciences, and learned to harness the power of heat and ice.

The laws of thermodynamics govern everything from the behaviour of atoms to that of living cells, from the engines that power our world to the black hole at the centre of our galaxy. Not only that, but thermodynamics explains why we must eat and breathe, how the lights come on, and ultimately how the universe will end. The people who decoded its laws came from every branch of the sciences – they were engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, cosmologists and mathematicians.

Their discoveries, set over two hundred years, kick-started the industrial revolution, changed the course of world wars and informed modern understanding of black holes. This book captures the thrill of discovery and the power of revolutionary science to change the world forever.

© 2021 William Collins (Audiobook): 9780008262822

Release date

Audiobook: 1 April 2021

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. The Graphene Revolution: The Weird Science of the Ultra-thin
    The Graphene Revolution: The Weird Science of the Ultra-thin Brian Clegg
  2. The Biggest Number in the World: A Journey to the Edge of Mathematics
    The Biggest Number in the World: A Journey to the Edge of Mathematics David Darling
  3. The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age
    The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age Bettina Hoerlin
  4. In Search of a Theory of Everything: The Philosophy Behind Physics
    In Search of a Theory of Everything: The Philosophy Behind Physics Demetris Nicolaides
  5. Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe
    Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe Andrew May
  6. On the Origin of Evolution: Tracing ‘Darwin’s Dangerous Idea’ from Aristotle to DNA
    On the Origin of Evolution: Tracing ‘Darwin’s Dangerous Idea’ from Aristotle to DNA John Gribbin
  7. Darwin Devolves: The New Science About DNA That Challenges Evolution
    Darwin Devolves: The New Science About DNA That Challenges Evolution Michael J. Behe
  8. Force: What It Means to Push and Pull, Slip and Grip, Start and Stop
    Force: What It Means to Push and Pull, Slip and Grip, Start and Stop Henry Petroski
  9. Revolt: The Worldwide Uprising Against Globalization
    Revolt: The Worldwide Uprising Against Globalization Nadav Eyal
  10. Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory
    Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory Edward J. Larson
  11. Exploring Mars: Secrets of the Red Planet
    Exploring Mars: Secrets of the Red Planet Scientific American
  12. When the Earth Had Two Moons: Cannibal Planets, Icy Giants, Dirty Comets, Dreadful Orbits, and the Origins of the Night Sky
    When the Earth Had Two Moons: Cannibal Planets, Icy Giants, Dirty Comets, Dreadful Orbits, and the Origins of the Night Sky Erik Asphaug
  13. The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution
    The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution Gregory Cochran
  14. A Primer of Life Histories: Ecology, Evolution, and Application
    A Primer of Life Histories: Ecology, Evolution, and Application Jeffrey A. Hutchings
  15. Spatial Computing
    Spatial Computing Pamela Vold
  16. Conquering the Electron: The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age
    Conquering the Electron: The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age Eric Brach
  17. Exoplanets: Worlds without End
    Exoplanets: Worlds without End Scientific American
  18. Chandra's Cosmos: Dark Matter, Black Holes, and Other Wonders Revealed by NASA's Premier X-Ray Observatory
    Chandra's Cosmos: Dark Matter, Black Holes, and Other Wonders Revealed by NASA's Premier X-Ray Observatory Wallace H. Tucker
  19. Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World: How Physicists Transformed Everyday Life
    Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World: How Physicists Transformed Everyday Life Brian Clegg
  20. The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun
    The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun Noah Rothman
  21. The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth
    The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth Michael Mandelbaum
  22. The Future of Humankind: Why We Should be Optimistic
    The Future of Humankind: Why We Should be Optimistic John Hands
  23. The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism
    The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism Michael J. Behe
  24. A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next
    A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next Tom Standage
  25. Rockets and Ray Guns: The Sci-Fi Science of the Cold War
    Rockets and Ray Guns: The Sci-Fi Science of the Cold War Andrew May
  26. The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes
    The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes Paul Halpern
  27. No Shadow of a Doubt: The 1919 Eclipse That Confirmed Einstein's Theory of Relativity
    No Shadow of a Doubt: The 1919 Eclipse That Confirmed Einstein's Theory of Relativity Daniel Kennefick
  28. Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide
    Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide Jonathan A. Rodden
  29. Journey to the Edge of Reason: The Life of Kurt Gödel
    Journey to the Edge of Reason: The Life of Kurt Gödel Stephen Budiansky
  30. Arrival the Fittest: Solving Evolution's Greatest Puzzle
    Arrival the Fittest: Solving Evolution's Greatest Puzzle Andreas Wagner
  31. The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician’s Search for the Universe’s Hidden Geometry
    The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician’s Search for the Universe’s Hidden Geometry Shing-Tung Yau
  32. The Mind-Body Problem
    The Mind-Body Problem Jonathan Westphal
  33. Galileo: And the Science Deniers
    Galileo: And the Science Deniers Mario Livio
  34. Ask the Experts: Physics and Math
    Ask the Experts: Physics and Math Scientific American
  35. Dark Skies: Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, and the Ends of Humanity
    Dark Skies: Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, and the Ends of Humanity Daniel Deudney
  36. A History of Biology
    A History of Biology Michel Morange
  37. The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth
    The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Charles River Editors
  38. The Clock Mirage: Our Myth of Measured Time
    The Clock Mirage: Our Myth of Measured Time Joseph Mazur
  39. Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
    Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea Charles Seife
  40. Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels
    Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels Stephen B. Heard, PhD
  41. Spaceflight: A Concise History
    Spaceflight: A Concise History Michael J. Neufeld
  42. Ultimate Physics: From Quarks to the Cosmos
    Ultimate Physics: From Quarks to the Cosmos Scientific American
  43. Out of the Shadow of a Giant: How Newton Stood on the Shoulders of Hooke and Halley
    Out of the Shadow of a Giant: How Newton Stood on the Shoulders of Hooke and Halley John Gribbin
  44. Ten Short Lessons in Time Travel
    Ten Short Lessons in Time Travel Brian Clegg
  45. Free Market: The History of an Idea
    Free Market: The History of an Idea Jacob Soll
  46. The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China
    The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China Philip Ball
  47. Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
    Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World Simon Winchester
  48. The Mission: A True Story
    The Mission: A True Story David W. Brown
  49. A People's History of the World: From the Stone Age to the New Millennium
    A People's History of the World: From the Stone Age to the New Millennium Chris Harman
  50. Fatal Discord: Erasmus, Luther, and the Fight for the Western Mind
    Fatal Discord: Erasmus, Luther, and the Fight for the Western Mind Michael Massing
  51. The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself
    The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself Richard D. Wolff
  52. The End of Genetics: Designing Humanity's DNA
    The End of Genetics: Designing Humanity's DNA David B. Goldstein
  53. Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History
    Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History Stephen Jay Gould
  54. Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World
    Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World Joshua B. Freeman
  55. Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media
    Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media Joel E. Dimsdale
  56. Block by Block: The Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Thermodynamics
    Block by Block: The Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Thermodynamics Robert T. Hanlon
  57. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts
    The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts Israel Finkelstein
  58. Lie Machines: How to Save Democracy from Troll Armies, Deceitful Robots, Junk News Operations, and Political Operatives
    Lie Machines: How to Save Democracy from Troll Armies, Deceitful Robots, Junk News Operations, and Political Operatives Philip N. Howard
  59. The Artificial Intelligence Contagion: Can Democracy Withstand the Imminent Transformation of Work, Wealth, and the Social Order?
    The Artificial Intelligence Contagion: Can Democracy Withstand the Imminent Transformation of Work, Wealth, and the Social Order? David Barnhizer
  60. To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change
    To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change Alfred W. McCoy
  61. The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know
    The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know Mark J. Plotkin
  62. The Emperor's New Road: China and the Project of the Century
    The Emperor's New Road: China and the Project of the Century Jonathan E. Hillman
  63. A Brief Natural History of Civilization: Why a Balance Between Cooperation and Competition Is Vital to Humanity
    A Brief Natural History of Civilization: Why a Balance Between Cooperation and Competition Is Vital to Humanity Mark Bertness
  64. Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta
    Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta
  65. Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism
    Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism Sharyl Attkisson
  66. The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History
    The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen
  67. China: Fragile Superpower
    China: Fragile Superpower Susan L. Shirk
  68. Twelve Tribes: Promise and Peril in the New Israel
    Twelve Tribes: Promise and Peril in the New Israel Ethan Michaeli
  69. Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design
    Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design Stephen C. Meyer
  70. Future Peace: Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War
    Future Peace: Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War Robert H. Latiff
  71. Mosquito: The Story of Man’s Deadliest Foe
    Mosquito: The Story of Man’s Deadliest Foe Michael D'Antonio
  72. An Introduction to Information Theory: Symbols, Signals and Noise
    An Introduction to Information Theory: Symbols, Signals and Noise John R. Pierce
  73. The Rise of Anarchism: From Historical Roots to Modern Movements
    The Rise of Anarchism: From Historical Roots to Modern Movements Arlo Holders
  74. The Myth of Chinese Capitalism: The Worker, the Factory, and the Future of the World
    The Myth of Chinese Capitalism: The Worker, the Factory, and the Future of the World Dexter Roberts
  75. The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers
    The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers Will Durant
  76. Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space
    Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space Martin Elvis
  77. Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics
    Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics Ross Douthat
  78. Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic
    Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic Simon Winchester
  79. The Secret of Life
    The Secret of Life Howard Markel
  80. Exoplanets (Goldsmith): Hidden Worlds and the Quest for Extraterrestrial Life
    Exoplanets (Goldsmith): Hidden Worlds and the Quest for Extraterrestrial Life Donald Goldsmith
  81. Carbon Capture
    Carbon Capture Howard J. Herzog
  82. The Good State: On the Principles of Democracy
    The Good State: On the Principles of Democracy A. C. Grayling
  83. Ten Short Lessons in Space Travel
    Ten Short Lessons in Space Travel Paul Parsons
  84. American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795
    American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795 Edward J. Larson
  85. The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class
    The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class Joel Kotkin
  86. Fishing: How the Sea Fed Civilization
    Fishing: How the Sea Fed Civilization Brian M. Fagan
  87. The Way of the World
    The Way of the World Ron Suskind
  88. The Demon in Democracy: Totalitarian Temptations in Free Societies
    The Demon in Democracy: Totalitarian Temptations in Free Societies Ryszard Legutko
  89. The Price of Immortality: The Race to Live Forever
    The Price of Immortality: The Race to Live Forever Peter Ward
  90. The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism's Long March of Death, Deception and Infiltration
    The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism's Long March of Death, Deception and Infiltration Paul Kengor
  91. Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber
    Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber Andy Borowitz
  92. Written in Stone: A Journey Through the Stone Age and the Origins of Modern Language
    Written in Stone: A Journey Through the Stone Age and the Origins of Modern Language Christopher Stevens
  93. The Laissez-Faire Experiment: Why Britain Embraced and Then Abandoned Small Government, 1800–1914
    The Laissez-Faire Experiment: Why Britain Embraced and Then Abandoned Small Government, 1800–1914 W. Walker Hanlon
  94. Distilled: A Natural History of Spirits
    Distilled: A Natural History of Spirits Rob DeSalle