Cover of The reason why

The reason why

  • Free to read
  • 9 hours to read
  • 67 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"The Reason Why" by Robert Kemp Philp is a collection of scientific knowledge aimed at the general public, written in the mid-19th century. This informative work seeks to provide explanations for numerous phenomena that, while widely accepted, are often poorly understood. The text encapsulates a wide range of topics from natural philosophy, air quality, chemical reactions, and the fundamentals of health, encouraging readers to inquire about the world around them. The beginning of the book introduces the importance of knowledge in understanding nature and enhancing human power over one's surroundings. Philp emphasizes that seeking knowledge enriches our lives and helps us comprehend vital truths about existence, such as the necessity of breathing oxygen for life and how our bodies function. The initial chapters outline how this knowledge empowers individuals, citing examples from various scientific fields, including medicine, mechanics, and electricity, to illustrate the practical applications and benefits that arise from understanding and applying scientific principles.

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  • Science

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Chapter I: 1. Why should we seek knowledge?

Because it assists us to comprehend the goodness and power of God.

And it gives us power over the circumstances and associations by which we are surrounded: the proper exercise of this power will greatly promote our happiness.

2. Why does the possession of knowledge enable us to exercise power over surrounding circumstances?

Knowledge enables us to understand that, in order to live healthily, we require to breathe fresh and pure air. It also tells us that animal and vegetable substances, undergoing decay, poison the air, though we may not be able to see, or to smell, or otherwise discover the existence of such poison. Knowing this, we become careful to remove from our presence all such matters as would tend to corrupt the atmosphere. This is only one of the countless instances in which knowledge gives us power over surrounding circumstances.

3. Name some other instances in which knowledge gives us power.

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Contents

Show all 67 chapters
  1. Preface
  2. Chapter I: 1. Why should we seek knowledge?
  3. Chapter II: 4. Why do we breathe air?
  4. Chapter III: 25. What is oxygen?
  5. Chapter IV: 49. What is hydrogen?
  6. Chapter V: 71. What is heat?
  7. Chapter VI: 93. How many kinds of combustion are there?
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter VIII: 146. Which are the better conductors of heat, fluids or solids?
  10. Chapter IX: 181. What is Radiation?
  11. Chapter X
  12. Chapter XI
  13. Chapter XII
  14. Chapter XIII
  15. Chapter XIV: 271. What is coal?
  16. Chapter XV: 294. Why does paper ignite more readily than wood?
  17. Chapter XVI: 321. Why does friction produce heat?
  18. Chapter XVII
  19. Chapter XVIII: 373. What are clouds?
  20. Chapter XIX: 396. Why are cloudy days colder than sunny days?
  21. Chapter XX: 416. What is rain?
  22. Chapter XXI: 440. What is snow?
  23. Chapter XXII: 451. What is light?
  24. Chapter XXIII: 472. What is the refraction of light?
  25. Chapter XXIV
  26. Chapter XXV
  27. Chapter XXVI: 540. What is the difference between light and heat?
  28. Chapter XXVII: 561. What is electricity?
  29. Chapter XXVIII: 586. Why does lightning sometimes travel through a "zigzag" course?
  30. Chapter XXIX: 614. What is thunder?
  31. Chapter XXX: 638. What is the atmosphere?
  32. Chapter XXXI: 666. What is wind?
  33. Chapter XXXII: 691. What is a barometer?
  34. Chapter XXXIII: 709. What is the thermometer?
  35. Chapter XXXIV: 716. What is sound?
  36. Chapter XXXV: 748. What is water?
  37. Chapter XXXVI: 772. What is attraction?
  38. Chapter XXXVII
  39. Chapter XXXVIII: 810. Why does a humming-top make a humming noise?
  40. Chapter XXXIX: 825. Why are soap-bubbles round?
  41. Chapter XLI: 869. Why do we eat food?
  42. Chapter XLII
  43. Chapter XLIII
  44. Chapter XLIV: 902. Why when we cut our flesh does it heal?
  45. Chapter XLV: 923. How many bones are there in the human body?
  46. Chapter XLVI: 937. What are ligaments?
  47. Chapter XLVII: 951. What are nerves?
  48. Chapter XLVIII: 963. Why do we see objects?
  49. Chapter XLIX: 983. Why do we hear?
  50. Chapter L: 996. Why do we taste?
  51. Chapter LI: 1009. Why do we perspire?
  52. Chapter LII: 1029. Why are there so many bodily forms in the animal creation?
  53. Chapter LIII: 1052. Why have birds with long legs short tails?
  54. Chapter LIV: 1074. Why has the mole hard and flat feet, armed with sharp nails?
  55. Chapter LV
  56. Chapter LVI
  57. Chapter LVII: 1125. Why can gossamer spiders float through the air?
  58. Chapter LVIII
  59. Chapter LIX
  60. Chapter LX: 1167. Why do some plants droop, and turn to the earth after sunset?
  61. Chapter LXI: 1189. Why are vegetable productions so widely diffused?
  62. Chapter LXII: 1204. What are vegetable oils and fats?
  63. Chapter LXIII: 1254. What are vegetable gums?
  64. Chapter LXIV
  65. Chapter LXV: 1286. Why are the seeds of plants indigestible?
  66. Chapter LXVI
  67. Chapter LXVII: 1306. Whence does the snail obtain its shell?

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About this edition

This free edition of The reason why by Robert Kemp Philp comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #47748, released 2014-12-23. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Science - Physics, Science - Chemistry/Biochemistry, Science - Biology, Health & Medicine.

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