science

Wonder of the Worlds

Wonder of the Worlds is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wonder of the Worlds rather than just read about it. In short: Wonder of the Worlds is a novel by Sesh Heri, published 2005 by Lost Continent Library, is the first in a trilogy of novels featuring a fictionalized version of Harry Houdini facing off against a Martian invasion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Plot introduction In the first installment, Wonder of the Worlds, Nikola Tesla, Mark Twain and Houdini pursue Martian agents who have stolen a powerful crystal fro…

Key takeaways

Wonder of the Worlds belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wonder of the Worlds to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wonder of the Worlds from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wonder of the Worlds is a novel by Sesh Heri, published 2005 by Lost Continent Library, is the first in a trilogy of novels featuring a fictionalized version of Harry Houdini facing off against a Martian invasion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Plot introduction In the first installment, Wonder of the Worlds, Nikola Tesla, Mark Twain and Houdini pursue Martian agents who have stolen a powerful crystal from Tesla at the historically pivotal 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Along for the ride aboard Tesla's airship are other historical figures, reporters Lillie West and George Ade, as well as Kolman Czito, Tesla's assistant. On the journey to the Red Planet, the adventurers are treated to a hidden history of conflict between the Earth and Mars, as well as Tesla's stunning knowledge of geophysics of the two planets. Upon arrival on Mars, the team pursues the crystal deep into the underground civilization ruled by Kel, the mad emperor determined to subjugate Earth with the power of the crystal.

Houdini the Spy? Almost a year after publication of Wonder of the Worlds, the 2006 release of The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman, presents biographical material supporting the theory that Harry Houdini was, indeed, a secret government agent during the years this trilogy takes place.

Publication Wonder of the Worlds By Sesh Heri (ISBN 0-9727472-8-1) contains illustrations by the author.

Trilogy The Wonder of the Worlds trilogy continues in Metamorphosis and The Lost Pleiad. Wonder of the Worlds was featured at the International Tesla Exhibit in Zurich, Switzerland in 2006.

See also Nikola Tesla in popular culture Mark Twain in popular culture

References

External links Official website Video of author's discussion of the book Wonder of the Worlds title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wonder of the Worlds

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wonder of the Worlds claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wonder of the Worlds before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wonder of the Worlds ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wonder of the Worlds

In research: Wonder of the Worlds appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wonder of the Worlds in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wonder of the Worlds is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s historical novel stubs, 2000s science fiction novel stubs, 2000s speculative fiction novel stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wonder of the Worlds outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wonder of the Worlds in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wonder of the Worlds means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wonder of the Worlds out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wonder of the Worlds in simple terms?

Why does Wonder of the Worlds matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wonder of the Worlds?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wonder of the Worlds.