The things we make : the unknown history of invention from cathedrals to soda cans / Bill Hammack PH.D.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-249).

The invisible method: how to build a cathedral without mathematics, science, or a yardstick -- Best: the Vitruvian man, kodachrome, and the constant search for better -- Uncertainty: the art of the unknown and how engineers use it to create solutions -- Resources: from Mesopotamia to the Islamic empire to space- how materials, energy, and knowledge shape everything -- Engineering mindset: the three key strategies that created a ceramic masterpiece (and every other innovation) -- Science: the gold standard for rules of thumb -- Mathematics: how engineers offend mathematicians to predict the future -- Invention: the myth of the lone inventor and the race to light the world -- Conclusion: what the microwave oven teaches us about innovation, technology, and how the engineering method can save the world.

"In this book, Bill Hammack, better known as The Engineer Guy, takes us on a whirlwind tour of how humans built the world we know today. From the grand stone arches of medieval cathedrals to the mundane modern soda can, Hammack explains the golden rule of thumb that underlies every new building technique, every technological advancement, and every creative solution that leads us one step closer to a better, more functional world. Perfect for readers of Adam Grant and Jared Diamond, this fascinating examination of the method that keeps pushing humanity forward is a spotlight on the achievements of the past and a celebration of the potential of our future"--