interest. Written by leading thinkers, the Р books in this series deliver expert overviews of subjects Р that range from the cultural and the historical to the sci-Р entific and the technical.Р In today’s era of instant information gratification, we Р have ready access to opinions, rationalizations, and super-Р ficial descriptions. Much harder e by is the founda-Р tional knowledge that informs a principled understanding Р of the world. Essential Knowledge books fill that need. Р Synthesizing specialized subject matter for nonspecialists Р and engaging critical topics through fundamentals, each Р of pact volumes offers readers a point of access Р plex ideas.Р Р Bruce TidorР Professor of Biological Engineering puter ScienceР Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyР10068.indb 9 6/5/14 2:55 PM