Book excerpt: Hundreds of well-illustrated articles explore the most important fields of science. Based on content from the McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, Fifth Edition, the most widely used and respected science reference of its kind in print, the new Concise Encyclopedia Series delivers: * Detailed, well-illustrated explanations, not just definitions * Hundreds of concise yet authoritative articles in each volume * An easy-to-understand presentation, accessible and intersting to non-specialists * A portable, convenient format * Bibliographies, appendices, and other information to supplement the articles