This book contains hundreds of well-illustrated articles which 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 interesting to non-specialists; a portable, convenient format; and, bibliographies, appendices, and other information to supplement the articles.