The Relativity of Wrong

260 Pages·1996·11.419 MB·English

by  Isaac Asimov

“Gems of astronomical insight and explanation.”
—Publishers Weekly
“(Asimov is) as formidable and readable as ever.”
—Kirkus Reviews
ISAAC
ASIMOV
‘THE RELATIVITY OF WRONG
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RELATIVITY
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ISAAC
ASIMOV
THE RELATIVITY OF WRONG
Kensington Books
The essays in this volume are reprinted from the magazine The Magazine of Fantasy
and Science Fiction, having appeared in the indicated issues:
“The Moon and We’”’ (April, 1986); ‘“The Minor Objects’’ (May, 1986); “The
Second Lightest’”’ (June, 1986); ‘“Labels on the Molecules’’ (July, 1986); ““The
Consequences of Pie’’ (August, 1986); ‘“‘The Enemy Within” (September, 1986);
“The Relativity of Wrong’”’ (October, 1986); ““The Unmentionable Planet”’
(November, 1986); ‘‘The Dead-End Middle’ (December, 1986); ‘“‘Opposite!”’
(January, 1987); “Sail On!, Sail On!” (February, 1987); ‘““The Incredible Shrinking
Planet’’ (March, 1987); ‘‘The Light-Bringer”’ (April, 1987); ‘“Beginning with
Bone”’ (May, 1987); ‘‘New Stars”’ (June, 1987); “Brightening Stars’’ (July, 1987);
“‘Super-Exploding Stars’”’ (August, 1987); Copyright © 1986, 1987 by Mercury
Press, Inc.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Copyright © 1988 by Nightfall, Inc. Published by arrangement with Doubleday, a
division of Bantam, Doubleday, Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes
used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is
stolen property. It was reported as “‘unsold and destroyed”’ to the Publisher and
neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this ‘‘stripped
book.”
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN 1-57566-008-3
First Kensington Trade Paperback Printing: January, 1996
Printed in the United States of America
TO MY BROTHER, STAN ASIMOV,
WITH WHOM I HAVE NEVER EXCHANGED
A CROSS WORD

Contents
Introduction
PART! ISOTOPES AND ELEMENTS
1. The Second Lightest 3
2. Labels on the Molecules 16
3. The Consequences of Pie 29
4. The Enemy Within 42
5. The Light-Bringer 56
6. Beginning with Bone 69
PART Ii THE SOLAR SYSTEM
7. The Moon and We 85
8. The Unmentionable Planet 97
9. The Incredible Shrinking Planet 111
10. The Minor Objects 128
PART Hi BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM
11. New Stars 143
12. Brightening Stars 156
13. Super-Exploding Stars 169
14. The Dead-End Middle 182
viii CONTENTS
15. Opposite! 196
16. Sail On! Sail On! 209
PART IV SOMETHING EXTRA
17. The Relativity of Wrong 225