
How does soap know what's dirt? How do magnets work? Why do ice cubes crackle in your glass . . . And how can you keep them quiet?They are the questions that torment all of us. Now Robert L. Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, provides definitive-and amazingly simple-explanations for the mysteries of everyday life. Shattering myths (such as the common belief that salt melts the ice in your driveway) . . . providing insider secrets (like what lights up a neon s .