From the introduction:
When we ask what's biggest, we not only measure; we also compare. Comparing one thing with another is one way scientists use facts. And when they have the facts and have compared them, they ask, "Why?"
In this book we will compare things to find out what's biggest and in what way. We will ask why some kinds of animals or bridges or buildings or stars are bigger than others. (Why can't an elephant be as big as a whale? Why can't a planet be as big as a star?) We will ask why things get as big as they do. (Why can a new bridge in New York be bigger than any earlier bridge?) We will ask why some things can't be bigger than they are. (Why is an ostrich too heavy to fly when a 200-ton airplane is light enough?) We will travel on many of the roads of science when we ask: What's the biggest?
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