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THE WAY THINGS WORK: AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TECHNOLOGY. 590 pages. Simon & Schusfer. $8.95.

In this technological age, the world has long been divided into two camps. There are those who want to know how the complex machines that are so much a part of their lives really work; and there are those who couldn't care less, as long as the machines somehow keep functioning. For those who nourish any technical curiosity at all--if only because they would like to respond with a semblance of intelligence to their children's questions--this lucid book provides a thorough collection of answers.

With the aid of 1,071 meticulous diagrams, the one-volume encyclopedia bravely tackles the explanation of such formidable devices as nuclear reactors, semiconductors, lasers and Polaroid cameras. It also considers the simple household devices and commonplace mechanics of contemporary life that are probably almost as puzzling to many readers: from flush toilets to door locks, from zippers to kitchen matches. The prose is straightforward and clear--which is all the more remarkable since it is an American adaptation of a British translation of the original German.

The book moves confidently through the intricate levers and whirling spherical typeheads of IBM electric typewriters; it clarifies the complexities of a jukebox and explains the coin tester that automatically rejects slugs by weighing, measuring and magnetically testing the metallic makeup of every coin that drops into the slot. It not only describes how a home vacuum cleaner functions but also spells out the difference between less expensive and higher-quality machines.

If The Way Things Work has any notable failing, it is that in many cases its anonymous authors, with Teutonic thoroughness, tell more about devices and I processes than most people want to know. To explain the way a safety match works, for example, they begin with a log not yet stripped of its bark. Then they relentlessly pursue the wood --carefully identified as poplar--through the entire manufacturing process. Reluctantly they abandon the description when the match has finally been ignited, the flame extinguished and the reader's interest has burned out.

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