Waubonsee Community College

In praise of simple physics, the science and mathematics behind everyday questions, Paul J. Nahin

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

In praise of simple physics

bibliography

919252694

Paul J. Nahin

the science and mathematics behind everyday questions

Physics can explain many of the things that we commonly encounter. It can tell us why the night is dark, what causes the tides, and even how best to catch a baseball. With In Praise of Simple Physics, popular math and science writer Paul Nahin presents a plethora of situations that explore the science and math behind the wonders of everyday life. Roaming through a diverse range of puzzles, he illustrates how physics shows us ways to wring more energy from renewable sources, to measure the gravity in our car garages, to figure out which of three light switches in the basement controls the light bulb in the attic, and much, much more

How's your math? -- The traffic-light dilemma -- Energy from moving air -- Dragsters and space station physics -- Merry-go-round physics and the tides -- Energy from moving water -- Vectors and bad hair days -- An illuminating problem -- How to measure depth with a stopwatch -- Doing the preface problems -- The physics of stacking books -- Communication satellite physics -- Walking a ladder upright -- Why is the sky dark at night? -- How some things float (or don't) -- A reciprocating problem -- How to catch a baseball (or not) -- Tossing balls and shooting bullets uphill -- Rapid travel in a great circle transit tube -- Hurtling your body through space -- The path of a punt -- Easy ways to measure gravity in your garage -- Epilogue: Newton's gravity calculation mistake