Mad about Physics Braintwisters, Paradoxes, and Curiosities

by Jargodzki, Christopher; Potter, Franklin

• ISBN13: 9780471569619
• ISBN10: 0471569615
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-21
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Why is there eight times more ice in Antarctica than in the Arctic? Why can you warm your hands by blowing gently, and cool your hands by blowing hard? Why would a pitcher scuff a baseball?Which weighs more-a pound of feathers or a pound of iron? Let science experts Christopher Jargodzki and Franklin Potter guide you through the curiosities of physics and you'll find the answers to these and hundreds of other quirky conundrums. You'll discover why sounds carry well over water (especially in the summer), how a mouse can be levitated in a magnetic field, why backspin is so important when shooting a basketball, and whether women are indeed as strong as men. With nearly 400 questions and answers on everything from race cars to jumping fleas to vanishing elephants, Mad about Physics presents a comprehensive collection of braintwisters and paradoxes that will challenge and entertain even the brainiest of science lovers. Whether you're a physicist by trade or just want to give your brain a power workout, this collection of intriguing and unusual physics challenges will send you on a highly entertaining ride that reveals the relevance of physics in our everyday lives.

Author Biography

CHRISTOPHER P. JARGODZKI, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Physics at Central Missouri State University and the author of two previous books of science braintwisters. He was born in Warsaw, Poland, and received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in theoretical physics from the University of California. FRANKLIN POTTER, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of California at Irvine and conducts research in elementary particle physics and cosmology. He received his B.S. degree from Cal Tech and Ph.D. in physics from Texas Tech University.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
To the Reader	xv
Temperature Risin'	1	(12)
Color My World	13	(12)
Splish! Splash!	25	(16)
Fly like an Eagle	41	(12)
Good Vibrations	53	(12)
Opposites Attract	65	(14)
Bodies in Motion	79	(22)
Stairway to Heaven	101	(10)
Life in the Fast Lane	111	(10)
Born to Run	121	(10)
Third Stone from the Sun	131	(12)
Across the Universe	143	(155)
Answers
Temperature Risin'	155	(11)
Color My World	166	(9)
Splish! Splash!	175	(10)
Fly like an Eagle	185	(9)
Good Vibrations	194	(15)
Opposites Attract	209	(10)
Bodies in Motion	219	(20)
Stairway to Heaven	239	(8)
Life in the Fast Lane	247	(8)
Born to Run	255	(14)
Third Stone from the Sun	269	(14)
Across the Universe	283	(15)
Index	298