How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life - Couverture souple

Bloomfield, Louis

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0471594733 ISBN 13 : 9780471594734

Editeur : John Wiley and Sons (WIE), 1996

Synopsis

Offering an alternative to the traditional approach to teaching science appreciation, the author has written a book based on his university course. This approach to the introductory physics course for non-science students conveys an understanding and appreciation for the concepts of physics by finding them within specific objects of everyday experience. The text asks readers questions about how the world around them works. In the process of answering the questions, the author shows students the importance of fundamental concepts in physics. Every major physics concept is treated, but should arrive to the student in a real-world context. The book departs from the "physics for physicists" approach of concentrating on physics principles and trying to find applications. It offers a "guided inquiry" approach with experiments described and done by students, and a qualitative focus with "Check Your Understanding" sections.

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture

How Things Work is written for anyone who has ever wondered how a microwave oven cooks food, who has tried to fix a leaking water faucet, or who has hesitated to pay more for a halogen lamp. As it examines familiar objects – bathroom scales, televisions, photocopiers, airplane engines, and ocean waves – How Things Work presents the basic principles of physics in contexts that make them understandable and relevant. In doing so, it demonstrates the power of physics to explain and predict a multitude of phenomena with just a few basic principles and shows how these beautiful principles are woven through the fabric of everyday life. A skillful pitcher uses the air to make a baseball curve in flight on its way to the batter. The way in which the ball curves depends its spin. The word flight is especially appropriate here because a spinning ball interacts with the air in much the same way that an airplane does (Section 4.3). The violin’s bridge does more than simply support its string. It also rocks back and forth as the strings vibrate, conveying their motions to the violin’s sound board. Most of the sound we hear as a violinist draws a bow across the strings is produced by the moving sound board (Section 9.2). For an object that touches the ground at only two points, a moving bicycle is remarkably stable. It remains upright because its front wheel automatically steers it under the rider’s weight as the two travel forward. This stabilizing effect even makes it possible to ride a bicycle without hands (Section 5.2).

Biographie de l'auteur

Lou Bloomfield is a highly dedicated teacher and one of the most popular professors at University of Virginia, and was the recipient of the 1998 State of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award.   Lou has given talks all over the country on teaching physics through everyday objects.  He has extreme attention to detail and knowledge of technical physics. He is very tech savvy and has been able to provide many of the photos and illustrations for the text himself.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: John Wiley and Sons (WIE)
• Date d'édition: 1996
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0471594733
• ISBN 13: 9780471594734
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 704
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible