Geek Physics: Surprising Answers to the Planet’s Most Interesting Questions
In Geek Physics, Rhett Allain, a physics professor and Wired’s popular Dot Physics blogger, finds intriguing questions buried in familiar movies and TV shows, video games, viral videos, and news hooks and walks readers through the fascinating answers from a physics perspective, without all the complicated details. Geek Physicsappeals not just to the geek oriented but also to anyone who loves pop culture and technology.
With illustrations, basic equations, and easy-to-read graphs and diagrams, each chapter not only covers the most popular subjects from Allain’s blog, like lightsabers and McDonald’s drive-thrus, but uses those questions from a less technical approach to teach basic physics concepts. What better way to explain the nature of light than to consider how Gollum could see in the dark?
Geek Physics explores interesting questions like:
* How much bubble wrap would you need to safely jump off a 6th floor building?
* Why does R2-D2 fly the way he does?
* Why does a mirror reverse left to light, but not top to bottom?
* Is Angry Birds using real physics?
* Does a heavier truck make a better snow plow?
* What if everyone on earth jumped at the same time?
* How many dollar bills would it take to stack them to the moon?
Another Angry Birds National Geographic mash-up! This fun, engaging paperback uses Angry Birds to explain the physics at work in the world–and behind the popular game.
National Geographic’s trademark science blends with Angry Birds’ beloved entertainment to take readers into the world of physics. Rhett Allain, physics professor and Wired blogger explains basic scientific principles in fun, accessible ways; the Angry Birds come along for the ride to illustrate concepts we see in the real world–as well as in the Angry Birds games. Packed with science and a sense of humor, this book will improve readers’ understanding of the world and how it works–and it may just improve their Angry Birds scores as well.
Rovio Learning is known for collaborating with several scientific and educational institutions, such as the National Geographic Society and NASA. The recent collaboration with CERN brings quantum physics to the reach of children. There is no subject that young children can not learn – when the medium is age-appropriate, fun and engaging!
We currently live in a world filled with videos. There are videos on YouTube, feature movies and even videos recorded with our own cameras and smartphones. These videos present an excellent opportunity to not only explore physical concepts, but also inspire others to investigate physics ideas.
With video analysis, we can explore the fantasy world in science-fiction films. We can also look at online videos to determine if they are genuine or fake. Video analysis can be used in the introductory physics lab and it can even be used to explore the make-believe physics embedded in video games.
This book covers the basic ideas behind video analysis along with the fundamental physics principles used in video analysis. The book also includes several examples of the unique situations in which video analysis can be used.
Do you need help with your physics course? Maybe you just want to go over some of the concepts from that intro class you took some time ago. Well, then maybe this book is for you.
What is this? Is it a textbook? Maybe. It isn’t a traditional textbook, that is for sure. There are no homework questions and it is written in a much more informal style.
This book goes over basic physics that you would find in the first semester of a college-level or high school physics course.
Contributed Chapter in Science Blogging: The Essential Guide
Here is the essential how-to guide for communicating scientific research and discoveries online, ideal for journalists, researchers, and public information officers looking to reach a wide lay audience. Drawing on the cumulative experience of twenty-seven of the greatest minds in scientific communication, this invaluable handbook targets the specific questions and concerns of the scientific community, offering help in a wide range of digital areas, including blogging, creating podcasts, tweeting, and more. With step-by-step guidance and one-stop expertise, this is the book every scientist, science writer, and practitioner needs to approach the Wild West of the Web with knowledge and confidence.
Rhett Allain's Stuff 