Customer Reviews

Get a Grip on Physics

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is great, but I wouldn't recommend keeping it in your car. It is so good that it might distract you, causing you to mysteriously run into fire hydrants and trees.

I have read many of John Gribbin's books, and have liked them all. This is by far the most general and basic of his books that I've read, but it is still wonderful. It is great for general audiences, and is suitable for adults and older children. He describes the basics of physics from early developments through the latest subatomic particle discoveries and string theory, so for such a small book, it covers a lot of area, without the mathematical rigor of a typical physics text.

On page 41 he discusses electromagnetic relationships, and has one of the most easily comprehensible explanations (and illustrations) that I have seen for this basic physical phenomenon. In his discussion of the speed of light, he explains the basics of Einstein's insights in a comprehensible manner that clarifies basic relativity well for beginners, though he does make a minor mathematical error on page 49.

I found his discussions of quantum physics very strong, with a great explanation of things like the famous "quantum leap" and atomic shell stability that is both accurate, and accessible to non-scientists while still being entertainingly written. I have always admired Ernest Rutherford's work, and was especially amused to see the inclusion of his famed quip about chemistry in his biography: "all of science is either physics or stamp collecting," this despite winning the Nobel Prize for chemistry (which he always regarded as an inferior academic discipline to physics.)

As the book gets further into the modern era, needless to say, the subjects get tinier and stranger. Gribbin covers the wackiest of subatomic particles (quarks, antiquarks, leptons, pions, glueballs, tauons, etc.) well, and excels in his basic introduction to string theory, the Schrödinger's Cat paradox, quantum uncertainty, compactification, black holes, superfluidity, and other oddities of the physical sphere. He pays more than a mention to Richard Feynman (although the terrible likeness of Feynman on page 145 makes him look more like the lead singer from "Night Ranger" than the eccentric physicist we know an love.) Feynman was one of the most brilliant men who ever lived, and Gribbin believes, as I do, that he was at least on par with Einstein, and possibly even more insightful.

This is a great introduction to physics, but I only gave it four stars for purely physical reasons (sorry about the pun.) The book is printed on unbleached, recycled paper, which is rather dark brown, and is sometimes a big strain on the eyes to read; likewise, the small sections are sometimes chopped up and illustrations are inserted in awkward places, making it more difficult to read than it would otherwise be. I do like the illustrations, and think the biographies and fact boxes throughout help the reader immensely. This is a fine book, and I recommend it highly. I also recommend Gribbin's other books (which are somewhat more complex than this one), and highly recommend Feynman's books as well.

This book is very visually stimulating and provides a great overview of physics hisorty, theories, founders, and current ideas. Every page is differnt: it is not just text and diagrams, but drawings and sketches and smaller blocks of text explaining key ideas, words, and people mentioned. I found this very helpful because it kept me entertained and wanting to read more. Every page I turned gave me several choices of what to read first: either a mini biography about someone, or their ideas or theories, or how something applys to my every day life.
It is very cleverly written, and provides a lot of real life, easily relatable examples.

It does not, however, delve deeply into the mathematics of physics equations, or the minute details of every theory; so if you are really looking to really learn physics, this will be a bit too shallow. But for the layman, it will provide a lot of general knowledge on the subject, and give you insight into somethings you may have never though about.

the chapter on the physics surrounding the effect of a pitching wedge on the rear window of a Cadillac Escalade, when forcefully applied by an angry Swedish supermodel. Apparently, this confluence of events will cause the Escalade to act in a highly erratic fashion, and may even cause the driver to lose consciousness and lay on the ground (though the latter effect may be exacerbated by the supermodel's application of the wedge to the driver's lips at some point prior -- further testing on this is required).

Just a warning, that although this book really does help you get a grip on physics, it should not be read while driving, especially at 2:30 am.

This book seems to be out of print, but there's lots more by Gribbin around. Maybe Tiger should read In Search of Schrodinger's Cat, and find out how to be in two places at once!

Reading this book may help you swing a club effectively, even if you're not a professional golfer. You never know when this skill might come in handy. I'd recommend you buy this book and keep in in your car, just in case.

I loved it. Was of more use to me than the several years I had of college physics-- conceptually. College texts in physics have a way of glossing over the "what's going on" and skipping straight to the equations in a way that at times mean you can solve the word problems but still maybe don't have a crystal clear mental picture of what's really happening. And with stuff like wave/particle dualities, the concepts aren't exactly easy. I really liked this book in that it focussed on the concepts (without getting sucked into the quantitiative) without watering down the content at all. I'd recommend this reading for anyone interested in the subject-- or anyone starting a major in the physical sciences. Wish I'd read this one before I took my year of physical chemistry. Also really enjoyed the occasional kick of dry humor: "One team that enthusiastically followed up the breakthrough made by Schwartz and Green was a group of four mathetmaticians based at Princeton University. They became known to their colleagues as the Princeton String Quartet, which gives you an idea of the kind of jokes mathematicians find amusing."

This is the book that was on the floor in the pictures of Tiger Woods on the Golf magazine website after the accident. This is an excellent book and author has several others I am going to get.