Instant Egghead Guide: Physics [Paperback]

Brian Clegg (Author), Scientific American (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 2009 | Series: Instant Egghead Guide

Scientific American's daily Sixty-Second Science podcast was such an unexpected success, with millions of downloads, that a spin-off site was created around the concept of bite-sized science. This new series of books will tackle the biggest topics in science by breaking them up into quick and easy two- to four-page spreads. Topics in each book will take the light and accessible tone of the 60-Second Science podcasts and blog. INSTANT EGGHEAD PHYSICS will explore quantum physics, relativity, and light.  It will break down complex ideas and explore why Einstein made some big blunders, how the ipod came to be, and what it would take to make teleportation possible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Will engage scientists and lay readers with a thorough, level-headed, reader-friendly treatment of controversial and complex material." - Publishers Weekly (Starred review)."

About the Author

Brian Clegg is the author of A Brief History of Infinity, The First Scientist: A Life of Roger Bacon, and Light Years: The Extraordinary Story of Mankind's Fascination with Light, and Upgrade Me: Our Search for Human 2.0. He holds a physics degree from Cambridge and has written regular columns, features, and reviews for numerous magazines. He lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 Original edition (November 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312592108
• ISBN-13: 978-0312592103
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #697,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian has written a number of popular science books, including Ecologic, The God Effect, on the most remarkable phenomenon of the quantum world and Before the Big Bang. Other titles include A Brief History of Infinity and Inflight Science, which explores the science that's all around you and outside your window when you are on an airplane.

Along with appearances at the Royal Institution in London he has spoken at venues from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to Cheltenham Festival of Science, has contributed to radio and TV programmes, and is a popular speaker at schools. Brian is also editor of the successful www.popularscience.co.uk book review site and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Brian has Masters degrees from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences and from Lancaster University in Operational Research, a discipline originally developed during the Second World War to apply the power of mathematics to warfare. It has since been widely applied to problem solving and decision making in business.

From Lancaster, he joined British Airways, where he ran teams including Emerging Technologies, amongst the most eccentric but talented staff in the company, who researched technologies from fingerprint recognition to electronic cash. This emphasis on innovation led to training with Dr. Edward de Bono, and in 1994 he left BA to set up his own creativity consultancy, running courses on the development of new ideas and products, and the creative solution of business problems. Clients include the BBC, the Met Office, British Airways, GlaxoSmithKline, Sony, The Treasury, Royal Bank of Scotland and many other blue-chips.

Brian has also written regular columns, features and reviews for numerous publications, including Nature, The Guardian, PC Week, Computer Weekly, Personal Computer World, Innovative Leader, Professional Manager, BBC History, Good Housekeeping and House Beautiful. His books have been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Thai and even Indonesian.