Physics for future Presidents, Fall 2007 edition [Paperback]

Richard Muller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 142662901X | ISBN-13: 978-1426629013 | Publication Date: August 1, 2007 | Edition: 1

This is a custom book created specifically for Physics C10 or L&S C70V, Descriptive Introduction to Physics, at University of California, Berkeley. In one semester, the goal of this text is to cover the physics that future world leaders need to know.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Muller is a Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Faculty Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. He is known for his broad range of achievements, in fields ranging from particle physics to geophysics, applied physics, and astrophysics. His skill at explaining science to non-scientists was honed over decades of advising top business and government leaders. For 34 years he was a Jason consultant to the U.S. government on national security.

Muller was appointed to the faculty at Berkeley in 1980. For many years, he taught the courses designed for physics majors. In 2001, he was asked to teach the course for liberal arts students, then dubbed Physics for Poets. He completely revised the course, and wrote the present book to accompany it.

He is the author of several other books: Nemesis (about dinosaur extinctions, 1988), The Three Big Bangs (with Phil Dauber, 1996), Ice Ages and Astronomical Causes (with Gordon MacDonald, a technical introduction to paleoclimate study, 2000), and The Sins of Jesus (1999, a novel in which Jesus is depicted as a prophet, with no supernatural powers). For three years he wrote a monthly column for MIT's Technology Review, "Technology for Presidents", based on his course PffP at Berkeley. His articles illuminate world affairs by bringing in relevant physics. They are available on his website (address below).

His work has been honored by many awards, including the Alan T. Waterman Award of the National Science Foundation, the Texas Instruments Founders Prize, and a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship. He was listed by Newsweek Magazine in 1989 as one of the top 25 innovators in the United States. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the California Academy of Arts and Sciences. Muller won a Distinguished Teacher Award at Berkeley in 1999.

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Custom Publishing; 1 edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142662901X
• ISBN-13: 978-1426629013
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,127,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Physics for the citizen, December 30, 2007

By 

mountain biker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Physics for future Presidents, Fall 2007 edition (Paperback)

A former student, both a physics and political science major, recommended this text to me. It is a great way to present physics to non-science students. In fact, the content is such that U Cal Berkeley allows physics majors to take the course for credit. It is not something they learn in normal physics courses. But they should know this stuff.

Since I have been given the task to teach an introductory non-science major course, I will borrow heavily from this text. The course will be quite different from what is normally taught, but it is worth it. Students should remember this, as it is relevant to their lives. My only complaint is that the book I received had numerous garbled text entries in the footnotes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overcoming Distortion, Exaggeration, & Cherry-Picking of Evidence, November 1, 2009

By 

Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Physics for future Presidents, Fall 2007 edition (Paperback)

While cleverly titled as a book for future presidents, "Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines" is an excellent resource for all, particularly for those who have been confused and/or dismayed by conflicting opinions and data on important science-based global issues of the day - terrorism, energy, nukes, space, and global warming. Physics Professor (UC Berkeley), "MacArthur Fellowship" winner, and now author, Richard Muller, does an excellent job in setting the record straight for a global public victimized by "experts" and politicians who have been distorting, exaggerating, and cherry-picking the evidence to advance personal agendas as well as by the fourth estate, the mainstream media, who has been complicit with news bias and an intellectual laziness in ferreting out the facts.

This very well written and easy to read book has been written for the lay audience. Those who take the time to read "Physics for Future Presidents" will be well informed and well prepared to discuss these issues from a position of knowledge rather than opinion drawn from the lay press. You will learn about the difference between uranium and plutonium bombs, the difficulty of enriching uranium (Iran), the most probable future terrorist attacks, the truth about solar power and all other alternative energy sources, the realities of human space travel, the science behind low to high orbit satellites, the probability of cancer resulting from radiation exposure, the future of oil, the real cost of energy, and the importance of energy conservation.

"Physics for Future Presidents" covers the most essential facts and ideas enabling readers to understand the science behind the headlines, to discern distortions and personal agendas, and to participate fully in any discussion with friends, families, and associates. I have found this, despite my technical and science background, to be one of the most useful books I have read over the past four years. Muller does an excellent job in entertaining while laying out scientific principles critical to understanding today's world simply.