Quantoons: Metaphysical Illustrations by Thomas Bunk, Physical Explanations by Arthur Eisenkraft And Larry D. Kirkpatrick [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Arthur Eisenkraft (Author), Larry D. Kirkpatrick (Author), Thomas Bunk (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0873552652 | ISBN-13: 978-0873552653 | Publication Date: January 30, 2006 | Edition: illustrated edition

Do you crave both physics problems and captivating illustrations? If your answer is "yes", look no further! Quantoons combines challenging problems and provocative quotes with intricate drawings that mix Isaac Newton and Marie Antoinette with Romeo, Juliet, and Einstein. The book is a compilation of 58 contest problems that ran between 1991 and 2001 in Quantum magazine; a collaboration between U.S. and Russian scientists that was published by NSTA. In addition to serving as a reader- involvement device, the problems and cartoons were intended to make inquiring minds think about physics and art in new ways and have fun doing it. When you open Quantoons, you ll be instantly attracted to the colorful cartoons, densely populated with quirky characters that look like something out of MAD magazine. And no wonder: Illustrator Tomas Bunk is a regular contributor to that publication! But when you pull yourself away from the drawings, you ll find that they work with the text to give new context to interesting physics concepts. For example, a Quantoon that explores the classic physics problem of crossing a raging river and determining where you ll land on the opposite shore is accompanied by a funny/sad metaphorical cartoon about traversing the river of life from birth to death.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Highlighted quotes and quirky full-page cartoon illustrations with commentary add fun and stimulation. Excellent enrichment for teachers and students. --Curriculum Connections, School Library Journal, Fall 2006

...Would that our textbook illustrations and chalkboard drawings were even 10 percent as creative as Quantoons! ...Prepare to be intellectually stimulated and visually delighted! Enjoy Quantoons! --Radiations, Spring 2006

2006 Association of Educational Publishers Winner --Association of Educational Publishers

A few examples of the type of information in the Quantoons would have helped me to assess whether the book was appropriate for middle or high school students. --Reviewed by: Christin (Gainesville, FL) on July 16, 2008

Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: National Science Teachers Association; illustrated edition edition (January 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873552652
• ISBN-13: 978-0873552653
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,575,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ways to Enjoy Quantoons - from one of the authors, May 8, 2006

By 

A. Eisenkraft (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quantoons: Metaphysical Illustrations by Thomas Bunk, Physical Explanations by Arthur Eisenkraft And Larry D. Kirkpatrick (Paperback)

People can enhance their appreciation of the physical world through the windows of art, literary quotes or physics problems in Quantoons.

Art types - Tomas Bunk has provided an insight into the world of physics that only a MAD magazine and Garbage Pail Kids artist could do. His written explanations of the creative art process that accompanies each Quantoon adds a richness to the art appreciation. It is remarkable to see how an artist without any physics background can merge physics content with artistic vision and make physics personal.

Literary types - Each Quantoon is introduced with a quote from literary greats like Dante, Coleridge, Camus, Shakespeare or scientists like Faraday, Newton, Weyl or others like Garcia, Dylan, Jagger.

Physics types - engaging and challenging physics problems (calculus used only rarely) with solutions. Students from high school to freshman physics to grad students will all find these problems to have interesting twists. Could certainly be a supplementary addition to freshman physics courses. Each problem is preceeded by an explanation of the relevant physics content.