Fun puzzles that use physics to explore the wonders of everyday lifePhysics can explain many of the things that we commonly encounter. It can tell us why the night is dark, what causes the tides, and even how best to catch a baseball. With In Praise of Simple Physics, popular math and science writer Paul Nahin presents a plethora of situations that explore the science and math behind the wonders of everyday life. Roaming through a diverse range of puzzles, he illustrates how physics shows us ways to wring more energy from renewable sources, to measure the gravity in our car garages, to figure out which of three light switches in the basement controls the light bulb in the attic, and much, much more.How fast can you travel from London to Paris? How do scientists calculate the energy of an atomic bomb explosion? How do you kick a football so it stays in the air and goes a long way downfield? Nahin begins with simpler problems and progresses to more challenging questions, and his entertaining, accessible, and scientifically and mathematically informed explanations are all punctuated by his trademark humor. Readers are presumed to have some background in beginning differential and integral calculus. Whether you simply have a personal interest in physics' influence in the world or you're an engineering and science student who wants to gain more physics know-how, this book has an intriguing scenario for you.In Praise of Simple Physics proves that if we look carefully at the world around us, physics has answers for the most astonishing day-to-day occurrences.

Foreword by T. M. Helliwell ixPreface with Challenge Problems xi
1 How's Your Math? 1
2 The Traffic-Light Dilemma 20
3 Energy from Moving Air 25
4 Dragsters and Space Station Physics 32
5 Merry-Go-Round Physics and the Tides 42
6 Energy from Moving Water 51
7 Vectors and Bad Hair Days 63
8 An Illuminating Problem 67
9 How to Measure Depth with a Stopwatch 74
10 Doing the Preface Problems 79
11 The Physics of Stacking Books 92
12 Communication Satellite Physics 103
13 Walking a Ladder Upright 110
14 Why Is the Sky Dark at Night? 115
15 How Some Things Float (or Don't) 126
16 A Reciprocating Problem 141
17 How to Catch a Baseball (or Not) 146
18 Tossing Balls and Shooting Bullets Uphill 153
19 Rapid Travel in a Great Circle Transit Tube 163
20 Hurtling Your Body through Space 177
21 The Path of a Punt 194
22 Easy Ways to Measure Gravity in Your Garage 200
23 Epilogue Newton's Gravity Calculation Mistake 218
Postscript 227
Acknowledgments