Jo Hermans

Everyday Physics (eBook, ePUB)

Unusual insights into familiar things

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Fascinating, fun and friendly, this physics book is perfect for anyone with a healthy dose of curiosity.

How can you tell where a sound is coming from? What is the human energy equivalent of a vacuum cleaner? How does GPS work? Why do eggs explode in the microwave? Is there a vacuum inside double-glazed windows? Can you get less wet by cycling faster?

With clear explanations and hundreds of colourful photos and diagrams, Everyday Physics is an engaging physics book accessible for all ages. You can read this brilliant book in whatever order you want, dipping in and out of the different sections. Based on Hermans' Everyday physics lecture series, it combines deep physical insights with back-of-the-envelope calculations, relating abstract physics concepts to the real world, often in a surprising way.

Everyday Physics also features lots of intriguing home experiments to further demonstrate the explanations. Most of these can be done using simple items from the kitchen, such as using a glass of water, a torch, and a few drops of milk to understand why the sky is blue and the setting sun red. If you want to dig a bit deeper, there are extra resources in the shaded boxes throughout.

Whether you're a parent, grandparent, college student or just have a healthy interest in the world around you, this book will bring the magic of physics to your everyday life. Once you discover the beauty of science, ordinary things will become extraordinary.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK
• Seitenzahl: 320
• Erscheinungstermin: 2. September 2021
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781906860820
• Artikelnr.: 62045568

Autorenporträt

Prof Jo Hermans is Emeritus Professor of Physics at Leiden University in the Netherlands. In addition to his academic research and teaching, he is active in promoting science to the general public. His books have been translated worldwide. He is a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Inhaltsangabe

Part A - Outdoor Life How does GPS navigation work? (With a nod to Albert
Einstein) Why are some mountain winds so warm? What is wind chill? Why is
ice so slippery? Waves at the beach How fast do raindrops fall? Why don't
fog drops fall? Skydiving: how fast can you fall? How high will the sun
rise today? How hot does the sun feel? Parallel light beams from the sun
Summer and winter, why such a big difference? Why do you walk the way you
do? Part B - Bicycle and Car The human engine The human energy equivalent
of a vacuum cleaner How do you keep your temperature constant? How
efficient is cycling? What forces affect a cyclist? Can you cycle at 100
km/ h? How fast can you cycle on the moon? Is cycling really harder with a
side wind? Minimizing your journey time The cyclist's soggy back Can you
get less wet by cycling faster? Rolling resistance, air resistance and fuel
consumption How many cars per hour can a road take? Part C - Light and
Colour Cosy candlelight Why are incandescent bulbs so inefficient? Luminous
ideas: fluorescent lights and LEDs Why is the sky blue and the setting sun
is red? Two kinds of smoke from the same cigarette? Swimming pools are
deeper than they look Sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees How
sharply can you see? Your eye is more sensitive than a camera Puddles on a
dry road Seeing the sun after sunset Transparent windowpanes and opaque
lace curtains Seeing clearly underwater What makes rainbows? Why are soap
bubbles so colourful? Why are CDs so colourful? How does a hologram work?
Why does the sea look so blue? What's special about Polaroid glasses? Part
D - Sound and Hearing What do your ears hear? Why isn't there more noise
pollution? The energy-cost of talking How can you tell where a sound is
coming from? Discriminating between different voices: the cocktail party
effect Do you hear better at night? Can the wind blow sound to you? Do
noise barriers work? Can you hear whether the curtains are closed?
Doh-re-mi: the physics of musical scales Why orchestras go out of tune
Part E - In and Around the House Why do eggs explode in the microwave? Can
you cool your home with your fridge? Curve balls, backspin and top spin How
much power can you get from solar energy? The mystery of the wandering
carpets Common misconceptions about the radiometer Is thick glass a better
insulator than thin glass? Is there a vacuum inside double glazing windows?
Can you feel energy consumption? Is a black central heating radiator better
than a white one? Does black paint get hotter than white? Does Baby really
need a hot water bottle? The lid on the saucepan Why does the air get so
dry in winter? Why don't you die of heat in the sauna? The wine-mixing
problem The wandering tea leaves