Летящият цирк на физиката

by Jearl Walker, Боян Джаков (Translator)

Давам ви тези задачи за развлечение.
Разберете ме правилно.
Съвсем нямам намерение да ви измъчвам.
Някои от задачите ще ви се сторят лесни, някои са изключително сложни и много мъже и жени се трудят, опитвайки се да намерят отговора им.
Но дори и тези,"костеливите", са за развлечение.
Мен не ме интересува колко от задачите ще решите, а доколко съм ви накарал да си поблъскате главата над тях.
Преди всичко с тази книга искам да покажа, че физиката не е нещо, което се създава само в институтските лаборатории.
Физика и физични проблеми има навсякъде около нас - в света, в който живеем, работим, обичаме и умираме.
Аз се надявам, че книгата ще ви увлече и всеки от вас ще започне да търси своя летящ цирк на физиката сред света, който ви заобикаля.
Започнете ли да мислите за физика когато готвите, пътувате със самолет или просто се излежавате край планински поток, ще знам, че усилията ми не са отишли напразно...
И все пак не забравяйте, че задачите са преди всичко за развлечение.

Джърл Уокър

Genres: Physics, Science, Nonfiction

438 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Jearl Walker (born 1945 in Florida) is a physicist noted for his book Flying Circus of Physics, first published in 1975; the second edition was published in June 2006. He teaches physics at Cleveland State University.

Walker has also revised and edited the textbook Fundamentals of Physics with David Halliday and Robert Resnick.

Walker is a well known popularizer of physics, and appeared several times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Walker is known for his physics demonstrations, which have included sticking his hand in molten lead, walking barefoot over hot coals, lying on a bed of nails, and pouring freezing-cold liquid nitrogen in his mouth to demonstrate various principles of physics. Such demonstrations are included in his PBS series, Kinetic Karnival, produced by WVIZ in Cleveland, Ohio.

Walker authored The Amateur Scientist column in Scientific American magazine from 1978 to 1988. During the latter part of this period, he had been the Chairman of the Physics Department at Cleveland State University. He appeared regularly around this time on the long-running CBC radio science program Quirks and Quarks.

He is the first recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award from Cleveland State's College of Science. The College's Faculty Affairs Committee selected Walker as the first honoree based on his contributions to science education over the last 30 years. In future years, the award will be named "The Jearl Walker Outstanding Teaching Award". The award was presented in a ceremony on April 29, 2005.

Walker graduated with a degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1973.

Reviews

[JL Salty · Rating 3 out of 5]

10/22
Previewed for possible library purchase, to help 8th graders who don’t yet have the math but are interested in the science. I looked at an OLD copy, and it was just not attractive as an eye-catcher. And the problems were not terribly engaging. I did appreciate the cross-referencing to other problems applying the same principles. It’s fine, but I’ll keep looking.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect bathroom or bedtime book, consisting of many many in depth questions about physical phenomena, along with answers and references for further information. Copiously illustrated, it's great for posing questions (some of them still unsolved) to kids and adults.

[Cosmic Explorer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

[Rachele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good teaching resource. This version is much improved.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mind bender, and humbling too when one finds out how little one really knows about the world of physical things.

[Sjoerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply a must-have for anyone with an interest in teaching an demonstrating physics or science in general. I need not to say any more.