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reinhardt's review
4.0
A great book to think through a high school physics course (or college course for that matter). It covers the same areas a physics textbook would cover in the same order, but in an entirely question-answer format, or I should say, question-explanation.
The questions are carefully thought out to provide illuminating examples. The explanations aim to create a true understanding of the physics behind the math. There is no math in this book, are almost none.
It is particularly good in the mechanics, kinematics, dynamics section - the 'real world' kind of physics that you can visualize. Once it gets into electromagnetics, and God help us, quantum mechanics and relativity, common sense is an impediment to understanding. It still offers illuminating explanations, but you really need some physics background to wade into that territory.
It ends with a several page long "Get-Off-My-Lawn" rant that is both funny and mostly true, but out of place in a physics book. He seems to be under the impression that if physicists ran the world, all would be well. It's all those dang humanities majors. He makes a swack of valid complaints, but the solution is not to turn the world over to scientists.
The questions are carefully thought out to provide illuminating examples. The explanations aim to create a true understanding of the physics behind the math. There is no math in this book, are almost none.
It is particularly good in the mechanics, kinematics, dynamics section - the 'real world' kind of physics that you can visualize. Once it gets into electromagnetics, and God help us, quantum mechanics and relativity, common sense is an impediment to understanding. It still offers illuminating explanations, but you really need some physics background to wade into that territory.
It ends with a several page long "Get-Off-My-Lawn" rant that is both funny and mostly true, but out of place in a physics book. He seems to be under the impression that if physicists ran the world, all would be well. It's all those dang humanities majors. He makes a swack of valid complaints, but the solution is not to turn the world over to scientists.
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