Description
About the Author
Dave Goldberg is a professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Physics at Drexel University. He earned a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Princeton University, and currently works on issues in theoretical cosmology, especially on how gravity can distort our view of the universe. Dr. Goldberg is very interested in the interface between science and pop culture and is especially prone to nerdly excess of sci-fi references. He writes an ""Ask a Physicist"" column for io9.com, has been featured on NPR's Studio 360, and has contributed to Slate.com and the L.A. Times. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and daughters.
Reviews
From Publishers Weekly With a large measure of humor and a minimum of math (one equation), physics professor Goldberg and engineer Blomquist delve into the fascinating physics topics that rarely make it into introductory classes, including time travel, extraterrestrials, and ""quantum weirdness"" to prove that physics' ""reputation for being hard, impractical, and boring"" is wrong by at least two-thirds: ""Hard? Perhaps. Impractical? Definitely not... But boring? That's where we really take issue."" Breaking up each topic into common sense questions (""How many habitable planets are there?"" ""What is Dark Matter?"" ""If the universe is expanding, what's it expanding into?""), the duo provides explanations in everyday language with helpful examples, analogies, and Blomquist's charmingly unpolished cartoons. Among other lessons, readers will learn about randomness through gambling; how a Star Trek-style transporter might function in the real world; and what may have existed before the Big Bang. Despite the absence of math, this nearly-painless guide is still involved and scientific, aimed at science hobbyists rather than science-phobes; it should also prove an ideal reference companion for more technical classroom texts. 100 b&w photos. Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. * With a large measure of humor and a minimum of math (one equation), physics professor Goldberg and engineer Blomquist delve into the fascinating physics topics that rarely make it into introductory classes, including time travel, extraterrestrials, and ""quantum weirdness"" to prove that physics' ""reputation for being hard, impractical, and boring"" is wrong by at least two-thirds: ""Hard? Perhaps. Impractical? Definitely not... But boring? That's where we really take issue."" Breaking up each topic into common sense questions (""How many habitable planets are there?"" ""What is Dark Matter?"" ""If the universe is expanding, what's it expanding into?""), the duo provides explanations in everyday language with helpful examples, analogies, and Blomquist's charmingly unpolished cartoons. Among other lessons, readers will learn about randomness through gambling; how a Star Trek-style transporter might function in the real world; and what may have existed before the Big Bang. Despite the absence of math, this nearly-painless guide is still involved and scientific, aimed at science hobbyists rather than science-phobes; it should also prove an ideal reference companion for more technical classroom texts. 100 b&w photos. (Mar.) (PublishersWeekly.com, March 29, 2010) ""If you've ever wondered what happened before the big bang or where the universe is expanding, then the new book A User's Guide to the Universe is for you. A hilariously serious journey through all the big questions (Can I build a time machine?) with answers from real-life physicist David Goldberg and sly illustrator Jeff Blomquist, this indispensable window on modern science makes a great nonfiction companion to the beloved, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."" (Christian Science Monitor)
Book Information
ISBN 9781630260200
Author Dave Goldberg
Format Hardback
Page Count 306
Imprint John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Publisher Turner Publishing Company
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 19mm