How Things Work Book Information

The 4^th edition of "How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life" is now available from John Wiley & Sons. This textbook examines 42 objects or activities in our everyday world and serves both as a comprehensive introduction to physics and as a guide to how many of the objects around us work. It is intended as a text for liberal arts students in a one or two semester survey course. What makes this essentially non-mathematical text unusual is that it begins with the objects and looks within them for the concepts of physics. It is first and foremost a book about those objects.

— Lou Bloomfield, Professor of Physics, University of Virginia

"Whether a curious layperson, a trained physicist, or a beginning physics student, most everyone will find this book an interesting and enlightening read and will go away comforted in that the world is not so strange and inexplicable after all."

— Carl Wieman, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2001, and Case/Carnegie US University Professor of the Year 2004

How Things Work: The Physics of Ordinary Life is appropriate for:

College or high school introductory physics courses that aim to teach more than factoids and formulas
Continuing education courses for adults who want to understand the physical and technological world around them
College or K-12 teachers who need supplementary materials for their classes
Children who are being homeschooled and who will benefit from studying physics they can understand and find relevant
Libraries that need educational resource materials
Science museums that are teaching real physics as outreach activities

and is available through most local or online bookstores, including: universities offering cna training classes

Table of Contents
Chapter 1	The Laws of Motion, Part 1	Chapter 9	Resonance and Mechanical Waves
Section 1.1	Skating	Section 9.1	Clocks
Section 1.2	Falling Balls	Section 9.2	Musical Instruments
Section 1.3	Ramps	Section 9.3	The Sea
Chapter 2	The Laws of Motion, Part 2	Chapter 10	Electricity
Section 2.1	Wind Turbines	Section 10.1	Static Electricity
Section 2.2	Wheels	Section 10.2	Xerographic Copiers
Section 2.3	Bumper Cars	Section 10.3	Flashlights
Chapter 3	Mechanical Objects, Part 1	Chapter 11	Magnetism and Electrodynamics
Section 3.1	Spring Scales	Section 11.1	Household Magnets
Section 3.2	Bouncing Balls	Section 11.2	Electric Power Distribution
Section 3.3	Carousels and Roller Coasters	Section 11.3	Hybrid Automobiles
Chapter 4	Mechanical Objects, Part 2	Chapter 12	Electronics
Section 4.1	Bicycles	Section 12.1	Power Adapters
Section 4.2	Rockets and Space Travel	Section 12.2	Audio Players
Chapter 5	Fluids	Chapter 13	Electromagnetic Waves
Section 5.1	Balloons	Section 13.1	Radio
Section 5.2	Water Distribution	Section 13.2	Microwave Ovens
Chapter 6	Fluids and Motion	Chapter 14	Light
Section 6.1	Garden Watering	Section 14.1	Sunlight
Section 6.2	Balls and Air	Section 14.2	Discharge Lamps
Section 6.3	Airplanes	Section 14.3	Lasers and LEDs
Chapter 7	Heat and Phase Transitions	Chapter 15	Optics
Section 7.1	Woodstoves	Section 15.1	Cameras
Section 7.2	Water, Steam, and Ice	Section 15.2	Optical Recording and Communications
Section 7.3	Clothing, Insulation, and Climate	Chapter 16	Modern Physics
Chapter 8	Thermodynamics	Section 16.1	Nuclear Weapons
Section 8.1	Air Conditioners	Section 16.2	Nuclear Reactors
Section 8.2	Automobiles	Section 16.3	Medical Imaging and Radiation

How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life is available through most local or online bookstores.

Instructors interested in using this book in a course should request one directly from John Wiley & Sons by CLICKING HERE (look for the “Instructor Review Copy” button on the linked page).

Table of Contents