The Cartoon Guide to Physics

By Larry Gonick and Art Huffman

Book Overview

If you think a negative charge is something that shows up on your credit card bill, imagine that Ohm's Law dictates how long to meditate, or believe that Newtonian mechanics will fix your car, then you need The Cartoon Guide to Physics to set you straight

You don't have to be a scientist to grasp complex ideas, because The Cartoon Guide to Physics explains them all: velocity, acceleration, explosions, electricity and magnetism, circuits--even a taste of relativity theory--in simple, clear, and, yes, funny illustrations.

In The Cartoon Guide to Physics, you'll find illustrated and entertaining deep-dives into:

AC and DC: As in "alternating current" and "direct current"--not the Australian rock and roll band. (But we promise that electrical currents can be cool too )Electric and magnetic fields: Not just a proposal to make football more exciting Together they account for almost all of the forces you encounter in daily life that aren't gravity--friction, tension, chemical bonding, and the rigidity of solid objects.Weightlessness: Why are astronauts weightless in their spacecrafts? And can we achieve weightlessness on Earth? (Spoiler: Yes, we can--in a falling elevator Don't worry though, you won't be weightless for too long...)Newtons: The unit of force, not the delicious fig cookies. (Although, you COULD change your newtons by eating a lot of Newtons...)And so much more

Gonick's wry wit and humorous examples--coupled with his legendary cartooning skills and bolstered by the brain of physics professor Art Huffman--distill these dense and sometimes difficult topics into material that's relatable, easy to digest, and fun to read. Students and professors, as well as the casually curious, will emerge with a deeper understanding of the core principles of physics, and Gonick will--somehow, impossibly--make them laugh along the way.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062731009
• ISBN13: 9780062731005
• Release Date: December 1991
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Truly Outstanding

It makes all the physics concepts and math in my high school physics class easy to understand. If I were on a textbook adoption commitee, I would buy class sets of these. Cartoon Guide cuts the nonsense and filler of your average high school physics and goes straight to the heart of the matter in a way that is accessible yet not at all dumbed down. Thank you Mr. Gonick for helping me get an "A" in physics! I was using a classroom copy. Now I will buy my own for when I go to college.

Learning with a light touch

The primary hurdle to overcome in learning the basics of physics is believing that it is indeed possible for you to learn them. Motion, electricity, magnetism, light and even relativity are all based on fundamental ideas that are well within the grasp of most people. Your reach and the strength of your grip will both be amplified by the contents of this book. Using simple diagrams and plain language, you are walked through a basic physics course, from the concept of linear motion to the most "bizarre" consequences of relativity. Gonick it truly one of a kind when it comes to the explanation of complex phenomena using drawings and cartoon-like dialog. It is one of the rare literary creations, a book that educates in science that is also fun to read. There are no sharp edges of difficulty, it is much like one of those disciplinary paddles with a pillow on the end.

Good book

I believe that my physics career began with this book about thetime I was in fourth grade. I really liked it and I didn't find themath to be too hard. Besides the main point that it got across (atleast to me) was that science was interesting. If you are an educator for students anywhere between the third grade and eighth grades this might be a good book to have on your shelf. Though ... the lower end of this spectrum probably wont be getting as much out of it due to a general lack of mathematical understanding.

LEARNING PHYSICS CAN BE FUN

I have a degree in Physics from 37 years ago and picked this book up after browsing for a few minutes. The book is GREAT, OUTSTANDING, FUN TO READ, WELL ORGANIZED and EXPLAINS a lot about the every day physics we live in. This book is a must for students interested in learning more about physics. I am going to buy a couple of other titles by this author for my library.

I love Cartoon Guides!

Larry Gonick is amazing. I've read a number of his "cartoon guides" and this one didn't let me down. I happened to read it while taking a highschool physics class. It was great--I kept thinking "Oh! *Now* I get it!" I think that this is an excellent supplement to any "official" textbook or class: the textbook will give you the math problems, etc., and the Cartoon Guide to Physics will allow you to understand the concepts behind them.