Book Description
This book is an unconventional introduction to physics and science that starts with whole objects and looks inside them to see what makes them work. It's written for students who seek a connection between science and the world in which they live. How Things Work brings science to the reader rather than the reverse. Like the course in which it developed, this book has always been for nonscientists and is written with their interests in mind. Nonetheless, it has attracted students from the sciences, engineering, architecture, and other technical fields who wish to put scientific concepts into context.
This book is written in English and organized in a case-study fashion. It conveys an understanding and appreciation for physics by finding physics concepts and principles within the familiar objects of everyday experience. Because its structure is defined by real-life examples, this book necessarily discusses concepts as they're needed and then revisits them later on when they reappear in other objects.
Lou Bloomfield is a highly dedicated teacher and one of the most popular professors at University of Virginia, and was the recipient of the 1998 State of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award. Lou has given talks all over the country on teaching physics through everyday objects. He has extreme attention to detail and knowledge of technical physics. He is very tech savvy and has been able to provide many of the photos and illustrations for the text himself.
Customer Reviews:
How Things Work.......2007-02-16
Book in excellent shape and quickly shipped would definitly buy from seller again.
Great book on a number of different levels.......2006-10-10
I'm a professor of engineering, and decided to use this book as the primary textbook to give a basic idea, for humanities and liberal arts students, of what engineers do. What a great decision! The first part of the book sweeps neatly through basic physics, which is also, as it turns out, basic engineering. Statics, dynamics, friction, thermo--it's all there, neatly encapsulated in a way that humanities students can easily understand what's going on. The text then moves on to the types of things that really float my boat as an engineer--how refrigerators, car engines, and microwave ovens work. Even though I've been involved in engineering for years, and am a licensed professional engineer, I still learned interesting and helpful new ways of thinking about devices and how things work from this book. Moreover, I think this book helps give non-science and non-engineering students the kind of broad-ranging education they *should* be receiving in a university level. Engineering students, after all, have to study at least a modicum of subjects that relate to world history, English, psychology, and so forth. But humanities students can graduate from college without even having the faintest idea about the workings of the technology that can make their lives so healthy, pleasant and liveable. Call me biased or part of the great NASCAR unwashed, but I think it's just as important for a student to be aware of the essentials of how their refrigerator and car work as it is for them to understand the nuances of Shakespeare. Understanding of the fundamentals of technology also leads to students having a better understanding of the tradeoffs involved in good stewardship of the environment.
Dr. Bloomfield has an extensive list of thoroughly researched demonstrations available through his website. I use some of these demonstrations almost every class day, and students really like them. (I couple the demonstrations with active learning exercises and cooperative learning activities, which helps keep them awake and motivated. I also combine use of Bloomfield's book with readings from Henry Petroski's "Success through Failure, and with short film clips from the National Association of Manufacturers.)
In a study I am working on, I've found that universities that use this text as the backbone of physics courses for non-scientists and non-engineers generally seem to have huge enrollments. That speaks of the giant educational need this book seems to fill.
A great book........2000-08-15
As a highschool physics teacher, I strongly recommend this book to every physics (and science) teacher. It can serve as a source for daily life examples of physics principles in your instructions. Even if you are an inquiry minded person, you are going to find well-designed explanations for the functioning of lots of tools, machines, etc. in the book. Really exciting, rich content, excellent book.
This is what physics is all about!.......2000-07-13
You don't need to be a physicist to understand this book. Take me for example, I took a year of Physics in college and this is enough for me to grasp the concepts presented in this book. What's so wonderful about this book is that it goes beyond the mere equations and formulas we desparately memorized before a physics test, it shows that how physics can be incorporated into our lives and improving the quality of our lives. This is a great book for those preparing for the physics AP test and those who simply want to keep themselves amazed.
What a wonderful holiday gift!.......1999-12-22
For all of those people that are struggling over what to get their science-loving friends and family members, this is the best book you could get! Adults and teenagers alike will surely love reading this book and looking at the wonderful pictures. I am so glad that I got this book, because I have learned about the devices that I use everyday.
Book Description
This book treats the experimental techniques and instrumentation most often used in nuclear and particle physics experiments as well as in various other experiments. It provides useful results and formulae, technical know-how and informative details. This second edition has been revised; sections on Cherenkov radiation and radiation protection have been updated and extended. Thanks to the author's long teaching experience, the material is presented in a very practical, hands-on way making the book a useful text and laboratory companion for students and experienced scientists alike.
Customer Reviews:
Concise overview for the nuclear experimentalist.......2000-08-23
Leo's book is a good, concise and concerning standard methods especially in nuclear spectroscopy up-to-date summary of the field. The basic physics ideas are introduced, although not too deeply discussed (but this is a book for the experimentalist, therefore no objections). It is a helpful companion in simple experimental considerations which come to an experimental nuclear spectroscopist every day: The color codes of resistors and the overview over the connectors in a CAMAC crate are examples for these features.
Elaborate references are given for each section that make it possible for the reader to find additional descriptions rather easily. Additional insight on dosimetry and radiation damage and some remarks on statistics make this book an interesting alternative to G.F. Knoll's "Radiation detection and measurement".
The emphasis of Leo's approach is surely (a) on a concise overview rather than an in-depth discussion and (b) on nuclear spectroscopy (gamma and particle detection at some MeV or so) rather than medium and large-scale high-energy physics experiments. Widely used components of high-energy physics equipment are, however, presented, but additional literature might be needed.
One final remark to my fellow reviewer Fabio: One example for a "statistical process" is e.g. the number of electron-hole pairs created in the detection of a charged particle or gamma ray. This process is truely statistical, i.e. it does not depend on things that the experimentator has at hand. The intrinsic resolution of a high-purity Germanium detector with respect to a, say, 3 MeV gamma ray cannot be changed (at least to a large extent). Have a look into Leo's book if you don't believe me!
Quite deep overview, but statistics..........1998-11-27
It's a good book: very good English, it treats quite everything from the point of view of CAUSES! It's full of precise references (good for the thesis!).
Expecially good topics: ionization and scintillation detectors; photomultipliers. Lacks: calorimetres and Cerenkov counters! For these topics I suggest: 'Particle Detectors' (many auth.), Cambridge University Press.
Just one thing about statistics: you have always to substitute this sentence:
''... because of the statistical nature of the process...''
with
''...because of the uncertainties related to the process, we choose to treat it as statistical...'' OK, it's a bit longer; but are you sure that all advanced physicians know that Caos does not exist as a real entity? It's just a choice of the experimenter to supply lacks in understanding and measuring the process or to simplify it. If you don't believe so, I ask you: why do you make research? Let's talk about it.
Average customer rating:
- strong computational emphasis
- Great Suppliment to Numerical methods
- Python for Science Academics and Engineers, NOT programmers
- Convincing demonstration of Python's value in science
|
Python Scripting for Computational Science (Texts in Computational Science and Engineering)
Hans Petter Langtangen
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Software Development
| Software Design, Testing & Engineering
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Python
| Languages & Tools
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Applied
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematical Physics
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Applied
| Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematical Physics
| Physics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Computers & Internet
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Computers & Internet
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Numerical Methods in Engineering with Python
-
wxPython in Action
-
Python Cookbook
-
Text Processing in Python
-
Python Essential Reference (3rd Edition) (Developer's Library)
Accessories:
-
Pro Spring
-
User Interface Design for Programmers
-
Expert Spring MVC and Web Flow (Expert)
ASIN: 3540294155 |
Book Description
The goal of this book is to teach computational scientists how to develop tailored, flexible, and human-efficient working environments built from small programs (scripts) written in the easy-to-learn, high-level language Python. The focus is on examples and applications of relevance to computational scientists: gluing existing applications and tools, e.g. for automating simulation, data analysis, and visualization; steering simulations and computational experiments; equipping old programs with graphical user interfaces; making computational Web applications; and creating interactive interfaces with a Maple/Matlab-like syntax to numerical applications in C/C++ or Fortran. In short, scripting with Python makes you much more productive, increases the reliability of your scientific work and lets you have more fun - on Unix, Windows and Macintosh. All the tools and examples in this book are open source codes. The third edition is compatible with the new NumPy implementation and features updated information, correction of errors, and improved associated software tools.
Customer Reviews:
strong computational emphasis.......2006-11-13
Langtangen's emphasis here is on a reader who comes from a strong background in engineering or science, and is familiar with common computational ideas and has done some programming, but not necessarily in Python. The typical book on Python is aimed at a general programming reader, and the examples in such a book usually are quite elementary, from a computational viewpoint.
The merit of Langtangen's book is that he gets into a lot of computational ideas. This is not a trivial book. Aspects like parsing data in files, connecting to local and remote hosts, and interacting with programs written in other languages are covered. For the latter, the important cases of Fortran and C programs are explained. The choices of these languages is deliberate. In science and engineering, they are the dominant languages for raw computation. And you are likely to have legacy code written in these, that you cannot abandon while using Python.
Great Suppliment to Numerical methods.......2006-07-25
When I first got ahold of this book I had just finished learning all the gory details of good numerical codes. But when developing tests for simple cases I found that development went way too slow, so someone suggested I learn Python. This book provides a great demonstration of how python can supplement your existing codes. Either by organizing the tests, formatting output, or just adding pretty interfaces.
This book contains a lot of the necessary extras that a scientist or engineer must do to get his work going or finished, which is too pedantic to be taught in most courses. It shows the power of Python over some other scripting languages for this purpose. It is definitely one of the best references on my book shelf.
Python for Science Academics and Engineers, NOT programmers.......2005-06-03
I bought this book as an experienced programmer and Unix user expecting more of a "Numerical Recepies in Python" emphasis on the efficient implementation of algorithms which happen to be in Python. I should have paid more attention to the description.
This book is really more of a "Grad Student's Guide to Everyday Python Usage". I imagine it would be very valuable to a mathematics Grad student without too much programming or shell experience, looking for an alternative to Matlab. However, there is very little "Computational Science" in this book. Do NOT expect a cookbook of high performance algorithm implementations.
The book is a very verbose 700+ pages, all in an unexciting academic LaTeX format. The author works through idiom after idiom for accomplishing different tasks in fairly stand-alone sub-sections without much of a feeling of conceptual "flow" between them. It sort of feels like reading through the author's personal lab notes that he took everytime he learned a new language feature or trick.
If you are an experienced programmer, you will quickly get impatient with the verbose presentation that emphasizes idioms and examples instead of fundamental concepts and syntax reference tables. But, if you are an experienced programmer, you are not the target audience for this book.
Braddock Gaskill
Convincing demonstration of Python's value in science.......2004-10-15
The author has 2 main goals:
1) To improve the productivity of scientists familiar with specific software systems (especially Matlab, Maple, and Mathematica) by teaching them to "glue" applications together.
2) To advocate Python as the preferred "glue" language. In his own words, "I hope to convince computational scientists having experience with Perl that Python is a preferable alternative, especially for large long-term projects."
He has certainly done a creditable job. As an expert in computational differential equations, he neglects neither efficiency nor correctness, while stressing both simplicity and reliability. In this sense, he has done a great service to the Python community.
The question is: What justifies the purchase of his book?
The answer is: Chapters 4, 9, and 10.
Contents:
1. Introduction--26pp
Very convincing arguments.
2. Getting Started With Python Scripting--38pp
Interesting examples.
3. Basic Python--56pp
A too-quick tutorial. Go to python dot org instead.
4. Numerical Computing in Python--48pp
Stellar explanations of vectorized array operations.
5. Combining Python with Fortran, C, and C++--36pp
Details use of Fortran2Py and SWIG. Mentions many alternatives.
6. Introduction to GUI Programming--70pp
Useful examples of Tkinter/pmw widgets.
7. Web Interfaces and CGI Programming--24pp
Good source of ideas.
8. Advanced Python--132pp
Deep and extensive. Includes: option parsing, regular expressions, data persistence and compression, object-oriented programming, exceptions, generic programming, efficiency.
9. Fortran Programming with NumPy Arrays--32pp
All about efficiency and re-use.
10. C and C++ Programming with NumPy Arrays--40pp
More about efficiency. NumPy C API, C++ objects, and SCXX.
11. More Advanced GUI Programming--73pp
Tedious discussion of both Web and standalone GUIs. BLT, canvas, cgi.
12. Tools and Examples--70pp
Excellent examples of PDE solvers, with a powerful GUI, but quite long and tedious.
A. Setting up the Required Software Environment--16pp
Wonderfully specific installation instructions!
B. Elements of Software Engineering--50pp
Python's strength! Very practical advice on modularity, documentation, coding style, regression-testing, version-control.
Strengths:
+ Downloadable py4cs package, esp. numpytools module
+ Great advice everywhere, e.g. CGI checklist, Pythonic programming, and trouble-shooting.
+ Concrete evidence for most assertions.
+ Very attractive presentation. Sturdy, high-quality cover, binding and pages. Brief, elegant code fragments (except in Chapter 12). Readable prose. No wasted space.
+ Available as 5MB pdf file, after purchase of hardcopy. Very nice.
+ Slides, installation instructions, and errata also at web site. Very professional.
My peeves:
- Not enough tables to be a useful manual.
- On p.428(#7) he points out that handling a raised exception is very slow. However, when I time his example with a positive argument, the try-except version is 20% faster (b/c the if clause is skipped), so he is actually giving bad advice for the general case. Luckily, he contradicts himself later, on page 685: "Exceptions should be used instead of if-else tests." The best advice: Avoid common exceptions in inner loops.
- The 10-page index is not as great as it at first seems. (See Martelli's Python in a Nutshell for a better one.)
- Pure interface functions should 'raise NotImplementedError', rather than 'return'.
- Exceptions should never be trapped mindlessly with 'except:'. That would hide your own SyntaxErrors!
- Too many exercises. (It's published as a textbook.) Since there are no answers, the exercises are useless for non-students. (See Lutz's Learning Python for effective exercises with answers.)
Overall rating:
This contains the best information on numerical programming in Python that I've seen. Though expensive, it could easily be your only Python book, given the excellent online documenation already available.
Book Description
Will a magnet pick up a paper clip or a feather? The answer is, just the paper clip. Magnets only pick up things that contain bits of iron. In this new addition to the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, veteran author Franklyn Branley explains the properties and behavior of magnets. True Kelley's charming illustrations will entertain readers as they discover for themselves what makes a magnet. Hands-on activities include making a magnet and compass.
Customer Reviews:
Read it as a story or do the experiments.......2005-04-07
The good thing about this book is that it is interesting enough to read it (at bedtime, for example) without pausing to do the experiments or you can use it in conjunction with some great little experiments to learn more about magnets.
It is not extremely detailed, but my five-year-old son found it quite engaging and he was absolutely fascinated when the experiments worked "just the way the book said!" With the book's simple structure, I know it won't be too long before he is able to read it to himself, also. (It is around the second grade level, I would say.)
Nicely done for younger students.
Book Description
". . . dipping into this collection is much like opening a holiday gift and discovering a marvelous little toy that then holds your attention by some curious performance. . . . This book precisely reflects the way science education should be, especially at the introductory level." --From the foreword
Here is a collection of physics demonstrations costing very little to produce yet illustrating key concepts in amazingly simple and playful ways. Intended for instructors, students, and curious lay readers, these demonstrations make use of easily accessible, everyday items: food coloring and glycerine swirled and then "unmixed" in a container demonstrate aspects of the entropy law; raw eggs thrown with full force at a sheet but not breaking illustrate Newton's second law (f=ma); and the reflection off a glass Christmas tree ball is the focus of an explanation on "turning the world inside out." Many of the demonstrations are either new or include innovative twists on old ideas, as in the author's simplified version of the classic "Monkey and Hunter" problem, which substitutes "diluted gravity" on an inclined plane for large apparatus. Each demonstration outlines the objective, the equipment needed, and the procedure, including, in many instances, ways for a teacher to perform the demonstration on an overhead projector. Throughout the book concrete examples are accompanied by enough theoretical background to enhance a reader's basic understanding of physical principles. Lab instructors will find that demonstrations containing a quantitative component work well as mini- experiments and as ways to illustrate the results of calculations. These diverse and flexible demonstrations will serve a wide range of educational levels, from middle school physical science to university physics.
Customer Reviews:
Great detailed demos.......2001-12-16
This is definetely the best Ehrlich book I've read. The demos are great because he puts alot of thought into making them classroom friendly (there's alot using overhead projectors)and detailed. Most of the details should only be used with high school level and up, but most of the experiments are good anyways. He uses sound, detailed physics - not the vague or sometimes incorrect explanations you find in the lower budget books. There's also a great organization scheme that makes everything easy to find and indicates which experiments are appropriate for certain situations.
Not as good as its title.......1999-12-30
When I saw the title of the book, I thought it would be a good aid for me in my highschool physics teachings. Some of the demos are not explained in detail, and it is hard to find (at least for me)some materials that are listed by the author for the demo. However, the ideas have been serving as the starting points for me, after some modifications (and spending a few minutes to understand the setting) I could use them in my class. Alright, it is not a tough job, even may be helpfull, but be aware of the fact that you might find some demos hard to implement.
Customer Reviews:
Very good.......2007-02-08
Excellent. Very sort demonstrations with simple explanations. The only missing subject are quantum effects.
It is a very important complementary material for teaching all level.
Must-have book for Physics instructors .......2006-04-11
Lots of classic demos plus some unusual ones. Each chapter includes explicit instructions, background material, safety warnings, and references. A terrific resource for science teachers (specifically in physics) at all levels, though most useful at the high school or college level.
Average customer rating:
- janet vancleave review
- This book makes learning physics fun!
- Physics is Fun
- Very disappointing
|
Janice VanCleave's Physics for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments in Motion, Heat, Light, Machines, and Sound (Science for Every Kid Series)
Janice VanCleave
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Physics
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Experiments & Projects
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Light & Sound
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| VanCleave, Janice
| ( V )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Paperback
| VanCleave, Janice
| ( V )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Children's Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Janice VanCleave's Chemistry for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work
-
Janice VanCleave's Earth Science for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series)
-
Janice VanCleave's Biology For Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series)
-
Janice VanCleave's Astronomy for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series)
-
Janice VanCleave's Math for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Math Fun (Science for Every Kid Series)
ASIN: 0471525057 |
Book Description
How do magnets work? What makes a curve ball curve? What keeps an airplane in the air? How can a pulley make you five times stronger? Now you can learn the answers to these and other questions about basic physics through 101 fun, safe, low-cost experiments and activities that can be performed at home or in the classroom. In Physics for Every Kid, you'll learn about gravity from funnels that seem to defy nature by rolling up hill. Using a balloon as a power source, you'll make a fluorescent light bulb glow and learn how electrons are used to produce light. And you'll levitate a Ping-Pong ball to understand aerodynamics. Each of the 101 experiments is broken down into its purpose, a list of materials, step-by-step instructions, expected results, and an easy to understand explanation. Every activity has been pretested and can be performed safely and inexpensively in the classroom or at home. Also available in this series from Janice VanCleave: Astronomy for Every Kid Biology for Every Kid Chemistry for Every Kid Dinosaurs for Every Kid Earth Science for Every Kid Geography for Every Kid Geometry for Every Kid The Human Body for Every Kid Math for Every Kid
Customer Reviews:
janet vancleave review.......2006-07-10
this is an excellent resource for teachers or parents. experiments are fun and easy to do.
This book makes learning physics fun!.......2006-03-15
I would highly recommend Janice VanCleave's Physics For Every Kid. I am a 6th & 7th grade science teacher and have used activities from this book numerous times. There are so many tough concepts in physics and sometimes all it takes is a simple activity that the kids can see. The way I use the activities in this book, along with the others in this series, are to set them up as stations and have the kids rotate through them. It's an easy way to create hands-on learning and the kids LOVE it! This book is divided up into these categories: electricity, magnets, buoyancy, gravity, balance, flight, simple machines, inertia, motion, light, heat, and sound. I think the activities in this book are intended for grades 4-6, but could be adapted for younger or older kids. You won't be disappointed!
Physics is Fun.......2000-10-16
This book is just right for introducing physics concepts to children in the 8-12yrs. age range. My students prefer learning the concepts by "doing" rather than by just reading about them in a science text.
Very disappointing.......2000-01-01
I was very disappointed by the lack of information. The experiments (this book is entirely experiments - which I disliked) take a long time to set up. Even if they work (which they often don't), they will often only demonstarate a simple concept that could be explained in one paragraph. A complete waste of money. I would recomend "Physics the easy way" by Robert L. Lehrman (Barron's Educational Series, Inc.) over this book any day.
Book Description
Fills the need for an experimental physics text. There are three main sections of the text. The first is an introduction that offers valuable insights into the importance of the human element in physics and traces the course of its historical development. This section also explains the objectives of the physics laboratory and the skills you must master to maintain a ``Notebook'' and analyze data, and presents a general discussion of spectroscopy experiments. The second section discusses the unique and valuable role of the computer in the laboratory and explains how to use it; software is included with the text. The final section contains over twenty experiments, providing students with a broad introduction into the use of a variety of instruments for carrying out many different measurements.
Books:
- How to Solve Physics Problems (College Course)
- Introduction to Biophotonics
- Introduction to Combustion Phenomena (Combustion Science and Technology, Volume 2)
- Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd Edition)
- Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd Edition)
- Introduction to Laser Diode-Pumped Solid State Lasers (SPIE Tutorial Texts in Optical Engineering Vol. TT53)
- Introduction to Modern Photogrammetry
- Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
- Introduction to Quantum Information Science (Oxford Graduate Texts)
- Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Keeping the Books: Basic Recordkeeping and Accounting for the Successful Small Business
- Guide to Owning a Pomeranian: Puppy Care, Grooming, Training, History, Health, Breed Standard
- Copper Art Jewelry: A Different Luster
- History: Fiction or Science
- How to Talk Jewish
- In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
- Food Chains in a Desert Habitat
- The Bounce Back Quotient
- Dream Merchants and Howboys: Mavericks, Nutters and the Road to Business Success
- Constructing a Market Economy: Diverse Paths from Central Planning in Asia and Europe
How Everything Works: Making Physics Out of the Ordinary
The Flying Circus of Physics
Mad About Physics: Braintwisters, Paradoxes, and Curiosities
Thinking Physics: Understandable Practical Reality
The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things
The Flying Circus of Physics With Answers
A Review of Undergraduate Physics
