Scan barcode
A review by greendragonauthor
Humane Physics, Book 1: Classical Physics by Francis Mont
5.0
This book is almost a “philosophy of physics” book instead of a physics textbook, and I greatly appreciated the difference. Instead of bombarding the reader with endless equations without defining the parameters (the teaching style that caused me to quit Physics in college twice and never try again), the author explains what physics is, an extensive history on how it has been defined throughout human experience, and how it can help us in real-world situations.
While I knew some of the players in physics history, others I knew only by name, such as Kepler, Joule or Ampere. It was nice to know why I knew their names and their contributions to today’s knowledge and technology. It also awoke in me long-buried memories of scientists such as Avogadro and my delight in space-time theory. At the time, I only learned it at the local planetarium. But this was much more in-depth! Using Star Trek technology as a testing point of Einstein’s theories was a great technique. And that segued into the ethics of science, something upon which most textbooks remain silent.
The last section is much heavier on the mathematics and formulaic application of physics, but it still described the equation and why it was important, rather than just insisting on rote memorization and solving.
I especially enjoyed the real-world anecdotes showing his path to science, as well as the discovery and process of experimentation. The author’s delight and fascination in his subject shines through in his enthusiastic writing, definitely a welcome change from dry and clinical texts. You can’t help but become infected by his joy in physics.
If textbooks were this comprehensible, there would be far more students succeeding in the maths and sciences.
While I knew some of the players in physics history, others I knew only by name, such as Kepler, Joule or Ampere. It was nice to know why I knew their names and their contributions to today’s knowledge and technology. It also awoke in me long-buried memories of scientists such as Avogadro and my delight in space-time theory. At the time, I only learned it at the local planetarium. But this was much more in-depth! Using Star Trek technology as a testing point of Einstein’s theories was a great technique. And that segued into the ethics of science, something upon which most textbooks remain silent.
The last section is much heavier on the mathematics and formulaic application of physics, but it still described the equation and why it was important, rather than just insisting on rote memorization and solving.
I especially enjoyed the real-world anecdotes showing his path to science, as well as the discovery and process of experimentation. The author’s delight and fascination in his subject shines through in his enthusiastic writing, definitely a welcome change from dry and clinical texts. You can’t help but become infected by his joy in physics.
If textbooks were this comprehensible, there would be far more students succeeding in the maths and sciences.