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Isaac Newton School of Driving:

Physics and Your Car

ISBN-13: 9780801874178
Publisher: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS
Imprint: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS
By Barry Parker
Price: AUD $77.99
Stock: 0 in stock
Availability: This book is temporarily out of stock, order will be despatched as soon as fresh stock is received.
Local release date: 14/11/2003
Format: Hardback 264 pages Weight: 0g
Categories: Science: general issues [PD]

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For some people, driving is an art; for others, it's a science. At the Isaac Newton School of Driving, though, every car is a laboratory on wheels and every drive an exciting journey into the world of physics. As explained by renowned science writer and physics professor Barry Parker -- whose father was a car mechanic and garage owner -- almost every aspect of driving involves physics. A car's performance and handling relies on fundamental concepts such as force, momentum, and energy. Its ignition system depends on the principles of electricity and magnetism. Braking relies on friction -- yet another basic scientific concept -- and if the brakes fail, the resulting damage, too, can be predicted using physics.Parker's first lesson describes the basic physics of driving: speed and acceleration; why you get thrown forward while braking or outward while turning; and why car advertisements boast about horsepower and torque. He goes on to discuss the thermodynamics of engines, and how they can be more fuel efficient; and what friction and traction are and how they keep a car's tires on the road, whether it's dry, wet, or icy. He also describes how simple laws of physics enable scientists to design aerodynamic cars and high-tech steering systems. Parker then explores the high-performance physics of auto racing, outlines how traffic accidents are reconstructed by police, uses chaos theory to explain why traffic jams happen, and describes what cars of the future might look like. Whether you drive a Pacer or a Porsche, The Isaac Newton School of Driving offers better -- and better-informed -- driving through physics.

Contents:Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 The Open Road: Basic Physics of Driving

Chapter 3 All Revved Up: The Internal Combustion Engine

Chapter 4 When Sparks Fly: The Electrical System

Chapter 5 ""Give 'em a Brake"": Slowing Down

Chapter 6 Springs and Gears: The Suspension System and the Transmission

Chapter 7 What a Drag: Aerodynamic Design

Chapter 8 A Crash Course: The Physics of Collisions

Chapter 9 Checkered Flags: The Physics of Auto Racing

Chapter 10 Rush Hour: Traffic and Chaos

Chapter 11 The Road Ahead: Cars of the Future

Chapter 12

Epilogue: The Final Flag

""The discussions are clear and the physics is correct.""

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Isaac Newton School of Driving:

Physics and Your Car