Overview

This book is written for students and other interested readers as a look inside the diverse range of applications for physics outside of the scientific research environment. This first volume covers several different areas of the arts and design ranging from stage lighting to sculpting. The author has interviewed experts in each area to explain how physics and technology impact their work. These are all useful examples of how physics encountered in taught courses relates to the real world.

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9781681744681

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Reviews

A fascinating collection of pieces on different aspects of transport technology and their underlying physics. The section on the physics of sports cars is perhaps the most predictable contribution - think the sort of things that would interest James May on Top Gear/Grand Tour, from composite structures to use of wings for downforce. But more surprising was the take on a personal favourite, vintage railway engines. I had expected to be taken through the classic physics of steam engines - thermodynamics. Instead we get a very engaging chapter on the electrics and electronics used in preserved steam and diesel locomotives. There was a surprising amount of electrical technology in use back in the day, but modern revived engines have also had electronics added to monitor and control these remarkable pieces of transport history. So, you'll find out about straightforward physics of transformers and generators, but also some unexpected additions to meet modern safety requirements. I even found the vintages buses section provide some excellent educational material. Sharon Ann Holgate pitches this just right for a secondary school or first year university audience - there are plenty of facts, but there's not too much dependence on maths and enough in the way of case study material to anchor the content in reality. - Brian Clegg, Amazon Review

A fascinating collection of pieces on different aspects of transport technology and their underlying physics. The section on the physics of sports cars is perhaps the most predictable contribution - think the sort of things that would interest James May on Top Gear/Grand Tour, from composite structures to use of wings for downforce. But more surprising was the take on a personal favourite, vintage railway engines. I had expected to be taken through the classic physics of steam engines - thermodynamics. Instead we get a very engaging chapter on the electrics and electronics used in preserved steam and diesel locomotives. There was a surprising amount of electrical technology in use back in the day, but modern revived engines have also had electronics added to monitor and control these remarkable pieces of transport history. So, you'll find out about straightforward physics of transformers and generators, but also some unexpected additions to meet modern safety requirements. I even found the vintages buses section provide some excellent educational material. Sharon Ann Holgate pitches this just right for a secondary school or first year university audience - there are plenty of facts, but there's not too much dependence on maths and enough in the way of case study material to anchor the content in reality. -- Brian Clegg, Amazon Review

Author Information

Sharon Ann Holgate has a doctorate in experimental physics from the University of Sussex in the UK, where she was a Visiting Fellow in Physics and Astronomy for nine years, and is a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Physicist. She has worked for nineteen years as a freelance science writer and broadcaster, with broadcast credits including presenting on the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4, presenting video podcasts for medical research charity the Myrovlytis Trust and appearing on a 'Boffins Special' of The Weakest Link. Her articles have appeared in Science, Science Careers, New Scientist, The Times Higher Education Supplement, E&T, Flipside, Focus, Physics World, Interactions, Materials World, Modern Astronomer, and Astronomy Now, while her first book The Way Science Works (a children's popular science book co-authored with Robin Kerrod) was shortlisted for the Aventis Prizes for Science Books Junior Prize. She was a contributor to the popular science book 30-Second Quantum Theory, and her undergraduate textbook Understanding Solid State Physics is currently in use as a core text in universities around the world. She has also written careers material, case studies, and press releases for the Institute of Physics and careers material and brochures for The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, and given talks at venues including the Science Museum in London. Dr Holgate was the Institute of Physics Young Professional Physicist of the Year for 2006, won a Merit Award in the 1994 Daily Telegraph Young Science Writer of the Year competition, and was shortlisted for the radio programme category of the Association of British Science Writers' Awards in 2005. Outside of work she collects contemporary ceramics, is a regular visitor to art galleries and museums, and enjoys learning about fashion history and steam locomotives. Her CV, and further information, may be seen at www.sharonannholgate.com

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