PHYSICS OVER EASY: BREAKFASTS WITH BETH AND PHYSICS

by Leonid V Azaroff

During a mouth-watering sequence of meals, Professor Azároff entertains his curious wife Beth by relating the astounding story of physics.

Apple pancakes drenched in maple syrup brings to mind the tale of apples falling to the ground and their place in Newton's theory of gravitation.

French toast reminds the professor of how, while wrestling with the challenge of describing a perfect steam engine, a French military engineer discovers the second law of thermodynamics.

Lox and bagels set off a discussion of twentieth century physics - including baffling accounts of atoms, of quanta, and the composition of solids, liquids, and gases - and the many other delectable breakfasts and accounts they inspire.

Discover how magnets 'make love', electrons make waves, and what light is.

Explore how the electromagnetic fields from overhead power lines, and how nuclear reactors and bombs, as well as their waste products, affect our daily lives.

Learn how quantum mechanics, nanotechnology, and quantum computers evolved from Einstein's seminal publications in 1905.

Discover how in the tiniest fraction of a second the universe came into being with a Big Bang and grew into its present form.

Take note of the different kinds of stars in our universe and trace their life histories.

See how a background of microwaves left over from the Big Bang establishes the age of the universe and how exploding supernovae confirm this age and other mysteries still remaining.

Probe these and other fascinating concepts bit by bit and bite by bite along with the Azároffs in Physics Over Easy.

Genres: Physics

300 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996