Force: What It Means to Push and Pull, Slip and Grip, Start and Stop

by Henry Petroski

An eminent engineer and historian tackles one of the most elemental aspects of how we experience and utilize physical force
 
“Another gem from a master of technology writing.”— Kirkus Reviews
 
Force explores how humans interact with the material world in the course of their everyday activities. This book for the general reader also considers the significance of force in shaping societies and cultures.
 
Celebrated author Henry Petroski delves into the ongoing physical interaction between people and things that enables them to stay put or causes them to move. He explores the range of daily human experience whereby we feel the sensations of push and pull, resistance and assistance. The book is also about metaphorical force, which manifests itself as pressure and relief, achievement and defeat.
 
Petroski draws from a variety of disciplines to make the case that force—represented especially by our sense of touch—is a unifying principle that pervades our lives. In the wake of a prolonged global pandemic that increasingly cautioned us about contact with the physical world, Petroski offers a new perspective on the importance of the sensation and power of touch.

Genres: Science, Engineering, Nonfiction, Physics

328 pages, Hardcover

Published September 20, 2022

About the author

Henry Petroski was an American engineer specializing in failure analysis. A professor both of civil engineering and history at Duke University, he was also a prolific author.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book isn’t really about engineering but Henry Petroski brings to light some principles of engineering that have to do with forces. Petrosky examines forces within the context of his life. At first I didn’t like this style, but as the book went on, I liked it more and more. The book is a fun read with the principles well explained and with lots of humor. There is also a lot of history, broadening the scope of the book. Overall this was a great read and hopefully Petrosky will create more books like this. Thank you to Netgalley and Yale University Press for the advance reader copy.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what is a force? According to Henry Petroski, we know a force not by what it is but by what it does.
This is not a heavy science and technology book, but it discusses forces of all types and their effects on every aspect of our lives, each in its own chapter. Of course, there are chapters on gravity and magnetism but also winds and beverage cans and advice on how to open a wine bottle.
Henry Petroski has the brain of an engineer and the soul of a poet. I realize that by saying this I risk alienating some people in each category, but what I really hope to do is to attract readers from both camps and many others. If your eyes glaze over when you see a formula, you can still understand and thoroughly enjoy the book. Of course, Petroski mentions famous equations like F=ma that even the most sciencephobic among us have been exposed to, but he is quick to follow up with an “equation” from Keats, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,---that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. ” He also says that Queen Elizabeth spoke to him---the ship, not the regent.
There are even quite a few laughs, like when he describes a mock graduation ceremony at the Tufts University School of Cosmology where Ph.D. graduates kneel before a “gravity monument” outside the physics building and allow a professor to drop an apple on their head to remind them of Sir Isaac Newton’s famous insight.
As Petroski discusses various forces and their effects on the world and our lives, he does indulge in some descriptions of the science and the engineering that might exceed the tolerance level of some readers. I confess there were times when I felt he dwelt a bit longer on some topics than I really needed (although at others I was eager to know more!). Feel free to skim a bit, but keep your attention alert, or you will miss some really fun details, like the fact that the Tokyo Olympic Village had dormitory beds made of cardboard that could accommodate athletes weighing up to 400 pounds or the practice of doctors in prior years before they had today’s diagnostic tools of tasting a patient’s urine to help diagnose diabetes. I also learned some more useful information, like why older people are more likely to slip in the shower.
As Petroski talks about forces, he weaves in how engineers deal with forces, both countering them and making use of them, in many arenas and conveys the importance of engineers in our world. He gives readers a lot to learn and a lot to enjoy.
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Exposition Of Applied Physics. This book truly is one of the better written, more approachable books on applied physics for the "layman" that I've come across. It takes most every easily observed physical force, from a simple push to gravitational to magnetic to torque and beyond, and explains the basics of the known history and science behind them all, and it does this in a very conversational and even, at times, humorous tone. Truly, a great book on the subject for those who either don't know much or simply want an easy and lighthearted look and things they mostly already know.

The two star deductions are more of a standard form for me, and don't actually speak to the overall nature of this book *too* harshly: The first is because of the COVID discussions in both the early and late parts of the text. *I DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT COVID. PERIOD.* And I am waging a one-man war against the topic everywhere I encounter it in booklandia. The single star deduction is really the only weapon I have in this war, so it is used where applicable. The other deduction is the short-ish bibliography, clocking in at just 14% of the text here when 20-30% is more normal of such texts in my experiences.

Ultimately this really was a great and engaging look at its topic, and it is very much recommended.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting exploration of physics in the everyday world. The author shows how even turning a doorknob is an expenditure of energy. The author is a physicist and explains how engineers work to conserve effort and make life more easily lived. It is entertaining to look at something as simple as walking across a bridge that can be expressed as an equation to measure energy loss.

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Force" feels like the literary equivalent of an over-excited person delivering a poorly-planned lecture.

Petroski seems overwhelmed by all the different things he could be saying, but keeps losing his train of thought. At the end of most chapters, it's not clear what - if anything - the reader has learned, or what Petroski wanted us to learn, or even who the target audience is. The chapter on forces on inclined planes, essentially a series of examples of how airline passengers experience forces, was typical of the many missed opportunities in this book: illustration after illustration without any detailed discussion of the concept being illustrated.

There are moments of clarity to be found in this book: the early chapter on friction is great, and the final 80ish pages on bridges, towers, pyramids and obelisks are all well-written and clearly motivated. (I wonder if these chapters borrow heavily from Petroski's earlier book on failure.) But for the most part, this book feels like a confused jumble of anecdotes.

I'm sure there's a great book to be written on the subject of forces. Sadly, I don't think this is it.

[Lucas Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After living a life of cringing at fundamental mistakes in force big and small- Whether it's watching my mom miscalculate a jump off a trailer to break a leg or the billionaire submarine implosion- This book comes to rescue to apply force to the layman and translates these complex rules embedded into the universe's code in a manner that is approachable and accessible and useful. Soforn are the days of large calculations (How do numbers apply to what I'm physically doing?) and lay upon us the actual *feeling* of force. If this knowledge was more apparent beyond engineering I may cringe less in my life.

This is not a book for stingy intellectuals that bathe in complex equations and elitism. It distills their knowledge into a form that's not gatekeepy- An effort I wish was more prevalent in other areas of society.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book. I was bored by the incredibly detailed descriptions of everyday actions, even though I appreciated HP’s delineation of different types of force, such as gravity, friction, etc. and his explanations of different formulae for calculating force. Then I was moved and perplexed by the story of HP’s cats. Finally I was enraptured by his discussions of bridges, monuments, and other engineered structures, from the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, the Forth Bridge, and the Millennium Bridge over the Thames, many of which I have visited. It would be five stars from me, were it not for the slow start.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. interesting at times, but rambling a bit too much for my taste. It covers lots of ground from bridges to levers to moments to toothpaste tubes. Unfortunately nothing really grabbed me. I listened to the book on Audible and I found myself constantly wanting to fast forward to see if there was somthing meatier out there. It was a pretty good book to have playing while driving or walking so I'm not sorry I bought it. At the end, I wasn't sure the time was well spent. you be the judge.

[Mh Weyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just read Bill Bryson, this is in a similar vein to his historical informative books, only cleaner and a bit more technical. The author is an engineer (mechanical, I believe) and he explains physics in narrative tying to historical and modern examples. Most is very easy to understand. This was actually a reference book for my son’s science research paper, but he and I enjoyed the snippets we read so much that I decided to read the entire book. Quite interesting!

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in parts, but could have been a lot better. The discussions of physics are rather rudimentary. And at times the author wanders far afield from his topic. But he often meanders in an interesting way--the history of bridges, how machines work, and so worth. I would have preferred a meatier book, but at least I was always engaged.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Petroski is one of those bureaucrats who has grown accustomed to living off the taxes paid by the working people, and somehow his paper certificates make him a demi-god, and the world just waits for him to speak, to enlighten the idiots without magical paper on their wall.

[Dylan]

DNF @ 25%

Love Petroski's other books but this one just doesn't have any substance. In this other books, I haven't minded his rambling and tangential style but in Force he doesn't have much to say.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for a textbook style... might have been an easier/more enjoyable read if all the info was shared in a different manner.

[Susan Mattes · Rating 3 out of 5]

At least I appreciate engineering over physics more from this book.

[Alexander Fontana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too much rambling.

[Mikala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ref: https://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/blog/...