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The Cartoon Guides
The Cartoon Guide to Physics: A Funny Illustrated Guide Explaining Velocity, Magnetism, Circuits, and Relativity
If you think a negative charge is something that shows up on your credit card bill -- if you imagine that Ohm's Law dictates how long to meditate -- if you believe that Newtonian mechanics will fix your car -- you need The Cartoon Guide to Physics to set you straight.
You don't have to be a scientist to grasp these and many other complex ideas, because The Cartoon Guide to Physics explains them all: velocity, acceleration, explosions, electricity and magnetism, circuits -- even a taste of relativity theory -- and much more, in simple, clear, and, yes, funny illustrations. Physics will never be the same!
You don't have to be a scientist to grasp these and many other complex ideas, because The Cartoon Guide to Physics explains them all: velocity, acceleration, explosions, electricity and magnetism, circuits -- even a taste of relativity theory -- and much more, in simple, clear, and, yes, funny illustrations. Physics will never be the same!
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
74 people are currently reading
1160 people want to read
About the author
Larry Gonick
43 books292 followersLarry Gonick (born 1946) is a cartoonist best known for The Cartoon History of the Universe, a history of the world in comic book form, which he has been publishing in installments since 1977. He has also written The Cartoon History of the United States, and he has adapted the format for a series of co-written guidebooks on other subjects, beginning with The Cartoon Guide to Genetics in 1983. The diversity of his interests, and the success with which his books have met, have together earned Gonick the distinction of being "the most well-known and respected of cartoonists who have applied their craft to unravelling the mysteries of science" (Drug Discovery Today, March 2005).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
February 7, 2010
Well my first review was deleted by Goodreads, which is why you should always have a backup...but I digress.
So I have been on this knowledge quest lately. Mostly an attempt to make up for not really giving a damn in high school. Of course,I got fantastic grades in high school, but I usually just did it by going through the motions and writing crap my teachers wanted to hear. Now that I am no longer under that burden, I've been taking the time to actually make up for lost time and lost educational opportunities as millions like me have been forced through the lowest common denominator known as the American educational system probably can relate. In this educational quest, I've taken up learning about physics and astronomy and other sciency things.
While at the library a few weeks ago, I picked up The Cartoon Guide to Physics. I like comics and thought what an interesting way to learn about physics. In this highly cheesy, yet entertaining book, I actually did learn some useful information. It is definitely not for the college level physics major, but for the slightly above average person or student with an interest in learning about physics, it is a fun book to turn to get the overall basics.
The book contains chapters on everything from motion to electric currents to quantum electrodynamics. It's not the cartoon guide to rocket science, so you probably won't be working for NASA afterward, but you will at least have a basic idea of why your light bulbs turn on, why we all don't float off into space, and how magnets work. Enjoy!
So I have been on this knowledge quest lately. Mostly an attempt to make up for not really giving a damn in high school. Of course,I got fantastic grades in high school, but I usually just did it by going through the motions and writing crap my teachers wanted to hear. Now that I am no longer under that burden, I've been taking the time to actually make up for lost time and lost educational opportunities as millions like me have been forced through the lowest common denominator known as the American educational system probably can relate. In this educational quest, I've taken up learning about physics and astronomy and other sciency things.
While at the library a few weeks ago, I picked up The Cartoon Guide to Physics. I like comics and thought what an interesting way to learn about physics. In this highly cheesy, yet entertaining book, I actually did learn some useful information. It is definitely not for the college level physics major, but for the slightly above average person or student with an interest in learning about physics, it is a fun book to turn to get the overall basics.
The book contains chapters on everything from motion to electric currents to quantum electrodynamics. It's not the cartoon guide to rocket science, so you probably won't be working for NASA afterward, but you will at least have a basic idea of why your light bulbs turn on, why we all don't float off into space, and how magnets work. Enjoy!
December 20, 2020
Pros:
Great illustrations
Fantastic humour
Graphic explanation makes the concepts easier
Cons:
Aimed at those who already have a decent grasp over the topics. Not meant for dabblers.
Great illustrations
Fantastic humour
Graphic explanation makes the concepts easier
Cons:
Aimed at those who already have a decent grasp over the topics. Not meant for dabblers.
January 21, 2020
Not exactly sure why I bought this, as I know (or knew) most of the material. I still found it useful and (a little bit) funny. Whether it will help people with a math or science phobia, I can't say. But it is well organized and presented. Some equations, but mostly visual explanations.
The sections on Newton's laws had nothing new for me. Though the way that a spinning wheel will precess due to gravity still feels weird to me no matter how many times I see it or work through the equations. He mentioned that the English measuring system uses a unit called a "slug" to represent mass. That isn't the way I learned it. (* footnote)
The sections on electromagnetism were the most useful for me. Again, I've been exposed to all of this before, but haven't thought about most of it in years. This sort of high-level overview is great for anyone thinking of diving in a greater depth later.
The authors chose to present Einstein's Special Relativity without any reference to the speed of light. (They don't discuss light at all until two chapters later where they show how it emerges from Maxwell's laws.) Instead they contrast the effects of a magnet moving through a stationary loop of wire. The electric and magnetic fields look very different depending on whether you are stationary with respect to the magnet, or with respect to the wire. This is a very unusual way to describe relativity, but it is a valid way and builds on the earlier chapters in a logical way.
* Footnote: (In engineering classes we used English units, but spoke of "pound mass" and "pound weight" when we needed to distinguish mass from weight. The "slug" is a different way of dealing with that, but not an approach I've ever used. Looking into that led me to a Wikipedia rabbit hole about the craziness of unit systems. A gallon is different sizes for liquids or solids. A pint bottle of beer is smaller in Canada than in USA, though in cans they match. An ounce is different in Avoirdupois system from the Troy system used for gold and silver. Etc.)
The sections on Newton's laws had nothing new for me. Though the way that a spinning wheel will precess due to gravity still feels weird to me no matter how many times I see it or work through the equations. He mentioned that the English measuring system uses a unit called a "slug" to represent mass. That isn't the way I learned it. (* footnote)
The sections on electromagnetism were the most useful for me. Again, I've been exposed to all of this before, but haven't thought about most of it in years. This sort of high-level overview is great for anyone thinking of diving in a greater depth later.
The authors chose to present Einstein's Special Relativity without any reference to the speed of light. (They don't discuss light at all until two chapters later where they show how it emerges from Maxwell's laws.) Instead they contrast the effects of a magnet moving through a stationary loop of wire. The electric and magnetic fields look very different depending on whether you are stationary with respect to the magnet, or with respect to the wire. This is a very unusual way to describe relativity, but it is a valid way and builds on the earlier chapters in a logical way.
* Footnote: (In engineering classes we used English units, but spoke of "pound mass" and "pound weight" when we needed to distinguish mass from weight. The "slug" is a different way of dealing with that, but not an approach I've ever used. Looking into that led me to a Wikipedia rabbit hole about the craziness of unit systems. A gallon is different sizes for liquids or solids. A pint bottle of beer is smaller in Canada than in USA, though in cans they match. An ounce is different in Avoirdupois system from the Troy system used for gold and silver. Etc.)
January 19, 2024
If you plan on taking physics 1 or 2 and only have the knowledge of this book walking in you will be fine. It is purely foundational and goes into depth with pretty much nothing, but it gives you a good understanding of what you will be walking into on the first day!
April 10, 2011
Did you do okay in high-school physics, but never felt you had a handle on what everything really meant? The Cartoon Guide to Physics is an excellent conceptual review of basic mechanics and electromagnetic theory, practically free of mathematics but rich in meaning and context. Even Maxwell's famous equations are explained without resort to higher maths. It also offers a very, very brief nontechnical explanation of relativity using electromagnetism as a basis (hence, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies")—I really wish this section were better developed.
July 28, 2017
Engaging and clearly explained.
December 23, 2019
So great!! Visually pleasing, and in physics, visuals are SO helpful!!!
July 23, 2021
a really fun intro to physics...
May 6, 2020
Чи не розумієте ви фізику настільки, наскільки не розумію її я?😂🙈
⠀
Для мене це темний-темний ліс. І загубитися в ньому я ой як боюся.😱
⠀
І ось в руки мені трапився кумедний комікс із серії #НаукаВКоміксах від видавництва @ridnamova .
⠀
Автори книги вирішили розповісти всі ці страшні речі простими словами. Точніше — малюнками.
⠀
Не скажу, що я все зрозуміла. Моментами, коли на квадратний сантиметр було забагато формул та незнайомих слів, мозок таки плавився 🤯, але моментами було і смішно 😂. Я з задоволенням спостерігала за пригодами космонавта Рінґо у світі Фізики.
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По змісту мені здається, що це короткий виклад шкільної програми. Тобто разом із підручниками фізики можна вивчати цей комікс, адже він більш доступно і веселіше може розповісти вам про механіку, електрику та магнетизм.
⠀
А ще, якщо тепер мене хтось запитає, скільки я важу, то я можу сміло відповідати, що 490 ньютонів.😁🙈
⠀
Для мене це темний-темний ліс. І загубитися в ньому я ой як боюся.😱
⠀
І ось в руки мені трапився кумедний комікс із серії #НаукаВКоміксах від видавництва @ridnamova .
⠀
Автори книги вирішили розповісти всі ці страшні речі простими словами. Точніше — малюнками.
⠀
Не скажу, що я все зрозуміла. Моментами, коли на квадратний сантиметр було забагато формул та незнайомих слів, мозок таки плавився 🤯, але моментами було і смішно 😂. Я з задоволенням спостерігала за пригодами космонавта Рінґо у світі Фізики.
⠀
По змісту мені здається, що це короткий виклад шкільної програми. Тобто разом із підручниками фізики можна вивчати цей комікс, адже він більш доступно і веселіше може розповісти вам про механіку, електрику та магнетизм.
⠀
А ще, якщо тепер мене хтось запитає, скільки я важу, то я можу сміло відповідати, що 490 ньютонів.😁🙈
November 26, 2024
Fun and engaging, suitable for beginners.
September 2, 2023
Хороша книга.В українському перекладі є механічні помилки в тексті. І в деяких місцях наведено формули для розуміння яких необхідно мати мат.базу (дітлахам вже наче заскладно ))
April 13, 2022
This 1990 illustrated guide to physics is broken into 2 parts: mechanics and electricity AND magnetism. The first segment can be summoned up by Isaac Newton's 3 law of motion.
1. A body at rest persists in its state of rest, and a body in motion remains in constant motion along a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.
2. A body's acceleration is directly proportional to the force exerted on it and is in the same direction as the force.
3. To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
(from owlcation.com)
Add in gravity, a bunch of equations that supposedly proves the theories behind the science and some history, you've got section one in a nutshell.
Section #2 isn't quite so clear. There's a lot about magnets. A lot about how we get electricity thanks to particle charges. Add in the best explanation I have ever seen about Einstein's theory of relativity that didn't use the old adage about putting your hand on a hot stove for a minute vs. spending 30 minutes with a beautiful woman. Then throw everything out with the paradoxes of quantum mechanics and I might be able to explain how to change a light bulb while putting a magnet on the door of your fridge.
UCLA physics and astronomy professor Larry Gonick teams with Discover Magazine's Art Huffman to teach the laws of the physical universe in The Cartoon Guide to Physics. The duo do their best to explain physics. It just whenever you add letters to numbers (or substitute them), my eyes glaze over.
For a very long time, I thought I just couldn't understand math. Then in my senior year of high school, I was finally diagnosed with math dyslexic. Once I understood that, my love of science abounded to a point that I daily use physics, chemistry, biology and even math in my career as a professional chef and culinary teacher.
As part of a graphic novel and comic book reading challenge, I was to read a book about science. Since I enjoy physics, especially time travel and how simple machines work, I gave this book a chance.
There are 2 hosts for this book. The adventurous Ringo and his fellow astronaut, an unnamed hostess with the letter L on her belt. Ringo tends to get into trouble and gets easily confused. The hostess usually conducts her experiments with panache. Their visual aids make the confusion brought upon by the equations easier to understand many of the principles explored in this book. But I think an animated version would be a lot more helpful that using charts with arrows flowing this way and that.
Of the books I have read for that challenge, this has taken me the longest. Some nights I could breeze through 2-3 chapters. On others, I could only make it through a single chapter before my brain just turned to mush. I learned a lot. But when it comes to the theoretical stuff, I think I am just too much of a realist (or maybe a literalist) to understand it all.
1. A body at rest persists in its state of rest, and a body in motion remains in constant motion along a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.
2. A body's acceleration is directly proportional to the force exerted on it and is in the same direction as the force.
3. To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
(from owlcation.com)
Add in gravity, a bunch of equations that supposedly proves the theories behind the science and some history, you've got section one in a nutshell.
Section #2 isn't quite so clear. There's a lot about magnets. A lot about how we get electricity thanks to particle charges. Add in the best explanation I have ever seen about Einstein's theory of relativity that didn't use the old adage about putting your hand on a hot stove for a minute vs. spending 30 minutes with a beautiful woman. Then throw everything out with the paradoxes of quantum mechanics and I might be able to explain how to change a light bulb while putting a magnet on the door of your fridge.
UCLA physics and astronomy professor Larry Gonick teams with Discover Magazine's Art Huffman to teach the laws of the physical universe in The Cartoon Guide to Physics. The duo do their best to explain physics. It just whenever you add letters to numbers (or substitute them), my eyes glaze over.
For a very long time, I thought I just couldn't understand math. Then in my senior year of high school, I was finally diagnosed with math dyslexic. Once I understood that, my love of science abounded to a point that I daily use physics, chemistry, biology and even math in my career as a professional chef and culinary teacher.
As part of a graphic novel and comic book reading challenge, I was to read a book about science. Since I enjoy physics, especially time travel and how simple machines work, I gave this book a chance.
There are 2 hosts for this book. The adventurous Ringo and his fellow astronaut, an unnamed hostess with the letter L on her belt. Ringo tends to get into trouble and gets easily confused. The hostess usually conducts her experiments with panache. Their visual aids make the confusion brought upon by the equations easier to understand many of the principles explored in this book. But I think an animated version would be a lot more helpful that using charts with arrows flowing this way and that.
Of the books I have read for that challenge, this has taken me the longest. Some nights I could breeze through 2-3 chapters. On others, I could only make it through a single chapter before my brain just turned to mush. I learned a lot. But when it comes to the theoretical stuff, I think I am just too much of a realist (or maybe a literalist) to understand it all.
March 4, 2024
As a soon to be high school physics teacher I am always keeping my eye out for things that help students understand the subjects better or even things that can just spark their interest. This book is a wonderful introduction to physics that can help accomplish both of those goals. While this book can be pretty cheesy at times I do believe it holds a lot of useful information and presents it in a highly interesting way. It obviously isn't enough for a college physics student or anything but for highschool physics, it can be a great way to help cement concepts we learn or peak interest in the units to come.
November 20, 2020
“Does the moon also fall?”
It is the question asked by Issac Newton which I only recently came to know though his another question about an apple is well known.
Not until I read a cartoon physics book, I didn’t know that anything in circular motion is accelerating in other words falling or gravitating towards the center. A falling apple and the orbiting moon are exactly the same phenomena.
From this seeming counterintuitive observation and reasoning, has the modern physics and technology revolution been unleashed.
It is the question asked by Issac Newton which I only recently came to know though his another question about an apple is well known.
Not until I read a cartoon physics book, I didn’t know that anything in circular motion is accelerating in other words falling or gravitating towards the center. A falling apple and the orbiting moon are exactly the same phenomena.
From this seeming counterintuitive observation and reasoning, has the modern physics and technology revolution been unleashed.
January 18, 2018
The Cartoon Guide to Physics was a book that opened my eyes to a very interesting way of writing informative non-fiction books. The concepts are taught in a way that is humorous, which I have never seen in any other non-fiction books. Some of the concepts were taught in ways difficult for me to understand, so I think I would have better used this book in a years time. For those who have read the Cartoon Guide to Calculus, I would say that this book isn’t as interesting, but is still a great book.
December 31, 2019
This is a fun and brief romp through physics. I enjoyed it, but I am not sure how much new information I learned. It did serve as a brief refresher for things I already knew, but the parts of physics I wasn't very familiar with (QED among one or two others) blew my mind without sinking in at all. If I read the separate book on QED that my husband has I may use this on the side to help me understand.
August 3, 2021
I like the book...
It explain physics' concepts in a very basic and enjoyable way.
The concepts is explained in a fluent story narrative.
Therefore, the narrative helps to comprehend the concepts/formulas and where they really come from..
I highly recommended to people who do not have strong background in physics and just want to have a general view about physics.
This book may also helps people who teach physics. it may give ideas how they can concepts in a basic way.
It explain physics' concepts in a very basic and enjoyable way.
The concepts is explained in a fluent story narrative.
Therefore, the narrative helps to comprehend the concepts/formulas and where they really come from..
I highly recommended to people who do not have strong background in physics and just want to have a general view about physics.
This book may also helps people who teach physics. it may give ideas how they can concepts in a basic way.
December 8, 2025
I've been working my way through Gonick's cartoon guides and I've finished the history series. This was the first one I'd read on another topic, with another writer. It shows lol. Maybe I just don't like physics all that much but a lot of the stuff was super boring or so simple that it didn't really satisfy my understanding. There were some concepts I enjoyed reading about with Gonick's signature style. But yeah for the most part I was getting bored and had trouble engaging with this one.
November 21, 2018
The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick
An educational science book teaching physics in a fun way.
I recommend this for people who don't like reading textbooks to learn the basics of something.
An educational science book teaching physics in a fun way.
I recommend this for people who don't like reading textbooks to learn the basics of something.
December 28, 2021
sangat menarik, membahasakan fisika secara sederhana. namun demikian, pembahasannya terkesan terlalu disederhanakan (oversimplified) di satu bagian, dan kurang disederhanakan (undersimplified) di bagian lain.
secara keseluruhan menarik dan bisa dinikmati semua kalangan.
secara keseluruhan menarik dan bisa dinikmati semua kalangan.
January 28, 2017
I've always regretted not studying physics in school, so I picked this up to rectify the situation. Then I realized that I couldn't make heads or tails of the equations and realized I had to re-learn algebra first.
June 18, 2017
Smešno, zabavno, poučno.
Za mladino bi bil TO super učbenik!
Potem SPLOH NE BI BILO ŠOL.
Za mladino bi bil TO super učbenik!
Potem SPLOH NE BI BILO ŠOL.
November 7, 2017
advanced terminology defeats the purpose
November 18, 2017
Good for at most high school-goers, concise, fun to read, informative but entertaining at the same time.
Covers almost every basic concept of Physics in a very brief manner.
Covers almost every basic concept of Physics in a very brief manner.
December 30, 2017
I though this was a delightful conceptual overview of physics with just enough math to show basic relationships without getting lost in the weeds. And it is presented in an entertaining way.
February 20, 2018
This is as good as his other guides, so it's worth reading if you like that kind of stuff.
November 2, 2019
Had a blast reading this book.
January 13, 2020
I remember specifically the section on orbit helped me finally really get how orbit works. Intuitively. It's made perfect sense ever since then.
April 1, 2020
Attempted to portray the concepts in a fun and imaginative way however failed.
May 14, 2020
Velocity, Acceleration, Explosions, Electricity and Magnetism, Circuits and Relativity Theory in simple, clear, and funny illustrations. Making Physics fun and understandable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews