The Instant Physicist: An Illustrated Guide

by Richard A. Muller, Joey Manfre (Illustrator)

Richard A. Muller demonstrated in his recent bestseller, Physics for Future Presidents, that he has a unique talent for delivering the “aha” moment—making difficult topics accessible. In The Instant Physicist he shows his ability to entertain, too, by presenting the best of the scientific curiosities he has assembled over his distinguished career. Assisted by award-winning cartoonist Joey Manfre, who has created an original color cartoon for each “physics bite,” Muller will have readers chuckling while they’re absorbing more science than they ever thought possible. From the surprising (chocolate has more energy in it than TNT) to the scary (even kids can make a bomb), this book contains a revelation on every page. Once finished with this page-turner, readers will be the stars of their next cocktail party.


The book consists of a color cartoon on each right-hand page and explanatory text on the left.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Physics

139 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Richard A. Muller is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a past winner of the MacArthur Fellowship. His popular science book Physics for Future Presidents and academic textbook Physics and Technology for Future Presidents are based on his renowned course for non-science students. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Suzanna Stinnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious, informative and disturbing. Think you know organic vegetables are better than commercial grown? How about radioactivity, should you worry about it? If so, what about that gin or vodka in your drink, should it be radioactive? Which is more toxic, plutonium or Botox? Does geothermal power make sense?

I love books that intrude on our common beliefs with the realities of science. This is a good one.

Suzanna Stinnett

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

A (very) quick read of just somewhat interesting facts. There wasn't a whole lot that was new to me, but it was organized in an easy to read and understand manner. The cartoons were well drawn and mildly amusing while illustrating the point made on the opposing page.

The author seemed to want to inject himself throughout the book by pointing out research he had done and peer reviewed papers he had written, which was a bit off-putting. It wasn't often, but often enough to notice.

Overall, if you want a quick book with tidbits of interesting information about the world we live in, this book is for you. Don't expect to really learn any hard facts about physics though.

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Physics is fun for a few moments as I wander through this book. Quirky pictures. Geeky facts. A few funny stories. And now I finally know what happened in Roswell! This book doesn't pretend to be deep or theoretical - it celebrates interesting facts in a fun way. For what it is, it's great!

[Zach · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author thinks that Pluto is a planet, which I strongly disagree with. I understand that disagreeing is an important part of science, but, it also plays a role in my opinion of this book.

Also the illustrations are less than impressive.

[Faisal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Physics trivia with cartoons, what's not to like?
Pure bite sized fun packed gem.

Some of the facts that I didn't know:
(1) Berkeley students (didn't disappoint, of course) try to get away from the dark shade of Calutron which was used to enrich Uranium for the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and was named after the nickname 'Cal' for UC Berkeley.
(2) All life is radio-active because of radio-carbon.
(3) The reality of Roswell incident.

[Elmwoodblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hokey, eye-catching little assertions/factoids on one page, with a brief explanation on a facing page.
A great curiosity jump-off point for physics issues, as well as a set of examples regarding what is and isn't necessarily 'truth' when presented in simplistic form.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent introduction to a broad scope of topics, but I found the drawings a shade condescending.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and fun read!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many interesting different facts and information!!

[Larry Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations and the short descriptions.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun little read. Love It!!!!

[Sara Ghotb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The instant Physicist was a truly enjoyable journey through the world of science. The book's concise format, with each concept presented on a single page, made it easy to digest complex ideas without feeling overwhelmed. The addition of cartoon drawings added a touch of whimsy and helped to simplify the concepts further. It's also suitable for readers of all levels of scientific knowledge, making it an excellent choice for those seeking to dip their toes into physics or for those who simply want to expand their understanding of the subject!

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun facts and a VERY easy/quick read. Seemed to be about a lot more than physics (chemistry, engineering, medicine) but I suppose physics permeates every field of science.

[Sheila Callaham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes a great conversation piece with Muller's physics facts broken down into bite sized chunks that are entertaining and educational. Read in the way the author recommends -- looking first at each cartoon and contemplating the physics behind the joke -- is a fun way to approach a complicated subject. My favorite cartoon shows the headstone that reads: At least he's less radioactive." It's further explained with the tagline: If you aren't radioactive, then you're dead -- and you've been dead for a long time. In the explanation Muller explains C-14, how all living creatures (plants and animals) and radioactive and how long is takes for radiocarbon to decay. For a human to not be radioactive, not only would they have to be dead, but they would have to have been dead for 300,000 years!

[Peter Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine combination of entertainment and education. The illustrations enhanced greatly my understanding of the science.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charmingly reminiscent of a fact book for kids, this little book answers unusual questions in a clear, concise, one page apiece format. The explanations are good, but the reason to read is the cartoons. One panel illustrations of the concept in question, they are well drawn and witty. I would have preferred it if the cartoons were on the left hand page, as that seemed to be the more natural beginning to each topic, but it's a small quibble. I would recommend this book even to readers who don't need the explanations, especially if they enjoy The Far Side, Bizzaro, or other one panel wonders.

[Sharan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute book for someone beginning to learn about physics. It gives some frame of reference for some of the hard to understand, theoretical concepts you learn in an intro class. Short entries touch on a wide range of topics relative to modern life and make this an easy read for teenagers and those who can't remember the last time they had a science class.

I have to agree with other reviewers that there isn't much science in the book itself!

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're looking for a meaty read, this isn't it, as implied by the title. There's a counterintuitive-sounding cartoon on one side of the spread, and the physics behind it on the other. The thing that got me, though, was the author's nebulous (ha!) definition of "physics". Some explanations seem to be astronomy, or chemistry, or even math, and so I'm not sure I understand what *doesn't* fall into the jurisdiction of physics. Still, and okay quick read.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some valuable little lessons here, but not enough of them that are powerful or meaningful enough or that are set in sufficient context for the book overall to have quite the value I'd have liked for my money and time.

I suspect some kind of better organization of the material may have increased the impact.

[Megan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book of physics related factoids and hilarious illustrations. This book gives a very basic introduction to a variety of topics such as magnetism, weather, holograms and geothermal energy. Of course, you will be far from a physicist after reading this book, but you will definitely have your curiosity piqued and your brain wandering in the general direction of the 530s.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, clever and short. These explanations of things related to physics are very interesting and fun to read. I think my 6th graders will love reading the explanations in this book. The illustrations are humorous and I would love to share these with the class using a document camera.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This can easily be read in one sitting. With clever illustrations on every adjacent page, Muller gives interesting and under known facts about our physical Universe. Every few pages my mind was blown.

[Ken Rideout · Rating 2 out of 5]

No surprises here - substantially a water-down version of Muller's earlier "Physics for presidents". However, the illustrations and one page per topic max makes it a good recommendation for a student who is interested in physics but not likely to read a heftier tome...

[Kirstin Morrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an accessible entrée into the fascinating and fun world of physics. You won't be an expert on anything after reading this, and there may actually be factual errors in the sections about electric vehicles, but it's a good book for stimulating interest in an unfamiliar area.

[Charlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, just not much in the way of actually teaching physics so much as displaying trivia. Became tedious to read. Seems like something that would do better on a Physics Fact a Day calendar, especially with the illustrations.

[Mark Flowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review on SLJ's website here:

http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/...

[Danny]

Good, simple book

[Readersaurus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Enjoying this thoroughly, but ask me tomorrow if I remember any of it.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how much physics I learned, but this is an interesting and quick read. Never knew my alcohol was radioactive.

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

You won't learn much physics, but you will get a lot of factoids, physics-based and politically motivated, some of which are probably true.

Nice illustrations, though.