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''Mad about Physics: Brainteasers, Paradoxes, and Curiosities'' by Christopher Jargodzki and Franklin Potter (2001, published by John Wiley and Sons) is a book containing 397 puzzles and their solutions. The book covers information on mechanics, electricity, magnetism, and optics, as well as the physics of sports, space exploration, and astronomy. ''Mad about Physics'' has been translated into seven languages, including German, Greek, Japanese, and Chinese. As of 2013, ''Mad about Physics'' is in its 10th reprinting. ==Content== From the preface: "Solutions and more than three hundred references are provided. They constitute about two-thirds of the book. Most of the puzzles contain an element of surprise. Indeed, the clash between common sense conjecture and physical reasoning is the central theme that runs through this volume. Einstein characterized common sense as the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen, and we agree: At least in science, common sense is to be refined and often transcended rather than venerated. The present volume tries to undermine physical preconceptions employing paradoxes (from the Greek ''para'' and ''doxes'', meaning 'beyond belief') to create cognitive dissonance. 'Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.' We believe that far from being merely amusing, paradoxes are uniquely effective in addressing specific deficiencies in understanding. (cf. Daniel W. Welch, 'Using paradoxes.' ''American Journal of Physics'' 48 (): 629–632)." ''Mad about Physics cover (1st Ed.)'' contains a multitude of questions which are claimed to be both creative and difficult. A few examples: * Why do professional race car drivers accelerate when going around a curve? * Why is there eight times more ice in Antarctica than in the Arctic? * Why is a full moon about nine times brighter than a half-moon even though its lit area is only twice as large? * Why can you warm your hands by blowing gently and cool your hands by blowing hard? * Why are the tallest mountains on Mars much taller than ours even though Mars is only about half the size of Earth? An extensive set of marginalia is provided, including jokes, anecdotes, offbeat scientific facts, and unusual quotations ranging from Einstein on the sensation of the mystical to Bugs Bunny on the law of gravity. For example: * Isaac Newton spent years trying to date the world's end. He leaned toward 1948. * An inscription on the wall of a restroom at Princeton University: 2 + 2 = 5 for large values of 2. * The first prize offered for communication with extraterrestrials was announced in 1900, but Mars was excluded because it was felt that contact with the Martians would be too easy. A detailed 7-page index is also included. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mad About Physics」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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