Isaac Newton School of Driving

';Wonderful ... a great resource for automobile fans who want to understand science, and vice versa.' Alan C. Tribble, author ofA Tribble's Guide to Space For some, driving is an art; for others, it's a science. At the Isaac Newton School of Driving, though, every car is a laboratory on wheels and every drive an exciting journey into the world of physics. In this book, physics professor Barry Parkerwhose father was a car mechanic and garage ownershows how almost every aspect of driving involves physics. A cars performance and handling relies on concepts such as force, momentum, and energy. Its ignition system depends on the principles of electricity and magnetism. Braking relies on frictionand if the brakes fail, the resulting damage, too, can be predicted using physics. Parker's first lesson describes the basics: speed and acceleration; why you get thrown forward while braking or outward while turning; and why car advertisements boast about horsepower and torque. He also discusses: the thermodynamics of engines, and how they can be more fuel efficientwhat friction and traction are and how they keep a car's tires on the road, whether its dry, wet, or icyhow simple laws of physics enable scientists to design aerodynamic cars and high-tech steering systemsthe high-performance physics of auto racinghow traffic accidents are reconstructed by policehow chaos theory helps explain why traffic jams happenwhat cars of the future might look like, and more ';You dont need to be an engineer to read and enjoy Parker's often entertaining bookcovers everything from the basics of engines and electronics to crashes and congestion.' Autoweek