The Handy Physics Answer Book

June 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up-Modeled on P. Erik Gundersen's 1998 edition, this thoroughly revised set offers a broad view of physical principles and how they are applied in technology and everyday life and to our current understanding of the universe. Gathered into general chapters such as "Momentum and Energy," "Electricity," and the subatomic realm ("At the Heart of the Atom"), the more than 800 questions cover topics from simple machines to quarks and from Newton's Laws to why the word "Ambulance" is printed backwards on the vehicles. Though they are usually detailed enough to satisfy older, serious students, some answers are oversimplified-the author's discussion of "weightlessness" includes a misleading claim that a gravitational field's force can fall to zero with distance, for instance. Also, answers to specific questions tend to be clearer than those to more subjective ones such as, "Are nuclear power plants safe?" Though Zitzewitz occasionally admits that scientists continue to be baffled by some phenomena, he underplays gaps in knowledge by relegating a limited set of "Unanswered Questions" to the end of the book. Furthermore, though the presentation is occasionally lightened with, for instance, a discussion of a unit of caloric measurement called the Jelly Doughnut, the overall tone's dryness is only reinforced by a spare selection of small black-and-white photos and gray breakout boxes. Too scattershot to support systematic study and unlikely to keep the attention of casual browsers, this title may have trouble finding an audience.-John Peters, formerly at New York Public Library

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2013

This question-and-answer guide provides brief explanations suitable for quick reference and curious browsers. With a useful list of symbols and glossary. (SLJ 6/1/11)

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2011
The audience for this work is high-school students and general readers. Written in a question-and-answer format, it is intended, as the title says, to give handy answers to physics questions. Answers are in plain nontechnical English, and formulas and jargon are kept to a minimum. The author, who has also written a high-school physics book, does a good job explaining technical concepts simply. In addition to the physics, answers focus on the individuals, both famous and little known, who discovered phenomena. To use the work, the author suggests using the index, or open it at random and pick a question that has always puzzled you. The layout and nontechnical writing make the book a pleasure to browse. This is a good beginning for the start of an answer; researchers can take what they find and begin to dig deeper. This second edition will find its place with other popular physics books, perhaps as a circulating title. Similar titles include Back-of-the-Envelope Physics (Johns Hopkins, 2003) and Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel (Doubleday, 2008).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)