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Author(s) : Barry Parker
Publisher : The Johns Hopkins University Press
Date : 2003
Pages : 259
Format : PDF
ISBN : 0801874173
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New cars, with their sleek, shiny, curved lines, are
objects of intrigue, elegance, grace, and beauty. They
are exciting, and they can be a lot of fun. The thrill of
the first drive in your new car is something you remember
for a long time. The science of physics also has a
certain beauty and elegance. With a few simple principles
and the enormous power of mathematics, you can
make amazingly accurate predictions about everything
from atomic interactions to the expansion of the universe.
And you can also make important predictions
about cars.
In this book I bring cars and physics together. At first
you might not think they have a lot in common, but they
do. It’s easy to show that every branch of physics is represented
somewhere within an automobile. Mechanics,
the branch of physics that deals with motion, is particularly
applicable. After all, cars move, and if they are
moving they have a certain velocity, and to set them in
motion you have to accelerate them. Furthermore, to
accelerate them you have to apply a force, and this force
comes from a source of energy. Physics is at the basis
of all of this. Indeed, two of the main terms that are used
in relation to cars are horsepower and torque, both of
which are important terms in mechanics.
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