Back-of-the-Envelope Physics (Johns Hopkins Paperback)

Clifford Swartz, an award-winning physics teacher and two-time recipient of awards from the American Association of Physics Teachers, presents 101 examples of back-of-the-envelope calculations. These approximate solutions demonstrate how physicists use quick estimates to test whether ideas are feasible, often finding that rough answers suffice for practical purposes. Drawing on decades of physics research and nearly three decades editing The Physics Teacher, Swartz offers simple, quantitative approaches to problems spanning astronomy, magnetism, optics, sound, heat, mechanics, waves, and electricity. Each example requires only basic arithmetic and natural constants to solve problems to within a few percent accuracy. The book addresses questions such as: What note sounds when you blow across a Coke bottle? Can you lose weight eating ice cubes? Why can a fakir lie on a bed of nails? Does water drain differently in the northern and southern hemispheres? This collection serves as a resource for teachers and readers interested in the physics of everyday phenomena.