One of my favorite physics stumper questions: rank the three strong men according to what strain they are feeling.
This illustration is immediately recognizeable to any high school physics teacher as the work of Paul G Hewitt (as in “Hewitt Drew It”). His textbook, Conceptual Physics is one of my 3 favorite textbooks and 10 favorite all-time books.
Besides this best physics textbook, if anyone cares, my other beloved texts (hard to winnow!) would probably be Organic Chemistry by Streitweiser & Heathcock (a sophomore text), and maybe “Physical Chemistry” by Peter Atkins.
The Streitweiser book, though technical and encyclopedic, is thrilling as a secret society induction. With subdued tones which certify their authority, Streitweiser and Heathcock admit you as co-conspirator in peeling away the layers of God’s mind, albeit just the parts of his playbook that are revealed by close study of carbon chemistry.
Atkins’ Physical Chemistry grips me in the frustrated infatuation of failed courtship. Those evening hours I spent wooing it in the long dark Illinois winter of 1994 have fixed that text, forever bathing it in the aura of an unrequited love. I gave that book all I could and it flatly said “That’s not enough.”
I dunno the last one looks the most uncomforatble :)
Posted by: hammer | December 04, 2007 at 01:52 PM