Geek physics

Rhett Allain writes the popular Dot Physics blog for Wired and in this book he takes a longer, smarter look at his most popular topics, from the purely fun (How much bubble wrap would you need to safely jump off a 6th floor building?) to the completely mind-boggling (Why does a mirror reverse left to light, but not top to bottom?). Allain is a physics professor and he's become very good at finding physics questions buried in the latest movie, video game, viral video or news hook. Each chapter will not only cover interesting subjects like lightsabers and McDonald's drive-thrus, but use those questions to teach readers basic physics concepts. He'll explore questions like: Is Angry Birds using real physics? Does a heavier truck make a better snow plow? What if everyone on earth jumped at the same I time? How many dollar bills would it take to stack them to the moon? Often the way he gets to the answer is more interesting than the answer itself.