Physics for Everybody. by Germaine; Arthur BeiserReview by: Howard LasterThe Scientific Monthly, Vol. 85, No. 3 (Sep., 1957), p. 157Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/21884 .

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BOOK REVIEWS Physics for Everybody. Germaine and Arthur

Beiser. Dutton, New York, 1956. 191 pp. Illus. $3.50.

In this slim book, Germaine and Arthur Beiser have undertaken an ambitious task. They have written an introduction to physics for the intelli- gent layman. Recognizing that their intended reader has a limited mathematical background and little inclination to wade through a conventional textbook in physics, the authors have attempted to provide him with a very readable book without distorting the nature of the field.

There are many ways of tackling such a difficult problem. The Beisers have chosen to follow the approach of an orthodox introductory textbook. Their version is scaled down, written in a pleasant, informal style, and decorated with amusing draw- ings at the head of each chapter, but it is a small- scale textbook, nevertheless. It contains the usual order of subject matter-mechanics, sound, heat, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics and, regrettably, touches on almost as many of the phenomena in those fields as would a textbook used in a full year's course.

This is done in such a short volume at the cost of detail. As the authors point out, too much at- tention to detail can obscure the delightful sim- plicity of many physical principles. Too little atten- tion to detail, however, prevents the reader from ever grasping the meaning of these principles, espe- cially when new definitions, new concepts, and new principles are introduced in bewildering profusion in a few pages. In a rather extreme example of this, reflection, refraction, dispersion, interference, dif- fraction, polarization, and scattering are discussed in the space of three pages.

Not only does the book cover too many subjects too quickly, but it neglects the quantitative nature of physics. Lip service is paid to this, but few spe- cific problems are solved, and few of the many formulas are applied. The reader consequently gets some feeling for the wide range of physics, but it is doubtful that he learns very much of the subject matter covered. I feel that a truer picture of phys- ics would be given in so short a book by choosing a few typical problems and studying them carefully, in detail.

Within the limitations of their approach (it is a measure of the difficulty of the task they set them- selves that any approach would have many limita- tions), the Beisers have been reasonably successful.

Their book contains a few small mistakes and some awkward sections, but is essentially an accurate survey of physics. It is clearly written and fre- quently manages to make even very sophisticated physical ideas understandable. These qualities are particularly prominent in the sections on modern physics.

Credit should be given to Richard Witkover for his excellent diagrams and to Sol Ehrlich for his delightful drawings. They are a great help to the authors in achieving as much as they do in this ambitious little volume.

HOWARD LASTER University of Maryland

Introducing Astronomy. J. B. Sidgwick. Mac- millan, New York, 1957. 259 pp. Illus. - plates. $3.50.

It is said that Arthur Eddington used to set aside his theoretical researches and sneak up into the dome for a look at the moon or the rings of Saturn, if he thought nobody was around. If so, it illus- trates J. B. Sidgwick's point that "the man who confines his astronomy to the armchair is as far from the real thing, the genuine frisson that results from direct contact, as one whose experience of music is confined to the reading of press notices of concerts." There is widespread interest in outer space these days, and there are many popular books available. It is all very nice to know the simple facts about stars and planets, but to have firsthand acquaintance with them in one's own yard is the proper way to realize the joys of astronomy. This attractive little book "aims at introducing the reader to the wonder and fascination of the night sky" and can very well be recommended to those who are about to do some observing of their own.

The first two chapters summarize the notable contributions of amateurs in various branches of the science and give practical suggestions on the uses of binoculars and small telescopes and even on how to keep warm and when to take hot drinks (after the outing). The diurnal and annual rota- tions of the sky and the motions of the moon and planets are carefully explained. These are the mat- ters that confuse and discourage the novice.

The second part (a third of the volume) is de- voted to a summary of astronomy. Here it becomes evident that the publishers have taken an old book (1951), directed toward British readers, and intro-

September 1957 157

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