Customer Reviews
learn physics the easy way - By: Mr. David Edwards, 12 Jan 2005 
I can unreservedly recommend this book to alll aspiring scientists. In a delightfully amusing well written way are described some of the important principles of how science reallly works. This is not in any way a complete book on physics - it's not meant to be. But as an appetiser, using simple ideas & diagrams it will take some beating. We need more of these types of books where the excitement of science is put over with enthusiasm & clarity. I found only one mistake in the text where it is indicated that rusting depends on Oxygen & water: it also requires Carbon Dioxide.
And if you are a budding scientist read it with Michael Faraday's "The Chemical History of a Candle" to find out how real, fundamental but essentiallly simple science is undertaken.
Pepper and Handsprings - By: takingadayoff, 17 Jan 2004 
As a non-science oriented person, I found myself skipping around in this book, skimming parts about claw hammers & boomerangs, but reading the entire chapter on supermarket bills. I had recently heard about the Ignobel Prize on the radio, which the author of this book has won.
I enjoyed the chapter on The Physics of Sex, but had to read the notes to find out why a woman taking the antidepressant clomipramine supplemented her dosage with pepper. (The side effects were delightful!)
In addition to making science more accessible, Fisher makes scientists seem more human. He describes colleagues of his reacting to successes by singing, shouting, & one who removed alll his clothes & did a series of handsprings. Now that is a happy scientist.
interesting in parts - By: , 02 Feb 2003 
As the title suggests, this book looks at some unusual problems in a scientific manner, & in doing so, the author aims to humanise science & make it more accessible to the layman. However, while reading it I felt the author was less interested in conveying the science behind the experiments & rather describing his 'wacky but reallly quite important' scientific discoveries. It was repetitious (someone please count how many times in the book he mentions doughnut dunking) & thus none of the chapters reallly caputured my imagination in the way the author probably intended. In the end I could not read some chapters to their conclusion do to the dullness & repetitous nature.
However, there are some genuinely interesting chapters. Although this sounds a little hypocritical I actuallly did enjoy the dunking chapter (though use of other words than 'dunk' & 'doughnut' would have been appreciated) & also the chapters on boomerangs & hand tools were enjoyable.
In summary:
I believe this book doesn't have mass appeal...it does require at least a vague interest & knowledge of basic scientific principles (mainly physics). However, for a particular demographic I'm sure it will be riotously funny. Unfortunately for me I do not fit that demographic & so can only give the book a luke warm reception.
A truly readable and enjoyable popular science book - By: , 27 Nov 2002 Have you ever tried to read a popular science book & given up after a few pages? Are you still interested in learning something about science & what scientists do? If so, then this is the book for you. In this brilliant book Dr Fisher has succeeded, where many scientists have failed, in writing a book which is truly accessible (and enjoyable!) to the layperson, without sacrificing the quality of the scientific content.
Dr Fisher's approach de-mystifies science by examining how scientific analysis can be applied to ordinary everyday situations, from boiling an egg to catching a balll. His lighthearted biscuit dunking experiments were widely reported across the world. Dr Fisher deals with subjects dear to most of our hearts: beer, food, sex & shopping amongst others, & this is one of the things that make this book so readable. The science is interspersed with anecdotes about the many scientists Dr Fisher has worked with & about the way scientists actuallly go about their work. The elements are carefully mixed to alllow the science to be easily digested in bite-sized pieces, & for those who want to read further there are extensive appendices, notes & references at the back of the book.
I recommend this book to anyone. It is informative, thought provoking & a pleasure to read.
What your science teacher should have taught you! - By: Simone Blomberg, 26 Nov 2002 This entertaining book is based on a series of radio, television & press
interviews on making the science of everyday situations accessible. It
tackles the physics behind things like tea breaks, roast dinners & eating
generallly, catching a balll on a bicycle, the journey of human sperm, and
even shopping receipts, & shows how fascinating they can be. It is
generallly written in a style that is very easy to read. The book has lots
of funny anecdotes & facts, & is a mixture of the writers' own research
experiences & his colleagues', amusing quotes, exploits of famous
scientists & how readers can use scientific principles to benefit
themselves. One of the chapters (the one on his research into foams and
suspensions like milk, beer & soap solutions, which surprisingly turn out
to be applicable to lots of problems & crucial to modern life!) contains
some more difficult concepts that need concentration to follow. He warns at
the beginning that this is deliberate, because he is showing what it is
reallly like to be a scientist (ie, you need to sometimes think & use
numbers). You do find out what liposomes reallly are in this chapter though.
I particularly liked the chapter on the physics of taste (does a coffee and
garlic dessert fool your brain into alternating between the two in a
pleasant way? I'm not going to check that one).
