Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems: Pre-University Physics and Maths Puzzles with Solutions

Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems: Pre-University Physics and Maths Puzzles with Solutions

  • Downloads:9757
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-03-28 13:20:18
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Thomas Povey
  • ISBN:1780747756
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

In Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems, Thomas Povey shares 109 of his favorite problems in physics and maths。 A tour de force of imagination and exposition, he guides us through uncompromisingly challenging territory that expands our minds and encourages a playful and exploratory approach to study。 "The puzzles," he says, "are like toys。 We should pick up the one we most enjoy, and play with it。"

Whether you are an aspiring scientist or an old-hand, pitting yourself against these problems will test your ability to think, and inspire you with curiosity and enthusiasm for physics。 Presented with charm and wit, the questions span the gap between high-school and university-entrance standard material。 Detailed answers are lightened with a fascinating and refreshing blend of scientific history, application and personal anecdote。

On this delightful and idiosyncratic romp through pre-university maths and physics, the author shows us that behind every single one of these questions lies a new way of thinking about subjects we thought we had understood。 He argues that engaging with the unfamiliar is key to forming deeper insights and developing intellectual independence。 Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems is a manifesto that science should be playful, and a celebration of the curious。

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Reviews

Mark Ngô

Thanks to you I know how much I "like" physics and maths =]]。 But great book anyway。 Thanks to you I know how much I "like" physics and maths =]]。 But great book anyway。 。。。more

Rian Nejar

A collection of eclectic math and physics problems, engagingly written, that, I think, can be an excellent parent-child extracurricular project over high school years。 The professor explains complex concepts, in coherent and simple language, that a diligent student will readily absorb。 Thank you, Professor Povey, for a most helpful book!

Scott Haraburda

Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book。------------------------------------Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems: Pre-university Physics and Maths Puzzles with Solutions isn’t your garden-variety puzzle book。 With over one hundred problems in over a dozen chapters, this book engages students by making science playful。 Each problem is rated for difficulty and explained completely from beginning to end。 The chapters include geometry, algebra, and several topics of physics。 I found some of the more di Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book。------------------------------------Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems: Pre-university Physics and Maths Puzzles with Solutions isn’t your garden-variety puzzle book。 With over one hundred problems in over a dozen chapters, this book engages students by making science playful。 Each problem is rated for difficulty and explained completely from beginning to end。 The chapters include geometry, algebra, and several topics of physics。 I found some of the more difficult one hard to solve, but learned something after reading the detailed solutions provided, enhanced with the detailed sketches。Thomas Povey is a Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, where he conducts research in heat transfer and aerodynamics in the Osney Thermo-Fluids laboratory。 His bio indicates that his science puzzles have appeared in the Guardian and been featured on BBC Radio 4Professor Povey's Perplexing Problems is a valuable book that gives the reader an entertaining way to understand physics and mathematics for everyday situations。 。。。more

Karen

I'll admit that I have not finished this book。 I enjoyed the reading about the author。 Why haven't i finish the book, the math problems。 Let me say this I love math but it has been a long time since I have sat done and work on them。 Slowly I will get them done and be correct on them and that will take time for me。 Enjoy this book all math fans!This was a Goodreads win。 I'll admit that I have not finished this book。 I enjoyed the reading about the author。 Why haven't i finish the book, the math problems。 Let me say this I love math but it has been a long time since I have sat done and work on them。 Slowly I will get them done and be correct on them and that will take time for me。 Enjoy this book all math fans!This was a Goodreads win。 。。。more

Brian Clegg

I have a recurring nightmare where I find myself in my final year physics exam at university, but with no opportunity for revision and with practically every detail I learned forgotten。 Not surprisingly it is a disaster。 In fact one of the greatest moments of my life was when, on starting my first job, I realised I would never have to take another exam。 So in principle this book, which is supposedly fun and according to the author ought to be entertaining, should have been my worst possible read I have a recurring nightmare where I find myself in my final year physics exam at university, but with no opportunity for revision and with practically every detail I learned forgotten。 Not surprisingly it is a disaster。 In fact one of the greatest moments of my life was when, on starting my first job, I realised I would never have to take another exam。 So in principle this book, which is supposedly fun and according to the author ought to be entertaining, should have been my worst possible read。 As I started it, I was mentally cursing Simon Singh for saying it was a cut above most popular science titles。 In fact, things went rather better than expected。 The idea is to put the reader through the kind of brain-taxing maths-based problems that are given to physics candidates applying to Oxford University。 And some of these are genuinely entertaining。 In particular I found the sections on logic problems, perpetual motion machines and estimating highly enjoyable - the estimating section consists of what are often known as Fermi problems, though Thomas Povey seems not to have heard of that name。 (There is a whole book of these called How Many Licks。)What I found myself doing was reading the problem, having a think about what the shape of the answer might be and then flicking though the answer without reading it in detail。 If I'm honest - and this is probably why I never made it as a real scientist - I didn't really care what the actual answer was。 That just seemed like grunt work。 But thinking around the problem was genuinely stimulating。However, I did find a number of the topics - geometry and various areas of mechanics for instance - sufficiently dull that even getting a vague idea of the direction that should be taken was rather meh。 It's a shame that there weren't more genuinely interesting topics。 Now, admittedly by limiting topics to those that high school students should know there is a natural tendency to the duller subjects, but the perpetual motion section showed you could make basic mechanics and energy considerations approachable - it's just a shame there weren't more exotic interpretations like that。 Overall, then, I surprised myself by getting more out of the book than I thought I would, and despite expectations, I don't think I will have nightmares as a result of reading it either。 I even had the delight of having recently researched one of the estimates that Povey uses in his Fermi problems, and could feel a little smug as he was almost an order of magnitude out (as long as you consider Americans rather than Brits)。 In the spirit of the book, I'm not going to tell you which estimate it was, or why there are special circumstances that make the answer in the book closer to correct than it should be。 However, this book certainly isn't for everyone who would read a conventional popular science book。 I'd go as far as to say that it's not for most popular science readers。 But if you fancy doing physics, maths or engineering at university - or wish you once had - it is an absolute must-have buy。 。。。more