 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | NO STARCH PRESS | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | NITTA TAKATSU | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | WESTERN / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 248 | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 05/14/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 08/26/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
The Manga Guide to Physics is a charming cartoon guide to physics, and part of a whole series of books that deal with different school subjects, and then deliver them in a fun, manga oriented kind of way. What a neat idea! If they’d had these available about 10 years ago, school might have been much more interesting for the likes of many of us (if you’re now 25 like me) – and if you’re still in school, these books might be just the ticket. It’s not always fun to learn, but when you’re learning with the help of a media like manga, how can you really go wrong? This book is NOT just learning by any stretch – it actually has a fun story with good characters and a real setting. Megumi is an all-star athlete, but she's a failure when it comes to physics class. And she can't concentrate on her tennis matches when she's worried about the questions she missed on the big test! (side note: the reviewer is very good at tennis. Not one lesson either). Luckily for her, she befriends Ryota, a patient physics geek who uses real-world examples to help her understand classical mechanics-and improve her tennis game in the process! In The Manga Guide to Physics, you'll follow alongside Megumi as she learns about the physics of everyday objects like roller skates, slingshots, braking cars, and tennis serves. In no time, you'll master tough concepts like momentum and impulse, parabolic motion, and the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration. You'll also learn how to: • Apply Newton's three laws of motion to real-life problems
• Determine how objects will move after a collision
• Draw vector diagrams and simplify complex problems using trigonometry
• Calculate how an object's kinetic energy changes as its potential energy increases If you're mystified by the basics of physics or you just need a refresher, The Manga Guide to Physics will get you up to speed in a lively, quirky, and practical way. Honestly, this book is amazingly setup with all the “aces in their places” – the art is fantastic, and the teaching method is both fun and educational. I’m not always easy to impress when it comes to something like this, but I think these books are awesome and have a lot of potential to teach kids (and adults!) a lot about whatever subject they are dealing with. I now know more about electricity than I knew electricity had to offer! So what about a bit about the author and the artist to finish up? Hideo Nitta, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Physics at Tokyo Gakugei University. He has had many papers and books published by Japanese and overseas publishers on subjects including quantum dynamics and radiation physics. He also has a strong interest in physics education. He is a member of the International Commission on Physics Education (ICPE), which is a commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). Trend Pro, Inc. (responsible for the art) is a pioneer of Ad-Manga--advertisement and advertising using Manga--in Japan. The company has produced over 1,700 Ad-Manga for over 700 clients, including many well-known public companies and government agencies. The company has over 100 registered professional Manga artists.
IN SUMMARY:
“Impressive” is the first word that comes to mind to explain the quality of this book and the series it is part of. Learning and fun can’t always go together, but when you throw manga into the mix, you’re sure to have some of both! |
