Abstract
This is the kind of physics book that I thought I would like and I did. Golf Balls, Boomerangs and Asteroids examines the maths and physics principles governing missiles of every shape and size such as rockets, bullets, darts, arrows and slingshots. Kaye's book evolved from the need to teach non-science pupils the basics of physics and also from a near-death experience when a golf ball almost struck him on the head.
After examining the ball carefully (to the irritation of the offending golfer perhaps!?) Kaye began his exploration of missiles, and used the science governing their flight as a means of introducing physics laws, terms and ideas to his fledgling science students.
The first thing that strikes you about the book (no pun intended) is that it looks just like a physics textbook. Simple black and white diagrams, clearly marked sections and chapters as well as formulas and a Word Finder at the front. A Word Finder? Basically this is a list of terms and formulas that every aspiring physicist will need to know, and Kaye has kindly identified these at the front of the book and throughout the text with each new term in italics. As you progress through each chapter, the reader is introduced to new terms and ideas, building upon knowledge learnt in previous chapters. The aim (I assume) is that once you have read all the book, your knowledge of physics (and in particular missile physics) should be quite staggering.
There are 11 chapters, each of which deals with a different type of missile. The first chapter explains some initial terms such as force, velocity, pressure etc, which you will need to understand before progressing through the rest of the book. This chapter also introduces complex physics such as the Magnus effect and elastic and inelastic collisions. It then moves on to discuss golf balls and the reason they have dimples. Kaye uses his own observations and experiences to add humour to the book, as well as detailing some of the history behind the science and technology (so in this first chapter a brief history of golf and golf ball manufacture). Early chapters tend to focus on sport and hobbies (bow and arrows, racket missiles such as tennis, darts and disks). Later chapters examine the science behind machine guns, space rockets, satellites and even electrons (as missiles which are `shot' at objects in an electron microscope). The explanations are clear and the physics principles follow a well structured path, building upon the physics mentioned in previous chapters.
Kaye's hobbies include lexicography (writing dictionaries), which becomes more obvious as you progress through the book. Many of the physics terms are broken down into their Latin or Greek root words and these are visualized using word maps. This is something I didn't really see as necessary. For example, in a chapter examining spinning, Kaye goes on to explain the origins of torque (from the Latin torquere, to twist) and how this has evolved into a number of everyday terms such as distorted, extortion etc. I would have been quite happy with the definition that torque was the force applied to an axis from a given distance (which he also defines) and to carry on with the rest of the book.
Overall, it is difficult to determine who Kaye has aimed this book at. Clearly his initial aim was at students just starting out on the road of physics (perhaps those who are required to take a physics component of their course, rather than those studying physics as a main subject), and certainly the book can be used as a useful reference volume. But the conversational way in which the book is written and Kaye's use of history and humour broadens the book's attraction to the general, non-science reader. If you don't mind the school book layout and Kaye's insistence on defining terms right down to their historic roots, then this book is a light-hearted, entertaining look at things that fly through the air. If you've always wanted to know just how to get that boomerang to fly back to you, then the answer is in this book!