The Physics of Everyday Things

The Extraordinary Science Behind an Ordinary Day

By: James Kakalios

Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross

Length: 5 hrs

Publisher's summary

Physics professor, best-selling author, and dynamic storyteller James Kakalios reveals the mind-bending science behind the seemingly basic things that keep our daily lives running, from our smartphones and digital "clouds" to X-ray machines and hybrid vehicles.

Most of us are clueless when it comes to the physics that makes our modern world so convenient. What's the simple science behind motion sensors, touch screens, and toasters? How do we glide through tolls using an E-ZPass or find our way to new places using GPS? In The Physics of Everyday Things, James Kakalios takes us on an amazing journey into the subatomic marvels that underlie so much of what we use and take for granted.

Breaking down the world of things into a single day, Kakalios engages our curiosity about how our refrigerators keep food cool, how a plane manages to remain airborne, and how our wrist fitness monitors keep track of our steps. Each explanation is coupled with a story revealing the interplay of the astonishing invisible forces that surround us. Through this "narrative physics," The Physics of Everyday Things demonstrates that - far from the abstractions conjured by terms like the Higgs boson, black holes, and gravity waves - sophisticated science is also quite practical. With his signature clarity and inventiveness, Kakalios ignites our imaginations and enthralls us with the principles that make up our lives.

©2017 James Kakalios (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"From start to finish, this is a fun and comprehensive introduction to many of the forces that govern how we interact with each other and the world around us.... Once again, Kakalios makes physics relatable, this time demonstrating how profoundly its principles enable our way of life." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Sure to awaken in readers a new awareness of science operating beneath familiar surfaces, this analysis also opens a historical perspective on the inventions that have reshaped the world - once dependent on little-understood steam engines, now exploiting ingeniously engineered semiconductors. A fascinating inquiry exposing hidden science." ( Booklist)

Terrific Book

Highly technical, comprehensive in analysis, and well researched.
I appreciate the focus on what’s taken for granted, then provocatively broken down to it’s working parts.

Makes Physics Fun and Relevant to Life

As a Physics major, I'm always looking for ways to explain Physics to others without the material going over their heads. This book does exactly that! Its a great read for anyone and everyone. Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

Deeper Perspective

This story is scaffolded in a way that continually builds on mini physics lessons the book provides. It's a great read and the author does an excellent job explaining the common physics of things we encounter on a regular basis!

How it Works

The science behind the technology that powers the 21st century is artfully explained in concise language.

A picture is worth...

The writing was a little dry. While the content was varried and usually interesting, some of the topics would really lend themselves better to a textbook with illistrations. Electronics and quantum mechanics need a deeper dive than this book can provide. Very up to date in technology and learned a fair bit.

Boring zzzzz

Possibly the least exciting listen in existence. I'm sure there is good information, but I can't say I was able to pay attention for more than two minutes at a time.

Computer-generated text, read by a robot; joyless

Not joking: I genuinely think this text was written by an algorithm, and read by software. The result is a college text programmatically written for a six-year-old, and the robot hates children. 

Yes, it's *this* awful: "The heat will make the butter softer and easier to spread. The toaster is a technology that would be familiar to your great grandparents."

Apparently this is how humans sound to cyborgs.

The material is both childishly simple and joyless. The performance is mechanical, which matches the dull material.

This is the second time Audible sold me a computer-generated audio book nobody could possibly sit through.