Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines

by Richard A. Muller

Overview

Learn the science behind the headlines—the tools of terrorists, the dangers of nuclear power, and the reality of global warming.
We live in complicated, dangerous times. They are also hyper-technical times. As citizens who will elect future presidents of the most powerful and influential country in the world, we need to know—truly understand, not just rely on television's talking heads—if Iran's nascent nuclear capability is a genuine threat to the West, if biochemical weapons are likely to be developed by terrorists, if there are viable alternatives to fossil fuels that should be nurtured and supported by the government, if nuclear power should be encouraged, and if global warming is actually happening. This book is written in everyday, nontechnical language on the science behind the concerns that our nation faces in the immediate future. Even active readers of serious journalism will be surprised by the lessons that the book contains. It is "must-have" information for all presidents—and citizens—of the twenty-first century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393337112
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/21/2009
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	46,393
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Richard A. Muller is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and the best-selling author of Physics for Future Presidents. For his outstanding work in experimental cosmology, he was awarded a 1982 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and also a share of the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the discovery of dark energy.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Should be required reading for all informed citizens, as well as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain." —-Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

A book so brilliant that I can’t help feel (as a writer), ‘I wish I’d thought of that.’— Brian Clegg

Popular Science

A marvelously readable and level-headed explanation of basic science and how it relates to the issues.— John Tierney

New York Times

A book so brilliant that I can’t help feel (as a writer), ‘I wish I’d thought of that.’

Brian Clegg - Popular Science

A marvelously readable and level-headed explanation of basic science and how it relates to the issues.

John Tierney - New York Times

A triumph.

Steve Weinberg - Boston Globe

Richard Muller's engaging and engrossing new book is a perfect pitched introduction to the science behind the headlines.

Michael Moran - London Times Online

An essential 'executive summary' of the many great challenges any twenty-first-century world leader will face. With concise, clear language and equally sharp analysis, Muller builds robust arguments.

Seed

An outstanding example of public communication of science.

Kenneth R. Foster - Science

What should the president do if a "dirty" radioactive bomb were exploded in an American city? Should he or she support the construction of pebble-bed nuclear reactors to provide safe, clean energy? In this presidential primer, MacArthur fellow and UC-Berkeley physicist Muller ranges from terrorism to space exploration to global warming, offering basic information and countering myths. He says, for instance, that dirty bombs aren't as dangerous as people fear; if the radiation is diffused over a large area, the risk of death or of cancer is extremely low. In a survey of energy sources, Muller argues that much-hyped hydrogen and solar energy have a long way to go, whereas nuclear power and coal don't deserve the bad rap they receive. Regarding space exploration, Muller joins the ranks of scientists who maintain that it is better done by robots than by humans. Nuclear technology receives considerable attention, though information is repeated from one chapter to another, but an extensive, balanced section on global warming should be required reading for all informed citizens as well as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. 50 illus. (July)

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Publishers Weekly

"Should be required reading for all informed citizens, as well as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher