Writers’ Gallery
Our Writers' Gallery features short pieces about physics by authors who are both renowned physicists and prize-winning writers. Some of these are original contributions and others are excerpts from longer works. Many are linked to more information about the authors and their work.
How To Teach Relativity to Your Dog
Everyone’s heard of Einstein, and most know of E=mc2; but did you know that gravity bends light? Do you understand how energy can be transformed to matter? And can you explain why clocks run slower the faster they move? A century after Einstein proved these facts and more, they continue to boggle the mind. In his book, Orzel explains one of the cornerstones of modern physics in everyday language and down-to-Earth imagery, through a series of imaginary conversations with his lovable mutt, Emmy.
The Education of T.C. MITS --What Modern Mathematics Means to You
How will I use math and physics in the real world? Lillian Lieber answers this age old question in this recently re-released classic. She describes how math and physics function as a democracy in a triumph of good over evil.
The Citizen-Scientist's Obligation to Stand Up for Standards
Empirical constraints that may otherwise guide sensible policy making seem to be evaporating.
The Map is Not the Territory*
My uncle Karl had no sense of direction. Armed with an elaborate set of instructions and a street map of downtown Montreal, he would gamely set off on an errand, and we children would gleefully brace ourselves for the next development.
A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down
A few years ago I had occasion to engage my father-in-law, a retired academician, on the subject of the collective nature of physical law.
Rabbits Feet and Lucky Tattoos
What can a kicker or punter do to improve his accuracy? Unlike linemen, who are a deliberative, logical, and pensive group given to quiet self-introspection, these guys, as a class, are as superstitious as all get-out.
