All About Vettes - April 2015

Book review

Once in a great while a book comes along that totally captivates your interest, especially when it explains complex concepts and laws in plain, easy-to-understand English. Physics for Gearheads is such a book. If you ever wanted to get a better understanding of the forces that come into play when driving, turning, braking and racing your Corvette, this is indeed the book for you!

As a gearhead, you have a secret advantage when it comes to understanding physics: you see it at work every time you solve a problem with your car or watch a motorsports event. The experience you already have tuning cars or motorcycles is your virtual physics lab. Physics for Gearheads will show you that if you can learn about cars, you can learn about physics.

Whether your interest is in increasing your engine's horsepower, getting more miles per gallon, or shaving tenths off your lap time on track day, you can use physics to gain insight into the problem and formulate a solution. Physics for Gearheads not only explains physics principles in language you can understand, it demonstrates how to use physics to your advantage.

Note on the units of measurement used in Physics for Gearheads: This book outfits the reader to work in SI or British Engineering units.

Randy Beikmann is an automotive engineer working at the top of the industry. And he loves physics. Through his masterful teaching, physics doesn't look foreign - it looks like common sense. If it has anything at all to do with automotive physics, he covers it in this book with the chapters:

1. A Warm-Up Lap
2. Kinematics Basics
3. Kinematics Applications
4. Dynamics Basics
5. Forces
6. Dynamics Applications
7. Torque, Force Resolution, and 2-D Vectors
8. Angular Dynamics Basics
9. Angular Dynamics Applications
10. Dynamics in a Plane Basics
11. Dynamics in a Plane Applications
12. Energy Basics
13. Energy Applications
14. Power Basics
15. Power Applications
16. Statics and Quasi-Statics Basics
17. Statics and Quasi-Statics Applications

So, if you've ever wondered what forces are at work to make your Corvette behave the way it does in certain situations, you'll find it in this book. Because Corvettes, like everything else on this planet, are obliged to comply with the laws of physics. Sit down with the book, read it and look at the visuals that dynamically illustrate the text, and the mysteries of physics will be unveiled for you. Most highly recommended!

http://allaboutvettes.com/