I really enjoy this brief introduction to most of the important fundamentals of Physics. If you have any physics background (I have an undergraduate degree in physics) you won't find much anything really outstanding or significant but you will probably enjoy reading this highly useful and entertaining presentation. The light-hearted perspective may provide physics-literate readers several new ideas on how to explain fundamental physics to "lay-persons".
For instance, I've provided this text and a couple of others to high schoolers thinking of enrolling in AP Physics. This could provide several students or adults a quick, unthreatening introduction and overview to the major precepts of Physics.
So that's where I recommend this book be used ... as a quick, non-threatening overview for adults or young people who want the quick 50,000-foot view of college or AP Physics presented in an understandable and humorous fashion that they can get through in one or two sittings.
And finally, for the physics-literate it provides several examples of how you might approach explaining some of the tenets of physics to other people who, ... let's say were once or still are frightened away from this subject because of a previous presentation they found much too daunting.

Gornick has done a pretty good job of using sequential art (i.e., comics) to explain difficult abstractions. I purchased this text to help my research about comics and teaching. I was quite satisfied.

Gornick mainly uses the illustrations for 2 purposes: to 'show' various experiments and metaphors, or to toss in a gag every couple pages. It's not a very visionary use of sequential art, but basically it works. The text explanations and visual explanations integrate well, and some of the gags are actually funny.

So, for what it's trying to do, the text is successful, I'd say. I only give it 4 stars out of 5 b/c I think there is so much MORE that comics can do.

Gornick has done a pretty good job of using sequential art (i.e., comics) to explain difficult abstractions. I purchased this text to help my research about comics and teaching. I was quite satisfied.

Gornick mainly uses the illustrations for 2 purposes: to 'show' various experiments and metaphors, or to toss in a gag every couple pages. It's not a very visionary use of sequential art, but basically it works. The text explanations and visual explanations integrate well, and some of the gags are actually funny.

So, for what it's trying to do, the text is successful, I'd say. I only give it 4 stars out of 5 b/c I think there is so much MORE that comics can do.

This book was one of our text books in my introductory physics course in college. If you are struggling with general physics, this book is for you. It breaks everything down into easy to understand explanations and the illustrations are very helpful in visualizing the concepts presented. I've been referring back to it for years now. It has also helped me in studying for the MCAT, to review physics concepts that I had forgotten.

Some books make you laugh out loud, and this is one of them.

If you are 'into' physics then you'll probably find it funnier, but I've seen it bring a smile to the face of everyone who flips through it.

I teach an aerodynamics class, and particularly found the book useful in jogging my students' memories regarding their physics fundamentals. However, I'd be really hard pressed to call this text anything more than a fun refresher text. So don't expect exam grade learning from this one.

If it were only as humourous as the Cartoon History series. But then, is it possible to make equations as funny as human behaviour?

I was a lousy science major in high school. Looking back, I have no idea why I chose the subject I did anyway. The point is, I never understood half the stuff we were going through. Now, 10 years later, I've forgotten the few things I did understand.

Thanks to the magic of Larry Gonick I get now get it! At first glance it still looks hard. They really dive right in with formulas and stuff, but after a little while it feels natural. I just wish my teacher back then had put this book in my hands. Or maybe I just gave Gonick the chance I never gave my teacher. Either way, this was an enjoyable read!

I was a lousy science major in high school. Looking back, I have no idea why I chose the subject I did anyway. The point is, I never understood half the stuff we were going through. Now, 10 years later, I've forgotten the few things I did understand.

Thanks to the magic of Larry Gonick I get now get it! At first glance it still looks hard. They really dive right in with formulas and stuff, but after a little while it feels natural. I just wish my teacher back then had put this book in my hands. Or maybe I just gave Gonick the chance I never gave my teacher. Either way, this was an enjoyable read!

"The Cartoon Guide to Physics", first published in 1990, is one of a series of Cartoon Guides which Larry Gonick has co-authored with scientists in the field of choice; in this case it is with Art Huffman who is in the physics department at UCLA. Outside of Larry Gonick's excellent "Cartoon History of the Universe" series, this is the best of his books that I have read.

There are two sections in the book: `Mechanics', and `Electricity and Magnetism'. The first section deals with motion, forces, Newton's Laws, Energy, and associated topics. The second section deals with electricity and electrical fields, and magnets and magnetic fields. It also touches on relativity and quantum electrodynamics. They do not cover topics such as String Theory or Chaos Theory, which have become increasingly more publicized since this book was published.

This book works well as an introduction to the topic, or as a refresher. There is not enough substance for this to serve as a text book, nor do they provide a bibliography to assist the reader in finding more in depth books on any of the topics. However, Gonick does a wonderful job of blending the history of the field with the topics that are covered, and he does so in a way which does not overwhelm the reader.

If you are simply interested in better understanding the basic concepts of physics, this is the book for you. I have found that if you're just looking to supplement a little knowledge w/o being a physics buff most people can read and understand the info here and the format is less intimidating.
Definitely worth a look.

This is essentially a comic book, yet it is able to communicate the fundamental laws of physics taught in an introductory high school physics course and some taught in college such as relativity. Overall, the book is enjoyable and humorous. However, the constraints of actually teaching the material through the drawings do impose on the humor sometimes. The book is accurate, as far as I can tell, and allows one to gain some understanding on how things work, from how the tides come about, to the motion of a gyroscope, to the Theory of Relativity. One disclaimer that I must add, that should be obvious, is that unless you are sufficient in mathematics (genius) you will not know all the consequences that come out from these laws other than the ones provided to you. I would have to recommend this for people over 12 years old, those who want to learn a little physics in a fun and entertaining way.

This is essentially a comic book, yet it is able to communicate the fundamental laws of physics taught in an introductory high school physics course and some taught in college such as relativity. Overall, the book is enjoyable and humorous. However, the constraints of actually teaching the material through the drawings do impose on the humor sometimes. The book is accurate, as far as I can tell, and allows one to gain some understanding on how things work, from how the tides come about, to the motion of a gyroscope, to the Theory of Relativity. One disclaimer that I must add, that should be obvious, is that unless you are sufficient in mathematics (genius) you will not know all the consequences that come out from these laws other than the ones provided to you. I would have to recommend this for people over 12 years old, those who want to learn a little physics in a fun and entertaining way.

Organization was just like a physics text. Sections were good and funny, but it did not take the subject much further than a standard high school text.

Organization was just like a physics text. Sections were good and funny, but it did not take the subject much further than a standard high school text.

What keeps our world and its billions of parts, processes and phenomenol proclivities working, working, working---from quark and electron upwards---is explained in this book of brilliant, cartooned illustrations of one of mankind's most mind-boggling fields of inquiry and science: Physics.

Arranged in twenty-four, neatly labeled chapters, the book's two sections, (Part One) Mechanics, and (Part Two) Electricity and Magnetism, are models of clarity and teachable wonderment. If, like me, your mental overnight bag has always carried in it more of the liberal arts and humanities, with little room left for packing in a pair-of-sock's worth of understanding for the sciences, then this book and others in the Collins Reference series are for you. Larry Gonick's plain-language, careful explanations are wrapped around clear, illuminating graphics such as our physics instructors never had skill or thought of in high school and college. You remember?---Those required courses for the science-challenged liberal arts student?

While Gonick straightens out the riddles of physics, he has the wit also to sneak in plenty of chuckles. For the reader, the result is new and welcomed insight into many of the mysteries we observe in everyday life, from why rocks fly through windows like they do to why the waitress carries her tray in that special, gracefully upright way at our favorite cafe. I recommend this book to anyone who just can't take being ignorant about it anymore! --Michael McClintock

So I was about to dive into this book based on top 5 star reviews and what not. Since I live in Asia, the shipping actually cost MORE than the book itself. Nevermind that, since the book IS interesting. The only thing that I didn't like about it is that the vocabulary isn't explained very well. Sure, there are examples and even 'cool' cartoons, but there needs to be more explanation behind things. Also, the formulas and equations for the necessary Physics content are explained as if EVERYONE knows about it beforehand already. So, all in all, I would say this book is for Intermediate people, those who already know what Physics is all about. Since I JUST touched on this topic and wanted to use this book as an Introductory guide, it didn't really help. I'm now 3/4s through the book and what can I say, it's boring to go on! The good thing is that the cartoon makes it LESS boring, but that doesn't mean that Physics is at all interesting, based upon the respective authors.

It makes all the physics concepts and math in my high school physics class easy to understand. If I were on a textbook adoption commitee, I would buy class sets of these. Cartoon Guide cuts the nonsense and filler of your average high school physics and goes straight to the heart of the matter in a way that is accessible yet not at all dumbed down. Thank you Mr. Gonick for helping me get an "A" in physics! I was using a classroom copy. Now I will buy my own for when I go to college.

The primary hurdle to overcome in learning the basics of physics is believing that it is indeed possible for you to learn them. Motion, electricity, magnetism, light and even relativity are all based on fundamental ideas that are well within the grasp of most people. Your reach and the strength of your grip will both be amplified by the contents of this book. Using simple diagrams and plain language, you are walked through a basic physics course, from the concept of linear motion to the most "bizarre" consequences of relativity.
Gonick it truly one of a kind when it comes to the explanation of complex phenomena using drawings and cartoon-like dialog. It is one of the rare literary creations, a book that educates in science that is also fun to read. There are no sharp edges of difficulty, it is much like one of those disciplinary paddles with a pillow on the end.

This is my third Cartoon Guide, and was purchased after CG to Stats and CG to Genetics. I'm convinced now that I'll just have to buy every single one of Gonicks's guides.

Whenever possible, I have avoided physics classes--they scare me--which is difficult to do. But knowing this, I became obsessed with facing my fear and picked up this book (and a few others). I wasn't disappointed. Although it wasn't as easy to follow his other two books (perhaps because I'm more familiar with the subject of the other two books), it made physics more interesting, and less scary. I was able to reread sections and then cross reference them with a 'real' physics text until I got the point.

I'm still no physicist, and I never will be. But I've got a basic grasp now that I didn't have before, and can understand the simple physics of the world around me. However, the biggest kudo I can give to this book is this: I've enrolled in a physics course at the local university--a course I don't *have* to take but want to take. It's something I never would have done without this book easing my fears and taking the mystery out of the subject.

Bravo Gonick! Where's the Cartoon Guide to the Quantum Theory?! We're waiting....

Great popcorn read for the armchair physicist. If you are a fan of the wonderfully illustrated Gonick's Cartoon World History, you'll be a little disappointed by the quality of illustrations in this work. However, it's still an informative and fun read.

I was delighted when some time ago I received two volumes of Larry Gonick's Cartoon History of the Universe as a present from a friend. It is absolutely hilarious! Being a physicist, I considered it a must to add Cartoon Guide to Physics to my Larry Gonick collection.

However, I was disappointed. The guide indeed tries to cover a significant amount of the usual high-school physics course - mechanics, electricity and magnetism (missing are thermodynamics and optics) - but it is not really as charmingly funny as the Cartoon History of the Universe. As a physicist, I can assure you that the problem does not lie in the simple fact that the history is more interesting topic than physics - physics is plenty interesting, thank you! But the desired blend between the textbook and the cartoon resulted in something that is not educational enough to actually learn something from it and too boring to make a good cartoon.

Trying to find some bright spot, I am happy to report I have not discovered any major flops in the science part of the book. Also, I believe the book actually becomes somewhat more interesting toward the end. But then again, if I would have to choose between, say, the chapter on relativity and Joseph Schwartz's Einstein for Beginners, I would probably opt for the latter.

This book is excellent! Not only are there no errors of fact, it explains difficult concepts simply.

I believe that my physics career began with this book about thetime I was in fourth grade. I really liked it and I didn't find themath to be too hard. Besides the main point that it got across (atleast to me) was that science was interesting. If you are an educator for students anywhere between the third grade and eighth grades this might be a good book to have on your shelf. Though ... the lower end of this spectrum probably wont be getting as much out of it due to a general lack of mathematical understanding.

I'm an elementary school teacher and am in the process of reading this book with the possible thought in mind of recommending for use by my sixth grade student. Conclusion: forget it. Yes, the cartoons are "really cool", but the math and the thought processes involved are way beyond the level of the typical sixth grade student. In fact, I believe that most middle school children would have problems with the math part of it unless they were well grounded in algebra.

It seems to me that this book is just a catchy way to sell a trite book.

This book far outreaches the realms of physics. It was more than just a book, but an awe-inspiring revelation which has irrevocably changed my life. Before I met Gonick, I was just an ignorant titmouse, but now I am a rat. Thank you Gonick

A book on physics, that is easy to read and understand. It is has a subtle humor that is very good. This book is so good that I have recomended that it be used as the text for an elementray physics course. I have found this book to be a greate gift for non technical people, such as politicans.

I have a degree in Physics from 37 years ago and picked this book up after browsing for a few minutes. The book is GREAT, OUTSTANDING, FUN TO READ, WELL ORGANIZED and EXPLAINS a lot about the every day physics we live in. This book is a must for students interested in learning more about physics. I am going to buy a couple of other titles by this author for my library.

If you haven't seen these Cartoon Guides before, you are in for a treat! They are a FABULOUS way to teach science. This book covers a broad range of physics from Mechanics to Electricity and Magnetism. But the whole book is a cartoon that creates most enjoyable reading. Whenever I get one of these books, my preteen asks to borrow it! (He's also learned genetics this way). Although it does not contain experiments as such, the presentations of scientific history and principles are great. Definitely a necessary book for older children, teachers and professionals...from The Science Spiders(TM) Newsletter

This book is filled with outstanding point of view. The most satisfied thing is the emphasis on the role of Galileo. And the explanation of relativity is fantastic! I cannot remember better one. I strongly recommend this book to my clever students. Thanks to Larry Gonick!

this book breaks down the basics of physics in easy illustrations. do not look for the humor of larrys other books, however who ever said physics would be fun.

Larry Gonick is amazing. I've read a number of his "cartoon guides" and this one didn't let me down. I happened to read it while taking a highschool physics class. It was great--I kept thinking "Oh! *Now* I get it!" I think that this is an excellent supplement to any "official" textbook or class: the textbook will give you the math problems, etc., and the Cartoon Guide to Physics will allow you to understand the concepts behind them.