The Manga Guide to Physics

Megumi is an all-star athlete, but she's a failure when it comes to physics class. And she can't concentrate on her tennis matches when she's worried about the questions she missed on the big test! Luckily for her, she befriends Ryota, a patient physics geek who uses real-world examples to help her understand classical mechanics-and improve her tennis game in the process! In The Manga Guide to Physics, you'll follow alongside Megumi as she learns about the physics of everyday objects like roller skates, slingshots, braking cars, and tennis serves. In no time, you'll master tough concepts like momentum and impulse, parabolic motion, and the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration.

You'll also learn how to:

• Apply Newton's three laws of motion to real-life problems
• Determine how objects will move after a collision
• Draw vector diagrams and simplify complex problems using trigonometry
• Calculate how an object's kinetic energy changes as its potential energy increases

If you're mystified by the basics of physics or you just need a refresher, The Manga Guide to Physics will get you up to speed in a lively, quirky, and practical way.

 (18 customer reviews)

This book is another in the series of Japanese Manga about science, this time introducing Newtonian physics. It has 232 pages, and a four page index. It is written by a physics professor, Hideo Nitta PhD, a professor at Tokyo Gakugei University. His stated purpose in writing the book is to "reach as many readers as possible who think 'physics is tough' and who 'don't like physics.'"

The chapters are cleverly divided into two sections, the first following in a cartoon story a gifted athlete who does poorly in physics, as she learns how a knowledge of physics can improve her tennis game. The second portion of the chapter (usually called The Laboratory) is written in prose, and reviews the lessons learned in the Manga section and adds detail including the relevant equations and graphs. There are no problems given to work through. The book is not a text book.

The four chapters are:

Law of Action and Reaction
Force and Motion
Momentum...Read more

I think that this book would be an excellent introduction to physics for teens and adults alike. My initial impression of the book is probably tainted by my previous exposure to physics, which were presented in a complete flat and rigid way compared to the content of this book.

I believe that those who are not already through college undergraduate-level physics would benefit the most from this book. I'm certain that the presentation method is easier to accept and is certainly more interesting for all. I found that the first chapter labored a bit on the lesson, but that subsequent chapters went by rather efficiently. Then there was the "inner-geek" in me who loves continuous mathematics who wanted to argue that the ball-in-hand is not a static state but dynamic, though for the purposes of the book, the explanations were appropriate.

As far as the story goes as presented by the illustrations, I found a bit to dislike. The characters exhibited extremely wide...Read more

My understanding of many physics concepts is a bit fuzzy after so many years away from high school and college, so I enjoyed getting a good overview of many of the concepts that are so important to "how things work" in this world.

This is the third in the Manga series from No Starch Press that I've read... Electricity and Statistics are the other two. This one is my favorite, hands down. The story is creative, and the way the writer is able to mix in equations, vector mathematics, and simple yet easy-to-follow illustrations make the book a no-brainer purchase for anyone wanting to re-learn OR for anyone currently studying physics and not quite understanding many of the vague concepts.

Like the other books in the series, the manga/comic storyline is broken up with text-based instructions that help further cement the reader's understanding of the previous manga section they just read... things like a refresher on basic trigonometry are nice... Newton's Laws...Read more