Comments on: The Manga Guide to Physics http://mangabookshelf.com/2009/07/11/the-manga-guide-to-physics/ Discussion & Reviews by Melinda Beasi Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:40:52 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Sara K. http://mangabookshelf.com/2009/07/11/the-manga-guide-to-physics/comment-page-1/#comment-10073 Sara K. Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:16:59 +0000 http://eyeballman.com/blog/?p=2382#comment-10073 Well, the publisher provides a handy-dandy table of contents for the book. It's an extremely thorough introduction to Newtonian physics - it looks a little more thorough than my middle/high school physics classes - but it covers little else. In my middle/high school physics courses, we also covered thermodynamics, the electro-magnetic spectrum, the basics of electricity, the six simple machines, the behavior of waves (sound and light), and a touch of relativity and quantum theory. It seems they also have a manga guide to electricity, so maybe they are going to make separate guide for each subtopic of physics. I think this book is not for me. The manga guides which most interest me in the catalog are Calculus and Databases. I would be curious how this book compares to the Cartoon Guide to Physics, but I'm not going to go out and read them just to make the comparison. Well, the publisher provides a handy-dandy table of contents for the book. It’s an extremely thorough introduction to Newtonian physics – it looks a little more thorough than my middle/high school physics classes – but it covers little else. In my middle/high school physics courses, we also covered thermodynamics, the electro-magnetic spectrum, the basics of electricity, the six simple machines, the behavior of waves (sound and light), and a touch of relativity and quantum theory. It seems they also have a manga guide to electricity, so maybe they are going to make separate guide for each subtopic of physics.

I think this book is not for me. The manga guides which most interest me in the catalog are Calculus and Databases. I would be curious how this book compares to the Cartoon Guide to Physics, but I’m not going to go out and read them just to make the comparison.

]]> By: Melinda Beasi http://mangabookshelf.com/2009/07/11/the-manga-guide-to-physics/comment-page-1/#comment-10066 Melinda Beasi Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:04:03 +0000 http://eyeballman.com/blog/?p=2382#comment-10066 I really think you're asking the wrong person. :) I mean it when I say I never studied physics. The book definitely goes further and deeper than that quarter-long course in Junior High, but those quarters were bare-bones introductions to the sciences taught by a combination of athletic coaches who didn't know anything that wasn't in the textbook and a guy who spent half our class time showing us NRA videos. It was not real stuff. I think the book is meant to be basic. I'd recommend it for students studying physics for the first time (high school, probably, more than Jr. High) who can use what they are learning in class to help them understand the more complex sections of the book, and vice-versa. My math background helped me a bit through that, but I'd have grasped more of it if I was actively working with the subject at the same time. So I don't think the book is actually <i>meant</i> for you. As you suggest, the story is fun, but you have to want the physics lessons to make it worthwhile. I really think you’re asking the wrong person. :) I mean it when I say I never studied physics. The book definitely goes further and deeper than that quarter-long course in Junior High, but those quarters were bare-bones introductions to the sciences taught by a combination of athletic coaches who didn’t know anything that wasn’t in the textbook and a guy who spent half our class time showing us NRA videos. It was not real stuff.

I think the book is meant to be basic. I’d recommend it for students studying physics for the first time (high school, probably, more than Jr. High) who can use what they are learning in class to help them understand the more complex sections of the book, and vice-versa. My math background helped me a bit through that, but I’d have grasped more of it if I was actively working with the subject at the same time. So I don’t think the book is actually meant for you.

As you suggest, the story is fun, but you have to want the physics lessons to make it worthwhile.

]]> By: Sara K. http://mangabookshelf.com/2009/07/11/the-manga-guide-to-physics/comment-page-1/#comment-10052 Sara K. Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:28:58 +0000 http://eyeballman.com/blog/?p=2382#comment-10052 Thanks for the review! Does this book go beyond basic Newtonian physics? If not, I'm afraid it would be too basic for me. Though it's great to know that the story is fun too, it doesn't sound like it's quite enough to sail the book entirely on its own merit - or is it? The American equivalent of this book is "The Cartoon Guide to Physics". Which I haven't read, but my high school physics teacher had a high opinion of it. Thanks for the review!

Does this book go beyond basic Newtonian physics? If not, I’m afraid it would be too basic for me. Though it’s great to know that the story is fun too, it doesn’t sound like it’s quite enough to sail the book entirely on its own merit – or is it?

The American equivalent of this book is “The Cartoon Guide to Physics”. Which I haven’t read, but my high school physics teacher had a high opinion of it.

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