BOOK OF THE MONTH: JANUARY 2014

                                                         
Title         : The Physics of War: From Arrows to Atoms 
Author     : Barry Parker 
Publishers: Prometheus
Pages       : 320
Price        : $25.95 
ISBN        : 10: 1616148039

Physics has played a critical role in warfare since the earliest times. Starting with chariots and bows and arrows, Barry Parker highlights famous battles of the past as well as renowned scientists and inventors such as Leonardo, Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, and Einstein whose work had an impact on the technology of combat. 

Mechanics and the laws of motion led to improved shell trajectories; gas dynamics proved important to the interior ballistics of rifles and cannons; and space exploration resulted in intercontinental missiles, spy satellites, and drone aircraft.

Parker lays particular emphasis on special discoveries that had revolutionary effects on the art of warfare: the Chinese invention of gunpowder, the development of firearms, the impact of the Industrial Revolution, the deployment of the airplane in the First World War, and in our era the unleashing of the enormous power inherent in nuclear fission and fusion.

Since ancient times, war and technology have gone hand in hand, each driving the other. In this fascinating volume Barry Parker shows how generals from ancient Egypt to contemporary America have relied upon scientific principles to fight and win wars. This book illuminates an essential element of military history."

This fascinating blend of popular science and military history examines the science of war, demonstrating the close connection between the discovery of basic physical principles and the development of weaponry over the ages.

Those readers who love to read the history of wars and how they were won by brilliant tactics, strategies and new weaponry will thoroughly enjoy this volume. And those who love science and physics will also be captivated.

Barry Parker (Boise, ID) is professor emeritus of Physics at Idaho State University and an award-winning author of twenty-seven highly acclaimed popular science books including: 'Remarkable Discoveries That Shaped Modern Science', 'Einstein: The Passions of a Scientist' and 'Quantum Legacy: The Discovery That Changed Our Universe'. 

Source: http://www.prometheusbooks.com