The Physics of NASCAR: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber = Speed
by Diandra Leslie-Pelecky
(Click here)
Book Summary Information
Author: Diandra Leslie-PeleckyEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2008-02-14
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 286
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Book Reviews of The Physics of NASCAR: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber = Speed
Book Review: Too much chemistry, weak on physics
Summary: 1 Stars
Most highly educated technical people have problems communicating their technical knowledge to anyone except their peers. This author is an extreme case of that shortcoming. Most of the contents of this book is so dumbed down its insulting.
I bought it thinking it would be the stock car racing version of Amusement Park Physics for High School Students, full of formulas and exercises. Alternately I thought it might be a simpler version of Race Car Engineering. It does not contain a single mathematical formula. There are some buried in the text but that's it.
It also contains no photographs. A lot of text is wasted describing things that a few pictures could show more clearly. There are about 30 line drawings or tables but they are very simple. They illustrate things like the four cycles of an engine. A single graph of horsepower vs. torque is stretched horizontally and has no numbers on the vertical axis. The last 70 pages contain no illustrations.
The author has a chemistry fixation. Many of the drawings illustrate chemical bonds. She carefully identifies the company who developed and manufactures every chemical product she mentions. If you want to know why Kevlar is strong and who makes it and why Nomex doesn't burn then this is the book for you.
The portions of the book about attending races, going to driver school, and visiting team headquarters are weak. They have been done better in many other books.
NASCAR should be more careful about what they put their name on.
Summary of The Physics of NASCAR: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber = Speed
Every NASCAR fan - at one time or another - asks the same question: Why isn't my favorite driver winning? This is your chance to discover how much more there is to NASCAR than "Go fast, turn left and don't crash." If you've ever wondered why racecars don't have mufflers, how "bump drafting" works, or what in the world "Let's go up a pound on the right rear and add half a round of wedge" means, The Physics of NASCAR is for you.In this fast-paced investigation into the adrenaline-pumping world of NASCAR, a physicist with a passion uncovers what happens when the rubber hits the road and 800- horsepower vehicles compete at 190 miles per hour only inches from one another.
Diandra Leslie-Pelecky reveals how and why drivers trust the engineering and science their teams literally build around them not only to get them across the finish line in first place, but also to keep them alive. Professor Leslie-Pelecky is a physicist in love with the sport's beauty and power and is uniquely qualified to explain exactly how physics translates into winning races.
Based on the author's extensive access to race shops, pit crews, crew chiefs and mechanics, this book traces the life cycle of a race car from behind the scenes at top race shops to the track. The Physics of NASCAR takes readers right into the ultra competitive world of NASCAR, from the champion driver's hot seat behind the detachable steering wheel to the New Zealander nicknamed Kiwi in charge of shocks for the No. 19 car.
Diandra Leslie-Pelecky tells her story in terms anyone who drives a car--and maybe occasionally looks under the hood--can understand. How do drivers walk away from serious crashes? How can two cars travel faster together than either car can on its own? How do you dress for a 1800?F gasoline fire? In simple yet detailed, high-octane prose, this is the ultimate thrill ride for armchair speed demons, auto science buffs, and NASCAR fans at every level of interest.
Readers, start your engines.
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