Force : what it means to push and pull, slip and grip, start and stop / Henry Petroski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Petroski, Henry, 1942- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social change.

Social psychology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (329 pages)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, Connecticut : Yale University Press, [2022]

Summary:

An eminent engineer and historian tackles one of the most elemental aspects of life: how we experience and utilize physical force “Another gem from a master of technology writing.”—Kirkus Reviews Force explores how humans interact with the material world in the course of their everyday activities. This book for the general reader also considers the significance of force in shaping societies and cultures. Celebrated author Henry Petroski delves into the ongoing physical interaction between people and things that enables them to stay put or causes them to move. He explores the range of daily human experience whereby we feel the sensations of push and pull, resistance and assistance. The book is also about metaphorical force, which manifests itself as pressure and relief, achievement and defeat. Petroski draws from a variety of disciplines to make the case that force—represented especially by our sense of touch—is a unifying principle that pervades our lives. In the wake of a prolonged global pandemic that increasingly cautioned us about contact with the physical world, Petroski offers a new perspective on the importance of the sensation and power of touch.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface

Prologue Things We Feel

1 Pushes and Pulls Sources of Forces

2 Gravitation The Heavy Force

3 Magnetism Telephones and Tricky Dogs

4 Friction House Slippers and Finger Prisons

5 Fractious Forces Shaking and Sliding

6 Lever, Lever, Cantilever A Single-Handed Force

7 Forces, Forces Everywhere Getting Dressed and Going Out

8 Moments of Inertia Mass Transit and the Transit of Masses

9 Forceful Illusions Schools and Spools

10 From Physics to the Physical The Real Feel

11 Forces on Inclined Planes Unlevel Playing Fields

12 Stretching and Squeezing Springs and Packaging

13 A Round Cake in a Square Box And a Sagging Triangle of Pie

14 Deployable Structures Tapes Measure

15 Anthropomorphic Models From Caryatids to Avatars

16 Visible and Invisible Hands Wind, Warp, and Woe

17 Overarching Problems Helping Hands

18 Pyramids, Obelisks, and Asparagus Ramping Up the Force

19 Moving with the Planet Feeling the Earth Quake

20 Forces Felt and Heard Precursors to an End

Epilogue A Forceful End

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-300-26894-7

OCLC:

1334891455