...
'Elegance' can be defined as "tasteful richness of design..."

Categories on the Beauty of Physics: Essential Physics Concepts And Their Companions in Art And Literature is an elegant read. Not an elegant book, but an elegant read. That is a rare find.


Blending published literature, art, the written word, the smallest bit of math and equation . . .Categories... explores the many forces of physics that define and control our everyday world. From Acceleration through Energy . . .Mass . . .Space-time . . .Uncertainty . . .to Work, thirty-nine chapters provide a diverse explanation, examination, illustration, and starting point for an exhaustive exploration of each concept.


A very helpful How to Use this Book introductory chapter lays out the format to be used in each chapter.


Each chapter/concept starts with a Featured Literary Quote from a well-known work. The chapter on Power leads with thoughts from British art critic John Berger's Ways of Seeing, and an excerpt from Machiavelli's The Prince. These excerpts and the parent works are discussed at the end of each chapter, though this is undocumented in this 'How to' section.


A simple Dictionary Definition of the concept follows and then a simple collage art image of the term. Power is represented by an image that appears to represent Stonehenge. These images are intended to ". . .bring the spirit of (the) scientific (theme) memorably to life."

It was a simple torn-paper collage of the Roman Coliseum and its bringing the idea of entropy to author Emiliano Sefusatti's mind that was the seed of this book and the concept of Categories....


Next is a Physics Text, a short ". . .innovative conceptual overview of the featured term . . .(for the) nonscientist" and a "creative reinforcement" for the more experienced reader.

The paragraphs for Power explore the relationship of power and energy; discuss the climbing of stairs and how power, time, and gravitational potential energy all interact in that act; and connect power, light bulbs, and the stars in the heavens together in your mind.


The reader is then referred to other chapters in the book for additional information. The Power chapter links to Energy, Force, and Work.


Equations as needed for a basic explanation of the topic are then listed. For example: P = W / M or, as briefly explained: "The average power ( P ) is equal to the work ( W ) done by a force divided by the time elapsed ( delta t )."

You got all that, ..right..??


Think About It, Read About It, and Talk About It then provide questions to ponder, books to look for if your interest in a particular concept is piqued, and 'talking points' that go "beyond physics" to engage the reader.

Each of these sections might, and do, stray widely and obliquely from the topic. For instance, the Power Talk About It section ventures into a discussion of 'celebrities' and how their 'power' is created and exploited.

Featured Fine Art art is next. Featured in Power is Portrait of a Lady by Rogier ven der Weyden.** With perhaps its only connection to Power being a closing reference to ". . .the woman's powerful persona."


Each chapter concludes with a brief summary of the Featured Literary Works which opened each chapter and perhaps how they might relate to the concept at hand.


The book concludes with an extensive Suggested Readings section and a serviceable Index.


The only true fault I found with the book was the poor binding on my copy. The spine stitches were clearly visible and many pages simply would not lay flat. Very annoying.


Categories on the Beauty of Physics:... might best be enjoyed by the inquisitive mind, whether "early learners" or ". . .late learners (taking) a renewed interest in material believed to be too difficult." It would be an excellent resource for a high school Advanced Physics class. Or even an advanced Literature class.




As I read through my words now I am sorely disappointed that I have so utterly failed to capture the sense of elegance I noted as I began this review. My words capture none of the sense of beauty, of serendipity, of correlation, of universality, of 'ah-ha!' that these pages bring to me as I flip through them, stopping here and there to read and wonder.

Perhaps it is as hopeless as my trying to describe an afternoon rainbow or the thrill (yet nervous awe) of holding a newborn . . .the words simply escape me. The skill needed to describe those experiences or to describe the value and beauty and elegance of this book . . .that skill, those words exceed my grasp.


Perhaps my hope must be that you know yourself and your own fascination with the sciences, the arts, the written word and how these all might interact to create a rich and deep understanding of the basic components of physics and everyday life that is more than the sum of its parts.




The Bottom Line
Elegance has a place in the human mind. Categories on the Beauty of Physics: Essential Physics Concepts And Their Companions in Art And Literature challenges the reader to make connections he never has, to see the interconnectedness of words and art and thoughts as she never imagined, to think and understand as perhaps he never has before.



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"Just the facts, ma'am"


Title: Categories on the Beauty of Physics: Essential Physics
      Concepts And Their Companions in Art And Literature.
Author: Emiliano Sefusatti
Publisher: Vernacular Press
Copyright: 2005 by H.T. Hamann
Pages: 280
ISBN: 0974026638
Ages Recommended: mature teen / adult



** On-line view of: Portrait of a Lady by Rogier ven der Weyden
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/W/weyden/lady.jpg.html
 
 

Recommended: Yes