Physics Around the Clock

Adventures in the Science of Everyday Living

By: Michael Banks

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Paperback | 7 April 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
304 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 13.97

Paperback

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Physics not only shapes the cosmos but every aspect of our lives. Physics Around the Clock is an illuminating and fun journey through the physics of everyday life. From the thermodynamics of cooking the perfect pizza, or what 'plate' mechanics says about how to cut your fingernails, to the optimal way to board an airplane, this lively book explains what physics can reveal about so many seemingly ordinary aspects of everyday living. In this fun and fascinating book, Physics World news editor Michael Banks follows a typical day, beginning at breakfast and the morning routine, and moving through typical daytime activities and evening pursuits, including sports, gardening, looking after pets, socializing and playing games, and enjoying a take-away and film. Binding it all together is physics and what physical theories or experimental techniques can reveal about our everyday situations.

Industry Reviews

"A thoroughly enjoyable collection of physical curiosities that fill our everyday life from the volcano-like electrical activities of coffee grounds to bunching buses. Delightful." --Brian Clegg, author of Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World "This is one of those brilliant books where there is an amazing fact on every page showing just how much science underpins our everyday world. I particularly liked the way that the fundamental physics being explored in high-tech laboratories around the world often ends up elucidating seemingly simple questions about cats, dogs and even football." --Mark Miodownik, author of It's a Gas: The Magnificent and Elusive Elements that Expand our World "Physics Around the Clock explains, in an easy and engaging way, how, from morning till night, we're surrounded by fascinating physics that hides in plain sight." --James Kakalios, professor of physics at the University of Minnesota and author of The Physics of Everyday Things "Physics is all around us--even as we go about our seemingly mundane daily lives, as Michael Banks ably demonstrates in Physics Around the Clock. Whether it's your morning coffee, daily commute, walking the dog, cooking dinner, playing Monopoly or Texas Hold 'Em, or debating whether it's better for gunslingers to draw first while watching classic spaghetti Westerns, a physicist somewhere has studied it. And Banks is here to explain it all to you in a truly compelling read." --Jennifer Ouellette, author of The Calculus Diaries

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