Physics for Gearheads: An Introduction to Vehicle Dynamics, Energy, and Power - with Examples from Motorsports - Softcover

Randy Beikmann

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0837616158 ISBN 13: 9780837616155

Publisher: Bentley Publishers, 2015

Synopsis

There is no better way to learn physics than by having a problem to solve.

As a gearhead, you have a secret advantage when it comes to understanding physics: you see it at work every time you solve a problem with your car or watch a motorsports event. The experience you already have tuning cars or motorcycles is your virtual physics lab. Physics for Gearheads will show you that if you can learn about cars, you can learn about physics.

Whether your interest is in increasing your engine's horsepower, getting more miles per gallon, or shaving tenths off your lap time on track day, you can use physics to gain insight into the problem and formulate a solution. Physics for Gearheads not only explains physics principles in language you can understand, it demonstrates how to use physics to your advantage.

Note on the units of measurement used in Physics for Gearheads: This book outfits the reader to work in SI or British Engineering units.

Chapters

1. A Warm-Up Lap
2. Kinematics Basics
3. Kinematics Applications
4. Dynamics Basics
5. Forces
6. Dynamics Applications
7. Torque, Force Resolution, and 2-D Vectors
8. Angular Dynamics Basics
9. Angular Dynamics Applications
10. Dynamics in a Plane Basics
11. Dynamics in a Plane Applications
12. Energy Basics
13. Energy Applications
14. Power Basics
15. Power Applications
16. Statics and Quasi-Statics Basics
17. Statics and Quasi-Statics Applications

Randy Beikmann is an automotive engineer working at the top of the industry. And he loves physics. Through his masterful teaching, physics doesn't look foreign - it looks like common sense.

About this title

About the Author:

Randy Beikmann holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a technical specialist in automotive noise and vibration at the General Motors Milford Proving Ground, where he has worked since 1983. He has published numerous papers on power­train noise and vibration and has helped design and teach classes at GM within his engineering specialty. He currently holds six patents.

Review:

Beikmann explains the hows and whys of racing in a depth rarely probed by the non-engineer reader. Beikmann is your guide to the intricacies of physics on the track and in the car. He goes in depth on his subjects, but he doesn't go so far that you're overwhelmed and your eyes glaze over. Non-engineers will never really lose track of what Beikmann is saying. Even the equations make sense to the average schmoe (i.e. us). This would be a great textbook for a high school physics class, making the complex subject accessible to a wider audience and getting more kids interested science.

--Autoweek

As a driver, the information [in Physics for Gearheads] is invaluable...The book is a true lesson in physics. So if you haven't thought about physics since high school, and high school was a while back, this is a refresher course made interesting by our mutual obsession with cars.

--The Nor'Easter

[Physics for Gearheads] is one of the most provocative and fascinating tech books we've encountered in quite some time.

--Hemmings Motor News

This would be a terrific textbook for a college-level course in automotive engineering, learning how to compute how kinetic energy of a vehicle in motion is converted to heat in the braking process, how the heat in a fuel is turned into power, or how to predict the force on a suspension pushrod.

--The Boston Globe

Whether your interest might be increasing shaving a few tenths off lap times or increasing the power of your engine, Physics for Gearheads explains the physics concepts at play, and demonstrates how one might better harness them for your benefit...Beikmann's book will make an invaluable contribution to your science education...and perhaps make you a better driver too.

--Petrolicious

Physics for Gearheads is an awesome resource for bringing relevance to an introductory physics class. The pictures and corresponding text truly bring the concepts to life. I would use this as a companion text for a general physics class or as a curriculum text for an elective or choice class.

--National Science Teachers Association

This book is destined to become the new bible of performance engineering for the regular guy... a "Must Read" for every gearhead, car guy and performance enthusiast.

--Hot Rod Engine Tech

If you've ever really wanted to understand how a car works...this is the book for you. Lots of books exist about cars, and lots of books exist about physics, but none of them pull the two ideas together in a practical volume like this one. Think of this as "Physics for Dummies" for people who aren't dummies.

--BestRide.com

Love cars? And love physics? Then this is the book for you. Its author, mechanical engineer Randy Beikmann, wanted to write an introduction to vehicle dynamics, energy and power with examples from motorsports, and he does a grand job of it, too...an informative, well-executed publication that works a treat.

--Professional Engineering Magazine

...a great primer for would-be American auto engineers, and as such I will glowingly recommend it.

--PopularScience.co.uk

Everything is explained, and that's just what Physics for Gearheads trying to achieve on a fairly entertaining and above all petrol minded manner.

--DRIVR.Be

If, like me, you are a gearhead who enjoys building things, this book is a godsend of practical equations that, once understood, will allow you to raise your intuitive abilities to a higher level...This book is written so well that you don't have to be a math wiz to understand what you're being told. You do need to want to learn, and it will require some thinking. But if you are of average intelligence and willing to make an effort, then it's all here, and the secrets of physics will be revealed.

--Speedreaders.info

Now here's a book all the know-it-alls on the MINI forums should read! Physics For Gearheads, written by a genuine Ph.D that works for GM's Milford Proving Grounds, is 600 pages of fascinating facts, information on vehicle dynamics, energy, aero and other "egghead" stuff. Great read- but you have to think about it! ...a reference book that will be with you for years.

--MC2 Magazine

... I found the book to be very well written and accurately covers the physics associated with all motorsports and racing.

--James Halderman, author of Automotive Technology-Principles, Diagnosis, and Service

Beikmann explains the hows and whys of racing in a depth rarely probed by the non-engineer reader. Beikmann is your guide to the intricacies of physics on the track and in the car. He goes in depth on his subjects, but he doesn't go so far that you're overwhelmed and your eyes glaze over. Non-engineers will never really lose track of what Beikmann is saying. Even the equations make sense to the average schmoe (i.e. us). This would be a great textbook for a high school physics class, making the complex subject accessible to a wider audience and getting more kids interested science. --Autoweek - December 15, 2015

About this edition

• Publisher: Bentley Publishers
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0837616158
• ISBN 13: 9780837616155
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 604