Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines
"Suitcase nukes and shoe bombs are just two of the many subjects about which a future president must have a genuine working knowledge. Lives and the prosperity of the country depend on it. The president does not need to know every technical detail, but he or she does need to understand basic information about the key issues confronting the world in the twenty-first century. And it isn't only the president who needs these crucial insights. How can we elect the right leaders if we are not aware...
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Learn the science behind the headlines—the tools of terrorists, the dangers of nuclear power, and the reality of global warming. Publishers Weekly What should the president do if a "dirty" radioactive bomb were exploded in an American city? Should he or she support the construction of pebble-bed nuclear reactors to provide safe, clean energy? In this presidential primer, MacArthur fellow and UC-Berkeley physicist Muller ranges from terrorism to space exploration to global warming, offering basic information and countering myths. He says, for instance, that dirty bombs aren't as dangerous as people fear; if the radiation is diffused over a large area, the risk of death or of cancer is extremely low. In a survey of energy sources, Muller argues that much-hyped hydrogen and solar energy have a long way to go, whereas nuclear power and coal don't deserve the bad rap they receive. Regarding space exploration, Muller joins the ranks of scientists who maintain that it is better done by robots than by humans. Nuclear technology receives considerable attention, though information is repeated from one chapter to another, but an extensive, balanced section on global warming should be required reading for all informed citizens as well as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. 50 illus. (July)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
I Terrorism1 Nine-Eleven 192 Terrorist Nukes 323 The Next Terrorist Attack 454 Biological Terrorism 53Terrorism: Presidential Summary 60II Energy5 Key Energy Surprises 656 Solar Power 777 The End of Oil 86Energy: Presidential Summary 91III Nukes8 Radioactivity and Death 959 Radioactive Decay 11110 Nuclear Weapons 12311 Nuclear Madness 14612 Nuclear Power 15413 Nuclear Waste 17114 Controlled Fusion 180Nukes: Presidential Summary 188IV Space15 Space and Satellites 19516 Gravity Applications 21017 Humans in Space 22218 Spying With Invisible Light 228Space: Presidential Summary 244V Global Warming19 A Brief History of Climate 25120 The Greenhouse Effect 26121 A Very Likely Cause 27322 Evidence 27823 Nonsolutions 30024 The Fruit on the Ground 31425 New Technologies 328Global Warming: Presidential Summary - The Buck Stops Here 344Notes 347Index 361
\ Popular ScienceA book so brilliant that I can’t help feel (as a writer), ‘I wish I’d thought of that.’— Brian Clegg\ \ \ \ \ New York TimesA marvelously readable and level-headed explanation of basic science and how it relates to the issues.— John Tierney\ \ \ What should the president do if a "dirty" radioactive bomb were exploded in an American city? Should he or she support the construction of pebble-bed nuclear reactors to provide safe, clean energy? In this presidential primer, MacArthur fellow and UC-Berkeley physicist Muller ranges from terrorism to space exploration to global warming, offering basic information and countering myths. He says, for instance, that dirty bombs aren't as dangerous as people fear; if the radiation is diffused over a large area, the risk of death or of cancer is extremely low. In a survey of energy sources, Muller argues that much-hyped hydrogen and solar energy have a long way to go, whereas nuclear power and coal don't deserve the bad rap they receive. Regarding space exploration, Muller joins the ranks of scientists who maintain that it is better done by robots than by humans. Nuclear technology receives considerable attention, though information is repeated from one chapter to another, but an extensive, balanced section on global warming should be required reading for all informed citizens as well as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. 50 illus. (July)\ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \ \ \ \ "Should be required reading for all informed citizens, as well as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain." —-Publishers Weekly\ \
