How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog, Chad Orzel
How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog, Chad Orzel
4 Rating(s)
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How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog

Author: Chad Orzel

Narrator: Will Collyer, Cassandra Morris

Unabridged: 9 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 02/11/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But what about relativity?

Physics professor Chad Orzel and his inquisitive canine companion, Emmy, tackle the concepts of general relativity in this irresistible introduction to Einstein's physics. Through armchair- and sometimes passenger-seat-conversations with Emmy about the relative speeds of dog and cat motion or the logistics of squirrel-chasing, Orzel translates complex Einsteinian ideas -- the slowing of time for a moving observer, the shrinking of moving objects, the effects of gravity on light and time, black holes, the Big Bang, and of course, E=mc2 -- into examples simple enough for a dog to understand.
A lively romp through one of the great theories of modern physics, How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about space, time, and anything else you might have slept through in high school physics class.

About Chad Orzel

Chad Orzel is a physicist, professor, and blogger, and the author of How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog, and Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist. He is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College in Schenectady, New York, where he has been on the faculty since 2001. Orzel has been blogging about physics and academia for Forbes and Scienceblogs.com since 2002. He is earned a BA in physics from Williams College and a PhD in chemical physics from the University of Maryland, College Park. At that time, he completed his thesis research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology with Bill Phillips (Nobel Laureate in 1997), and he was a post-doc at Yale before starting at Union, studying the quantum physics of ultra-cold atoms.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mark on January 18, 2014

This shows that relative to me, dogs are more intelligent.......more

Goodreads review by Aaron on December 19, 2019

I gave this book a three-star rating only because I wasn't smart enough to understand that last quarter. I was 100% with it and the way it explains some pretty complex ideas, but alas...it lost me, or rather I lost it, I suppose. Really enjoyed it, and I can firmly say, I definitely understand the w......more

Goodreads review by Ramon on May 05, 2020

I really enjoyed reading this, just as I did with its predecessor "How To Teach Quantum Physics To Your Dog". Once again Orzel uses his dog Emmy as a surrogate for the reader to explain a big physics subject, though I have to admit that Emmy sometimes asks way smarter questions than I could at that......more

Goodreads review by Flybyreader on September 10, 2023

It was an upsetting realization that his dog is much more intelligent than I am. No matter how much he tries to simplify the subject, it is still complicated as hell. Better watch the youtube videos with train illustrations and people travelling on a lightning bolt than read the complex equations in......more

Goodreads review by Peter on January 22, 2021

The theory of relativity, Einstein’s big idea. What is it? This book is a laymen’s introduction to the theory. Chad Orzel does a good job of explaining. Some Math is required along with spacetime diagrams. Weird not easy to get ways the universe actually works. Turns out E = mC(squared) isn’t the ke......more


Quotes

"A clever introduction to the often intimidating concepts of special and general relativity, couched as a series of conversations between the author and his dog, Emmy. It may sound like a strange setup, but the somewhat kooky concept works well for explaining a field of physics that can sound, well, kooky to the uninitiated.... While keeping the math to a minimum, Orzel provides a clear and thorough primer. It might take some practice to start equating subatomic particles to running bunnies, but the reader will find that puzzling through the details is worth the effort."—Science News

"Dogs are a practical species. They aren't interested in speculation and conjecture; they like food, walks, and proven physics like Einstein's relativity. If you really want to further your dog's education (and learn something yourself in the process), Chad Orzel's book is the first place you should turn."—Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture

"Rather than barking or growling, Emmy leavens the mood with requests for walks; and when the academics get heavy, she interjects to beg for clarification. Obviously, real-life dogs will not walk away from the book with a grasp of the universe's mechanics, but the human sort of non-scientist can get some benefit."—Washington Post

"[E]ngaging and readable for a general audience.... I suggest people who balk at the idea of a talking dog but are nevertheless interested in the broad sweep of one of the two great theories of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries should give this book a chance. After all, every dog has its day."—Nature Physics

"Emmy may be one smart dog, but her owner also happens to be an uncommonly gifted communicator. Chad Orzel's treatment of special and general relativity is comprehensive, informative, and amazingly accessible, yet it's funny too. This is, by far, the most entertaining discussion of the subject that I've ever had the pleasure of reading."—Steve Nadis, coauthor of The Shape of Inner Space

"With Nero, the egocentric cat who believes it is the centre of the universe, and Emmy, the student dog whose questions and misunderstandings would drive any teacher to distraction, and whose interest in relativity is how E=mc^2 can turn squirrels into energy, Chad Orzel has created a delightful cast of characters to make his introduction to relativity relatively painless. A cleverly crafted and beautifully explained narrative that guides readers carefully into the depths of relativity. Whether you are a hare or a tortoise, or even a dog, you will enjoy this."—Frank Close, author of The Infinity Puzzle

"For the price of a book, Orzel delivers the heady, joyful experience of taking a small college class with a brilliant and funny professor who really knows how to teach. A thoroughly winning romp through a rock-solid presentation of a beautiful subject."—Louisa Gilder, author of The Age of Entanglement

"Everyone's favorite physics-loving canine is back, this time giving us a dog's eye view of Einstein and relativity. Physics professor Chad Orzel leads Emmy (and us) through an engaging tour of light speed, time dilation, and amazing shrinking bunnies (length contraction)--not to mention what all this means for the search for the elusive 'bacon boson.'"—Jennifer Ouellette, author of The Calculus Diaries

"Readers who enjoy Michio Kaku, Brian Greene, or Neil deGrasse Tyson will love this book. Full of quotes, math jokes, and silly canines, the book strives to make its audience amazed by, not frightened of, physics. With exuberant Emmy at the lead, readers can't help but be dragged (willingly!) toward a better understanding of special and general relativity."—Library Journal

"With canine humor and math- or physics-related jokes, Orzel keeps readers interested, while teaching the elements of physics that we promptly forgot after we took the test."—Booklist