The Physics of NASCAR: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber = Speed
by Diandra Leslie-Pelecky
Book Summary Information
Author: Diandra Leslie-PeleckyEdition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2008-02-14
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 286
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Book Reviews of The Physics of NASCAR: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber = Speed
Book Review: Fun book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I learned a TON from this little book. Reading it has increased my science literacy significantly (that will let you know how weak I am in science... I was a music major in college and studied the social sciences in graduate school. Hard science background? Basically none)
This is a fun title, and a great way to get people solid science content "on the sly." However, as a newer NASCAR fan, I found the book absolutely essential. The depths of this wonderful American sport are difficult to describe to the uninitiated. Many of my friends think the sport is just corporate sponsored cars turning to the left. I love working on my own car, in fact I love all things mechanical, and I love things that go fast; I for one find NASCAR totally enthralling. This book has only deepened my obsession.
As an educator I found this book potentially quite powerful. I recently read Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work and I find it connects with this book in interesting ways. I think the author is interested in increasing science literacy by connecting the concepts to something that students will find engaging an interesting. I think one of the reasons so few students are rapt with the hard sciences these days (besides the fact that they are hard in more ways than one) is that we have done away with serious manual education in the classroom. Students used to learn about combustion and tolerances of certain materials connected with the manual, interesting, and observable phenomena of a car in auto-shop. Shop classes are on the chopping block everywhere, and science classes devoid of real world applications students find interesting become even more abstract and difficult to follow. This book, like Shop Class as Soulcraft, may be part of the remedy for this terrible situation.
Sometimes it is evident that the author is interested in giving science lessons on the sly, as opposed to just dealing with the science of NASCAR. For instance, in the section on paints, she goes into a lengthy discussion on light waves work and how our eyes perceive color. This would be outside scope if the purpose of the book were to simply address the science of NASCAR. If the purpose of the book is to increase the science literacy of NASCAR fans (especially the kids) then it is not outside the scope at all, and is very valuable.
As a teacher (NOT a science teacher) I found this book EXCELLENT. I think it would do school districts a service if this book were placed on summer reading lists for the science department. This is a book students who are NASCAR fans will be drawn to. And it will teach them a LOT if they stick to it.
From the perspective of understanding automobiles, the economics of racing, how the race car is built, and other inside elements of NASCAR this book is incomparable. It will give one a decent overview of the sport and will really increase interest in the races by making the would-be fan much more aware of everything that goes into fielding a winning NASCAR team.
This is a great book. Highly recommended for NASCAR fans of all ages... ESPECIALLY students at the High School (or even bright Junior High students) to help them understand why studying science is so important. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky is a physicist and that is noble. But she transcends the rarified air of the academy to also be a good teacher, and that is even more noble in my book.
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