View larger
jacket image

Can You Feel the Force?

Putting the fizz back into physics

Richard Hammond - Author

£9.99

Winner of The Royal Society Junior Prize for Science Books 2007

Awards

Aventis Prize :Winner 2007

Introduction

Why does your stomach go right uuuuup... when a roller coaster plunges straight dooowwwwn?
How does a cold ball bounce 80% higher than a warm one?
What's it actually like inside an atom?

Physics doesn't just happen in a lab - it happens in the kitchen, in your bath, in a car! Join author Richard Hammond to discover the physical forces that make the universe and everything in it the way it is.

• Written by Richard Hammond, co-presenter of Top Gear and host of Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky One
• Crammed with fascinating physics facts, puzzles, brainteasers and interactive experiments
• Supports National Curriculum Science at Key Stage 1 & 2.

Find out how science affects everything, from roller coasters to fighter pilots, in this totally cool look at the weird and wonderful world of physics, with the hard bits left out!

Reviews

Review by: Rose Teanby, 02 March 2007

If science was taught in schools with the same enthusiastic approach and relevance to everyday life that this fantastic book demonstrates, we would not have any problems encouraging children to study maths, physics or chemistry to a high level. To appeal to a young child yet explaining complex scientific principles takes great skill and Richard Hammond achieves this superbly. My sons have learnt more from this book in two weeks than in three years at school.

Submit a review

Press reviews

“The book takes children through a brief history of physics using cartoons and brightly coloured diagrams.” Sunday Express (S Magazine)

“With a handy timeline listing major discoveries and the scientists behind them, this is an attractively presented mix of education and entertainment.” FQ Magazine

“If only physics lessons were this fun.” CY Club

"Spectacularly designed... this delightful, illuminating volume is one to go back to school with - to amaze your friends and stay ahead of teachers". The Sunday Times Culture

“Packed with cool experiments for kids to try at home.” The Guardian

Submit a review

Interview

Co-presenter of the BBC’s Top Gear and Sky One’s Brainiac, Richard Hammond takes an original look at the world of physics in Can You Feel the Force? Read his thoughts on science, schools and what Jeremy Clarkson’s really like in this fun and frank interview.

Have you always had an interest in Physics?
Yes, I’ve always had an enquiring mind and as a kid I was always fascinated by science and by how things worked. I used to eat up very DK-style books, cutaway drawings, diagrams of how things worked; I absolutely loved all that. I was an odd mix as a kid as my favourite things were wildlife, nature, anything scientific and anything artistic so for Christmas I used to get books on all these subjects – books were my favourite thing.

Were you a bit of a swot at school?!
I was ill-behaved and didn’t take well to being a student I remember saying to my dad – “I’m ten and I’m going to spend the rest of my life working for a living so how can you do that to me now, just let me go and mess about!” I really didn’t like school at all but I absolutely loved learning about stuff.

What did you want to be when you were young?
I had no idea. I’m sure I harboured desires to be a scientist in some way because I thought science was exciting and then I went to school and it wasn’t any more! I think I wanted to be on Top Gear from a fairly young age because I loved cars and I wanted to do something on telly because I loved TV. So really I wanted to do exactly what I’m doing now, to write books and to make the programmes I’m making – I know that I’m ridiculously lucky.

Do you think it’s important to encourage kids to enjoy science? Do you think science should be taught in a more fun way in schools?
I don’t want to come across as knocking teachers – they have a very difficult job to do and have targets to meet, which have to be measured and they have to demonstrate results through exams etc. Why schools are the way they are is entirely understandable and I’m sure they’re a lot better than they were.

But I do think with subjects like science in particular there’s a sense that unless you’re naturally very good at it, it’s not for you and a lot of kids early on at school will think they’re not the best at it so it’s not for them and that’s the point at which I want to get them and say that it can be a huge amount of fun and actually you can learn quite a lot, very enjoyably, and you can see it going on all around you.

To say Physics isn’t for you is ridiculous – it’s used in everything you do. You can’t do anything without Physics being involved. Where Brainiac scores is in teaching scientific method and the fact that applying it is fun. Science is for everybody you don’t have to be an expert and it’s the same for adults – you don’t have to have done a degree in Physics to get a great deal of fun out of science.

What was the most fun experiment you’ve done?
We’ve done all manner of experiments. We looked at the subject of non-Newtonian liquid on Brainiac, which we covered in Can You Feel the Force?, by walking on custard and it’s an experiment you can do at home using corn flour and that again is saying it’s fun – I’m not saying you’re studying for an exam in it but I would love it if you read Can You Feel the Force? and came away from it with an enthusiasm for Physics.

You co-present Top Gear on the BBC…

As a scientist do you feel worry about the environmental effects of car emissions given your love of cars?
It’s such a massive argument – I think people imagine we take it for granted and don’t think about it on Top Gear but of course we think about it. Cars have an effect on the environment but how big that is compared to other things we don’t know. What proportion human beings have on things like global warming is up for debate – you’ll find scientists arguing for either side and every time it’s addressed by whatever side, it’s addressed with an agenda – it’s therefore a massively complicated issue. However, it would be foolish of us to ignore it and not consider it – this is the time for us to do so but I would say you get hysteria on both sides so don’t believe extremists on either side of the argument.

What’s Jeremy Clarkson actually like?
Tall! He’s like you see on the telly – the whole point of Top Gear is that we are what you see. So he’s tall and bombastic, argumentative, funny, bright and hard work! But of course we get on – the show wouldn’t work if we didn’t get on. The arguments you see on screen are for real and often carry on off screen as well but that’s great! I look forward to spending time in their company.

Quick questions:

Who’s your favourite scientist?
Sir Isaac Newton – he did so much big stuff and was recognised at the time as he kept coming up with stuff – but he was also bit of a plonker, he could do stupid things! It must have been marvellous to be around at a time when great big chunks of science were being discovered.

What would go in your Room 101?
Buses! There is an alternative form of transport in the cities – bicycles are clean and healthy. Buses are driven by people who’ve been told that they’re saving the planet by driving these filthy, diesel spewing great barge around town and as a result they hurl it around town with this self-righteous air of thinking they can go where they like because they’re a planet-saver, while behind them is me sucking up enough carcinogens to kill a country, if I’m not actually run over by them!

You did a series called “Should I worry about…?” – What do you worry about?
I worry about us missing out on the opportunities that science, technology and everything that we’ve done so far brings us. It could all work and I worry that party politics and blind partisanship are going to spoil our opportunity. We’re at a great time but there are still people who lead awful lives and they could be made a great deal better with limited sacrifice by us – let’s look at that. I worry that we’re going to miss the opportunity to let people lead safe and healthy lives and to be educated.

On a personal front I worry about getting old – it’s suddenly happening to me! Something happens when you have kids particularly – I’m immensely lucky and I’m so aware of that, I have two beautiful healthy daughters and a lovely wife and a fabulous job but the better things get the more you worry about it going wrong!

What’s your idea of happiness?
Living on a ranch with my wife and daughters and my dogs and a pick-up, farming, no money worries but not rich just happy.

Product details