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 of what they should know?" Physics for Future Presidents is a fascinating, lively, and nontechnical primer on precisely those topics that a future president and the electorate must master.

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)

Richard A. Muller is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a past winner of the MacArthur Fellowship. His book Physics for Future Presidents is based on his renowned course for non-science students. He lives in Berkeley, California.