Guesstimation 2.0: Solving Today's Problems on the Back of a Napkin

Cover......Page 1
Halftitle......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
1 How to Solve Problems......Page 20
2 General Questions......Page 30
2.1 Who unrolled the toilet paper?......Page 32
2.2 Money height......Page 36
2.3 Blotting out the Sun......Page 38
2.4 Really extra-large popcorn......Page 40
2.5 Building volume......Page 44
2.6 Mass of money......Page 48
2.7 A baseball in a glass of beer......Page 52
2.8 Life on the phone......Page 56
2.9 Money under the bridge......Page 60
2.10 Monkeys and Shakespeare......Page 64
2.11 The titans of siren......Page 68
2.12 Airheads at the movies......Page 72
2.13 Heavy cars and heavier people......Page 74
2.14 Peeing in the pool......Page 78
3 Recycling: What Really Matters?......Page 82
3.1 Water bottles......Page 86
3.2 99 bottles of beer on the wall . . .......Page 90
3.3 Can the aluminum......Page 94
3.4 Paper or plastic?......Page 98
3.5 Paper doesn’t grow on trees!......Page 102
3.6 The rain in Spain . . .......Page 106
3.7 Bottom feeders......Page 110
3.8 You light up my life!......Page 114
4 The Five Senses......Page 120
4.1 Don’t stare at the Sun......Page 122
4.2 Men of vision......Page 124
4.3 Light a single candle......Page 128
4.4 Oh say can you see?......Page 132
4.5 Bigger eyes......Page 136
4.6 They’re watching us!......Page 140
4.7 Beam the energy down, Scotty!......Page 144
4.8 Oh say can you hear?......Page 150
4.9 Heavy loads......Page 154
5 Energy and Work......Page 158
5.1 Power up the stairs......Page 162
5.2 Power workout......Page 164
5.3 Water over the dam......Page 168
5.4 A hard nut to crack......Page 172
5.5 Mousetrap cars......Page 174
5.6 Push hard......Page 178
5.7 Pumping car tires......Page 180
5.8 Pumping bike tires......Page 184
5.9 Atomic bombs and confetti......Page 188
6 Energy and Transportation......Page 192
6.1 Gas-powered humans......Page 196
6.2 Driving across country......Page 200
6.3 Keep on trucking......Page 204
6.4 Keep on biking......Page 208
6.5 Keep on training......Page 212
6.6 Keep on flying......Page 216
6.7 To pee or not to pee......Page 220
6.8 Solar-powered cars......Page 224
6.9 Put a doughnut in your tank......Page 228
6.10 Perk up your car......Page 232
6.11 Don’t slow down......Page 236
6.12 Throwing tomatoes......Page 238
7 Heavenly Bodies......Page 242
7.1 Orbiting the Sun......Page 246
7.2 Flying off the Earth......Page 248
7.3 The rings of Earth......Page 252
7.4 It is not in the stars to hold our destiny......Page 256
7.5 Orbiting a neutron star......Page 260
7.6 How high can we jump?......Page 264
7.7 Collapsing Sun......Page 268
7.8 Splitting the Moon......Page 272
7.9 Splitting a smaller moon......Page 276
7.10 Spinning faster and slower......Page 282
7.11 Shrinking Sun......Page 286
7.12 Spinning Earth......Page 290
7.13 The dinosaur killer and the day......Page 292
7.14 The Yellowstone volcano and the day......Page 296
7.15 The orbiting Moon......Page 300
7.16 The shortest day......Page 302
8 Materials......Page 308
8.1 Stronger than spider silk......Page 310
8.2 Beanstalk to orbit......Page 314
8.3 Bolt failure......Page 318
8.4 Making mountains out of molecules......Page 322
8.5 Chopping down a tree......Page 326
9 Radiation......Page 330
9.1 Nuclear neutrinos......Page 334
9.2 Neutrinos and you......Page 338
9.3 Solar neutrinos......Page 342
9.4 Supernovas can be dangerous......Page 346
9.5 Reviving ancient bacteria......Page 350
9.6 Decaying protons......Page 354
9.7 Journey to the center of the galaxy......Page 356
A.1 Large Numbers......Page 360
A.2 Precision, Lots of Digits, and Lying......Page 362
A.3 Numbers and Units......Page 364
Appendix B: Pegs to Hang Things On......Page 366
Bibliography......Page 370
Index......Page 374