An estimated 4.1 million people in the United States participate in recreational sailing. Yet the large library of sailing literature leaves many of them high and dry. On one side are technical guides for America's Cup boat-builders; on the other, simplistic books for weekend sailors with little interest in science. In Float Your Boat! professional and amateur boaters alike will find intelligent and understandable answers to such questions as: What were the key innovations that made sailboats more efficient? How do you increase the speed of a boat? How do sailboats travel into the wind? Why are so many explanations of sailing so wrong?

Sailing enthusiast and physicist Mark Denny first traces the evolution of the sailing craft, from prehistoric coracles made of animal skins and antlers to the sailboat's reinvention as a pleasure craft during the Industrial Revolution. He then identifies specific sailing phenomena -- how wind drives modern Bermuda sloops, how torque determines stability, why hull speed exists -- and provides the key physics principles behind them.

Whether you are an inquisitive landlubber who has never set foot in a boat, a casual weekend sailor, or an old salt who lives for the sea, Float Your Boat! is an accessible guide to the physics of sailing.

Ever wonder where the bubbles in your beer came from, which way they are going, and why? Have you considered the physical differences among ales, lambics, and lagers? Do you contemplate your pint?

Accomplished homebrewer and physicist Mark Denny has crafted a scientifically sound and witty investigation of the physics and chemistry of beer. He recounts and explains the history of and key technological advances in brewing, provides basic instructions for making your own -- including a scientific-yet-accessible account of the changes in appearance during each stage of the process -- and looks at the fascinating physical phenomena contained within a pint of beer. Along the way he defines the main concepts and terms involved in the process and shows how you can subject the technical aspects of brewing to scientific analysis. If you've ever been curious about how beer is made, why it froths so well, and what makes different types... well... different, then Froth! is for you.

Have you ever wondered how stealth planes achieve "invisibility," how sunken ships are found, or how fishermen track schools of fish in vast expanses of ocean? Radar and sonar echolocation -- a simple matter of sending, receiving, and processing signals.

Weaving history with simple science, Mark Denny deftly reveals the world of radar and sonar to the curious reader, technology buff, and expert alike. He begins with an early history of the Chain Home radar system used during World War II and then provides accessible and engaging explanations of the physics that make signal processing possible. Basic diagrams and formulas show how electromagnetic and sound waves are transmitted, received, and converted into images, allowing you to literally see in the dark.

A section on bioacoustic echolocation, with a focus on the superior sonar systems of bats and whales and a discussion of the advanced technology of next-generation airborne signal processors, opens the imagination to fascinating possibilities for the future.