William Gurstelle
Author of Backyard Ballistics
About the Author
William Gurstelle is a professional engineer who has been building model catapults and ballistic devices for more than 30 years. He is also a contributing editor at Popular Science, a columnist for Make magazine, and a frequent contributor to the Atlantic, Maxim, Wired, and other national magazines.
Works by William Gurstelle
The art of the catapult : build Greek ballistae, Roman onagers, English trebuchts, and more ancient artillery (2004) 504 copies, 2 reviews
Adventures from the Technology Underground: Catapults, Pulsejets, Rail Guns, Flamethrowers, Tesla Coils, Air Cannons,… (2006) 137 copies, 3 reviews
The Practical Pyromaniac: Build Fire Tornadoes, One-Candlepower Engines, Great Balls of Fire, and More Incendiary… (2011) 77 copies, 2 reviews
Defending Your Castle: Build Catapults, Crossbows, Moats, Bulletproof Shields, and More Defensive Devices to Fend Off… (2014) 74 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1956-03-29
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Short biography
- Named to Wired Magazine’s Smart List, William Gurstelle is a bestselling author, DIY expert, and professional speaker. The author of Backyard Ballistics, Absinthe and Flamethrowers, and seven other books, he is recognized for his particular talent for making science and technology accessible, intriguing, and – most of all – fun to all readers and audiences. Having sold more nearly half a million books, he is one of the world’s most widely read authors on science and technology.
The co-producer of the Emmy nominated PBS television show Make: Television, William also has a recurring on-air role in the series. In addition, he is a letterhead-listed contributing editor for Popular Mechanics and Make Magazine and is a frequent contributor to Wired.
He has been heard on NPR’s Science Friday, Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, and has made numerous appearances on History Channel, Discovery Channel, Tech TV, and CNN.
William and his books have been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Telegraph, Popular Mechanics, USA Today, and scores of other newspapers and magazines.
http://www.williamgurstelle.com/about...
Members
Reviews
The art of the catapult : build Greek ballistae,… by William Gurstelle
Backyard Ballistics is a book that explores physics through DIY projects. The main focus is on making the projects. The underlying physics is explained in the book along with step-by-step instructions on building these items. It also has troubleshooting points with things that can go wrong and how to combat those things. On the other hand, the book has few equations and all of the units are imperial rather than metric. However, in this case, it might be better for all involved. Engineers are practical. It isn’t necessary to go into SI units if the audience is American. In that same vein, it wasn’t necessary to put a fluid dynamics equation in the book if you are just making a model rocket.
William Gurstelle goes in-depth on each project. He brings up the materials needed and covers the history of the physics involved as well. For example, when talking about building a Sublimator, Gurstelle goes into the history of making Dry Ice. Each project has a timeline talking about how that invention was developed.
The only unfortunate part about writing a review on this is that there isn’t really a lot to say on this book. Although the book does touch on the theoretical the main focus is on practical projects and things to make. If you enjoy making things or if that is how you learn, then you will appreciate the hands-on approach.… (more)
William Gurstelle goes in-depth on each project. He brings up the materials needed and covers the history of the physics involved as well. For example, when talking about building a Sublimator, Gurstelle goes into the history of making Dry Ice. Each project has a timeline talking about how that invention was developed.
The only unfortunate part about writing a review on this is that there isn’t really a lot to say on this book. Although the book does touch on the theoretical the main focus is on practical projects and things to make. If you enjoy making things or if that is how you learn, then you will appreciate the hands-on approach.… (more)
You May Also Like
Statistics
- Works
- 14
- Members
- 2,066
- Popularity
- #12,439
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 17
- ISBNs
- 60
- Languages
- 2
