In this unusual and informative work, James Kakalios, the Taylor Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Minnesota, explains the contributions of physics to our day-by-day activities. His popular introductory physics course connects quantum physics with comic books and big box-office superhero flicks.

Kakalios first puts us in the shoes of someone who begins the day at home, then drives to the city, goes to the doctor, travels to an airport to take a flight, delivers a business presentation, and checks into a hotel. He calls this book structure "narrative physics."

If you are like us, you probably feel like a ditz in the mysterious presence of the scientific laws and principles which govern toasters, touch screens, E-Z Pass, or the GPS in your car. Ignorance of modern-day physics renders us clueless about the workings of smartphones, refrigerators, x-ray machines, airplanes, and even the functioning of our wrist fitness monitors.

After a first read-through, we shelved The Physics of Everyday Things with plans to revisit the book and dig more deeply into Kakalios's references to conservation of energy, subatomic particles, quantum mechanics, general relativity, and more. The author not only knows his stuff but exudes a sense of wonder that shines through many pages in the book.