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Now, a little physics for you. According to chaos theory, the wings a butterfly flapping over the Amazon can trigger a tornado in Texas. By the same token, a car accident involving the world’s wealthiest and best-known golfer can trigger a massive uptick in global sales of an obscure book. That’s Tiger Woods’ SUV at right, photographed in the aftermath of the crash near his Florida home. The book on the floor of the car is the nearly out-of-print Get a Grip on Physics, written by British professor John Gribbin, who is currently a Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Professor Gribbin about the book.
- Get a Grip on Physics on Amazon
- John Gribbin’s homepage
- Article on sales of the book in The Guardian newspaper
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MARCO WERMAN: Now, a little physics for you. According to Chaos Theory, the wings of a butterfly flapping over the Amazon can end up triggering a tornado in Texas. By the same token, Tiger Woods’ SUV accident in Florida can trigger worldwide sales of an obscure book. Let me explain. The book is called, “Get a Grip on Physics,” and news crews caught a glimpse of it in Tiger Woods’ car. The author is British professor, John Gribbin. He’s a Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex in Southern England. And he’s with us now, taking a break from marking exam papers. So professor, a bit of schadenfreude perhaps, over Tiger Woods’ having this fender-bender? You must be pleased.
JOHN GRIBBIN: Ah, yes. I’m delighted to have had some publicity. It’s always good to get attention. I just wish it had been a current book that was actually in the shops and available. This one was completely sold-out within a day or two of the accident.
WERMAN: Oh my gosh! So does that mean it’s out of print?
GRIBBIN: It is, yeah. I’ve just done … Before I came on to talk to you, I had a look on Amazon, and it says, “This book is now unavailable, and we don’t know if it will ever be available again.” So there you go. But it’s still good to have a bit of attention, and a bit of fun out of it.
WERMAN: Ha, ha. Were you surprised to see the copy of your book in Tiger Woods’ car?
GRIBBIN: Initially, very surprised. I mean, you think, “What’s a golfer doing reading a book on physics;” and then, of course, “Why shouldn’t he?” And to some extent, he is my target audience. I write books not for scientists, but for people who are interested in Science, but haven’t got a science background. And I guess he’s probably, like many of us, heard stories about what’s happening in Geneva with the Large Hadron Collider experiments, and thought he’d like to find out a bit more about the physics behind it all, and that’s just what my book is for.
WERMAN: So why do you think that Tiger Woods had it in his possession to learn about the Hadron Collider in Switzerland as opposed to [OVERLAPPING] maybe …
GRIBBIN: I think that [OVERLAPPING] …
WERMAN: … giving him some help with his golf stroke?
GRIBBIN: Yeah, I think so. I think we’ve had a lot fun with puns about grits and stuff, and drivers and the laws of physics; Newton’s laws of light; golf balls, and what happens when you hit a car window with a golf club. But I suspect that the truth is, that it was genuinely an interest in physics, and also a good … Of course, we’re assuming it’s his book. It may be his wife’s book, that she had left in the back of the car.
WERMAN: You’re something of a master at writing popular science books, but also a talented biographer. I understand you’ve written a biography of Buddy Holly? How did that come about?
GRIBBIN: Ah yes. Well I’ve been a long-time fan of Buddy Holly—I mean, since I was a teenager. And with his anniversary [INAUDIBLE] the right word of his death coming up earlier this year, I just was having lunch with my publisher, and I said just casually, “You know, of course, I like writing science books, but what I’d really like is to write about Buddy Holly,” and he went, “Hummm …, better get back to you on that.” And next day he got back to me said, “How quickly can you do it?” So I did it. Now, that’s very-much a labor of love. I really enjoyed doing that one.
WERMAN: And John Gribbin, do you like golf?
GRIBBIN: No. I’ve never played it seriously. I sometimes sort-of hacked around with my son—he’s quite keen—but it’s not a game that appeals to me at all. So, it’s a total mystery why my book should appeal to him.
WERMAN: Ha, ha. Maybe you could get up at least enough to write a quick biography of Tiger Woods, perhaps?
GRIBBIN: It’s always a possibility. I suspect someone else may be on the case already, but I’ll bear that in mind.
WERMAN: Well, to riff on the unforgettable words of Buddy Holly, “Well alright, we’ll leave it there.” Thanks a lot. John Gribbin, scientist and author, speaking to us from Sussex, England.
GRIBBIN: It’s a pleasure. Thank you.
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