FLOAT YOUR BOAT! The Evolution and Science of Sailing

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 key physics principles behind them. Illus.