Contents of What Einstein Told His Barber

CHAPTER ONE: Movin’ and Shakin’
Why do we drive on the right?
Why are cloverleaf intersections so complex?
Can Earth’s orbit be changed if a billion people jump at the same time?
Can jumping up at the last instant save me in a failing elevator?
Where does the rubber go when a tire wears out?
Can a bullet fired into the air come down and kill somebody?
Why does the Lone Ranger use silver bullets?
What really keeps an airplane up?
Are astronauts weightless?
If I drive my car faster than the speed of sound, can I hear the radio?
…and more.

CHAPTER TWO: Looky Here!
What makes Day?Glo colors so bright?
Why is snow white?
Why are there two sets of primary colors?
How do fluorescent and halogen lamps work?
Why do mirrors reverse left to right, but not top to bottom?
Why do stagecoach wheels appear to turn backward?
Why do wet things look darker?
Why is glass transparent?
Why do WintOGreen Life Savers make sparks?
… and more.

CHAPTER THREE: Hot Stuff
Is 100 degrees twice as hot as 50 degrees?
What is temperature, anyway?
How cold can it get?
Why is the bathroom floor so cold on my bare feet?
How hot can it get?
How does a flame know which way is up?
Why is a candle flame tapered at the top?
Could we counteract global warming by turning on all our air conditioners?
What’s so dangerous about high voltage?
Why doesn’t it rain dead sparrows?
…and more.

CHAPTER FOUR: Hot Stuff
Why does Earth pull everything toward its exact center?
How does hot air defy gravity by rising?
If hot air rises, why is it colder in the mountains?
Does it ever get too cold to snow?
If Earth is spinning so fast, why don’t we fly off?
Can the astronauts see Earth turning beneath them?
Would a polar bear weigh less at the equator?
Do toilets flush counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere?
Can I really stand an egg on end during the vernal equinox?
Why is nuclear energy unique on Earth?
How does radiocarbon dating work?
…and more.

CHAPTER FIVE: Heavens Above!
How do odors find my nose?
Can I operate a vacuum cleaner in a vacuum?
Why does a lion tamer’s whip make such a loud “crack”?
What is the sound barrier made of?
Why does thunder sound the way it does?
Why is the moon so much bigger when it’s near the horizon?
Why do the stars twinkle?
How does the moon keep one side always facing Earth?
How do the oceans’ tides work?
Does the moon ever turn blue?
Why is it cold in space-or is it?
…and more.

CHAPTER SIX: All Wet
What color is water?
Why are the oceans blue? And salty?
Precisely where is sea level?
Why does spilled coffee dry to a ring?
Why does my shower curtain cling to me?
Where do my socks go when they disappear in the laundry?
What’s the most expensive ingredient in laundry detergents? (Advertising.)
Is glass a liquid?
What makes ice cubes cloudy?
If the humidity got to be 100 percent, would I drown?
How can I clear my fogged?up windshield?
Can a farmer smell rain?
…and more.

CHAPTER SEVEN: Stuff and Things
Are airplanes safe?
How does an eraser erase?
Why does rubber stretch?
Why are cars noisy?
Why do clothes wrinkle?
How does a skateboard work?
What happens when I shake a bottle of soda?
Can I get electricity out of a lemon?
Are smoke alarms radioactive?
Can fertilizer explode?
How do sailors keep clean?
If I stopped dusting, how long would it take to be buried in dust?
Can anyone unburn a match?
…and more.