Physics of Societal Issues

Physics of Societal Issues is a textbook for all those who wish to discuss the fundamental issues of energy use, nuclear weapons, and the environment using facts and figures instead of slogans and postures. It will provide the reader with the tools and insights needed to analyze many complex issues with insights gained from informed estimates and simple calculations. Taking his inspiration from Fermi's famous "back of the envelope" calculations, Hafemeister shows how to capture the essence of a problem in rough estimates of the important parameters and then to use those estimates to gauge the effects of policy decisions. Hafemeister draws on dozens of years of experience working on just these issues in the US Senate, the national Academy of Sciences, and several Federal agencies, as well as the Lawrence-Berkeley, Los Alamos, and Argonne national laboratories to provide details and examples as well as insight into the issues needed to plan public policy. The book is divided into three parts, each treating an area in which physics plays a major role: - National security: nuclear weapons and their effects, missile defenses, arms control and verification, and nuclear proliferation and terrorism - The environment: pollution dispersal and control, radioactive pollution, climate change, and the epidemiology of electromagnetic radiation - Energy: estimating energy resources and use, use of energy in buildings and for transportation, renewable energy sources, and the economics of energy use. Each chapter includes numerous problems to challenge the reader and to extend the discussion.

It is the only equation-oriented book for physics seniors and graduate students that covers the three main physics and society issues.

• Radio
• Symbol
• Transport
• arms control
• electromagnetic radiation
• energy
• environment
• missile defenses
• national security
• nuclear proliferation
• nuclear weapons
• physics
• pollution
• data-driven science, modeling and theory building

• Department of Physics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, USA

  David Hafemeister

David Hafemeister is Professor (emeritus) of Physics at California Polytechnic State University. He has also had an impressive career in Washington as a Professional Staff Member:

Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Governmental Affairs (1990-93 on arms control treaties at the end of the Cold War)

Science Advisor to Senator John Glenn (19775-77)

Special Assistant to Under Secretary of State Benson and Deputy Under-Secretary Nye (1977-78)

Visiting Scientist in the State Department’s Office of Nuclear Proliferation Policy (1979)

Office of Strategic Nuclear Policy (1987)

Study Director at the National Academy of Sciences (2000-02)

He has edited nine books, published more than 140 articles and was awarded the APS Szilard award in 1996.

Policies and ethics