On the Straight and Level

On the Straight and Level

In the introduction you made a plumb bob that used gravity to make sure things are vertical. Now you can make a water level, a tool that uses gravity to make sure things are straight across! The water level works because when water is in a confined space, gravity makes sure the top of it is level.
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Build the Best Swimmer

Build the Best Swimmer

From Gravity

Discover how the connection between swimming and gravity!

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Magnetic Field Viewer

Magnetic Field Viewer

From Electricity

You can see magnetic fields in action with this easy-to-make viewer.

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Explore Friction on a Ramp

Explore Friction on a Ramp

From The Physics of Fun

One part of physics that affects everything you do is friction! Friction is a force that occurs when two surfaces rub against each other. Smoother surfaces generate less friction, while rough or bumpy surfaces generate more friction. Check it out!

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Launch!

Launch!

From Fairground Physics

Most older roller coasters are pulled up that first hill. However, some newer coasters have pneumatic launch systems. That means a shot of compressed air launches the coaster up the hill. We’re going to build a simple version of that with a straw that you blow through.

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Reviews

Children's Literature Review
“Fun and simple projects, plus detailed overviews of scientific ideas, serve to inspire a sense of curiosity and interest in experimentation while offering guided lessons on a basic physics concept . . . a valuable resource for students exploring the physical sciences.”

National Science Teachers Association
“Are you looking for projects about gravity that are equally interactive as well as instructive? Explore Gravity! is sure to be one of the more popular science books in your class.”

School Library Journal
“Gravity's Pull is hard to resist, and this title introduces the topic in a kid-friendly, activity-based way. Each chapter gives readers enough background to jump into hands-on projects. Not only educational but super fun, the activities include measuring air, spinning a basketball, dropping objects, making a water tower, and even constructing a Calder-inspired mobile. There is no need for expensive equipment; everything can be done with household items. ‘Did You Know?' ‘Just for Fun,' and ‘Words to Know' features are found alongside cartoon illustrations and silly jokes. This title will appeal to young scientists and teachers alike.”

Marla Conn, Educational Consultant
“I love this interactive, hands-on, thought-provoking title! Explore Gravity! provides endless opportunities for students to make text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections! The great flow of ideas and activities incorporate the cross-curriculum subject areas of STEM, offering many opportunities for teachers and parents to expand and do more. Presents scientific theories of the past and challenges students to look at how modern technology changes the way we interpret them.”

Detailed Book Description

What's getting you down? If it's trying to understand gravity, Explore Gravity! can provide the lift you need! With 25 hands-on activities that include connections to toys, sports, and everyday items like scales, elevators, and water towers, young scientists will explore the invisible but powerful force that is responsible for keeping the entire universe in place. By creating a working model of a scale, readers will learn what "weight" really means and how it is affected by gravity. By playing with various weights to make a marvelous mobile, readers learn about center of balance and how martial artists use this knowledge to throw their weight around. Spinning a basketball on a finger and a ball in a bottle illustrates how satellites, moons, and planets stay in orbit.

Projects are easy to follow, require little adult supervision, and use commonly found household items, many from the recycling box. Words to Know highlighted and defined on each page reinforce new vocabulary. Through a mixture of fun facts, jokes, comics, and hands-on activities, kids will Explore Gravity! and have an amazing time discovering how gravity is a natural force that affects everything we experience and do.

Available In:
Paperback, $13.95
9781619302075
Includes: Table of Contents | Timeline | Charts | Glossary | Resources | Index
Specs: 8 x 10 size | black and white interior | 96 pages
Subject: Science
Content Focus: Physical Science

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Timeline

Introduction

Chapter One
Getting to Know Gravity

Chapter Two
Gravity Basics: Matter and Mass

Chapter Three
Discovering Gravity

Chapter Four
Gravity in Space

Chapter Five
Putting Gravity to Work

Chapter Six
Great Gravity Tricks

Glossary
Resources
Index