Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids
What are the forces behind projectiles? Why do rocks and rockets soar through the air in an arch?
The game is on the line. You crouch, you shoot—will the Read More
| Hardcover, $22.95 9781619306769 |
Paperback, $17.95 9781619306783 |
eBook, $12.99 9781619306776 |
Reviews
“Accurately aimed at its intended audience and complete with vivid and informative graphics, Projectile Science is an extremely readable yet factually accurate account of mechanics and its applications to projectiles.”
—Ramamurti Shankar, John Randolph Huffman Professor of Physics, Yale University
“Packed with interesting facts; sure to engage its audience.”
—Nino Polizzi, BSEE, engineering instructor, Samueli Academy
“An interesting way to make classical motion concepts relevant to young readers.”
—Vince Huegele, committee chairman, National Association of Rocketry Education University School
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Detailed Book Description
What are the forces behind projectiles? Why do rocks and rockets soar through the air in an arch?
The game is on the line. You crouch, you shoot—will the ball go in the basket?
You might think that nailing a three-pointer is just luck, but there are many forces at work that determine if you’ve made a game-winning shot. In Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities with Kids, readers ages 10 to 15 learn why projectiles follow the paths they do. Young learners who are fascinated with potato cannons, slingshots, and rocketry will love taking that next step and applying what they learn about the laws of physics to the science of figuring out where to aim. In this book, readers learn about the forces that act on the projectiles and how to calculate those forces to make educated predictions about where their homemade rockets and other projectiles will land.
Essential questions that promote critical examination of the science, primary sources, online videos, and science-minded engineering activities let readers have a blast learning about the physics of ballistics!
Try these hands-on science and engineering projects!
- Perform Galileo's famous test for gravity
- Create clinometers to measure height and distance
- Build a machine that can throw curve balls
Look Inside
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Timeline . . . iv
Introduction
The Science of Projectiles
Chapter 1
What Goes Up: The Laws of Motion
Chapter 2
Projectile Motion: Tracking Trajectories
Chapter 3
Slingshots, Catapults and Canons: Mechanical Energy
Chapter 4
Curveballs and Spirals: Air Resistance
Chapter 5
When What Goes Up Doesn’t Come Down: Rockets
Glossary
Metric Conversions Resources
Essential Questions
Index