Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids(Build It Yourself)

What are the forces behind ballistics? Why do rocks and rockets soar through the air in an arch? The game is on the line. Suddenly, you hear the crack of a bat and the roar of crowd. Where will the ball land? How far will it travel? Is it a home run? You might think that hitting a home run or nailing a three-pointer is just luck, but there are many forces at work that determine if you’ve made a game-winning shot or the final out. If you’ve ever kicked a ball, thrown a rock, or even played Angry Birds, you’ve experimented with the forces behind ballistics. In Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids, kids ages 10 to 15 learn why projectiles follow the paths they do and what factors influence those paths. Readers 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. Math is the language you use to understand the science of ballistics. In this book, readers will 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. Safe, hands-on STEM activities using materials that are easy to acquire are a terrific way to foster real-life learning about ballistics. Kids will perform Galileo's famous test for gravity, create clinometers to measure height and distance, and build a machine that can throw curve balls. 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!

Table of Contents:
Timeline Introduction: What Is Ballistics? Chapter 1: What Goes Up—The Laws of Motion Galileo's famous test of mass and gravity Model of horizontal and vertical movement and the Practice with parabolas. Chapter 2: Baseballs and Bullets—Tracking Trajectories Compare and model the path of objects to predict where they will land CreatE clinometers to measure height and distance Explore ways to improve distance and accuracy Chapter 3: Slingshots, Catapults and Canons: Going for Distance Construct catapults, trebuchets, sling shots, and canons Chapter 4: Curveballs and Spirals: Air Resistance Experiment with whiffle balls Create different amounts of spin and drag Build a curveball-throwing pitching machine Work with aerodynamics and stabilization of projectiles Chapter 5: Rockets: When What Goes Up Doesn’t Come Down Demonstrate centripetal force Build water and air-powered rockets Experiment with video games such as Kerbal Space Program Glossary Resources Index

About the Author :
Matthew Brenden Wood is a math and science teacher with a passion for STEAM education. He is also an avid amateur astronomer and astrophotographer and the author of The Science of Science Fiction; Planetary Science: Explore New Frontiers; and The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon. Wood holds a bachelor’s degree in astronomy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Review :
Nino Polizzi, BSEE, engineering instructor, Samueli Academy "Packed with interesting facts; sure to engage its audience." Ramamurti Shankar, John Randolph Huffman Professor of Physics, Yale University "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." Vince Huegele, committee chairman, National Association of Rocketry Education "An interesting way to make classical motion concepts relevant to young readers." Praise for other books in the series Innovators National Science Teachers Association Recommends Innovators is a magnificent compilation of vignettes about creative and critical thinkers who have contributed to solving problems and improving existing products or processes. . . Innovators is a wonderful book. It is engaging, readable, and full of relevant information about important inventions and innovations and the context behind them. Readers will appreciate focus on equity of gender and race among the innovators throughout the book. This book does not contain glossy color photographs, but has cartoon style illustrations throughout. Innovators would be useful for teaching science or STEM classes, for background reading in classes, or can be read and used at home just because it is such an engaging book. As a fifth grade science teacher, I highly recommend getting a copy for any third to sixth grade classroom. Read the complete review online. Learning Magazine "What do Google and chocolate chip cookies have in common? Both were created by innovators! Learn about the people and products that have changed the world; then get your students innovating with 25 STEAM projects." 3-D Engineering Science Books and Films ++: Highly Recommended ". . . This book is a wonderful resource for teachers and parents to use in the classroom and at home. It gets back to the basics with exciting activities that are hands-on that support the STEM program. When kids use their hands and work together to create a prototype, the outcomes are much higher when they are actively engaged in this type of learning. It gives students confidence in math while building problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. This is a book that teachers, parents, boys, and girls will enjoy as they learn about the many facets of the engineering world." School Library Connection, April 2016 "Author Vicky V. May has produced a procedural book for the 21st century. Information covers electricity, chemistry, earth science, physics, and energy. . . The text, with fast facts, sidebars, and text boxes, is kid-friendly and the topics fit the science curriculum. Its guided inquiry approach makes this a useful tool for students seeking science fair ideas, teachers selecting creative outcomes to lessons, and learners who thrive on hands-on projects. Cartoon-like illustrations supplement the "how-to" aspect of the book nicely. Glossary. Index. Recommended"