Light & Sound

How do magnets work? What makes a curve ball curve? What keeps an airplane in the air? How can a pulley make you five times stronger? Now you can learn the answers to these and other questions about basic physics through 101 fun, safe, low-cost experiments and activities that can be performed at home or in the classroom. In Physics for Every Kid, you'll learn about gravity from funnels that seem to defy nature by rolling up hill. Using a balloon as a power source, you'll make a fluorescent light bulb glow and learn how electrons are used to produce light. And you'll levitate a Ping-Pong ball to understand aerodynamics. Each of the 101 experiments is broken down into its purpose, a list of materials, step-by-step instructions, expected results, and an easy to understand explanation. Every activity has been pretested and can be performed safely and inexpensively in the classroom or at home. Also available in this series from Janice VanCleave: Astronomy for Every Kid Biology for Every Kid Chemistry for Every Kid Dinosaurs for Every Kid Earth Science for Every Kid Geography for Every Kid Geometry for Every Kid The Human Body for Every Kid Math for Every Kid

This guide to the story of light in which photography of original equipment, intricate scientific instruments, revealing experiments and 3-D models offer a unique view to the incredible discoveries that have transformed our world. See why ancient peoples worshipped the Sun as a God; how light rays bend; why things glow when they are very hot; what creates a colour television picture; how microscopes and telescopes were invented ; why a leaf looks green; how fibre optics can transmit light; what happens during an eclipse; why images are reversed in mirrors; how a liquid crystal display works; what makes a hologram; what causes the eerie "will o" the wisp"; how do some animals make their own light; what creates a mirage; why we burn in strong sunlight; what a polarising filter does; why we see rainbows; what a quantum is and how X-rays penetrate our bodies.

These totally awesome, kid-friendly experiments teach the scientific basics of light and sound. And they're easy to carry out, using the most ordinary materials found around the house. Just grab a boom box, toilet paper tube, rubber band, or drinking straw to create a little smart magic. And it's fun to make cereal dance to the music and watch light bounce off a mirror and hit a bull's-eye. Hear your heart pumping through a funnel and tubing. Build a "ray maker" to display the visible spectrum of light in a glorious rainbow tray. These experiments will change the way you look and listen to the world around you!

This title contains 40 tried and tested experiments, some classic with up-to-the-minute variations, and some entirely new. Scientific principles are shown in action as well as in photographs of their everyday applications. The experiments are all safe to do, use household materials, are manageable but absorbing, and offer rewarding results. Readers are told how long each experiment lasts, what materials are needed, and what the results mean. Eye-catching illustrations and engaging text make this a perfect book for the budding scientist!

Can you imagine life without CDs and videos, without television and radio? Over 100 years ago, none of these things existed, but then Thomas Edison invented a machine that would change the world. This is the story of a scientific genius and how he recorded sound for the first time.

This book is part of the "Essentials" series of photocopiable books designed to offer the non-specialist teacher a wide range of open-ended science activities for specified levels of ability. The series provides activities to support any scheme of work being used in the school, either as part of a structured science lesson or as educationally-sounded time-fillers. Each book contains photocopiable activities plus teachers' notes that explain the purpose of each activity; its relevance to the National Curriculum and suggest ideas for follow-up activities. This book looks at sound while other books in the series look at "Air", "Water" and "Seeds and Seedlings".

This series teaches the fundamentals of science through hands-on experimentation. Each fun-filled project can be performed with materials readily found around the home and classroom and each one is clearly explained with colourful diagrams. Age 8+.