Junk Drawer Physics: 50 Awesome Experiments That Don't Cost a Thing

Description

A children's instructional book on how to use readily available materials to turn the house into a science lab Physics teacher Bobby Mercer provides readers with more than 50 great hands-on experiments that can be performed for just pennies, or less. Turn a plastic cup into a pinhole camera using waxed paper, a rubber band, and a thumbtack. Build a swinging wave machine using a series of washers suspended on strings from a yardstick. Or construct your own planetarium from an empty potato chip canister, construction paper, scissors, and a pin. Each project has a materials list, detailed step-by-step instructions with illustrations, and a brief explanation of the scientific principle being demonstrated. Junk Drawer Physics also includes sidebars of fascinating physics facts, such as did you know the Eiffel Tower is six inches taller in summer than in winter because its steel structure expands in the heat? Educators and parents will find this title a handy resource to teach children about physics topics that include magnetism, electricity, force, motion, light, energy, sound, and more, and have fun at the same time.

BobbyMercer has been sharing the fun of science for more than two decades as a high school physics teacher. He is the author of the Junk Drawer series, including Junk Drawer Biology, Junk Drawer Chemistry, and Junk Drawer Geometry. He lives with his family outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

"More than enough to keep scientifically curious kids busy on rainy days." -- Publishers Weekly "It's the perfect book for the curious kid 9 to 14 who enjoys learning by doing and loves investigating not only how things work but why they work. With straightforward instructions, inexpensive and easy to find materials, plus photographs that illustrate key steps in each experiment, the book is definitely user friendly. The Science Behind It section sheds further light on each experiment and the science principles and terms it illustrates. This is an excellent book to keep your fourth to eighth grader busy, engaged and learning throughout the summer, as well as any other time of year." --About.com Children's Books "Mercer's categorization of types of experiment--force, energy, momentum, light, magnetism and pressure--also describes his educational outlook. There's no teaching more forceful or energetic--no pedagogical principle more suffused with light or magnetic force--than the one in Junk Drawer Physics." -- BookPage "I've seen other books before that promised "easy" experiments for kids, but this one IS easy ... and fun." --NewsOK.com "These little experiments provide a great introduction to a lesson or can be used to as an activity to illustrate a physics concept. One word of warning--you might want to save the air horn for homework." --NSTA Recommends "Accessibility can be a major factor in comprehending abstract concepts, and this book suggests that you hardly need a fancy laboratory to learn...Junk drawers are an almost universal fixture in most homes, and this book helps readers representing a wide range of readiness to experience basic scientific concepts for themselves." -- Booklist