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Build it Yourself
Projectile Science : The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids
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 Ballistics: From Rocks to Rockets with Science Activities for Kids, kids ages 9 to 12 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!
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 Ballistics: From Rocks to Rockets with Science Activities for Kids, kids ages 9 to 12 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!
- GenresScience
128 pages, Hardcover
Published August 3, 2018
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Brenden Wood
7 books8 followersMatthew Brenden Wood is a math and science teacher with a passion for STEAM education. An avid amateur astronomer and astrophotographer, Wood holds a bachelor’s degree in astronomy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and lives in Phoenix, AZ with one ungrateful cat.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 16, 2020
I think this book does an excellent job of concisely explaining the science behind projectiles in a language that children will be able to understand. The examples used are relatable to many children and the activities offered can mostly be done with materials found around the house. Gender, cultural and ability diversity is well represented through the illustrations which I really appreciated. New terms are bolded and definitions are provided to help with understanding and the index makes it really easy to find what you’re looking for. This would be great for classroom and home reading alike.
Displaying 1 of 1 review