Book Description

Reviews (1)

Really great book
This book, which intros to physics, is really easy to understand for any age. It has clear explanations of hundreds of scientific terms, Illustrations and photographs in breathtaking close-up detail, over 100 test and approved web sites, experiments, activities and observation, and also Test yourself revision aids are available in this book. This book is a must have for those who does not understand physics so well. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Colourful and helpful
This Advanced Level Physics book is one of the best I have seen. The book is divided into 7 themes (Mechanics, Materials, Fields, Waves, Electricity, Inside the Atom and Physics in Medicine). The physical concepts as well as the formulas involved are explained in plain text as well as on clearly labelled diagrams.
I did the IB using this book and I found it highly relevant to the course, as it explained the syllabus and the options in great detail, and very comprehensively.
Moreover, there is a variety of practice questions from previous examinations at the back of each chapter, which vary in difficulty.
All in all I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to obtain a top grade in a Physics course equivalent to A-level Physics.

An excellent stydy guide for A level students
This text book is ideal for all Physics A level students. It will help weaker students develop a sound understanding of principles as well as stretch the more accademic students. There are plenty of clearly explainedworked examples from previous A level papers and a number a practicequestions. This book is a must for anyone serious about Advanced levelPhysics. ... Read more

Book Description

Nifty magic tricks that rely on the deceptive use of magnets, complete with ten magnets and one magnetizable coin.A seamless blend of Klutz goofballism, MIT physics, and some very sneaky magic. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Klutz Book of Magnetic Magic/Book and Magnets
I am an elementary teacher and bought this book to use with my fourth graders. As a source of activities during our explorations of magnets it was invaluable. In addition to the "magic tricks", we had a GREAT time using the magnets to learn about their properties! Many of my students ordered the book to learn more magic tricks on their own. It's a fun, educational book!

Great book as long as magnets do not break
The book was great and inspired my kids to learn about magnets. The best part is that the book introduced magic that they could do easily. The book was easy to understand with graphics that attracted kids. The only problem is that the magnets broke easily if dropped. Three of the five doughnut magnets broke within the first day of use. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent basic coverage of the properties of light
The Straightforward Science, Color and Light is just what I've been looking for in an affordable trade book on the topic. It covers all the main concepts of the properties of light with good illustrations and presentation of essential vocabulary. ... Read more

Book Description

Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen stumbled on x rays quite by accident working late one November night in 1895 in his laboratory in Wurzburg, Germany. Then 50 years old, he was a physical scientist who was experimenting with electricity. Even after he proved the existence of this "invisible light," Roentgen kept quiet about his discovery. He worked non-stop for several weeks, isolating himself and sometimes sleeping on a cot in his lab. He had his wife place her hand on a photographic plate for 15 minutes while x rays passed through it. The resulting picture became famous.

His discovery is credited as being one of the greatest advances in the history of medicine. X rays have found countless uses over the years including being used to authenticate paintings, stamps, and coins, and in quality control labs to check the manufacture of countless products. When he first discovered x rays, Roentgen had no idea how those rays would be used to improve our lives. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Real science, real simple
This book by Paul Fleisher is an interesting introduction to a difficult subject. Written ostensibly for sixth to ninth grade levels, in fact many people beyond these levels have gaps in their knowledge about science. For all of its fame, the Theory of Relativity is one of the misunderstood ideas in science. Not as well known as Relativity, Quantum Physics is also largely misunderstood. Fleisher's book by no means presents all the depth of these ideas, but it does provide a very basic framework for understanding.

There are four chapters -- the first chapter looks at relativity, discussing the speed of light, frames of reference, and the idea of warped space-time around massive objects. The second chapter, quantum mechanics, presents the idea of the photoelectric effect, the idea the energy behaves in wavelike and particle manner, and that there are few 'real life' experiments that can adequately explain quantum effects. The third chapter looks the conservation of mass and energy, the famous Einstein equation of E = mc(squared). The fourth chapter presents one more misunderstood physics idea, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, one of the important concepts in quantum physics, that basically sets the stage for much of the 'bizarre' aspects of modern physics, including the concept of limits to our knowledge and measurement ability.

Fleisher presents several short appendices -- a two-page timeline starting in 1675 with Olaus Romer's discovery that the speed of light is finite to the late 1900s with nuclear events. There are eight pages of one-paragraph biographies of major physicists of the past few hundred years. There are selected readings and bibliography, as well as a useful glossary.

Not just for kids, the book and the others in the series of 'Secrets of the Universe' present science ideas in small, easily comprehended pieces for any non-scientifically-literate reader. ... Read more

Amazon.com

David Macaulay has made it his business to demystify science andtechnology for children (and certainly one or two surreptitious adults) with hisworldwide bestseller, The New WayThings Work. Packed with information on the inner workings of everythingfrom the World Wide Web to windmills, the remarkable and humorous book guidesreaders through the fundamental principles of machines. And now Macaulay and histrusty mammoth sidekick are back, ready to make science even more fun andcomprehensible. The Way Things Work Kit is a hands-on, fully interactivekit, equipped with everything needed to perform over 50 activities, includingthe construction of 12 working models. A handy cardboard carrying case opens toreveal a guidebook, a CD-ROM with instructions on how to build your own pinballgames, activity cards, and more than 100 basic components that fit together tomake models from a balloon-powered car to a robot arm to a fairground ride.Children will be absorbed for hours as they learn about levers and hydraulics,winches and friction, inertia and pneumatics. Future engineers--not to mentionjust regular humans--couldn't have a better introduction to the way things work.(Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (12)

An entertaining look at how machines work!
"The Way Things Work" took almost three years to create. A cute and sometimes silly "Great Wooly Mammoth" makes his appearance throughout the book. The facial expressions and animal antics are at times very amusing.

While the "Mammoth" theme is highlighted, this is a book which discusses serious concepts. They are simply explained in a more entertaining way. In between all the facts, you will suddenly find a page which discusses tusk trimming. "I watched with great curiosity a mammoth that was having its tusks trimmed....." Don't worry, as the story progresses, "velocity" is being explained.

Quite frankly, this book is not only a work of art, it is a compilation of genius. When David Macaulay, Niel Ardley, David Burnie, Peter Luff and Christopher Davis put their minds together for a book project, something amazing happens.

Where they came up with the 384 pages is beyond my comprehension. In fact, only taking three years to write and illustrate such a work, is in itself an incredible feat. Truly, this is a comprehensive, instructive and entertaining reference book for readers of all ages.

Life is too short for reading inferior books. - James Bryce This book is superior in so many ways. It is divided into four main sections: The Mechanics of Movement (inclined plane, levers, wheel and axle, gears and belts, cams and cranks, pulleys, screws, rotating wheels, springs, friction), Harnessing The Elements (floating, flying, pressure power, exploiting heat, nuclear power), Working With Waves (light and images, photography, printing, sound and music, telecommunications), Electricity & Automation (electricity, magnetism, sensors and detectors, computers).

Each page is filled with drawings so you can completely comprehend mechanical principles. David Macaulay takes you from levers to lasers and does it all in a most entertaining and efficient manner. Here is a prize-winning author's brilliantly conceived guide to the principles and workings of hundreds of machines.

Still fun after all these years
I have loved David Macaulay's books since I was a kid. Though I've grown up, I am still facinated by his unique way of explaining things we take for granted. The Way Things Work is a road map for today's highly confusing and intimidating technological times. It allows you to gain a glimpse of the wonder of engineering, from the very simple, to the most complex.

Disappointing! Models don't work!
We find Macaulay's books intriguing and so proceeded to order the kit for our 11 year old daughter. She loves science, does experiments on her own at home, elects to attend science camps every summer, and wants to be an engineer. She found the instruction cards attractive and easy to follow BUT "half the things didn't work" and "it was boring". She was extremely disappointed with the kit as she painstakingly followed instructions, and attempted to troubleshoot and adapt the models when she found they wouldn't work. My husband and I are an electrical engineer and a physician respectively, and we too were unable to shed any light on the problems she was having. We definitely would advise parents NOT to buy this kit.

great idea but very poor execution
it's a very poorly designed kit. parents have to do a LOT of it. Macaulay should have teamed up with LEGO to create his kit.

the cool thing is it has a MOTOR in there, and some plunger things with long plastic tubes to make a pneumatic lift arm. but the construction parts (including wheels) are basically all cardboard! if anything gets slightly bent or stepped on, the whole project is history. durability is nil.

the instructions suck: you cannot follow the numbered paragraphs and build it, you have to read through all the aside comments to do it properly, and the instructional photos are very poorly posed. if LEGO had done it (I'm thinking of the the Klutz press/LEGO teamwork for the Action Contraptions set) they would have broken down the steps accurately, and done photos that kids could follow.

you cannot even put the wheels on without major adult participation. the stickum provided doesn't adhere well to the parts it says to attach it to. "friction" is one of the concepts presented, yet friction of cardboard parts interferes with finished product operation.

If LEGO had participated, the parts would be durable, they would assemble easily, the finished products would work smoothly, a kid could put it together and self-explore the scientific concepts, and it would be brilliant.

The kit's ideas of the things to present (friction, pneumatics, simple machines, etc.) is EXCELLENT. there is very little else on the market that presents these concepts well in a building set. the narrative that explains the physics concepts is well written in simple, understandable terms. it is very cool that the kids get to read about something and build it. but I am sooooo disappointed that the building materials were so poorly designed.

it was a cool idea that was very poorly executed.

Perfect for snow days
When snow struck and my two boys were out with a snow day I gave them this kit and they loved it! It kept them busy for hours and saved my sanity. They had such fun that they didn't want to go back to school. ... Read more