The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More - Softcover

Sobey, Ed; Sobey, Woody

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1556527454 ISBN 13: 9781556527456

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2008

Synopsis

A Selection of the Scientific American Book Club

Profiling 50 of the world’s most popular playthings—including their history, trivia, and the technology involved—this guide uncovers the hidden science of toys. Discover how an Etch A Sketch writes on its gray screen, why a boomerang returns after it is thrown, and how an RC car responds to a remote control device. Leaving no detail unrevealed, the guide includes original patent-application blueprints and photos of the “guts” of several devices. Inventors and museum curators also offer their observations of favorite gizmos while dispelling (or confirming) several toy legends. Complete with explanations of do-it-yourself experiments and tips on reverse engineering old toys to observe their interior mechanics, this entertaining and informative reference even provides pointers on how budding toy makers can build their own toys using only recycled materials and a little ingenuity.

About this title

About the Author

Ed Sobey founded the National Toy Hall of Fame and was founding director of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He also cofounded Kids Invent Toys at California State University–Fresno and Camp Invention. He has written 20 books, including A Field Guide to Office Technology, and directed five museums from Florida to Oregon. Woody Sobey is the state coordinator for Invent Idaho, a state-wide invention competition for grade school students, and the director of education for the Discovery Center of Idaho.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—The authors examine 50 toys, including their history and scientific principles. In many cases, they discuss and reproduce original patent drawings. They also take the toys apart to reveal the technology that makes them tick and offer suggestions on how one might build some of these items from scratch. The entries include the balsa wood plane, Erector Set, Frisbee, gyroscope, hula hoop, and Nintendo Entertainment System. Written for novices and illustrated with black-and-white photos throughout, this book is sure to provide hours of entertainment and enlightenment.—Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1556527454
• ISBN 13: 9781556527456
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 178