The Leaping, Sliding, Sprinting, Riding Science Book: 50 Super Sports Science Activities

Encourages kids to look keenly at the wide world of sports to uncover its underlying scientific principles of motion and action, whether it involves basketball, football, baseball, tennis, or extreme sports.

Grade 5-8–Mercer uses sports moves and activities to teach physics and other science concepts. He explains numerous complex terms, including density, biomechanics, the Magnus effect, friction, and laminar flow. Many of the activities require kids to be outside with bikes, Frisbees, hockey sticks, baseball bats, etc. Others require objects such as a bungee cord, a stopwatch, a protractor, or cans of soup. Some experiments are easily done at home. The range is from simple (freezing sneakers to compare traction) to complex (teaching oneself to do an ollie on a skateboard). Each activity has a list of equipment and instructions for performing it, followed by a section that explains the science behind it. The lively and colorful illustrations make the book seem as if it is for elementary school kids, but the activities and science concepts discussed are more appropriate for middle schoolers. Motivated readers will find a lot of fun projects to experiment with, but this book will probably get the most use from science educators, who will find a wealth of inspiration and ideas.–Marcia Kochel, Olson Middle School, Bloomington, MN
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Mercer puts his experience as a physics teacher and a sports coach to good use in this compendium of science activities. Readers can determine the best angle for throwing or hitting a ball far and test how more air pressure in a basketball, volleyball, or soccer ball affects its bounce. Each activity is presented on a single-page or a double-page spread, including a list of materials, step-by-step instructions, a discussion of the science behind it all, and an appealing ink-and-watercolor illustration. A lengthy glossary is appended. Aimed at a younger audience than Robert Gardner'sScience Projects about the Physics of Sports (2000), this will appeal to active kids looking for science fair ideas, and what they learn may also be helpful on the playing fields. Carolyn Phelan
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