The Science of a Spring (Science World)

Explains why springs act the way they do, based on elementary concepts of physics.

Grade 2-5-These series entries offer basic information with supporting activities. The clear, factual explanations are presented with simple text, boxed facts, and clearly captioned color photographs and drawings. The look is glossy and appealing. The first title discusses how several common simple machines work, including a stapler and a lock. The second volume explains where sound comes from, how it travels, how we hear it, and how we change it. Andrew Haslam's Make It Work: Sound (Thomson Learning, 1992; o.p.) covers roughly the same topics in greater depth and with more detailed experiments. Still, these are worthy additions for collections in need of easy science books.
Marilyn Long Graham, Lee County Library System, Estero, FL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 5-8. Each book in the Science World series presents several facets of a single idea. The Science of a Spring introduces the types of springs (leaf and coil), the balance of forces in physics, the limits of springs, and their applications in familiar objects such as staplers, trampolines, and locks. The Science of Noise discusses the sources of sound, how it travels, how we hear it, and how it can be changed. Visually, the pages are dominated by colorful illustrations, mostly captioned photographs, and diagrams. Paragraphs of text also add information. Useful supplementary material for science classes. Carolyn Phelan
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