Books in Dover Children's Science Books series

Here is a highly motivating book for grade-school students that will introduce them to many of the world's most popular (and historically significant) scientific experiments. They'll learn about gravity simply by following the acrobatic antics of an ordinary coin. By trying to blow an egg out of a cup, they'll discover the principles of air pressure. Dancing soap bubbles will help them understand the effects of static electricity, and by dropping quarters into a full glass of water without causing it to overflow, they'll study the effects of surface tension.These and over 40 other experiments have been carefully selected by noted educators Eugene and Asterie Baker Provenzo to familiarize children with classic science experiments involving optics, inertia, air pressure, magnetism, sound, topology, light, density, vibration, prisms, elasticity, gases, vacuum, perspective, geometry, centrifugal force, buoyancy, color, and much more. Some experiments, such as the optical "Newton's Rings" are hundreds of years old. Still others, like the straw lever test, are based on Greek experiments with leverage and the center of gravity — first carried out thousands of years ago.Easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations show youngsters how to perform each experiment, most of which are prefaced with historical background, a list of necessary materials and an explanation of key terms. Almost all experiments can be carried out with common household items (tissue paper, scissors, tapes, rubber balloons, pens, pencils, etc.) and can be worked at home or in the classroom to demonstrate specific scientific principles or to supplement a science-curriculum unit. Sources for all historical illustrations given in the text are listed at the end of the book.

When you get your hands on this classified maintenance manual, you'll have security clearance for Area 51 Desert Station, the restricted site of captured UFOs. Follow the mazes to perform repairs on alien artifacts, from fixing ion-vapor leaks and stabilizing a plasma core to rebooting time-sequence initiators, synchronizing power cube pulses, and sustaining bio-bubble species. Solutions included.

Why do some plants blossom only during the day? How do certain birds know when and where to migrate? Why are some people "early birds" and others "night owls"? In this easy-to-read volume, Seymour Simon examines the inner biological clocks of people, animals, and plants and explains what makes them tick. The Secret Clocks was praised by School Library Journal as "a fascinating subject, well handled through Simon's open-ended questions and try-and-see approach." Readers of all ages, from students to their teachers and parents, will be captivated by these illustrated glimpses of the internal workings of their own bodies, as well as the secret lives of fish, insects, and other living things.

It's sea-to-shining-sea fun as young explorers try to find what's different in drawings of our nation's greatest landmarks. Twenty double-page spreads include illustrations of the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Golden Gate Bridge, Old Faithful, Everglades National Park, Graceland, Kennedy Space Center, and 12 other sights, plus informative captions. It's a great way to introduce kids to these American treasures — and they can color the drawings once they find the answers. Solutions included.

The Mystery of the Balancing Butterflies, The Lighted-Bulb Puzzle, The Invisible Movie Screen, The Suspended Paper Clip, The Water-Pail Hoax and other feats that demonstrate basic scientific principles. With easy-to-follow instructions, helpful illustrations, and suggestions for patter and staging — the better to turn young demonstrators into accomplished performers.

“Know thyself” is good advice; one fascinating, deeply satisfying path to self-knowledge is through your own relatives and ancestors. This workbook helps bring you in direct, active contact with your heritage, using the tools of genealogy.Genealogy (from a Greek word meaning ‘tracing generation or descent’) is a very old, honorable discipline for determining who truly belongs (by blood or marriage) to a family. Its visible result is a family tree, or pedigree. Formerly pedigrees were necessary to princes and aristocrats to prove their birthright; today anyone may take pride in his or her family past. This book enables beginning genealogists, including young children, to take the first steps in discovering the origins and growth of their lineage.Rosemary Chorzempa began tracing her Polish immigrant family’s roots as a teenager and now lectures on genealogy. She has designed this introductory volume as a workbook in which the reader is a participant, researcher, recorder, and pedigree-maker. The pages provide the family historian space to document information (including photos) on self, father, mother, brothers and sisters, and other relatives paternal and maternal. Instructions clarify the making of a basic family tree and pedigree chart; important rules of research method and etiquette teach the beginner good genealogical technique. In addition there are pages on autographs, family tales, heraldry, geography, foreign languages, ethnic crafts, foods and customs, a sample notebook filing system, correspondence record, glossary, bibliography, ideas on further study and projects. As a final note, Mrs. Chorzempa includes her own autobiography and family tree.Easily accessible to the youngest of historians, this volume assists in learning fundamental research principles and beginning the search — part science, part detective story — that may ultimately lead to years of discovery, enjoyment, and even self-knowledge.

"An enlightening chronological history." — ALA BooklistHere is an ideal book for youngsters who are curious about natural forces and want to know why they behave as they do. Veteran science writer George deLucenay Leon takes readers on a fascinating trip back in time — through 2,500 years of scientific investigation — and explains how to perform many of the experiments that led to major discoveries in electricity and magnetism.Directed primarily towards children in grades 4 to 6, the text enables students to retrace the footsteps of such outstanding scientists as William Gilbert, Benjamin Franklin, Luigi Galvani, Alessandro Volta, Michael Faraday, and Thomas Edison. With only a few inexpensive and readily available materials, plus clearly illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions, youngsters can safely carry out 20 famous experiments that provided a foundation for developments in today's highly sophisticated fields of electronic communications, space exploration, and computer technology.Learning becomes an entertaining experience as young experimenters magnetize amber, "get a charge" out of polyethylene and wool, make a compass, a battery and electromagnet, and learn about pioneers in communications, AM and FM radio, as well as a variety of items ranging from semiconductors to solar cells. Clearly labeled line drawings, black-and-white photographs and prints of historical interest complete this enlightening chronological history of electrical experiments and discoveries.

Written by an award-winning author of science books for children, this engrossing book enables youngsters (ages 7 to 13) to do 38 safe experiments at home or in the classroom with such common items as a teaspoon and saucer, paper towels, aspirin, baking powder, plastic straws, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol.The language of the text is clear enough for grade-school children yet is consistently (and technically) accurate and informative. Directions for simple experiments describe how to write "invisible messages" with home-made phenolphthalein, how to clean pennies with salt and vinegar, how to break aspirin into its components and how to perform a variety of other experiments involving carbonates and acids, precipitates, crystals, emulsions, catalysts, hydrogen, copper plating, chemical indicators, color flame tests, and much more.Easy-to-follow instructions, accompanied by abundant and clearly detailed illustrations, distinguish a book which not only provides children with fun-filled scientific challenges, but also serves as a valuable aid to parents, teachers, and other adults working with youngsters interested in science.

Find your way through the USA! Take a scenic tour of America without ever leaving home! This fun and educational journey takes you through 50 full-page mazes, each created in the shape of a state and indicating some of the region's highlights. The California maze, for example, shows Sequoia National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland, and Hollywood, plus missions, caves, and parks. The Vermont page features the historic Old Round Church, covered bridges, maple syrup, and the Green Mountain Boys’ leader, Ethan Allen. Every state has something to see! Solutions and a complete U.S. map are included.