Books in Physical Sciences series

Developed with the cooperation of a science consultant, this book in the Primary Physical Science series is a tool to teach the physical sciences to young children. Move It! follows science curricula and is loaded with surprising facts and hands-on activities designed to hold young readers' interest and tap into their fascination with the everyday world. Move It! explores the physics of why and how things move.

Electricity is a necessity in today’s modern society. It allows us to check our email, watch a movie on the television set, or turn on a lamp at the flip of a switch. But how does electricity work? Atoms contain negatively charged particles called electrons. Electric energy from the electrons can be harnessed into currents that run through two types of circuits, series and parallel. Generators and different types of power plants produce the electricity needed to operate our technological world.

How is light like waves in the ocean? What causes a mirage? How do eyes our translate light into the things we see? What are some forms of light than we cannot see? This title looks at the fascinating nature of light, how it’s measured, and how it behaves. The book examines some of the exciting ways that light is being used in medicine, astronomy, and communications. It also discusses what the study of the most distant light in space tells us about the origin and future of the universe.

From gold to oxygen, elements are found throughout the universe. In an effort to understand the relationship between the elements, Dimitri Mendeleev plotted the elements according to each of their atomic weights. He discovered there were groups of elements that had similar properties. Analyzing the layout, he was able to correctly predict elements that had not yet been discovered. His creation, known as the periodic table, has been instrumental to advancements in the field of chemistry.