The Book of Wildly Spectacular Sports Science

September 12, 2016
In the fourth title in the series that began with The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science, Connolly gets at the science behind sports with 54 experiments designed to provide answers to questions like “What Makes a Frisbee Fly?” while introducing such concepts as lift, drag, propulsion, friction, kinetic energy, and mass. The experiments are a mix of physically active (using a playground seesaw to explore the torque involved in a snowboarder’s flip) and rainy day friendly (a pen, putty, and DVD help demonstrate the angular momentum of a football spiral pass). The chatty tone, clear scientific explanations, and broad range of athletics discussed mean there’s something here for just about every kind of sports fan. Ages 9–up.

December 1, 2016

Gr 4 Up-Connolly's appealing collection of hands-on experiments illustrates many of the science principles at work in athletics. The work consists of seven well-organized chapters of clearly described activities. The format for each experiment is consistent, beginning with a heading that notes the specific sport involved and estimated amount of time needed to complete the project. The smooth writing style and engaging content enliven the learning process and will even enlist the participation of those not scientifically inclined. The cartoonish artwork also adds touches of humor. Each experiment is wrapped up with a concluding explanatory section discussing the science involved and how it relates to a given sport. Examples of science concepts covered include Boyle's law, centripetal force, conservation of energy, kinetic energy, Newton's laws of motion, and surface tension. Students can conduct these experiments on their own. However, some activities do require adult help or supervision (safety cautions are provided throughout). Teachers, too, will find a wealth of material to enhance classroom lessons or physical education classes. VERDICT A worthy purchase for all libraries, especially for schools.-Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
Grades 4-6 Here the author of several volumes with rousing titles like The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science (2010) offers 54 quick-and-easy, small-scale demonstrations of various physical laws and principles linked (sometimes tenuously) to sports. Each entry features a warning note, but aside from jumping off a chair or catching a falling egg, the activities are low risk. They range from simply turning on a faucet and observing that the stream narrows (which represents Bernoulli's principle) to constructing a rubber band trebuchet (actually a catapult) to show torque and momentum in action. Except, perhaps, for the brave adult, required for one set-up involving a playground swing, and a cinder block, the materials and components are common household items. The demos open with examples of historical athletic feats to get young experimenters in the mood, and then go on to lists of materials, step-by-step directions with line-drawn illustrations, and, finally, clear explanations of the relevant physics. Along with being fun, most of these could be developed into presentable elementary science projects.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)