Help Your kids with Science

258 Pages·2014·29 MB·English

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A UNIQUE STEP-BY-STEP VISUAL GUIDE

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First published in 2012 by
Dorling Kindersley Limited,
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001—181318—June/2012
Copyright © 2012 Dorling Kindersley Limited
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Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited
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ISBN 978-0-7566-9268-1
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TOM JACKSON has written nearly 100 books and contributed to many more about
science, technology, and natural history. Before becoming a writer, Tom spent time
as a zookeeper, worked in safari parks in Zimbabwe, and was a member of the first
British research expedition to the rain forests of Vietnam since the 1960s. Tom’s work
as a travel writer has taken him to the Sahara Desert, the Amazon jungle, the African
savanna, and the Galápagos Islands—following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin.
DR. MIKE GOLDSMITH has a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Keele University, awarded for
research into variable supergiant stars and cosmic dust formation. From 1987 until
2007 he worked in the Acoustics Group at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory and
was Head of the group for many years. His work there included research into
automatic speech recognition, human speech patterns, environmental noise and
novel microphones. He still works with NPL on a freelance basis and has recently
completed a project to develop a new type of environmental noise mapping system.
He has published more than forty scientific papers and technical reports, primarily
on astrophysics and acoustics. Since 1999, Mike has written more than thirty science
books for readers from babies to adults. Two of his books have been short-listed for
the Aventis prize (now the Royal Society prize) for children’s science books.
DR. STEWART SAVARD is the Science Head Teacher and district eLibrarian/eResource
teacher in British Columbia’s Comox Valley, Canada. Stewart has published papers
on the role of Science Fiction and Science collections in libraries and helped
edit 18 Elementary Science books. He is actively developing a range of school
robotics programs.
ALLISON ELIA graduated from Brunel University in 1989, with a BSc (Hons) in
Applied Physics. After graduating, she worked in Public Sector finance for several
years, before realizing that her true vocation lay in education. In 1992 she
undertook a PGCE in Secondary Science at Canterbury Christ Church College. For
the past 18 years, Allison has taught Science in a number of schools across Essex and
Kent and is currently the Head of Science at Fort Pitt Grammar School in Kent, UK.
Introduction
Science is vital to understanding everything in the Universe, from what makes
the world go around to the workings of the human body. It explains why
rainbows appear, how rockets work, and what happens when we flick a light
switch. These may seem difficult subjects to get to grips with, but science
needn’t be complex or baffling. In fact, much of science depends on simple laws
and principles. Learn these, and how they can be applied, and even the most
complicated concepts become more straightforward and understandable.
This book sets out to explain the essentials of three key sciences—biology,
chemistry, and physics. In particular, it focuses on the curricula for these
subjects taught in schools worldwide for students between the ages of 9 and 16.
This is often a crucial time for developing an understanding of science. Many
children become confused by the terminology, equations, and sheer scale of
some of the topics. Inevitably, parents—who themselves often have a limited
understanding of science—are asked to help with homework. That is where
this book can really come to the rescue.
Help Your Kids with Science is designed to make all aspects of science easy and
interesting. Beginning with a clear overview of what science is, each of the three
sections is broken down into single-spread topics covering a key area of that
science. The text is presented in short, easy-to-read chunks and is accompanied
by clear, fully annotated diagrams and helpful equations. Explanations have
been kept as simple as possible so that anyone—parent or child—can
understand them.
Another problem children often have with science is relating scientific concepts
to real life. To help them make a connection, “Real World” panels have been
introduced throughout the book. These give the reader a look at the practical
applications of the science they’ve been reading about, and the exciting ways it
can be used. Cross-references are used to link related topics and help reinforce
the idea that many branches of science share the same basic principles. A useful
reference section at the back provides quick and easy facts and explanations of
terms used in the text.
As a former research scientist, I am only too aware of how science can seem
bewildering. Even scientists can get stuck if they stray into an unfamiliar
discipline or are the first to investigate a new line of study. The trick is to get a
firm grasp on the basics, and that is exactly what this book sets out to provide.
From there you can go on to investigate how the world around you works and
explore the endless possibilities that science has to offer mankind.
DR. MIKE GOLDSMITH
Contents
INTRODUCTION by Dr. Mike Goldsmith 6 Evolution 80
WHAT IS SCIENCE? 10 Adaptations 82
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD 12 Genetics I 84
FIELDS OF SCIENCE 14 Genetics II 86
Pollution 88
1 BIOLOGY Human impact 90
2 CHEMISTRY
What is biology? 18
Variety of life 20
Cell structure 22
Cells at work 24 What is chemistry? 94
Fungi and single-celled life 26 Properties of materials 96
Respiration 28 States of matter 98
Photosynthesis 30 Changing states 100
Feeding 32 Gas laws 102
Waste materials 34 Mixtures 104
Transport systems 36 Separating mixtures 106
Movement 38 Elements and atoms 108
Sensitivity 40 Compounds and molecules 110
Reproduction I 42 Ionic bonding 112
Reproduction II 44 Covalent bonding 114
Life cycles 46 Periodic table 116
Hormones 48 Understanding the periodic table 118
Disease and immunity 50 Alkali metals and alkali earth metals 120
Animal relationships 52 The halogens and noble gases 122
Plants 54 Transition metals 124
Invertebrates 56 Radioactivity 126
Fish, amphibians, and reptiles 58 Chemical reactions 128
Mammals and birds 60 Combustion 130
Body systems 62 Redox reactions 132
Human senses 64 Energy and reactions 134
Human digestion 66 Rates of reaction 136
Brain and heart 68 Catalysts 138
Human health 70 Reversible reactions 140
Human reproduction 72 Water 142
Ecosystems 74 Acids and bases 144
Food chains 76 Acid reactions 146
Cycles in nature 78 Electrochemistry 148