The Secret Science of Sports

The Math, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering Behind Every Grand Slam, Triple Axel, and Penalty Kick

Contributors

By Jennifer Swanson

Formats and Prices

Price

$16.99

Price

$22.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around July 20, 2021. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

Why does a football spiral? How do some athletes jump so high? The answer is science! The award-winning The Secret Science of Sports helps kids better understand concepts of science, technology, engineering, and math through the sports they love to play and watch.
 
Every sport — from baseball to basketball, to football and soccer, to wrestling, tennis, and lacrosse — involves a bit of science, technology, engineering, and math. You can't throw a ball without Newton's Law of Motion, and you can't calculate a player's stats without math. And every type of sports equipment — a helmet, cleats, shoulder or knee pads — were designed with the latest engineering and technology.
 
The Secret Science of Sports breaks down normally difficult STEM concepts like forces of motion, gravity, algebra, and even neuroscience, in a language kids can — and will want to — understand. Divided into sections like chemistry, biology, physics, technology, and more, this handy guide uses examples from sports like soccer, baseball, softball, football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis, and others to explain important STEM concepts for kids ages 8 to 12. They'll learn how to use math to calculate a batter's average, why a tennis racket is shaped the way it is, how biology affects athletic performance, the aerodynamics behind competitive swimsuits, and much more. With dozens of original, captivating illustrations to engage young readers, kids will have fun while learning about key STEM ideas that will prepare them for years of schooling to come.

Genre:

  • This is now officially one of my favorite books. Surprising, enlightening and brimming with fun, The Secret Science of Sports invites us all to kick, run, throw...and be scientists while doing it. Somebody pass me a basketball! 
    Candace Fleming, Sibert Award winning and acclaimed children's and YA author, This is now officially one of my favorite books. Surprising, enlightening and brimming with fun, The Secret Science of Sports invites us all to kick, run, throw...and be scientists while doing it. Somebody pass me a basketball!

On Sale
Jul 20, 2021
Page Count
176 pages
ISBN-13
9780762473038

Jennifer Swanson

About the Author

Jennifer Swanson is an award-winning children’s author of more than forty-five nonfiction and fiction books, including National Geographic Kids Brain Games and Outdoor School: Rocks, Fossils, and Shells (a Kirkus Reviews Best Book), as well as the co-author of The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide for Inventing the World. She is also the creator and co-host of the award-winning podcast Solve It for Kids. When not writing, Jennifer loves to walk along the ocean watching for dolphins and sea turtles near her home in Florida. Visit her online at jenniferswansonbooks.com and @jenswanbooks.
 
Veronica Miller Jamison is the illustrator of A Computer Called Katherine (written by Suzanne Slade)—which received state nominations from Arkansas and Pennsylvania, and was named a Best STEM Book and an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the NSTA and CBC—and This Is a School (written by John Schu). Veronica spent nearly a decade in broadcast news before embarking on a career in illustration and fashion and currently works as a print designer for Lilly Pulitzer. Veronica grew up immersed in the stories of her family’s history in the south and Caribbean. She invites you to visit her online at veronicajamisonart.com.

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