Why are you able to jump so much higher from a trampoline than from the ground? What forces are at work when you do an ollie on a skateboard? How does a counter rotation work on a snowboard?

The answer is: Physics! In The Physics of Fun, kids ages 12 to 15 explore the science behind awesome activities that kids love. What do skateboarding, snowboarding, trampolining, singing in a band, and playing video games all have in common, besides being fun? They are all made possible with physics! From Newton’s laws of motion to the behavior of electrons, the science of physics is an integral part of any amusement park, play center, trampoline park, or home gaming center.

The Physics of Fun offers detailed explanations of the science behind five familiar pastimes, along with hands-on investigations that use the scientific and engineering design methods to enable kids to apply their learning to a wide array of science challenges. Projects include using a skateboard to demonstrate inertia, investigating the transfer and conservation of energy on a trampoline, observing sound waves with water, and building a guitar to explore the sound waves made by its strings.

Links to online media, discussion questions, and career connections offer middle schoolers the chance to do some real, hands-on science around activities they already love to do! Additional materials include a glossary, index, and a list of current reference works, websites, and internet resources.

• This nonfiction title for grades 7 through 9 introduces the principles and vocabulary of the physics, while integrating biology, anatomy, and the scientific method.
• Readers participate in many sports and fun activities on a daily basis. This title helps them understand how each of these activities works and how the properties of physics affect performance. They will also learn how to use that understanding to improve their enjoyment and performance of these activities.
• Projects include using a skateboard to demonstrate inertia, investigating the transfer and conservation of energy on a trampoline, observing sound waves with water, and building a guitar to explore the sound waves made by its strings.
• Meets the forces and interactions, energy, and waves and electromagnetic radiation standards for NSTA's NGSS curriculum.
• Uses an inquiry-based approach to encourage readers to reach their own conclusions and experiment themselves.
• Aligns with Common Core state standards.
• Additional materials include a glossary, a list of media for further learning, a selected bibliography, and index.
• Essential questions guide readers’ investigations while hands-on activities promote critical and creative problem solving, and text-to-world connections highlight the way science provides a foundation for every-day life.