The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science

50 Experiments for Daring Young Scientist

By Sean Connolly

Here are 50 awesome experiments that demonstrate the principles behind the 34 greatest scientific breakthroughs in human history. The wheel - astound friends with an experiment that seems to defy the laws of gravity. The rocket - launch a soda bottle into the air. The microscope - peer through a lens made out of water. ATomic theory - prove it with food coloring. The large Hadron Collider - re-create it with marshmallows. Using stuff from around the house, the curious can now boldly go where the bravest scientists in history have gone before.

Magicians take note - that if you teach a magic class, camp or workshop you'll find this book very helpful.

From the Publisher:

It’s never been more important to engage a child's scientific curiosity, and Sean Connolly knows just how to do it—with lively, hands-on, seemingly "dangerous" experiments that pop, ooze, crash, and teach! Now, the author of The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science, takes it one step further: He leads kids through the history of science, and then creates amazing yet simple experiments that demonstrate key scientific principles.

Tame fire just like a Neanderthal with the Fahrenheit 451 experiment. Round up all your friends and track the spread of "disease" using body glitter with an experiment inspired by Edward Jenner, the vaccination pioneer who's credited with saving more lives than any other person in history. Rediscover the wheel and axle with the ancient Sumerians, and perform an astounding experiment demonstrating the theory of angular momentum. Build a simple telescope—just like Galileo's—and find the four moons he discovered orbiting Jupiter (an act that helped land him in prison). Take a less potentially catastrophic approach to electricity than Ben Franklin did with the Lightning Mouth experiment. Re-create the Hadron Collider in a microwave with marshmallows, calculator, and a ruler—it won't jeopardize Earth with a simulated Big Bang, but will demonstrate the speed of light. And it's tasty!

By letting kids stand on the shoulders of Aristotle, Newton, Einstein, the Wright brothers, Marie Curie, Darwin, Watson and Crick, and more, The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science is an uncommonly engaging guide to science, and the great stories of the men and women behind the science.

Details: The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science 

305 pages, hardbound. Size: 9 1/2" by 5 3/4".