Projectile Science

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The game is on the line. Suddenly, you hear the crack of Ra bat and the roar of crowd. Where will the ball land? How far will it travel? Is it a home run?

You might think that hitting a home run or nailing a three-pointer is just luck, but there are many forces at work that determine if you've made a game-winning shot or the final out. If you've ever kicked a ball, thrown a rock, or even played Angry Birds, you've experimented with the forces behind ballistics.

In Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids, kids ages 10 to 15 learn why projectiles follow the paths they do and what factors influence those paths. Readers who are fascinated with potato cannons, slingshots, and rocketry will love taking that next step and applying what they learn about the laws of physics to the science of figuring out where to aim.