I Always Wondered About That: 101 Questions and Answers about Science and Other Stuff

by Larry Scheckel

Overview

Larry Scheckel is an award-winning science teacher and lecturer who makes complex topics simple to understand. Here you'll find entertaining answers to 101 questions you didn't even know you had, such as, "Why does glue stick?" "Why do batteries die?" "What would happen if you put human DNA into another creature?" and "How do people record memories in their brains?" The wide-ranging questions and answers will make readers eager to learn more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943431298
Publisher:	Tumblehome Learning, Inc.
Publication date:	12/01/2017
Pages:	220
Sales rank:	365,770
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Larry Scheckel is an award-winning science teacher and lecturer who makes complex topics simple to understand. Here you'll find entertaining answers to 101 questions you didn't even know you had, such as, "Why does glue stick?" "What is the strongest metal ever made?" "What would happen if you put human DNA into another creature?" and "How far is it to the horizon?" The wide-ranging questions and answers will make readers eager to learn more.

Editorial Reviews

 “Providing exactly what the title promises, this is a treasure . . . it’s great for reading to kids of all ages. . . . [T]his is a steal at any price. Engaging, informative, and brightly written, the book will find a grateful, interested readership.” —Library Journal

“A great gift for any curious minded reader—young or old.” —Publishers Weekly

"Scheckel groups his queries into broad categories such as 'The Exquisite Human Body' and 'At the Fringes of Science' and often expands on informal but direct explanations with further comments on related topics—plus brief instructions for spinning eggs, making campfires burn different colors, and like homespun experiments or activities . . . . along with trucking in physical principles to explain why cats land on their feet (it has to do with conservation of angular momentum) and like standard-issue mysteries, he poses some head-scratchers ('Why is there a big E on the top of the eye chart?') that will startle and maybe enlighten even older readers. Assorted revelations for enquirers who prefer their science straight up but not without occasional (semi-) comical relief." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

This second volume of questions and answers by a former science teacher is best read in bits and pieces. A reader can browse the table of contents for an interesting question, such as #38, “How does the Earth move?” or pick a chapter subject to peruse, such as Chapter Eight: “At the Fringes of Science.” Or they may open the book to a random page and read about anything from Magic Eye pictures to Martian Landers. Each question is a followed by a short, one- to two-page, chatty answer. In a two-page section on women Nobel Laureates, Scheckel gives specific numbers but only some names on the first page, then spends the second page discussing Lise Meitner, who did not actually receive a Nobel prize (wrongly, according to some). Other entries have puns and jokes interspersed with information. Some suggest simple science experiments to prove answers (as with #47, “Why are Raindrops Round?”). Overall, the book feels like a teacher answering random questions in a class, complete with jokes to lighten the mood and tangential asides when they occur to the author. Without any documentation to support the answers (there are no references), this book is entertaining and informative, but should only be a jumping-off point for people who want detailed answers to any of its 101 questions. Reviewer: Beth Karpas; Ages 11 to 18.

VOYA, December 2017 (Vol. 40, No. 5) - Beth Karpas

2017-09-26
More answers to questions common and otherwise from the veteran author of Ask a Science Teacher (2013).Scheckel groups his queries into broad categories such as "The Exquisite Human Body" and "At the Fringes of Science" and often expands on informal but direct explanations with further comments on related topics—plus brief instructions for spinning eggs, making campfires burn different colors, and like homespun experiments or activities. There are some rough edges. The folksiness turns heavy-handed with an anecdote about a dog from his youth who was afraid of thunderstorms ("Her fears were misplaced. She got run over by a pickup truck. Doggone!"), and claims that there is no single scientific method and that tennis balls can be recycled as homes for "Eurasian field mice" really need unpacking. While verbal descriptions of, for instance, the lungs' "remarkable dance" or what causes seasons are serviceable, readers will still probably long for pictures and diagrams. Still, along with trucking in physical principles to explain why cats land on their feet (it has to do with conservation of angular momentum) and like standard-issue mysteries, he poses some head-scratchers ("Why is there a big E on the top of the eye chart?") that will startle and maybe enlighten even older readers.Assorted revelations for enquirers who prefer their science straight up but not without occasional (semi-) comical relief. (Nonfiction. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews