Slam Dunk! Science Projects with Basketball

by Robert Gardner, Dennis Shortelle

Overview

Help your readers to slam dunk their next science project. Physics concepts play a big role in the sport of basketball. Readers will learn about friction, mass, vectors, and more, all while playing their favorite sport. Great science project ideas follow many experiments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780766033665
Publisher:	Enslow Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	07/16/2009
Series:	Score! Sports Science Projects Series
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	10 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Science Fairs 8

The Scientific Method 9

Safety First 11

Chapter 1 It's All About the Ball 13

1-1 How Big Is the Ball? 14

1-2 Weighing Air Using a Basketball 20

1-3 A Bouncing Basketball 23

1-4 How Many Bounces? 28

1-5 How Much Is a Basketball Compressed During a Bounce? 32

Chapter 2 Galileo, Newton, and Basketball 37

2-1 Galileo and Basketball 39

2-2 Newton and Basketball 44

2-3 Acceleration and Circular Motion 49

2-4 Basketball and Friction 51

2-5 Basketball and More about Friction 54

2-6 Impulse, Momentum, and "Soft Hands" 58

Chapter 3 Science Can Make Your Shots Count 62

3-1 Making Layup Shots 63

3-2 Center of Mass 67

3-3 Center of Mass: A Model 69

3-4 Center of Mass and the "Floating" Layup 71

3-5 The Best Angle for Making Set Shots 74

3-6 Shooting Percentage and Distance 77

Chapter 4 The Passing Game 81

4-1 The Best Passing Angle for Maximum Distance 83

4-2 Long Passes Can Be Riskier than Short Passes 87

4-3 Passes and Vectors 90

4-4 The Work to Pass a Basketball 94

Glossary 97

Further Reading 99

Internet Addresses 100

Index 101

About the Authors 104

Editorial Reviews

Written at about a 6th grade level this very readable series packs a double punch. These titles are a clever blend of physics and sports. Each title includes some history about the sport and its most famous practitioners, and includes science experiments and suggested science projects that can be modified for a science fair. These titles would be perfect for collaborative projects between science and physical education. Science experiments include gravity, friction, Newtods laws of motion and these experiments use bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, and basketballs. Safety information is included where appropriate. Chapter headings are fun to read and illustrate where to find useful information, such as, "How to Fall on Skates and Get Up Again." The glossaries are too brief and several scientific terms are not defined. The outstanding feature of these titles is the information given to students on how to use science to improve their sports ability. These books have game. Science teachers will love them. Bibliography. Glossary. Websites. Index. Recommended., Library Media Connection January/February 2010

From the Publisher