ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page iii Janice VanCleave’s Engineering for Every Kid Easy Activities That Make Learning Science Fun Janice VanCleave John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page vi ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page i Janice VanCleave’s Engineering for Every Kid ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page ii Other Titles by Janice VanCleave Science for Every Kid series: Janice VanCleave’s Astronomy for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Biology for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Chemistry for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Constellations for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Dinosaurs for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Earth Science for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Ecology for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Energy for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Food and Nutrition for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Geography for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Geometry for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s The Human Body for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Math for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Oceans for Every Kid Janice VanCleave’s Physics for Every Kid Spectacular Science Projects series: Janice VanCleave’s Animals Janice VanCleave’s Earthquakes Janice VanCleave’s Electricity Janice VanCleave’s Gravity Janice VanCleave’s Insects and Spiders Janice VanCleave’s Machines Janice VanCleave’s Magnets Janice VanCleave’s Microscopes and Magnifying Lenses Janice VanCleave’s Molecules Janice VanCleave’s Plants Janice VanCleave’s Rocks and Minerals Janice VanCleave’s Solar System Janice VanCleave’s Volcanoes Janice VanCleave’s Weather Also: Janice VanCleave’s 200 Gooey, Slippery, Slimy, Weird, and Fun Experiments Janice VanCleave’s 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, and Incredible Experiments Janice VanCleave’s 202 Oozing, Bubbling, Dripping, and Bouncing Experiments Janice VanCleave’s 203 Icy, Freezing, Frosty, and Cool Experiments Janice VanCleave’s 204 Sticky, Gloppy, Wacky, and Wonderful Experiments Janice VanCleave’s Great Science Project Ideas from Real Kids Janice VanCleave’s Guide to the Best Science Fair Projects Janice VanCleave’s Guide to More of the Best Science Fair Projects Janice VanCleave’s Science Around the Year Janice VanCleave’s Science Through the Ages Janice VanCleave’s Scientists Janice VanCleave’s Science Around the World ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page iii Janice VanCleave’s Engineering for Every Kid Easy Activities That Make Learning Science Fun Janice VanCleave John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page iv © 2007 by Janice VanCleave. All rights reserved Illustrations other than those on pages 60–62 © 2007 by Laurie Hamilton. All rights reserved Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201- 748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. The publisher and the author have made every reasonable effort to insure that the experi- ments and activities in the book are safe when conducted as instructed but assume no responsibility for any damage caused or sustained while performing the experiments or activ- ities in this book. Parents, guardians, and/or teachers should supervise young readers who undertake the experiments and activities in this book. Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey- Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-956-7739, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3986, or fax 317-572-4002. Jossey-Bass also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data VanCleave, Janice Pratt. Janice VanCleave’s engineering for every kid : easy activities that make learning science fun / Janice VanCleave. — 1st ed. p. cm. — (Science for every kid) Includes index. ISBN 978-0-471-47182-0 (pbk.) 1. Engineering—Experiments—Juvenile literature. 2. Science—Experiments—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: VanCleave, Janice Pratt. Janice VanCleave science for every kid series. TA149.V36 2006 620.0078—dc22 2006010540 Printed in the United States of America first edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page v This book is dedicated to a very loving lady and a special person in my life: my daughter Ginger Russell. ffirs.qxp 1/31/07 12:47 PM Page vi ftoc.qxp 1/31/07 12:48 PM Page vii Contents Introduction 1 1. Push and Pull 5 Structural Engineering 2. Blast Off 11 Aerospace Engineering 3. Up and Away 19 Aeronautical Engineering 4. Up and Down 27 Roller-Coaster Engineering 5. Coming Through 35 Solar Engineering 6. Easy Listening 43 Acoustical Engineering 7. Stop and Go 51 Electrical Engineering 8. Directors 59 Optical Engineering 9. Recover 67 Petroleum Engineering 10. Break Out 73 Nuclear Engineering vii