How fast do your fingernails grow? Can a horse run faster than a cheetah? What affects the speed at which ice melts? There are so many things to measure in the world around you. The ideas introduced in this book will help you perform exciting and fun experiments. Some will even give you ideas for your science fair. All you need are some simple materials, most of which can be found around your home, school, or neighborhood. You will then be ready to discover the world of speed!

Introduction

Speedometer Readings

An Odometer and a Clock

Walking Speeds

Running Speeds

Animals: Fast and Slow

Wind Speeds by Observation

Wind Speeds by Meter

Wind Direction and Velocity

The Speed of Falling Leaves

Speed and Parachutes

Growth Speed

How Fast Do Your Fingernails Grow?

How Fast Do You Read?

Speed of Melting

Speed of Dissolving

Speed While Falling

Speed of a Chemical Reaction

Words to Know

Further Reading

Internet Addresses

Index

Fall 2003...

Sensational Science Experiments series. Happily unsensational, the books in this series present experiments that are generally simple, feasible, and interesting, such as estimating the height of skyscrapers. Materials are easily obtainable, and instructions are clear, augmented with relaxed illustrations and photos. More important, without fanfare Gardner encourages thinking about the experiments, supplying a few necessary answers at the end. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

National Science Teachers Association Recommends Web site...

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) support integration of science topics with math concepts. Split-Second Science Projects with Speed will provide teachers and students with lots of ideas for activities that achieve that blend. The book entices elementary students to integrate their everyday experiences with mathematical concepts and higher-ordered thinking skills.

Fingernail growth, walking speeds, running speeds, and even reading speeds are all topics for exploration. The activities develop students’ skills in observation, manipulation of variables, data recording, and communication. Students who can multiply, divide, and use fractions and decimals will find these projects fascinating. Data tables are not provided, however, so they will need help constructing data tables for their projects.

Open-ended questions help students to gather, organize, and analyze their data, and “Ideas for Your Science Fair” at the end of many activities encourage students to explore further. The suggested books for further reading also emphasize science fairs.

Split-Second Science Projects with Speed could be used to introduce the topic of speed or as a resource for independent inquiry. In fact, a teacher could use each of the book’s topics as an independent lesson to supplement science curriculum. This book infuses math concepts and computation while encouraging higher-ordered thinking skills. Isn’t this really what we want our elementary students to do?

Robert Gardner is an award-winning author of science books for young people. A retired high school teacher of physics, chemistry, and physical science, he enjoys writing, biking, and doing volunteer work.