Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
DANGER: This Book Contains Detailed Information About the Most Legendary Engineering Disasters of All Time
Sean Connolly, author of the bestselling The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science, The Book of Potentially CatastrophicScience, The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math, and The Book of Wildly Spectacular Sports Science, rolls up his sleeves for another exciting collection of experiments, this time exploring the science behind historical feats of engineering failure.
Ever wonder why Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa has been slowly toppling over for centuries? Stack books on a foundation of paper balls to learn about rickety building foundations and center of mass. How about the 15-foot-high tidal wave of molasses that tore through the streets of Boston in the Great Molasses Flood of 1919? Karate chop a full tube of toothpaste (outside ) to demonstrate the messy behavior of non-Newtonian fluids.
With The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters, kids get active with a fun, illustrated tour through the physics and technology of crumbling buildings, sinking ships, wobbly bridges, mud-stuck tanks, and much more. Covering a wide range of snafus, mishaps, and outright disasters throughout history--some infamous, like the Titanic sinking and Chilean miners trapped underground, and others lesser known, like the Fidnae Stadium collapse in ancient Rome--these 33 hands-on experiments put readers' newfound knowledge into action. Each demonstration uses familiar household ingredients and helps break down the barrier between learning and doing--or even better, between learning and having fun.
Synopsis
It's hands-on science with a capital "E"--for engineering.
Beginning with the toppling of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, to the destructive, laserlike sunbeams bouncing off London's infamous "Fryscraper" in 2013, here is an illustrated tour of the greatest engineering disasters in history, from the bestselling author of The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science.
Each engineering disaster includes a simple, exciting experiment or two using everyday household items to explain the underlying science and put learning into action. Understand the Titanic's demise by sinking an ice-cube-tray ocean liner in the bathtub. Stomp on a tube of toothpaste to demonstrate what happens to non-Newtonian fluids under pressure--and how a ruptured tank sent a tsunami of molasses through the streets of Boston in 1919.
From why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans to the fatal design flaw in the Sherman tank, here's a book of science at its most riveting.