TravelingChris Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I am looking for books to recommend to my ninth grade daughter to read this summer. She is interested in physical sciences and engineering but not textbooks or dry stuff. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I like The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, which is about string theory. Anoher good physics book is Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behinds the Headlines. The Calculus of Friendship is not specifically science or engineering, but poses a lot of high level math problems. It was written by Strogatz who writes a math column for the New York Times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April in CA Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Not a book suggestion, but a hands-on suggestion for you. Does your daughter have a Lego Mindstorms set? If not, I would suggest investing in one if you can swing it (they are pricey). With that, whe can lear aboaut building and programming Lego robots to do all kind of interesting things. Also, if you have any FIRST Robotics teams around your area, see if you daughter might be interested in joining one. My guys have done FIRST Tech Challenge, and it has been a wonderful experience. Blessings, April Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 The Double Helix - a great book for any aspiring scientist, even a non-biologist Books by Feynman are fun too, but a bit...colorful. Not G-rated, but I was reading them by 9th grade. (My dad is a physicist, so they were already on the bookshelf.) :D Here's a link to the first one I read: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Some of his other books are are more serious in tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in NY Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Oh! I just read the Feynman and thought it was a hoot. You're right though... I would rate it at least a PG-13... if not an R... but still so amazing. I am thinking about handing it over to my 15yo for vacation reading. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThelmaLou Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Not a book suggestion, but a hands-on suggestion for you. Does your daughter have a Lego Mindstorms set? If not, I would suggest investing in one if you can swing it (they are pricey). With that, whe can lear aboaut building and programming Lego robots to do all kind of interesting things. Also, if you have any FIRST Robotics teams around your area, see if you daughter might be interested in joining one. My guys have done FIRST Tech Challenge, and it has been a wonderful experience.Blessings, April April, did your boys have previous experience before doing the First Tech Challenge? What's a good beginning point for a boy with no robotics experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in CA Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I have a couple books, collections of biographies of physicists by George Gamow. We also have a fun book called The Flying Circus of Physics. From the Amazon description: ----------- Welcome to Jearl Walker's Flying Circus of Physics, 2nd Edition, where death-defying stunts, high-flying acrobatics, strange curiosities, and mind-bending illusions are all part of everyday life. You don't need a ticket; you only need to look to the world around you to uncover these fascinating feats of physics. Completely updated and expanded, this Second Edition of Jearl Walker's best-selling book features more than 700 thoroughly intriguing questions about relevant, fun, and completely real physical phenomena. Detailed explanations and references to outside sources guide your way through the problems. You'll discover answers to such questions as: * Can you start a fire with ice? * Why does the sky turn green just before a tornado? * Why do wintergreen LifeSavers glow in the dark when you bite them? * If you are falling in an elevator, should you try to jump up at the last second or lay flat against the floor? * How do electric eels produce their electric field? * Why is wet sand darker than dry sand? * What causes an oasis mirage? * Why do stars twinkle? * Could you drive a car on a ceiling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 "The Velocity of Honey and More Science of Everyday Life" by Jay Ingram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April in CA Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 April, did your boys have previous experience before doing the First Tech Challenge? What's a good beginning point for a boy with no robotics experience? Good Morning, ThlemaLou! My guys both started participating in Lego League when they were in 7th and 5th grades, respectively. Lego League is designed for kids ages 9 through 14. My older son was actually able to compete in both LL and First Tech Challenge when he ws in 9th grade because of his age. My younger son just moved up to First Tech Challenge as a freshman. Lego League was a great beginning experience, because it gave the guys a good base of basic engineering principles and programming skills. It also stressed teamwork and getting comfortable speaking to judges, along with performing under pressure graciously. Plus, it was lots of fun. However, having said all that, many people start at the FTC level and do great. The Lego Mindstorms "brain" is used in FTC, so being familiar with the Lego Mindstorms system is definitely helpful in learning how to program your robot. FTC allows the use of about three different programming systems. One thing that is very helpful is finding a good mentor who can help the students brainstorm and figure out how to get their ideas from paper to robot. This is especially true if the students are novice engineers and programmers. A good mentor will help teach and refine, but won't do the project for the kids. (kind of like helping kids with science fair projects! you always know when the parent did all the work!) First Tech Challenge is growing quickly - one reason is that it is reasonably affordable! It costs us between $2500 and $3000 a year to run our team, as opposed to probably 10 times that to run a huge high school FIRST Robotics team. We have been blessed enough to be partially sponsored by NASA. If there is not a team close by that your student could join, you might seriously consider starting a team! That's how my guys got to participate. My older son's best friend wanted to stay with robotics after getting too old for Lego League. I don't know if my son would have been able to do that at age 15, but I am really glad his buddy was willing to do it! Let me know if you have any other questions! We should start a new thread if anyone wants to know more! Blessings, April Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 I'd suggest Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything; Bryson is an entertaining writer who wears his learning lightly. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 I am looking for books to recommend to my ninth grade daughter to read this summer. She is interested in physical sciences and engineering but not textbooks or dry stuff. Any recommendations? Why Buildings Fall Down Why Buildings Stand Up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth - entertaining story of growing up with an early Industrial Engineer father Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 These older threads might be of interest: Books for engineering and young minds... 12th grade engineering textbook Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.