Ds 9 almost 10, wants a good physics book. I need recommendations.

[FaithManor]

He has completed a good bit of pre-geometry/pre-algebra. We haven't allowed him to move on to algebra yet though he could have done so last year. Dh is very, very concerned about his emotional maturity and also the fact that we have been pretty successful helping ds lead a normal life without too much hub-bub about his gifts. He's afraid that if we let him forge ahead at such a young age, he'll be needing college mathematics long before he is mature enough to handle that environment or work load. So, we've held him back in math by letting him flourish in sciences not so heavily math oriented. Biology, Zoology, paleontology, etc.

 

He is just so physics oriented that I'm going to have a very unhappy young man if I do not soon provide him with some material. Suggestions? Is there a good book on physics topics but that will not require higher mathematics? It's so hard at this age. I was going to purchase a biography of Einstein for him but the ones I encountered at B & N all spent a great deal of time speculating about his love life and the ones in the children's section are going to bore him to tears...well, that and he'll read through them rather rapidly and then be begging for more. I was thinking of something that discussed physicists and their discoveries, the laws of thermodynamics, gravity, etc. in general terms but didn't get into problem solving.

 

Thanks,

Faith

[Staceyshoe]

I have no personal experience, but I have read positive reviews about Bite Size Physics. From what I've read, the math piece can be left out pretty easily. I'll be interested in hearing others' suggestions.

[patchfire]

I have a good list in this post, but I'll highlight a few great ones:

 

All the Paul Fleisher books (check the library for these, as they are a bit pricey new)

The Cartoon Guide to Physics (dd LOVED this one!)

Touch This! Conceptual Physics for Everyone, Hewitt.

[KAR120C]

I'm the one that's usually going on about Bite Size Physics! ;) The math is very light, easily accessible to a pre-algebra student, and easy to skip if necessary.

 

But I have to note here....

Dh is very, very concerned about his emotional maturity and also the fact that we have been pretty successful helping ds lead a normal life without too much hub-bub about his gifts. He's afraid that if we let him forge ahead at such a young age, he'll be needing college mathematics long before he is mature enough to handle that environment or work load.

There are lots of math options that don't require college at an early age. If you get to a point where you have to move on (or have that unhappy young man you were talking about!) please don't worry too much yet about college and a normal life! Algebra, done thoroughly, can be fascinating for a long long time. We used Singapore (NEM) ourselves, but I also really like the Art of Problem Solving (dot com) and Gelfand's books. All three of those lend themselves to an especially thorough grounding in algebra and problem solving. You could do a lot right there without getting boring and without going to college.

 

Check out the Art of Problem Solving, too, for "off the beaten track" math options. All the best ones require algebra first, but you can do quite a bit parked right there (before calculus) -- Counting and Probability, Number Theory, Group Theory, Programming. We did a year of statistics and this year we're hitting the discrete math (mostly the AoPS Counting and Probability and Number Theory, as well as applications in cryptography). My strategy has been to alternate years between the "normal" progress and more interesting topics. It keeps DS happy with new material and keeps me from worrying about what we'll do after calculus. If your DS is turning 10 now, you could easily get the eight years or so that you want out of that kind of pattern.

[FaithManor]

Thank you Erica, I really appreciate your recommendations - Dh has really been adamant that we not allow him to forge ahead but we weren't aware of curriculum options other than the standard progression. This really helps us out because DS is going to hit the wall mathematically speaking before he is emotionally ready for college. We were already planning on he and I doing some traveling in high school, which we will still do, just to help delay sending him. His older brothers (we call our trio the Three Musketeers) will be in college ahead of him and it is clear that he will be at loose ends and need quite a bit to keep him occupied. But, though we considered sending him young and having them all room together, we also realize that his older brothers need to be able to forge their own path and grow without feeling responsible to help their younger sib navigate waters that isn't mature enough to handle on his own. I am thankful to know we can probably keep his math mind active without teaching past calculus at home.

 

Also to Patchfire! I have Hewitt's Physics for Everyone and the Cartoon Guide to Physics in my Amazon shopping basket. He is going to love them! I had never heard of those books before.

 

Faith

[EKS]

There are lots of math options that don't require college at an early age. If you get to a point where you have to move on (or have that unhappy young man you were talking about!) please don't worry too much yet about college and a normal life! Algebra, done thoroughly, can be fascinating for a long long time.

 

Yes. And I would add that algebra is generally quite a bit more fascinating than arithmetic.

 

My older son was three years ahead when he started algebra. Beginning algebra early was an excellent choice for him because it has allowed him to reduce his daily time commitment to math (math is not his passion) and devote it to things he enjoys more (science and robotics) as well as things he needs to focus on (writing). It also allowed him to do Conceptual Physics/Chemistry early because he already had the math necessary. And even with the relaxed pace, he will still be able to finish a three quarter calculus sequence at the local college in 11th grade to be eligible for their calculus based physics sequence (something he really wants to do) in 12th grade.

[Crimson Wife]

Stanford's EPGY program will allow a gifted student to do university-level courses at home. They are on the pricey side but there is financial aid available.

[Dmmetler]

It's not a in depth book, but I really like the books by Simon Basher, published by Kingfisher, as a gentle introduction to science topics that aren't necessarily included in most children's science texts.

[Bostonian]

Please excuse some general commentary before answering your question, but I really dislike the idea of holding someone back for perceived social/emotional reasons. No one is going to force your son to live in a co-ed dorm before he is ready, and it is possible to take community college classes and/or online classes while living at home.

 

My 7yo son read the "Manga Guide to Physics" several times when I purchased it for him, so I recommend it.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Mr Thompkins is great, or any other books by George Gamow. My little physicist dislikes Stephen Hawking's style but A Briefer History of Time is still a good read for most people. My son would recommend Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku. The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick is a fun overview, probably a bit dated now.

[FaithManor]

Bostonian, Thank you for your comments.

 

However, it is not always true that a young, homeschooled child can attend C.C.

 

First, the C.C.'s in our area do not accept any students under 16.

 

Second, our C.C.'s are decidely poor. Not only would I not waste our hard earned money on them but most of the four year universities in our state will not accept their credits. The one very good C.C. that is accepted pretty much everywhere is a one hour drive from here and has a waiting list of at least one year to get in because of their reputation, good financial aid, and wealth of programs. Therefore, they do not accept anyone under sixteen and even then, it's pretty difficult to get in when the high school grads are clamoring for the position. That said, their programs are very good but not heavily oriented towards math or math related sciences.

 

Third, even that particular C.C. does not offer any math above trigonometry/pre-calc. One must attend the four year university in that town in order to get higher math. This university does not accept dual enrollment students due to a wait list for their classes because of budget cuts. So, he would need to be of the standard age and circumstances of incoming freshman in order to get into the classes. Part-time students wait for up to two years for a chance at classes higher than 100 level. We know this personally because of the difficulties many local kids are having graduating from this school in five years and that's attending summer semesters as well. The tuition is reasonable and so a huge portion of Mid-Michigan high school seniors want to go there. The next closest university, again not accepting dual enrollment anyway, is two hours away. So even if I could somehow convince them to take him, I'd have to add four hours of commuting to my schedule while homeschooling two other children because he will not be eligible to drive until he is seventeen.

 

Therefore, since we aren't prepared to send him to private university to live in the dorms at 14 years of age, we do have to very carefully consider how we plan his math future. We will be using MIT opencoursework and now that I have discovered a wealth of math courses through them, we should be able to come up with a reasonable progression of math to take him through until he is mature enough for the four-year/dorm environment. Dh also doesn't want him in the abstract algebras and higher levels of calculus while homeschooling because he feels he learned a lot in those classes through valuable discussions, interactions with his professors, and visiting lecturers. So, I am also trying to honor Dh's wishes that Ds not begin algebra 1 before at least eleven if not twelve and that we then very carefully plan his courses from there.

 

Thank you,

Faith

[HeidiD]

Is there a good book on physics topics but that will not require higher mathematics? It's so hard at this age. I was going to purchase a biography of Einstein for him but the ones I encountered at B & N all spent a great deal of time speculating about his love life and the ones in the children's section are going to bore him to tears...well, that and he'll read through them rather rapidly and then be begging for more. I was thinking of something that discussed physicists and their discoveries, the laws of thermodynamics, gravity, etc. in general terms but didn't get into problem solving.

 

Thanks,

Faith

 

 

'Understanding Physics' - Isaac Asmimov

"3 Volumes in One - Motion Sound and Heat, Light Magnetism & Electricity, The Electron, Proton and Neutron"

 

Unfortunately OOP but worth borrowing from the library if you can find it.

[sunriseiz]

The Cartoon Guide to Physics (dd LOVED this one!)

 

 

"I" loved this one when I was young(er)! :)

[In The Great White North]

'Understanding Physics' - Isaac Asmimov

"3 Volumes in One - Motion Sound and Heat, Light Magnetism & Electricity, The Electron, Proton and Neutron"

 

Is this better than Conceptual Physics?

[sunriseiz]

Suggestions? Is there a good book on physics topics but that will not require higher mathematics? It's so hard at this age. I was going to purchase a biography of Einstein for him but the ones I encountered at B & N all spent a great deal of time speculating about his love life and the ones in the children's section are going to bore him to tears...well, that and he'll read through them rather rapidly and then be begging for more.

 

I haven't actually seen this one IRL yet, but it's the book for dd's book club for august: http://tinyurl.com/2dhntqs . Looks like it might be good, but may leave him wanting more, though that's not a completely bad thing, IMO. Just tiring for mom! ;)

[Catherine]

Conceptual Physics by Paul Hewitt. It's a wonderful, simple-algebra-only intro to physics concepts. My boys adored this book.

[Matryoshka]

 

Thinking Physics is not a curriculum, but looks like an awesome book. Even I have fun reading through it!

[nmoira]

Your son might like the books The Flying Circus of Physics and its accompanying website.

 

We haven't allowed him to move on to algebra yet though he could have done so last year. Dh is very, very concerned about his emotional maturity and also the fact that we have been pretty successful helping ds lead a normal life without too much hub-bub about his gifts. He's afraid that if we let him forge ahead at such a young age, he'll be needing college mathematics long before he is mature enough to handle that environment or work load. So, we've held him back in math by letting him flourish in sciences not so heavily math oriented. Biology, Zoology, paleontology, etc.

Progression need not be a straight line Algebra 1 through pre-calc or calculus. And for kids that do progress to college level math, there are a number of home-study options. Check out Art of Problem Solving, EPGY, Thinkwell, and eIMACS; and here's Hoagies lists of Academic Learning and Distance Programs. At the very least, I'd be inclined to let him progress through Algebra 2 to give access to higher level sciences. I've been putting off moving my 8yo into algebra because I've not been ready to increase her workload, but I've reconciled myself to the reality that we won't be able to put it off for much more than another year because she'll have exhausted middle school science options and we're running out of challenging things to do with math.

 

As we have the luxury of time, tentatively we're looking at doubling up LoF (at least through Advanced Algebra; I'll re-evaluate then) and AofPS (through Alcumus as much as is available). I also have some of proofy New Math era algebra books from which I'll pull some supplemental material, and some other supplements (e.g. Gelfand's Algebra).

 

LoF: Beginning Algebra & AofPS Introduction to Algebra

Art of Problem Solving Vol. 1

AofPS Introduction to Counting and Probability

LoF: Geometry and AofPS Geometry

Art of Problem Solving Vol. 2

AofPS Number Theory

LoF: Advanced Algebra & AofPS Intermediate Algebra

AofPS Intermediate Counting and Probability

LoF: Statistics

LoF: Trigonometry & AofPS Precalc

LoF: Calculus and AofPS Calculus

LoF: Linear Algebra

 

As things currently stand, at that point we'd look at college credit through EPGY or elsewhere.

[Bostonian]

Nmoira,

 

Thanks for your informative message. We are in the same boat -- our 7yo son is ready for algebra. Douglas Downing has a series of books "(Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus) the Easy Way" that you could consider. I wrote about them in the thread

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=189912

 

My son has browsed the books. We generally leave lots of books around and let him read what he wants.