Neil ArdleyCritiques

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This book has a lot of good information, and, for the most part, the explanations are decently and concisely done. This was a big undertaking, and the end result is... okay. I feel like it's a near miss for what it could have been.

One primary issue was the choice of illustrations. In many circumstances (zippers, inclined planes, etc.) the quasi-cartoony drawings don't matter. But because the book kept with that theme, once it started to get into describing engines and more complicated mechanics, I didn't think the drawings really cut it. If you're introducing this to someone for presumably the first time, more realistic drawings or, gosh, even a picture, would have REALLY helped get some ideas across.

Also, "thematically", ideas didn't go for more than two pages. So I was quite surprised by how short some of the explanations were. I get that is aimed at children, but I did think some of the explanations needed a bit more. I used to review engineering topics in schools, and the steps were a little easier to tackle.

For example, the binary details. The book has a narrative use of mammoths throughout. The mammoth is struggling, with various issues, and inventions help him along. (I think this could help keep interest for those less interested in the topics. For those who are more technically-minded and in it for just the info, these sections becoming annoying things to skip.) The author uses his mammoth narrative and a fictional pumpkin patch to try and draw an analogy to how binary works, and that's the introduction. He says there are two digits, and then goes to explain the on-off basis of computers. I thought the mammoth/pumpkin patch mess was an awful attempt at shortening a binary explanation, and he would have been much better served to take an extra paragraph and just cleanly lay out the traditional power of 2s -for those who want to understand.

There were dozens of instances where I couldn't see what age this book was aiming at. I also didn't understand why the author seemed completely gung-ho against equations of any kind. Again, I guess that was the theme. But there are lots of connections where a clean little equation REALLY makes the idea, and those were left completely out. And they belong! For people like myself, those help a bunch.

I had the older version of this book as a child, and I never took to it. I went on to major in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, so it wasn't the subjects. Now that I look back as this an adult, I can see why it didn't suit me. This isn't quite right for the young who are really keen on the topics.

Speaking of which...

A few quotes: "The principle of conversation of energy holds good and all machines obey. Or nearly all. Nuclear machines are an exception." And then: "A nuclear reaction in fact creates energy; it does not convert one form of energy into another."

Magic!

The author does later mention mass to energy, briefly (and not to my satisfaction). And of course we can't have the E=mc^2 equation; that'd be sacrilege. But to put the first quote in your introduction, and then include the second quote your blurb out nuclear energy makes it sound like reactors are breaking Newton's laws, and that mass and energy aren't also in a closed system... that's converting energy.

There's more minor things that I just have to mention. Before discussing reactors, the book mentions fission is specific to either uranium or plutonium, and fusion by hydrogen. Really, the process should be explained, because it's misleading to think it's limited to those elements without explaining why those elements are used. Nitpicky, perhaps, but this is my wheelhouse.

Then, there's this gem, when describing nuclear fusion, "Radiation is not emitted." Blinks. (To be fair, the author does mention neutrons, and I know not everyone counts that as radiation. Regardless.) He had just described the gamma radiation from fission, so I'm assuming the author was on the same kick. But to say no radiation is emitted from fusion reactions?? Wow. That is bold. (Shush, alpha and beta! Nobody cares about you! Be scarier!) And are ya reallllly sure there aren't any gamma rays in fusion? I'm stunned.

I feel bad for being caught up on those few pages in a 400 page book. But I can't get over it. If I feel misled in areas where my knowledge is strong, then I start to be wary of the other information. I knew a lot of it, but not all. Suddenly I don't trust you, Mr. Macaulay.

Anyway. Back to my first thoughts. It's decent. Not great. If someone wants a general overview, this would be okay. If a young'n has a sincere interest in engineering, I would look elsewhere.

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537

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598

Ein schönes Thema, aber das Buch an sich könnte besser sein. Kompliziert geschrieben. Experimente auf sehr unterschiedlichem Level, aber keine Altersangabe und nicht nach Alter geordnet. Daher ziemlich umständlich.½

Gorgeous, informative and accessible book showing cross sections of every day items with explanations of how they work. Delight for adults and children to read. The 200 version is slightly dated, but typewriters and sewing machines are not mechanically impossible to find just yet! (2019)

The book was okay½

Verde 265

Verde 260

This book provides simple 1-2 sentence science about electricity facts as well as a simple science experiment that the kids can do to show how electricity works.
Ages: 6-7
Source: Pierce College Library

I would use this book as a mentor text for grades 3rd-5th. This book works great as a mentor text because it is constantly answering questions and students can look at to make connections when learning about forces and interactions. This book could also be used to teach cause and effect because it shows the result you will get depending on the way actions you take.

CD is missing 10/25/16

This delightfully illustrated book makes the potentially confusing conversation about machinery exciting and fun.

This is a good book because it is instructional and can help teach children learn how to read manuals. It would defiantly be good in a 4th or 3rd grade classroom, and could even be used by the teacher in order to allow students to actually pick their own procedures in science class.

101 Great Science Experiments Paperback by Neil Ardley
Lots of categories to choose from. my favorite would be colors.
Looking through the book there are bound to be ones we can make right away. Otherwise we will find one that we like and make a list of things to buy at the store.
Water displacement was a fun one to do using marbles just gotten at Christmas.
I think I will also get the nature experiments as well..

A magnificent achievement. Had I read the first ten pages of this at 10, I would have learned more about engineering (and science) than I did from all my schooling up until high-school physics at 17. Buy for every child and then read it yourself!

A futuristic look into what may have been the future from the 1980's. We can obviously see that we are past the point they have mentioned, therefore making it very interesting to see what has happened compared to what they thought would happen.

An updated version of the 1980s book, The Way Things Work is a great book for curious people of all ages. From levers and pullies, to catapults, this book explains all kinds of different mechanical and engineering concepts.

This is about the science experiments designed for children who are in higher elementary grade levels. In this book are 101 hands-on science experiments. After some of the experiments, real life examples are used to relate to the experiment. There are several different categories such as air and gases, water and liquids, hot and cold, light, color, growth senses, sound and music, magnets, electricity, and motion and machines.

This relatively unique interactive guide to the orchestra is a combination of book and compact disk. The CD features a new work by the Dutch composer Poul Ruders called Concerto in Pieces, a variation on the "The Witch's Chorus" from Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. The lively piece is first performed in its entirety, and then taken apart instrument by instrument. Symbols in the text show readers when to turn on the CD player and hear the particular instrument shown on that page; there is a helpful musical index to the CD, as well. The text itself has facts on the orchestra as a whole, the conductor, composer, and each instrument. General information on how each group of instruments works, be it brass or strings, is provided. The full-color photographs and reproductions are of high quality. A history section features a timeline, names of musicians and composers, definitions of musical forms with examples, and a glossary.

The book's first part, "Making Music," briefly discusses each instrument and places it within its family (stringed, woodwind, brass instruments, etc.). Clear photographs show musicians playing the instruments, and diagrams show how the sounds are created. Readers are directed to play a track on the enclosed CD to hear each instrument played. The second part of the book surveys the history of serious or art music, divided into periods such as ancient, baroque, and modern. Small photos or artworks accompany short descriptions of significant musical events. The music on the compact disc, which fits into the cover of this large-format book, is Poul Ruders' Concerto in Pieces, composed with 10 variations on a theme from Purcell, each highlighting a different section of the orchestra. BBC Orchestra conductor Andrew Davis then discusses the work, illustrating ideas with excerpts from the piece.

Ladybird books such as this one are essential for the understanding of the simple things of life, the things we take for granted. I mean, how does a tap work, how does a ball point pen work, how does a calculator work?

Few authors can break down complex topics the way David Macaulay can. If you’re child responds to every answer with another “why?,” this is the book you want.

Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/812Books/review/new-way-things-work/

Through the use of a wolly Mammoth, David Macaulay explains how machines work. The book is organized into 5 parts: the mechanics of movement, harnessing the elements, working with waves, electricity and automation, and the digital domain. The information is made fun and easy to understand through narratives about a wolly mammoth and its involvement with the machines. The style of the writing makes it easier for the reader to understand the concepts. The pictures are great and they both engage the reader and make it easier for the reader to understand the concepts. Recommended.