Description
Book SynopsisHow are plants and animals related? What is the Universe made of? And just what is the big secret behind it all? Find out all about the mysteries which scientists have been exploring for thousands of years.
Trade ReviewIt would be impossible to praise this series too highly. * The Bookseller *
This book was about science, space, the sky, the smallest things, the jungle, mixed reactions, putting things together, seeing into the future and the secrets behind everything. The pictures were very good... I think my friends would like this book. In fact, one of my friends in my class (primary 2) has it now. * Yogi (age 7), The Biologist *
Table of Contents1 In the beginning
The universe was created from a very tiny and incredibly hot ball of energy. Scientists call this 'The Big Bang' but the creation was very quiet as there was no air to carry the sound. When people later appeared. they used science as a way to find out what was going on. Scientists would carry out experiments, collect and compare samples, and use telescopes to see the stars.
2 Heavenly bodies
The universe is very big. There are so many stars, planets and moons in it than we could ever count. There are also things in the universe called black holes that are so heavy and massive that they suck light into themselves. Galaxies are formed when stars group together in massive clusters. Our solar system has one sun and eight planets including Earth.
3 Life as we know it
All the different kinds of living things on Earth contain DNA inside them. Living things that share similar features are put together in a group. Millions of tiny living things, like bacteria, can live in plants and animals. All living things need food to build up their bodies and they can also reproduce which means they can make babies.
4 The smallest things
All living things have millions of tiny building blocks called cells. Microscopes are used to see the cells in your body. Computers are not living things but they are also made up of tiny building blocks called microchips. Molecules are the tiny things that make up everything. Most molecules are too small to be seen with a microscope. Molecules are made of even smaller bits called atoms.
5 The secret behind everything
Energy is what makes atoms do anything. It never appear or disappears but it can be changed from one kind to another. Nuclear power stations find energy by splitting atoms into pieces. This is called nuclear fission. The nuclear energy that is released is used to make electricity. Solar panels change light energy into electricity.
6 Mixed reactions
Molecules that are made of just one kind of atom are known as elements. Chemical reactions happen when two elements are mixed together and this creates a whole new substance. Chemical reactions can also separate elements from each other. Elements are listed in a chart called 'The Periodic Table'.
7 Putting things together
Understanding how things work mean that amazing things can be built like robots that do jobs that too dangerous or too boring for people. Altering the DNA of living things can lead to new kinds of plants and animals with special abilities. Discoveries that happen accident can be used create amazing things and examples of such accidental discoveries are penicillin and x-rays.
8 See into the future
Knowing everything about how the world works would allow scientists to predict the future very accurately.
9 What's what
Branches of science include cosmology, entomology, quantum physics, mechanical engineering, dendrology, informatics, and meteorology.
