April 1, 2018
Gr 5-8-The breakdown of each concept into individual chapters allows the authors to fully analyze the impact STEM plays on the titular sport. Even games that seem relatively low-tech, where the gear required for play is fairly minimal, have fascinating STEM implications, such as the Magnus effect in soccer, which lets players bend it like Beckham, or shatterproof backboards in basketball. While all the volumes provide fascinating reading, Auto Racing stands out for its description of how technology and science have led to leaner, lighter, and faster vehicles with fuel specifically engineered to maximize performance, and steering wheels that allow drivers to know everything about their vehicle's performance. In addition, abundant visuals make this a great series for curious readers and researchers alike. VERDICT MVPs of the season. A top buy.
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2018
This series successfully if broadly connects popular sports with STEM principles. The books examine facets of a sport to show how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are at work: friction while snowboarding, computerized goal-line sensors in soccer, etc. While the science content is cursory, athletes should find the books enlightening. Illustrations and diagrams help elucidate the concepts. There are four other fall 2017 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind.
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