Ask a Scientist

Description

Professor Robert Winston answers the amazing questions children have about science - real questions from real kids! This fun and friendly science book for kids poses 100 real-life questions from kids to Robert Winston on every aspect of science. Questions cover all the popular science topics, including human body: "Why do freckles come in dots on your face?"; physics: "Could you jump off the world?"; Earth: "Why is the sky blue?"; chemistry: "Why are there bubbles in boiling water?"; natural science: "Do dogs cry?", and space: "Why will the Sun explode and make us extinct?" These are real questions from children from around the world, and their questions are their very own. Robert Winston was inspired to write this book by the many questions posed by his grandchildren and by children from the schools he has visited over the years. The book includes some of these questions, plus many more gathered from countries all over the world - including the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, Canada, the USA, India, China, and Japan. The response to the survey that DK sent out was fantastic - there were so many great questions to choose from. The questions were carefully selected to cover the main science topics: chemistry, physics, human body, Earth, space, and natural science. They are fun, engaging, and include some that most adults wouldn't dare ask! Science can be a tricky subject for kids: this book gets a fresh new angle on it by looking at science from the child's point of view. Packed with weird and wacky questions and clear and lively answers -Ask a Scientist puts the fun back into science. And who could be a better scientist to ask questions to than Professor Robert Winston? Contents Foreword Why is science so important? What makes someone a scientist? Can we ever be 100% sure? CHEMISTRY Why does water feel wet? Why are there bubbles in boiling water? Why doesn’t oil mix with water? Why does ice cream melt? Is fire a solid, liquid, or gas? How does Velcro® stick? How do the molecules in air produce air pressure? How many atoms in a penny? Why do chemicals explode when mixed together? How do you make toilet paper? How exactly is glass made? Why are diamonds so hard? Why are bubbles round and not any other shape? HUMAN BODY What is my body made of? Could you create a human being in a laboratory? Where does my belly button go? How do we get taller? What causes growing pains? How do our eyes work so we can see? Why do people blink? How do two eyes make one picture? Why do freckles come in dots on your face? How do bogies get in my nose? Why do my muscles hurt when I exercise? Why does my brother smell when he exercises? Why do we need a brain? What do neurons do? Is it possible to transfer a human brain into a robot? Why doesn’t it tickle when you tickle yourself? Why does our skin go all wrinkly in the bath? What’s inside your face and head other than your brain? Why do different foods taste sweet, sour, and bitter? How does our body heal? Why do people itch? Why do you feel cold witha fever? Why does our hair turn grey when we get older? Why do humans get old and die? How do you fall asleep? Why do we dream and how do dreams appear in our brain? PHYSICS Could you jump off the world? Why is there less gravity on the Moon? How do maglev trains work? How does a maglev train stop? Is there a magnet so strong that it will pull us by the iron in our blood? How do you make gears spin? How do elevators work? When electricity travels through wires what does it look like? How does electricity get in your body to shock someone? How does a light light up? How do planes go so fast? Why, when you’re doing boring things, does time go slowly…? NATURAL SCIENCE How was the first person born? Will scientists bring back the dinosaurs? Is it possible to find a fossil that no one has discovered yet? Does a butterfly remember its time as a caterpillar? How do butterflies sleep? How do spiders make webs? How do animals camouflage? How does a honeybee know what job to do? Why do bees lose their stinger when they sting? Do dogs cry? Why don’t jellyfish tentacles get tangled? How do fish see at night? Why does chocolate taste so nice? Is there an extinct species of penguin? Did dinosaurs have wings? How do birds fly? Could humans ever fly? Why can’t we live without trees? Why do trees swallow carbondioxide? Why do some trees lose leaves in the summer? Do plants have feelings? Can plants speak? Are there any meat-eating plants? EARTH Why is the sky blue? Why do I see different colours in the sky at sunset? Why doesn’t rain taste salty? How is fog made? Why is the sea salty? How does the Moon affect the tides of the sea? Why does the Sun seem to follow me everywhere I go? Why is the Moon sometimes out in the day? How do volcanoes erupt? How do rocks turn into lava? Why do we pollute Earth? What are we going to do with all the waste? How can we stop pollution? SPACE When did time begin? Why is there no air in space? What is dark matter doing in space? Why will the Sun explode and make us extinct? How many galaxies are there? How old is the Solar System? Does Earth shrink, expand, or remain the same over time? Why do stars twinkle? Do aliens exist? What is at the other end of a black hole? Glossary Index Acknowledgements