Play for Science Additional Information

December 16, 2011 at 9:22 pm

Recommended Web sites:

For more information about the game of checkers, including history and rules, visit www.playjava.com/checkers_game_basics.html(PlayJava).

To learn more about the Rubik’s Cube, visit the puzzle’s official site at www.rubiks.com/(Rubik’s).

For further details, history, and information about the Rubik’s Cube, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik’s_Cube(Wikipedia).

For information about artificial intelligence and the link between computer science and games, go to www.aaai.org/AITopics/html/games.html (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence).

To learn about chess, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess(Wikipedia).

Sohn, Emily. 2007. Games with a purpose. Science News for Kids (Feb. 21). Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2007/02/games-with-a-purpose-3/.

______. 2004. What video games can teach us. Science News for Kids (Jan. 21).

Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2004/01/what-video-games-can-teach-us-2/.

Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:

Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions— Don L. Wulffson

Published by Henry Holt and Co., 2000.

Play-doh was wallpaper cleaner? The U.S. Navy commissioned the invention of the Slinky? Yes, these stories are true! The behind-the-scenes stories of these and many other toys are documented in this book. Find out how G.I. Joe got his name and why Raggedy Ann always has a red heart. Some of the most popular toys through the years began as someone’s mistake. After reading these stories of the beginnings of some of the world’s most popular toys, perhaps you’ll invent an “oops” that will rival General Electric’s useless “bouncy putty” that eventually became Silly Putty.

Science Projects About the Physics of Toys and Games— Robert Gardner

Published by Enslow Publishers, 2000.

This book, like the others in the Science Projects series, is packed with step-by-step experiments and activities that readers can perform. Each book includes an introduction to the subject, safety hints, a list of scientific equipment suppliers, and an index. Gardner marks the experiments that he thinks would make good science fair projects. This book is about the physics involved with things like toy cars, balloons, and even toys that you make. Experiments include Make a Comeback Toy, Make a Toy Electric Motor, How Does a Push-N-Go Toy Work? and Walking on Snow.

Computers: 49 Science Fair Projects— Robert L. Bonnet

Published by TAB Books/McGraw Hill, 1990.

If you’re considering what to do for your next science project, the solution may be as close as the nearest computer. This book takes you step by step through 49 math and science projects. You can use databases, statistics and probability, computer-language concepts, and application programs. There are suggestions for projects on such topics as rock identification, weather forecasting, measuring radio frequency radiation, and simulating conversation with a machine. An overview of science projects offers tips on choosing a topic, presentation, and science fair judging. Charts and reproductions of computer commands illustrate some of the projects. Includes a list of suppliers, a glossary, and an index.

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Power Words

From The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary and The American Heritage® Children’s Science Dictionary.

computer science The study of the design and operation of computers and their applications to science, business, and the arts.

experiment A test that is done by scientists to find out whether an idea or hypothesis is true. Experiments usually involve careful measurements and the use of laboratory equipment. Designing and performing an experiment is an important step in the scientific method.

program 1. The set of steps, including the collection and processing of data and the presentation of results, that is necessary for a computer to solve a problem. 2. The set of instructions that a computer must execute in carrying out these steps.

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