Customer Reviews

The Mad Scientist Handbook (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was considering this book, among others, for use in a course for future high school science teachers. The directions are simple, and the book is definitely pitched to the short attention span. But I was dismayed at several instances of simply and obviously wrong statements: it is clear that the author has failed to do even the most cursory fact-checking in his "Bizarre Facts." (Unless maybe being wrong is what makes a fact "bizzare"?)

Three examples: First, in the "Balloon in a Bottle" experiment, the author claims that "...as the height above sea level increases, the temperature required to boil water also increases, making it difficult to bring water to a boil at high altitudes." This is exactly wrong: water boils at a lower, not higher, temperature at higher altitudes; among other things, this makes some foods take longer to cook than at sea level, because foods that contain lots of water will be cooking at a lower temperature. Shame on the author and the publisher for getting this extremely basic principle wrong.

Second, in at least two experiments, the author includes false statements about things rotating differently in the northern and southern hemispheres. The claim that the rotation of the earth determines the direction water spirals as it drains from a toilet or bathtub, while false, is deeply entrenched; it is unfortunate but not terribly surprising to see that brought up again. (There's a great article on myths based on the Coriolis effect at http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.htm and it includes a link to a nice page of info for teachers.) But the worse transgression is in the "Paper Helicopter" experiment; here he claims that the rotation of the helicopter will switch below the equator, which is just goofy--essentially the same as claiming that a real helicopter would have to spin its rotor the opposite direction to fly in South America. I was kind of embarrassed for him on that one.

Third (and this is admittedly a minor quibble), he claims that the sparks emitted by wintergreen life savers are due to shattering the crystals of methylsalicylate (wintergreen flavor). In fact it's the crystals of sugar; most hard sugar candy will display this effect. It's just made more dramatic by the methylsalicylate, which fluoresces. (There are several websites addressing this phenomenon. For example, see http://techrepublic.com.com/5102-22-5171806.html or do your own search.)

Those are just the first three that jumped out at me, ones I knew were wrong without having to look them up. I haven't bothered to start a more systematic process of double-checking the assertions of which I'm merely skeptical. For heaven's sake don't quote any of the "Bizarre Facts," or use the information for homework or a science project, without checking on them--the author clearly didn't bother, in spite of how simple it would have been to do so. I wouldn't use this book in a classroom, and I cannot recommend it to a nonscientist; it contains too much misinformation.

Remember when we were curious about why things worked the way they do? Joey Green apparently never forgot!

Whether you want to make your own lava lamp, stink bombs, fake blood or a cosmic ray detector this fun and entertaining book is perfect for the young or young-at-heart.

Each of the 50+ experiments clearly and simply explains what you need, what to do, why it works and bizarre facts about the various elements of the experiment or the materials used.

The format is easy to read, simple to follow and the Bizarre Facts section is often laugh-out-loud hilarious. Thankfully the book is not bogged down with long and boring science lesson type explanations that have the effect of punishing the curiosity.

Earn "cool" points with the kids while introducing them to the wonderful world of science and why things work the way they do. Great for school projects, homeschool or just remembering how fun it was to be in fourth grade and learn by doing.

This is a great book!

...and add one unruly First Grade class.

Okay, so first graders are a little young to use this book.

Maybe.

My son needed a Show and Tell project. He was anxious to do "science", since a classmate had demonstrated a vinegar and soda "bomb" just recently.

Enter The Mad Scientist Handbook. I accompanied him (as parents often do in his class) and assisted with the preparation. The Green Slime was a huge hit. Even better, my son is interested enough in science to want to do a Science Fair project this year. (We may make a lava lamp, for which instructions are included in this book.)

I can't recommend letting younger kids loose with this book and no supervision. But I can recommend several projects in this book as parent/child projects, or for demonstrations in a classroom full of younger children. The first graders we made Green Slime for now have a little different view of science. (Their wonderful teacher, who is so good at so many things, is uncomfortable with science -- she's convinced she's not able to teach it well, and she's not terribly inspiring in that one realm.) Maybe some of these children will keep on thinking science is fun for years to come.

This is the most fun you can have with science without someone getting hurt. I have amuzed even adults with experiments from this book. The one that always gets them "ooing" and "aaing" are the sparking wintergreen lifesaver trick and the firecracker steel wool pad. THere are so many fun things to do in this book. If you know anyone who thinks that science is boring then you need to get this book and get them interested. I can't say enough good things about this book! Get it!

I liked some of the ideas. I like the interesting facts, and found the science explanations are accurate and very complete. I like the choice of experiments, and most of them are fun. (although I'm not sure all of them are especially safe for the younger mad scientist set), but I was disappointed that a decent number of the experiments simply don't work. I understand there's a margin of error, but as an adult (and a science teacher), When I can't make experiments work, I pity the poor children with the book.

The only value a science teacher could find in the is book is the ample opportunity to debunk so much of the nonsense and to correct the errors. For example, in one place the author says: "Trillions of [cosmic ray] particles pass through the earth's atmosphere every few minutes. Three to six cosmic ray particles strike each square inch of the earth's atmosphere every second." Do the math! I estimate he is off by a factor of one-hundred billion. He says: "Lava ... reaches temperatures up to ten times hotter than boiling water." Do a little checking! Clearly he doesn't understand the relative nature of the common temperature scales. I could go on and on, but I mainly just wanted to help drag down the rating.

The product was slow in arriving, took nearly 3 weeks, but that was because it was sent via media mail which I knew when I bought it. It was in great condition, just as advertised. I'll buy from this seller again.

This book is a "must read" for curious middle-schoolers. Lots of ideas for fun things to do and lots of trivia to go enhance the enjoyment of science.

Science teachers might want to read it too - great ideas to make science more interesting.

Joey has a unique perspective on life -- his books are lots of fun to read. (and we remember that volcano in 4th grade)

Some of these "science experiments" are simple and relatively harmless. Others provide unsupervised children with recipes for disaster. The book should come with a child-proof cover or a trigger-lock. Not that it contains plans for thermonuclear devices, but several of the projects can damage property or cause injury if not properly carried out.

While each project has a set of fascinating "scientific" tidbits & trivia to go with it, the book is almost entirely lacking in helping children understand or use the scientific method or understand much of the basis for what they are doing. This is a "Mad Scientists' Club" handbook, just a several steps short of the Anarchists' Cookbook, but headed in that general direction.

On the other hand, parents may find themselves reliving their own nerdy & awkward years helping their children be "mad scientists." It could be great fun. But keep the book locked up. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

Smokebombs, stink bombs, slime and other gross interesting things fill this book. There are litterally hundred of interesting facts that go with each experiment. Don't worry about not doing well in chemistry, the directions are simple and the experiments are safe when the directions are followed.