BET YOU CAN'T!

by Vicki & Kathy Darling Cobb ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 1980

Bet you can't jump forward with your hands on your toes, stand up with your back straight, tear a paper in three, keep a match burning over a glass of soda, or meet any of the 60-some challenges compiled here. These science tricks will prove a sure thing for the challenger and an irresistible lure for the challenged. (They seem so easy!) As in her food science activity books, Cobb groups the tricks according to scientific topic (gravity, force, fluids, topology, energy, mind, and body), and she explains each trick as she goes. (For example, air pressure, aided by surface tension, accounts for the fact that you can't make water leak out of a hole in a capped bottle.) One, however, defies logic; Cone reports that no one has yet answered Scientific American's call for an explanation of why you can't pour water through a coiled hose. The explanations are brief, as are the directions; the tricks are based on scientific principles, not gimmicks; and the drawings and format make them all look as painless and amusing as they prove to be.

Pub Date: April 14, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION