What Is Chemistry 4 Minty Geysers 6 Ice Cube Fishing 8 The Exploding Bag 10 Giant Bubbles 12 Soap-Powered Boat 14 Growing Crystals 16 Watercolor Ice Melts 18 Make Your Own Bricks 20 Chalk Rockets 22 Try Walking on Water 24 Make a Bouncy Ball 26 Test Your Chemistry Know-How 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 Contents
What Is Chemistry Chemistry is the study of the materials that everything is made from Chemists study what different substances can do what they are made of and if and how they might change Knowing all about chemistry is very useful Doctors use chemistry to develop medicine Farmers use it to help crops grow Chefs use chemistry to create great food Chemistry is also fun Try the experiments in this book and find out about chemistry for yourself Detective Work To find out exactly what a mystery substance is chemists do tests and ask questions They might try to find out what temperature a liquid boils or freezes at or see if a substance dissolves in water Chemists might test to see if a substance is just one thing or a mixture of things Maybe they want to find out if it changes when it is heated or if it changes back when it is cooled again 4
Setting Up Your Backyard Laboratory Find an outside space that you can use to do these experiments Some of them are pretty messy Remember to check with whomever owns the space that it is OK to do your experiments there You may want to find a picnic table to work on You should be able to find most of the things you will need around your home or yard You may need to buy some small items so check the You Will Need section before you start a project BE SCIENTIFIC Be a scientist Think of an idea that you want to prove or disprove Then do an experiment to test the idea To create a fair test try to just change one thing at a time Repeat your experiment to check your result wasn’t a fluke Take notes Was your idea correct Can you draw a conclusion The experiments STAYING SAFE chosen because they are Science experiments can be dangerous Ask be careful in this book have been specially but you must still Wear any fun and relatively safe all Follow an adult to help you suggested protective clothing warnings and be careful 5
