Science Is: A Source Book of Fascinating Facts, Projects and Activities. Rev. ed.

W.H. Pasika is a professor of chemistry at Laurentian University.

This resource book, which covers the science disciplines, would be best
utilized by trained science teachers. The book is broken down into five
sections. In Section 1 (“Using This Book”) the author explains how
the budding young scientist should interact with his or her discipline.
Section 2 (“Quickies”) presents experiments that require very little
apparatus. Sections 3 (“Make Time”) and 4 (“One Leads to
Another”) comprise experiments that use inexpensive materials
(experiments in the latter section are based on a particular topic). The
last section (“Other Resources”) is a bibliography.

Certain concepts are presented inaccurately. For example, the notion is
generated (p. 45) that water changes state (solid/ice to liquid/water to
vapor/steam) because the atoms vibrate with increasing vigor upon the
addition of heat, eventually gaining freedom from each other’s
influence and thereby achieving a change of state. In fact, it is the
molecules of water that respond to the heat and gain translational
motion of a sufficient degree to effect a change of state. A similar
mixup between atoms and molecules occurs on page 155. Hot water is hot
due to the translational motion of the water molecules; the greater the
motion, the hotter the water.

Nevertheless, this book provides food for thought for science-trained
adults attempting to introduce the discipline to the uninitiated.