Extreme Sports

These offerings from the Extreme Sports series blend exciting athletic feats with the physics behind them. Although the books are written in brief paragraphs and short sentences appropriate for beginning readers, the simple text acts as a vehicle (often involving literal vehicles!) to introduce fairly sophisticated scientific concepts and vocabulary.

Technical terms often contrast with the competitive aspect of these extreme sports. Motocross discusses how friction, gravity, and momentum affect the racing motorcycles’ movement. Skydiving tells how gravity and drag balance into the terminal velocity at which divers fall. Friction, momentum, and gravity are important in their own ways in Snowboarding. Surfing also discusses gravity, which is balanced by buoyancy to cause flotation. Well-chosen, action-packed stock photos and occasional diagrams add interest and help explain the scientific concepts. Like many nonfiction series, these books include several features designed for instructional use.

Each book begins with reading tips for parents and teachers. It concludes with an activity to illustrate one of the scientific concepts in the book (such as using a water bottle to demonstrate angular momentum or building a model parachute to show the concept of drag), a glossary defining the scientific terms used in the text, an index, and instructions for using the factsurfer.com website to search for more information online.

Readers will explore the mechanics of extreme sports through the lens of physics in this series. It delves into the science behind impressive moves, such as how gravity and buoyancy work together to keep a surfboard riding a wave, or how weight shifts enable a surfer to turn.

These intriguing explanations can help participants refine their skills or serve as valuable resources for young researchers studying the science of sports. However, readers seeking information about famous athletes or the history of these sports may be disappointed, as the series focuses exclusively on science.

Eye-catching color photographs showcase a diverse range of athletes performing remarkable feats, though they are not images of widely recognized stars. Each book concludes with a hands-on science experiment to reinforce physics concepts, as well as a glos-sary, an index, and suggestions for further reading.

VERDICT: Recommended for collections where students might be interested in the intersec-tion of science and sports.