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Why Is Milk White?: 200 Other Curious Chemistry Questions

by Alexa Coelho

3.48 137 ratings 13 reviews

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Covering a wide variety of everyday chemistry concepts from the very simple to the more complex, this question-and-answer primer provides straightforward, easy-to-understand explanations for inquisitive young scientists’ questions. A dozen unique exp... MoreCovering a wide variety of everyday chemistry concepts from the very simple to the more complex, this question-and-answer primer provides straightforward, easy-to-understand explanations for inquisitive young scientists’ questions. A dozen unique experiments to try at home—from lifting latent fingerprints from a “crime scene” using super glue (for smooth surfaces) or iodine (for paper) to hollowing out the zinc interior of a penny using muriatic acid—are interspersed with the answers to such questions as What makes soda so fizzy? and Why do you get cavities when you eat too much sugar? From separating food coloring into its component dyes to using easy-to-find chemicals to create “slime,” Silly Putty, or bouncing balls, this handy guide is the ideal resource for the budding chemist. Less

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Average rating 3.48 · 137 ratings · 13 reviews

Michael rated it really liked it
almost 9 years ago

Shelves: nonfiction

How's this for an audience: smart kids who are bored/annoyed/tired of school? (The technical term is curriculum-averse.) Yeah, THOSE kids.This is a book for THOSE kids. Kids that need to see, feel, understand. For those kids, chemistry can be a challenge. What do those littl ...more

Terry added it
12 months ago

Shelves: y-2013 , nonfiction-content , science , audience-young-adult , audience-middle-grade

I loaned this book to a teacher who thought it was an excellent way of introducing some of the basic ideas of chemistry to his students. His class loved what he did with the book. I liked the straightforward approach and answers to each of the questions.

To read our full revi ...more

Tania rated it it was ok
over 4 years ago

I felt like I was re-reading my high school chemistry textbook. Extremely dry writing, repeating information. At least my textbook was well-structured.

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like: 1

Rebecca rated it liked it
over 8 years ago

Shelves: age-middle-school , nonfiction

Co-written by an 11-year-old and an adult science writer

p. 225 Why do onions make you cry?

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like: 1

April Rose rated it it was amazing
over 8 years ago

So many awesome, random questions addressed in this book. I can't wait to share this with my kids when they get a little older! ...more

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like: 1

Steph rated it liked it
over 1 year ago

The stuff I understood I enjoyed. However there are no basic definitions, apart from very far on in the book where some things are explained. Chapter 8 felt like a filler chapter. Definitely aimed at people with some knowledge of chemistry than none since 2nd year of high sc ...more

Leslie added it ∙ review of another edition
over 2 years ago

Great for kids or young adults.

Micki rated it really liked it
4 months ago

An absolutely informative book. I learned a lot but sometimes the tone shifted from scientific to editorializing, and that kinda dragged me down.

Lisa rated it really liked it
almost 6 years ago

Shelves: children-s-lit

Coelho, A., & Field, S.Q. (2013). Why is milk white? & 200 other curious chemistry questions. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, Incorporated.
This book would be a useful resource during a 5th grade science unit about chemistry, which all Lincoln Public Schools 5th graders p ...more

Mel rated it really liked it
over 5 years ago

I am definitely one of those people that enjoys your typical useless information/fun fact books. While the information is this books is not what you would consider useless, it definitely falls into the fun fact category. The answers to these questions were very clear and eas ...more

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