Janice VanCleave's A+ Projects in Chemistry: Winning Experiments for Science Fairs and Extra Credit
Grade 6 Up-A collection of 30 projects. Although some are novel, most are repeats or modifications of familiar demonstrations on such topics as acid-base reactions, food chemistry, and properties of water. As VanCleave states, these are "cookbook experiments"-procedures are clearly written, common household materials are used, and the expected results are described. A detailed and sometimes sophisticated explanation follows along with interesting facts and suggestions for additional investigation. A few experiments require simple mathematical calculations. Black-and-white line drawings aid in setting up the activities. Overall, the book does a fine job at what it does. However, while there are elements worth exploring in the suggested demonstrations, it is a poor model for science-fair projects because the answers are known before any experimentation is ever run.Alan Newman, American Chemical Society, Washington, DCCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.