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Title details for The Way Toys Work by Ed Sobey - Available

The Way Toys Work

The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More

by Ed Sobey
Woody Sobey
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

If you've ever wondered how an Etch A Sketch writes on its gray screen, or why a boomerang comes back, or how an R/C car responds to a radio controller, now you'll have your answers. The Way Toys Work explains the technology, history, and trivia behind 50 popular toys, with patent blueprints and photos of the “guts” of devices including:

* Kaleidoscope        * Magna Doodle          * Slinky

* Nintendo               * Super Soaker            * Big Mouth Billy Bass

* Rubik's Cube        * Silly Putty                  * Video Game Light Gun

* Furby                    * Dunking Bird             * View-Master

* Yo-Yo                  * Push 'n' Go Car        * Wiffle Ball

* Gyroscope            * Operation                  * Hula Hoop

You'll also find pointers on how to build your own versions using recycled materials and a little ingenuity, experiments that can be done with certain toys, and tips on reverse engineering old toys to get a better look at their interior mechanics. The only thing you won't learn is how the Magic 8 Ball is able to predict the future—some things are best left a mystery.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 1, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781613743096
      • File size: 12045 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781613743096
      • File size: 12045 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • School Library Journal

      June 1, 2008
      Adult/High School-The authors examine 50 toys, including their history and scientific principles. In many cases, they discuss and reproduce original patent drawings. They also take the toys apart to reveal the technology that makes them tick and offer suggestions on how one might build some of these items from scratch. The entries include the balsa wood plane, Erector Set, Frisbee, gyroscope, hula hoop, and Nintendo Entertainment System. Written for novices and illustrated with black-and-white photos throughout, this book is sure to provide hours of entertainment and enlightenment."Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA"

      Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      April 1, 2008
      Heres a great present for all toy aficionados and inveterate tinkerers. The Sobeysfather Ed, founder of the National Toy Hall of Fame, and son Woody, state coordinator for a grade-school inventing competitiondid what all technically minded, ever-curious types love to do: take stuff apart and figure out how it works. The object of their curiosity was toys, not just any toys but 50 classic toys that have become part of pop culture: the Yo-Yo, Etch-a-Sketch, Potato Gun, Slinky, Silly Putty, Frisbee, Rubiks Cube, and more. For each toy, they provide a brief history of the gadget, a description of how it works, and a look under the skin, plastic shell, or outer casing (both in the form of photographs and mechanical drawings). This is really quite a nifty book, perfect for collectors, for anyone daring enough to build homemade versions of these classic toys, and even for casual browsers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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