Forrest Mims' Science Experiments: DIY Projects from the Pages of Make:

by Forrest Mims

Overview

Forrest M. Mims is a revered contributor to Make: magazine, where his popular columns about science-related topics and projects for Makers are evergreen treasures. Collected together here for the first time, these columns range from such simple projects as building an LED tracker for hand-launched night rockets to such challenging builds as transforming strings of data into unique musical compositions.

A variety of photography and imaging projects are featured, including an ultra-sensitive twilight photometer that measures the elevation of layers of dust, smoke, and smog from around 3,000 feet to the top of the stratosphere at 31 miles! Most of the projects can be done with a collection of simple electronic components, such as LEDs, transistors, resistors, and batteries. To inspire and motivate readers, the book also includes profiles of such famous Makers as President Thomas Jefferson and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680451177
Publisher:	Make Community, LLC
Publication date:	09/16/2016
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	672,113
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 18 Years

About the Author

Forrest M. Mims III, an amateur scientist and Rolex Award winner, is the most widely read electronics author in the world, and was named one of the “50 Best Brains in Science” by Discover magazine. His 60 books have sold over 7.5 million copies and have twice been honored for excellence by the Computer Press Association.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

1 How to Study Tree Rings 1

2 Snow Science 7

3 Tracking Heat Islands 15

4 Vibration Sensors 21

5 Make an Experimental Optical Fiber Seismometer 27

6 Ultra-Simple Sunshine Recorders 33

7 The Infrared Thermometer: An Essential Science Gadget 39

8 Capturing and Studying Airborne Dust, Smoke, and Spores 47

9 Track the Leading Greenhouse Gas 55

10 Build a Twilight Photometer, part 1 63

11 Build a Twilight Photometer, part 2 71

12 How to Analyze Scientific Images 77

13 Doing Science with a Digital Scanner 83

14 Data Mining: How to Analyze Online Scientific Data 91

15 Using Sensors with Dataloggers 99

16 How to Document What You Make or Discover 107

17 MARS-BOT: Adding Science to Robotics 113

18 How to Photograph the Solar Aureole 119

19 Record Your World from a Picture Post 125

20 Digital Pinhole Photography 133

21 How to Make and Use Retroreflectors 141

22 How to Use LEDs to Detect Light 147

23 Use LEDs to Track Night-Launched Projectiles 153

24 Connecting Fibers to LEDs and Sensors 159

25 Transform Things into Sounds with the PunkPAC 165

26 Making Synthesized Music from Your Data 173

27 Startups: Origins of the PC Revolution 181

28 Thomas Jefferson: Maker in Chief 183

29 The Kit That Launched the Tech Revolution 193

30 When Projects Fail 199

Index 205