Science and You
New Horizon Book 3 (S46) pg. 63-66
| Science and You | |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 318 |
| Book | New Horizon |
| Grade | 3 |
| Year | 1971 |
Science begins when you ask why and how. One day Newton saw an apple fall in the garden. He said to himself, "Why did the apple fall? There must be something that pulled it to the ground." In this way he discovered the law of gravity.
Do you know what gravity is? It is the weight of things. Why does everything have its weight? Because the earth pulls everything to it. If your weight is 110 pounds, that means the earth pulls you with that much force.
"If the earth pulls everything to it," you may ask, "why can a plane go up into the air?"
Well, you can throw a ball up into the air, can't you? The ball goes up if you throw it with greater force that its weight. But it cannot get free from the pull of the earth. The force that drives it is not strong enough. The same thing can be said of a plane that goes up. Do you understand?
There is one way to get away from the earth. Do you know what it is? It is a rocket. The force of a rocket is so great that it can get free from the pull of the earth.
In 1969 two American teams landed on the moon. Each team traveled to the moon in a big rocket. The rockets which fly with a great speed can get away from the earth into space. The speed must be more that 24,000 miles an hour.
There were thousands of people who worked together to send only two teams to the moon. The computer also helped them. For example, it told them when to start and where to land.
Science helps you do almost anything, doesn't it? But can it make you really happy? This is a very difficult question. When you grow up, you should try to find an answer for yourselves.
