The Physics of Swimming

An illustrated science story from Wonder Science — free to read, with narration.

The Physics of Swimming — an illustrated science story, set in England. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Science.

The Physics of Swimming — book cover — Wonder Science
The Physics of Swimming — an illustrated science story, set in England. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Science.

Page 1

At the bustling UCSF Bakar pool, River pushed off the wall, her arms pulling through the water with a splash. She stopped at the lane line, sputtering as her…
At the bustling UCSF Bakar pool, River pushed off the wall, her arms pulling through the water with a splash. She stopped at the lane line, sputtering as her coach watched. "Coach Kailani, I feel like I'm just splashing around! Why does pushing water backward make me go forward at all?"

At the bustling UCSF Bakar pool, River pushed off the wall, her arms pulling through the water with a splash. She stopped at the lane line, sputtering as her coach watched. "Coach Kailani, I feel like I'm just splashing around! Why does pushing water backward make me go forward at all?"

Page 2

"That, River, is the secret of the whole universe in your hands," Kailani said, kneeling by the edge of the pool. "You've just discovered what the scientist…
"That, River, is the secret of the whole universe in your hands," Kailani said, kneeling by the edge of the pool. "You've just discovered what the scientist Isaac Newton called his Third Law of Motion. It says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction!"

"That, River, is the secret of the whole universe in your hands," Kailani said, kneeling by the edge of the pool. "You've just discovered what the scientist Isaac Newton called his Third Law of Motion. It says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction!"

Page 3

Kailani's voice seemed to fade as the pool shimmered and dissolved into a new scene. "To understand it, we have to go back to England in the late 1600s," a…
Kailani's voice seemed to fade as the pool shimmered and dissolved into a new scene. "To understand it, we have to go back to England in the late 1600s," a narrator's voice explained. "It was a time of candlelight, quill pens, and tremendous new ideas about how the world worked."

Kailani's voice seemed to fade as the pool shimmered and dissolved into a new scene. "To understand it, we have to go back to England in the late 1600s," a narrator's voice explained. "It was a time of candlelight, quill pens, and tremendous new ideas about how the world worked."

Page 4

"This was Sir Isaac Newton, a brilliant but very private man working at Cambridge University," the voice continued. "He was obsessed with understanding motion.
"This was Sir Isaac Newton, a brilliant but very private man working at Cambridge University," the voice continued. "He was obsessed with understanding motion. He wanted to know why the planets stayed in orbit and why things on Earth moved the way they did."

"This was Sir Isaac Newton, a brilliant but very private man working at Cambridge University," the voice continued. "He was obsessed with understanding motion. He wanted to know why the planets stayed in orbit and why things on Earth moved the way they did."

Page 5

Another scholar entered the study, looking at Newton's complex diagrams with awe. "Isaac, how do you see so much that others miss?" Newton simply looked towards…
Another scholar entered the study, looking at Newton's complex diagrams with awe. "Isaac, how do you see so much that others miss?" Newton simply looked towards his towering bookshelves and replied, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

Another scholar entered the study, looking at Newton's complex diagrams with awe. "Isaac, how do you see so much that others miss?" Newton simply looked towards his towering bookshelves and replied, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

Page 6

"Newton's breakthrough was realizing that forces always come in pairs," the narrator explained over a new scene. "Imagine stepping from a small boat onto a…
"Newton's breakthrough was realizing that forces always come in pairs," the narrator explained over a new scene. "Imagine stepping from a small boat onto a dock. As your foot pushes off the boat—the action—the boat itself moves backward. That's the equal and opposite reaction!"

"Newton's breakthrough was realizing that forces always come in pairs," the narrator explained over a new scene. "Imagine stepping from a small boat onto a dock. As your foot pushes off the boat—the action—the boat itself moves backward. That's the equal and opposite reaction!"

Page 7

This simple law unlocked the secrets to incredible technology. Jet engines push hot air backward to thrust a plane forward.
This simple law unlocked the secrets to incredible technology. Jet engines push hot air backward to thrust a plane forward. Massive rockets expel gas downward with immense force, creating the equal and opposite reaction needed to lift them into space.

This simple law unlocked the secrets to incredible technology. Jet engines push hot air backward to thrust a plane forward. Massive rockets expel gas downward with immense force, creating the equal and opposite reaction needed to lift them into space.

Page 8

Back at the pool, everything clicked for River. "I get it!" she shouted to Kailani, treading water. "My hands pushing the water backward is the action!" Kailani…
Back at the pool, everything clicked for River. "I get it!" she shouted to Kailani, treading water. "My hands pushing the water backward is the action!" Kailani beamed, "And the water pushing you forward is the reaction!" Another parent, Linnea, overheard and smiled.

Back at the pool, everything clicked for River. "I get it!" she shouted to Kailani, treading water. "My hands pushing the water backward is the action!" Kailani beamed, "And the water pushing you forward is the reaction!" Another parent, Linnea, overheard and smiled.

Page 9

"It's everywhere!" River exclaimed. "Like when a sprinkler spins around because the water shoots out one way, making the arms spin the other!" Kailani nodded…
"It's everywhere!" River exclaimed. "Like when a sprinkler spins around because the water shoots out one way, making the arms spin the other!" Kailani nodded, adding, "Or how a squid shoots a jet of water out to propel itself away from danger!"

"It's everywhere!" River exclaimed. "Like when a sprinkler spins around because the water shoots out one way, making the arms spin the other!" Kailani nodded, adding, "Or how a squid shoots a jet of water out to propel itself away from danger!"

Page 10

"So, all movement is just a conversation of pushes! To move forward, you have to push something else backward," River summarized, grinning.
"So, all movement is just a conversation of pushes! To move forward, you have to push something else backward," River summarized, grinning. She then paused, a new thought dawning. "But Coach Kailani, pushing explains moving... but what about just floating?"

"So, all movement is just a conversation of pushes! To move forward, you have to push something else backward," River summarized, grinning. She then paused, a new thought dawning. "But Coach Kailani, pushing explains moving... but what about just floating?"

About this story

  • Location: England
  • Audience: kids (ages 6–12)

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