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1. Planet Science Double Whammy
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New Home Page
 Those of you who are averse to change might find our new home page a little disturbing. (Soooorry!) We have kept our old design for five years now – in a variety of different colours, photos, patterns etc to suit the seasons, but the old design was originally for a small but growing groovy new star, and now Planet Science has ballooned to a virtual gas giant, so we felt the time had come to bring on a home page to help new visitors to see what's what and what's where.
It's colourful, it's boxy, it's (hopefully) crystal clear, and, if you run your mouse over it, bits of it move in mysterious ways…
We really hope you like it, and it makes your life easier. Our newest content and our most popular features will be linked from the home page boxes, as will the online version of the newsletter.
Deep breath now, ready? www.planet-science.com
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2. Maths-a-cise
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 Now we know that there was a maths feature in last week’s newsletter. But hey, you can’t have too much of a good thing can you? This week we’d like to introduce Ian Francis. He has a way of making maths so digestible we’ll be stuffing ourselves for weeks. Though watch out for the sting – read carefully because he will be asking questions later…
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 Ever since its ascent of Everest in 1953, helped by a couple of blokes, Kendal Mint Cake has given countless climbers and hikers the energy needed to ‘climb every mountain’.
According to the blurb, anyway. Let’s see if the figures add up, right after I’ve had a little snack…
The wrapper of the yummy but exceedingly sweet mint cake bar I’ve just consumed informs me that I’ve put 1,275 kJ (kilojoules) of energy down my neck.
When I climb a mountain, I’m going upwards, (all being well), so I’m working against gravity. Gravity acts with a pull of 10 newtons on every 1kg of me. My mass in kg is 80kg, which gives me a weight of 800 newtons (800N)- don’t worry that you don’t often see weight quoted in newtons- for this bit (at least), I know what I’m talking about.
The energy needed to raise me 1 metre vertically is given by multiplying weight by height (you may remember this from skool as work done = force x distance). So to raise me 1m, the energy needed = 800 x 1 = 800J. Easy. Or 0.8kJ, same difference – (1,000 joules equal 1kilojoule).
The Three Peaks Challenge is to climb the highest mountains in England, Wales and Scotland. These mountains are Scafell Pike (977m) in the Lake District, Snowdon (1085m) in Snowdonia and Ben Nevis in the Cairngorms (1344m). The total vertical height if you add them up is 3406m.
To climb all of them would require an energy of my weight multiplied by the total height of 3406m. This works out as 800 x 3406 = 2,724,800J (or in round kilojoules, 2,725kJ).
Comparing the 1,275kJ in the bar with the 2,725kJ needed for all three mountains means I’ve come up short. One bar would get me to the top of any one of them, but alas not all three mountains... Over to you dear reader, how many bars do I need to pack?
Bonus questions… can you see any major flaws in my reasoning? For example, if you’ve ever climbed a big mountain, think about where you began your ascent. And are we giving our bodies too much credit on the energy transfer front?
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Thanks Ian. Piece of (Kendal Mint) cake eh, readers? Send in your answers to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk. Don’t forget to quote MATHSACISE in the subject line. All correct answers who also remember to include their postal address will receive (now…what would make a good prize…let’s think…oo!) a bar of Kendal Mint Cake.
So – what have you been doing for the last four years then? Really? A completely new science syllabus y’say? Fascinating. Back in a tick, another guest has arrived with a gift. It looks like … it can’t be…. it is! It’s a Build–your own Airbus kit. In balsa wood too. Well if you’d like it then email us with your name and address, and the words BALSA BUS in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 20th September.
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3. Activity of the Week:
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 Make mine a dry one
What is a party without a party trick? Here’s a good one. Tell your friends you can put a glass inside a bucket of water and keep the inside of the glass dry. Then drag them all back and tell them to watch.
You will need:
- Serviette or tissue
- A bucket
- A glass
- Water
What to do:
- Tell one of your friends to put his or her hand inside the glass to show them it is dry.
- Turn the glass upside down and plunge it vertically downwards into the bucket of water without tilting it at all.
- After you reached the bottom, try taking the glass out without it tilting.
- When you take it out put the serviette inside it and show all your friends that the serviette is dry. Even let one of them touch the inside of the glass.
- Maybe you could try squashing the serviette into the bottom of the glass so that it doesn’t fall out when you turn it upside down. Then repeat the trick. Serviette is still dry!
What’s going on?
Water does not enter the glass because it is full of air. Tilt the glass and the air will pour out and the water will be able to come in. When you put the glass in the water, the air wants to move up. That’s because it is lighter than water. But the only opening of the glass is pointing down into the water. The air isn’t able to go down into the water in order to get out. Since the glass is filled with air, the water can’t go in to fill up the space. Hence the water does not go up into the glass and the serviette stays dry.
Dry glass? Yes it is rather. Pass the Um Bongo would you? Have you got any Kylie Minogue? Rolf is starting to grate. That circular breathing is quite a technique. Anyway, time to open up another gift. Oh you shouldn’t have… it’s a bag of little spinning tops called Spinni. How apt. Cue Kylie! If you want to win them then email us with your name and address, and the words SPINNING AROUND in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 20th September.
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4. Mouses at the Ready
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 Eek! It’s horrible! Horrible Science that is, and boy do we have a giveaway for you.
Yes, if you answer our three ‘horrible’ questions correctly you go into the prize draw for one of 10 of these brilliant bags of science or one of 15 Measly Medicine Horrible Science Books. Those bags look very interesting…
….and even if you don’t get one of those you’ll be in the running for Measly Medicine.
We’re going to run this quiz over four weeks to give the MAXIMUM possible chance for all you readers to enter. So if you want to take a look at the questions then click here.
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Planet Science Quiz
There’s still time to get your entry in for the Planet Science Galapagos Day Quiz. (27th September of course. Tsk! You mean you haven’t got it in your diary?). You could win a cuddly Galapagos tortoise and a map of the islands. So don’t be a booby – have a go!
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Teachers! Bring a class and see an IMAX film for free!
Celebrate National Schools' Film Week by bringing your class to the Science Museum, London on Friday 20 October to watch either Deep Sea 3D or Forces of Nature 2D absolutely free of charge! Book quickly because places will go fast. Click here for more details.
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Free family activities at The Grant Museum
Tooth and Claw: Killer Carnivores (is that scientific rhyming slang?)
Discover wicked webs, super stings and fabulous fangs with amazing animal specimens and hands-on activities at the Grant Museum of Zoology, UCL on Saturday 16th September - Drop in from 10am to 4pm.
For further details
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ASE job
Our friends the Association for Science Education (ASE) are looking for a Curriculum Development Manager. You'd have responsibility for the curriculum development activities and the initiation and management of projects, including new resources to support science teaching and learning. To find out more about the job, salary, etc follow the link.
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Calling all Einsteins 16 yrs and under!
Don’t forget, coming up on September 22nd is the deadline for this year’s Flipside Award.
The Award is for a young person, 16 or under, who has demonstrated talent in the area of science and technology. The winner will receive a top of the range laptop and two runners-up will both win a 30Gb Apple iPod. It’s up to you to nominate such a promising individual so don’t be too late – get nominating!
To nominate please email your name, telephone number, who you would like to nominate for the award and why (in no more than 300 words), and your relationship to them, to flipside@flipside.org.uk
Click here for more info.
2006 forms part of the IET Innovation in Engineering Awards
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London schools green tour offer
"Footprints of a Generation" is a new eco-installation at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, East London. Did you know if the whole world lived like the UK, we would need three planet earths to meet demand. (Crikey!). The installation is highly interactive and free to visit. However London teachers - if you and your class would like a guided tour then contact Sarah Aplin at Out of the Blue 0207 242 0300, sarah@ootb-london.com, or Dan Mann at London Unlimited on 0207 234 5849.
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17,000 Subscribers Target
Welcome to all our new subscribers, and good effort to reach the target for the 200th edition. To be scrupulously honest about the figures we cleaned up the data and removed all the 200 addresses that no longer work, which means we have yet to reach the 17,000 target. Shame, but we didn't want to cheat. One day soon though someone will unexpectedly be asked for their address to receive a warm heart and a solar kit as our 17,000 th. Keep your colleagues subscribing!
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 Hmmm, that was a bit coincidentally London-o-centric. Now, is it us or is there never enough cheesy footballs to go around? Oh no, someone’s trying to make a geodesic dome out of the cheese-and-pineapple-on-sticks. No time to sort it out, guests to greet and gifts to accept and this looks like a whopper. Just what we’ve always wanted – a family pass to Thinktank! Birmingham, yay!
Where can you explore deepest space, find out how doctors perform life-saving surgery and travel back in time to Birmingham’s amazing industrial past, all under one roof? From steam engines to intestines – right, hold it right there! There’s no need to bring intestines up! If you’d like to know more about this fantastic science centre then checkout the website at Thinktank If you’d like to win a family pass then email us with your name and address, and the words THINK ABOUT IT in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 20th September.
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6. Recommended Websites of the Week
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The Science Spot is the place to be for a raft of science resources and lesson plans – yes it’s American but plenty of good ideas can be translated across. See Mr Peanut Lessons.
Talking of American science resources – don’t miss Prof Shakhashiri’s Chemical of the Week which gives bucketfuls of info on, not only individual chemicals, but hi-tech materials such as liquid crystals. Great for explaining the science behind common objects like LCD monitors.
200 eh? Where did the time go? Remember all the competitions, the jokes, the activities? It seems like only yesterday… Well it was only last week actually. So what have we got for you now? It’s a waterproof deluxe nylon map case! So email us with your name and address, and the words GOTTA MAP in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 20th September.
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7. Rolls Royce Science Prize
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 Rolls-Royce are delighted to announce the 3rd year of their science prize, open to all schools and colleges in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
All teachers have to do is submit any science-teaching proposal that addresses a particular need in their school or college by 28th February 2007, via the website. They are looking for teaching ideas that are innovative and inspiring.
9 finalists will be chosen to go through to the next round. They will be given £5,000 each by Rolls-Royce to implement their projects, plus a mentor and a digital video camera to guide them and help them record their work for final judging. The eventual winner will receive an extra £15,000 plus a day out with the Red Arrows, and the runner-up £10,000. There are also awards of £1,000 each for 30 Special Merit Award winners.
Schools can enter in 3 age categories, 3-11, 11-16 and 16-19. Once registered on the website there is extra help this year from your local ASE Field Officer in the ‘help’ and ‘regional support’ sections, as well as from some other key science organizations.
There is a dedicated teachers' helpline on 0800 028 0759 if you want to talk through your ideas.
That Rolls-Royce Science Prize is brilliant isn’t it? Wonder if they’d be interested in a little project entitled ‘Dunkability of biscuits: an investigation into tea absorption’. In the meantime they’ve given us five mousemats and five baseball caps to give away! So if you fancy a mat and a hat then email us with your name and address, and the words MATANDHAT in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 20th September.
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8. The Winners’ Enclosure
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Remember last week when we were giving away five boxes of 37 Prime Climb Pencils? The lucky winners are Sarah Roberts from Prestatyn, Selwyn van Zeller from Birmingham, Ann Cowdrey from Bangor, Judy Johnston from Coventry and Rebecca Brett from the West Midlands. Excellent! Hope you enjoy the pencils – all 37 of them. However, the sad news is that we didn’t have one correct answer for PRIME CANDIDATE. Alas no. Plenty of correctly identified prime numbers, but it seems that the ‘in arithmetical progression’ bit was crucial. You need to go through the activities on the website to arrive at the final answer. See last week’s newsletter. You might have known it wouldn’t be simple.
So…hang on, who’s this at this late hour? Oh it’s Carole Vorderman and she’s brought us the Sudoku game to giveaway. Thanks Carole, one from the top and three from the bottom by the way. Hooray, if you’d like a handheld touch screen Sudoku game then email us with your name and address, and the words I’M GAME in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 20th September.
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9. Joke of the Week
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It’s a party and we’re letting our hair down. What the heck - let’s have FIVE jokes this week.
A man was always showing photos of his dog, saying how clever it was, how it brought him his paper & slippers and how it could nearly talk. One day he brought in the album from his daughter’s wedding. His friend looked through it and said, "hang on" where’s the dog?” The man looked at him as if he were stupid and said, "well someone had to take the photos".
Tony Blair visits Glasgow hospital, and he's shown around. In one ward, one patient says to him, "My lurve is leek a rade rade rose..". The next patient says to him "Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie, O, what a panic's in thy breastie!". Tony says to his guide: "Psychiatric ward?". Guide says: "Nope. Serious Burns unit..."
Did you hear about the man who died in a bowl of muesli? He was pulled under by a strong currant!!
There are twins - one is 20 and one is 22. How is that possible? One’s 20 and one’s 20 too!
What happens when a stick of dynamite is thrown into a French kitchen? Linoleum blownapart.
Okay, party’s over. Haven’t you got homes to go to? Do your talking while you’re walking. See at the 300th then? Just another couple of years to go…
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About this time last year NESTA was gearing up to launch its 
