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1. Maths-a-cise – exercises in maths with a twist
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 First off the starting blocks in 2007 is Ian Francis, maths genius, who has a little question for you. Well, not that little actually but you should know Ian by now!
Cycle me to the moon and let me wheelie amongst the stars
It’s the year 2525 and the E2M expressway (Earth to Moon) has just been opened! For the toll of £35 million, a car and 5 occupants can drive door to door, from just outside Hemel Hempstead to the Sea of Tranquillity. But cheapskates can save a cool £33 million by cycling there instead. But the essential question really is how much Kendal Mint Cake needs to be consumed to supply the energy for the ride…?
An out-of-this world calculation, with at least two potential pratfalls…
The first trap I can see is to base the calculation on the energy required to gain 385,000 km of height (the distance to the moon). In actual fact, energy-wise the trip’s like a lopsided mountain where the peak is nearer the moon end than Earth. That’s to say once the ‘summit’ is reached, you can freewheel down the other side, arriving at the moon without pedalling. Hurrah! Energy-wise, the peak represents the point at which the respective gravitational pulls of the Earth and moon are equal. (The point is much nearer the moon as Earth’s gravity is stronger). So the question then becomes how much energy needed to get to the neutral point, after first ascertaining how many km into the ride that is.
Next, I need to account for the fact that as you get further from Earth’s gravity your weight goes down, so pedalling uphill gets easier. I’m going to use a simple average of start weight and zero weight at the neutral point, although in reality, a more complicated treatment involving something called the inverse square law should come into play.
Pratfalls 3 through 28 I’ve not spotted, but feel free to send in your thoughts…!
From the respected http://www.madsci.org/ I learn that the neutral point is 340,000km from Earth.
A 100kg rider, bike and overnight bag weigh 1,000N on Earth and zilch at the neutral point giving a simple average weight of 500N.
Equation time again:- work done (in Joules) = force (in Newtons) x distance (in metres) = 500 x 340,000,000 = 170,000,000,000J or 170,000,000kJ.
Our beloved Kendal Mint Cake packs 1,275kJ per bar, so even assuming perfect energy conversion we’re going to need
170,000,000 / 1,275 = approx 133,300 bars of the stuff!
Maybe I need to recalculate the weight of rider + bike + overnight bag, or blag a lift with a rich car driver instead…
Thanks Ian!
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2. Activity of the week
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Acid rain
You will need:
- A red cabbage
- Hot wat
- A drinking straw
- Drinking glass
- Fizzy drink
- Plenty of puff!
What to do:
- Pour hot water over some shredded cabbage leaves.
- Leave for 30 mins and decant to give a purple solution.
- Pour 1cm depth of the purple solution into a clear drinking glass.
- Take a drinking straw and place it in the glass.
- Now don’t get all excited and SUCK!!!!! You will regret it big-style.
- BLOW into the drinking straw so that your breath bubbles up through the liquid.
- You may need to blow for around 30 seconds. Don’t get lightheaded – you’ll never be able to explain it away at the A&E dept.
- Look what’s happened to the purple solution. Crivens! It’s turned a pinky-purple colour.
- Now add some fizzy drink to another sample of purple solution. It turns pink or red. Depending on what sort it is of course.
What’s going on?
Did you know that the air we breathe in contains about 0.04% carbon dioxide whereas the air we breathe out contains about 4% carbon dioxide? About 100 times as much. If we breathe out into water then the carbon dioxide will dissolve to make carbonic acid which is a weak acid. Hence the red cabbage water turns a pinky purple colour. Fizzy drinks contain bubbles of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is pumped in under pressure. Again the carbon dioxide dissolves in the water to form carbonic acid so the red cabbage indicator turns pink or red. What’s this got to do with acid rain?
Acid rain is formed when industrial emissions of gases including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrogen chloride combine with water droplets in the atmosphere. This chemical reaction forms weak sulphuric and nitric acids that cause acid rain. Acid rain can upset the chemical balance in rivers and lakes, killing fish and other organisms. It can also damage buildings, trees and plants. Leaves feed plants through photosynthesis (turning sunlight into food). A tree may not produce enough food to remain healthy if its leaves are damaged. A weakened tree is more likely to suffer from disease, insect attacks and cold weather.
For more information on acid rain check out the Environment Agency
Science Across the World has an excellent resource on acid rain and is ideal if you’d like to make global links with other schools.
This activity was based on an idea from Geology Today Vol. 22, No. 6 November-December 2006.
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3. Stump the Scientist
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 Whilst we await an onslaught of thought-provoking scientific stumpers, let’s have a bit o’ fun.
Can you name ten body parts that only have 3 letters?
Answers at the bottom of the newsletter but NO CHEATING!
Back to the serious business. Have you ever been asked a science question that you struggled to answer? Children are brilliant at it. Here’s a couple of beauties – what are eyeballs made of? And what colour is a window? Four year olds eh? Don’t you just love ‘em. (Said with gritted teeth.)
If you have a burning question of your own then send us an email with STUMP THE SCIENTIST in the subject line to:
planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk
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4. Mouses at the Ready
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The question is - What is science education for?
No really. That’s the title of a book from the Institute of Ideas. What’s more – we have three copies to give away. Anyone who is anyone in science education has written an essay on the topic, so the book is extremely stimulating and easy to digest. Unlike that extra helping of Christmas pud. It features Simon Singh, Professor Michael Reiss, Baroness Mary Warnock and many more.
If you’d like to win one, send an email with your name and address, and the words SCIENCE4 in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 17th January.
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The January What’s in a Year? Quiz
If you get all the questions right you’ll go into the prize draw for a Blue Glow Brick – a nifty non energy using bulb that absorbs daylight and gives off a blue glow at night – perfect for those dull, dark evenings!
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Free Carbon Footprint Toolkit CDRom - 11 – 16 science and geography
This new resource is a flexible and fun way to teach 11-14 and 14-16 year olds about carbon emissions, impacts, choices for reduction and alternative energy supplies.
Click here for the order page
Free from BP www.bp.com/bpes
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The Physicists and Primary School Project
This is a joint EPSRC-funded venture by the Institute of Physics Women in Physics Group together with the University of Sheffield. The aim is for physicists - to interest children in physics. The material covers topics suitable for use when visiting primary schools.
Ten topics cover all of the KS1 and KS2 physics sections of the National Science Curriculum. For each topic there is a PowerPoint presentation and detailed information about the activities. What more can you ask for?
Click here to visit the website
Alternatively visit www.iop.org
Calling any physicists who have no previous experience of visiting primary schools! There are workshops to enable you to get started. If you’re interested then contact Ann Marks on PIPS@amarks.co.uk
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Free ‘Flushed Away’ game for KS1
Don’t forget to order your free copy of the game ‘Flushed Away’. The film is still on at the cinemas and the Institute of Civil Engineers have produced an excellent educational game. It’s not just about civil engineering; it’s about encouraging creativity, problem-solving and invention in children. So what are you waiting for?
Order now on www.ice.org.uk/flushed_away
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6. Recommended Websites of the Week
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 Feeling a bit down now the holidays are over? Why not take a look at this
website and try making some molecular models?
Monkeys ape molecules
An online exhibition by Dr N. Michael Green, Division of Mathematical
Biology, MRC National Institute for Medical Research
'Pick up Monkeys' was originally produced as a children's game (1965) and they have proved very versatile. Dr Michael Green discovered in 1968 that they were ideal models for protein subunits, being asymmetric, having multiple interaction sites and available in several colours. This exhibition illustrates their use in modelling.
So how come no-one has harnessed the potential of Kerplunk hmm?
NESTA has supported the Cape Farewell team and now there is a new set of videos clips from voyages, with teacher guidance and student activities on the Cape Farewell web site
The videos and activities show how scientists from the National Oceanography Centre gather and interpret data about climate change in the Artic. And best of all, these are free resources!
How science works through Practical Physics – a new section on the popular Practical Physics web site which gives ideas for practical work. Ideal if you are still struggling with the new GCSE Science specifications.
And just when you thought that Physics has all the best sites… the Nuffield Curriculum Centre, with the Royal Society of Chemistry, have just launched 'Practical Chemistry' Keep watching because this site will continue to grow!
Calling all primary teachers! ‘A day full of energy’ interactive board game for use on the whiteboard is available here
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The winners of the Panto Quiz for December, who get Theatre Tokens to transport them to Panto-land:
- Sophie Woohead of Bromsgrove
- Fiona Haward of Exmouth
- Ian Flack from Sale
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8. Joke of the week
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A scientist was successful in cloning himself, and was asked to speak at a national convention of cloning scientists at a meeting on the 45th floor of a New York skyscraper.
“My fellow scientists,” he began.
Before he could utter another word, the clone jumped up and shouted, “he’s a *&^^%*@)&!”.
Apologizing for the interruption, the scientist began again, “My fellow scientists …”
Again the clone sprang to his feet. He yelled, “This dumb *%@(&+*! couldn’t produce a copy on a Xerox. He’s a fraudulent *$3%$#*#+=!”
Incensed, the scientist rushed to the clone, grabbed him, and threw him out the window. The crowd gasped and security rushed into the room.
A short while later New York’s finest arrived and the events that had transpired were explained to them.
The police lieutenant said to the scientist, “We are going to have to arrest you.”
“For what? You can’t arrest me for killing my own clone!” The attending scientists nodded in agreement.
The lieutenant thought for a moment and ordered the scientist held for … Making an Obscene Clone Fall.
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Answers:
Did you get them all? Ear, eye, lip, jaw, hip, rib, gum, toe, arm and leg! You could say gut too, that would be 11.
That’s all for this week but remember – if you’ve got anything to add then drop us a line: planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.We’re open to contributions 24/7.
Have a great week!
If you would like to view the Planet Science Newsletter Archive click: http://www.planet-science.com/about_sy/news/ps_index.html
You can read back issues of Wired-Up for younger teens here: http://www.planet-science.com/wired/wiredNL/archive/
Or you can read back issues of Hay-Wire for Under 10s: http://www.planet-science.com/wired/haywired/archive/
PS if you would like to unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, just reply to this email with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the title.
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