 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
STARDATE 326 | Friday 2nd October 2009 So October 4th kicks off World Space Week and what do we see in the news this week? They are sending a clown into space. Yes you heard us right. A clown. Let’s hope the doors don’t fall off. And as for the size of his space boots...
Back to Top  |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
1. Gimme Five 
This week we were thrilled to receive a ‘Gimme Five’ from David Simmonds. 1. Light waves go so fast they would go right round the world about 7.5 times in one second. (Well, if light could travel in a circle that is, which it can’t unfortunately, since it goes in a straight line! - perhaps it would have to be beamed in a fibre optic cable?) 2. Light waves travel approximately 1,000,000 times faster than sound waves - which are why you see a flash of lightening virtually instantaneously, but have to wait a while before you hear the thunder. 3. Light waves, radio waves, microwaves, X rays and gamma rays all travel at the same speed - approx 300,000 km per second. The main difference between these kinds of electromagnetic wave is their wavelength - the distance from peak to peak. For example light wavelengths are so small that a thousand waves would take up less than a millimetre, whereas a radio long wave has a typical wave length of 1,500 metres. 4. If you could stand on Alpha Centauri, our nearest friendly neighbourhood star, and see earth with a truly remarkable telescope (which has not been invented yet!) you would see things happening 4.7 years ago. That is because the star is 4.7 light years away - i.e. it takes the light from the star 4.7 years to reach us. 5. The “c” in Einstein’s famous equation e = mc² stands for the speed of light, a formula which can explain the big bang theory, the nuclear bomb and much else besides! Thanks David! Have you got FIVE facts about anything/everything? Preferably science-based of course (we’re not called Planet Science for nothing y’know). If so, send it along to us at planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk with GIMME FIVE in the subject line. Back to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. Confused Copy
Third in our series dealing with journalists using science vocabulary in the wrong context.
Here’s Ian Francis to explain. They say “New Bin-o-Tray is a chemical-free solution to bad hair days”. What they really mean is that their shampoo has all natural ingredients. Chemistry is the study of matter, which is made up of the elements of the periodic table. Whether pure, as elements, together in mixtures, or combined in compounds, they are all chemicals. Both wholesome spring water and poisonous cyanide are chemicals- a truly chemical-free substance is impossible, like their wondrous-sounding shampoo. Thanks Ian. More next week. Back to Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. Stump the Scientist
Last week Levi Thomas asked“I wanted to no if cars could be powered bye coke cola it would be funny if it could be powered by coke then it would be good for the environment wouldn't it any way because I think it would be fun I asked u planet science because there was no one else to ask online and I was wondering if u could ask mini the car makers if they could try be cause there cars are cheap and small so they could be the best people to ask.” Dr Alan P Glaze replied “you could use the 'explosive' decompression of the carbon dioxide in the coke to provide some thrust, but I'm afraid it's not going to move it very far. The coke itself will have some energy value - especially if it is the sugary version, but you would have to remove all the water before you could consider burning what was left. You may also be able to feed it to a yeast to convert the sugar to alcohol.......finally the driver could simply drink the coke, and use its energy value to push the thing!” Adrian Terruli adds “Hi Levi Coca Cola is mainly water so you would have to evaporate the water first. Assuming you don't drink diet coke, you would be left with several teaspoons of sugar, which contains a lot of chemical energy, certainly enough to power a car. However sugar will seize up a petrol engine because it melts and forms very sticky caramel. I remember reading that this trick was sometimes used by retreating armies in WW2 to sabotage fuel caches.” Adam Southwell agrees “Coca cola looks good as a fuel, since it is rich in sugar which is the energy source for living things. The problem is that the sugar comes with a hefty slug of water. This means that cola is much less energy rich than petrol, it also means that cola won't burn. We could use a fuel cell to react the sugar with oxygen to make electricity, scientists and engineers have been working on this for a while. So yes, it could be possible to run a car on cola, but you would really need more sugar, less water, and no carbon dioxide or flavourings.” So thank you one and all. On this occasion the scientist was NOT stumped! If you can help or 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 Back to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4. Mouses at the Ready  Feeling a bit under the weather? Not to worry, we have a pair of cuddly blood cells to give away. Red and white to be precise, your immune system will be glad of them. Take that! colds and flu!If you want to win the pair, send your name and address and the words ‘CUDDLY BLOODLY’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk. The draw will take place at 4pm on Wednesday 7 October. Also Remember last week when we were offering ASE Laboratory design CDs - to help redesign a lab? We’ve got SIX left to give away. If you want one, send your name and address and the words ‘LAB DESIGN CD’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk. First come first served. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5. Planet Pick of the Week
 It’s Space Week so how about throwing a Space Party?
Food, decorations, activities, games... it’s all there. So what are you waiting for 5,4,3,2,1 Blast Off! Back to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6. Activity of the Week 
Material AbsorbencyWhat you need • A number of different materials, some waterproof, some very absorbent and some not absorbent at all, and all large enough to stretch over the top of a beaker or jam jar. • A beaker or jam jar, and a large elastic band. • A glass of water - you can add food colouring to make it easier to see, but only if you don’t mind staining the materials. • A dropper or syringe. What you do 1. Stretch one of the materials over the top of the jam jar or beaker, and hold it in place with the elastic band. 2. Take some water in the dropper. 3. With one person watching the inside of the jam jar, count as you place drops of water onto the top of the material. Do it slowly so the water has time to soak into the material. Stop adding water when the first drop falls from the material into the jam jar. Make a note of the material and how many drops of water it could absorb before the water finally fell through. 4. You may find that some materials didn’t let any water through, and the water all sat on the top. What's going on Each water molecule is made up of an oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. These are bonded in such a way that the oxygen tends to attract the electrons in the water molecule, so the oxygen becomes slightly negatively charged. As a result, the two hydrogen atoms become slightly positively charged. If a water molecule finds itself on a surface with lots of molecules with negative charge, the positively charged hydrogen atoms in the water molecules bond weakly with the surface and the water stays in place. Materials which absorb a lot of water will tend to have lots of places where the water molecules can form these bonds. If a material is designed to be absorbent it usually will have a very large surface area so there is even more places for the water to stick. Waterproof materials will tend to have a tighter weave, so fewer places for water to bond. They can also be coated in special substances which are hydrophobic: they hate water and repel it, so water runs off. This activity came from the Material Absorbency activity on the Planet SciCast site. Back to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Building on the success of its late-night openings for adults, the Science Museum invites you to a special Teachers’ Late on Tuesday 13 October. You’ll have exclusive access to the Museum’s galleries and live entertainment, without your students!
The newly launched Centre of the Cell experience at the Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science lasts an hour and is suitable for everyone over the age of nine. The ‘cell’ is a weird and wonderful bobbly orange cell shape suspended inside the universities students’ laboratory, so your students can be inspired by the real thing going on under them when they visit. The visit is free of charge, book online at www.centreofthecell.org. You will be met in reception by Centre of the Cell staff, who will take you over to the Centre of the Cell ‘Pod’. Once inside, you will gather around a central ‘nucleus’ for a powerful audiovisual display, projected around the walls of the pod, which introduces cells - the building blocks of life. The nucleus opens to reveal touch-table games: you can try your hand at virtual experiments, heal extensive burns and have your cells counted. You also get to see real body parts and diagnose cancer using high-power microscopes.
|
|
|
|
|
8. Recommended Websites of the Week 
IMPACT! World is a new website featuring films and case studies about advances in science and engineering research in the UK. It’s fascinating stuff. For example there’s a comprehensive case study list and we had a look at the one called ‘Illuminating Evidence’. This concerns a new development in forensic science. A spray illuminates even the tiniest bit of DNA evidence and extracts new chemical evidence about the lifestyle of the person. E.g. whether the person is a smoker or a cocaine user or even if they have handled explosives. Hmmmm. There’s not much we can hide these days is there? To tell us about your favourite science websites - drop us an email with the words ‘RWW’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk. Back to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
