Randomised Friday 24th April 2009 Issue 26

Hellooooooo! A right royal Randomised to each and every one of you! By the way, did you know that ancient Romans would actually whiten their teeth using urine? And sometimes it wasn’t even their own! Think about that next time you see one of those Hollywood smiles...
  1. Planet Super Powers
  2. Gear Giveaway - Brain cells
  3. Planet Picks - An Introduction To Your Brain
  4. Winners - IMAX tickets

1.Planet Super Powers
AH-HA! Only the cyber clone left to capture...will his sonic disrupter shake the superheroes into surrender? Read the latest edition to find out.

OH-NO! People are in peril. The sonic sound vibrations have caused the bridge to resonate. Clown Fish provide 'An explanation of resonant frequency and how it relates to the millennium bridge' on Planet SciCast.

Stifle sound vibrations in this vacuum container experiment


You will need a vacuum food container with a vacuum pump and a mobile phone (make sure it fits in the container with the lid on!)

1. Place the phone in the vacuum container.
2. Ring the phone and listen to how loud the ring tone sounds.
3. Now using the vacuum pump remove the air from the container.
4. Ring the phone again and listen to how loud the ring tone sounds. Can you hear a difference?

What's happening?

Sound is produced when an object vibrates, e.g. the mobile phone. The vibrations travel away from the object through different mediums, e.g. air. The vacuum pump removes most of the air from the container and there is only a small amount left for the sound vibrations to travel through. With less medium to travel through the sound is quieter. In a perfect vacuum there is nothing for the vibrations to travel through and therefore no sound!

And the Planet Super Powers! Competition winners are...

Name a Star
Galaxy: Eximius - Stephen France, Powys

Space Station: Equator - Sufia Desai, Preston

Crossword
Skeleton - Jago Edyvean , London

Word Search
Methane Man - Nathaniel Dodsworth, Tyne and Wear

Next time on Planet Super Powers! Can Recycle Girl crush Cyber and save Planet Science...?

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2. Gear Giveaway - You’ve got to be in it to win it...

Now we know it’s that time of year when you’re cramming your brains with facts for your impending exams. We bet you could do with a few more brain cells eh? This week we have TWO cuddly brain cells to give away. Send us an email with your name and address, and the word ‘USE YOUR BRAIN’ in the subject line, to randomised.news@nesta.org.uk

The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 6th May.

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3. Planet Picks - An Introduction To Your Brain

Speaking of brain cells that grey electric blancmange between your ears is really very interesting, and the more you know about it, the more you can help it do its thing. We have made the brilliantly blue interactive brain cells in Out There's 'An Introduction To Your Brain', follow the synapses up, down and sideways as you read to get into all those brain corners.

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4. Winners - Has your name been picked out of the bag?

Last time we were a pair of tickets for the IMAX at the Science Museum. The lucky winner is Toby Osmond of Purley. Well done Toby! Enjoy the film - it will be AWESOME!

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THAT'S ALL FOR NOW

You've been Randomised!

Send any questions, comments, jokes or experiment ideas to: randomised.news@nesta.org.uk

Bye for now!
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