If you cannot see the html version of this email then you can view it online at: http://www.planet-science.com/wired/hay-wire/newsletter/index.html
haywire heading

Friday 4th May 2007: Issue: 68

May the fourth be with you, as they say in Star Wars. Oh sorry, it’s ‘force’ isn’t it? Silly us. Magnetic force can be very powerful, as you will find out in this week’s Crash Bang! So thank Haywire for Friday and let’s get on with the show!

  1. Planet Picks – May Mayhem Quiz
  2. The Buzz – Noah’s ark and humanoids
  3. Crash Bang! – make a grape move?  How?
  4. Up for Grabs – Oikido magazines
  5. Winners – The Usborne Pocket Scientist – The Blue Book

1. Planet Picks – News from the world of Planet Science…

Are things a bit hectic? Add to the confusion by trying the new May Mayhem Quiz. Answer the ten questions and you could win one of two Platinum Bedlam Cubes. The Bedlam Cube is the hardest & most addictive 3-D puzzle ever... You'll pull most of your barnet out trying to reassemble the gleaming little brain mangler.

<< Back to top

2. The Buzz – Science news delivered to your inbox…

Have you seen Meet the Robinsons yet? It’s a great film about a little boy who loves to invent things.  Some people also love to invent things and there are some fantastic stories in the news.  A man from the Netherlands has made his own ark full with model animals. Johan Huibers, who follows the Christian religion, has built his big animal boat the length of a swimming pool and taller than a house. It took him two years. Models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles and zebras have all been put inside, some two by two. The Bible's Book of Genesis says Noah kept pairs of animals on his boat after God created a flood. Mr Huibers, who comes from an area called Holland, said he had a dream in 1992 that there would be a flood.

A Japanese scientist has managed to make a robot that looks and moves exactly like him. He calls it The Geminoid and he used a model of his body, and hair actually from his head. When you poke its face, the robot even frowns like a real human, as it has 50 sensors implanted beneath its skin. The robot also looks like it can breathe because compressed air is pumped around its body! The android is controlled with a remote control and also through sensors that you attach to your body. Androids eh? Has watching Doctor Who taught us nothing? Androids are really popular in Japan, with companies selling robots that copy human actions such as playing drums or dancing to music.  Sounds a bit creepy if you ask us.

<< Back to top

3. Crash Bang! – Exciting experiments for you to try at home…

Fruit Force

Can you move a grape without touching it?

You will need:

Note: do not let very small children handle tiny objects like magnets – they might swallow them!

  • An empty film canister and lid
  • A drawing pin
  • A drinking straw
  • Scissors
  • Two large grapes
  • A neodymium magnet (this is a very strong magnet, it’s usually very small – you might find one in a fridge magnet, or magnetic dart or magnetic push pin)

What to do:

  1. Push the drawing pin through the centre of the film canister lid from the back so that when the lid is put on the point of the drawing pin is sticking out.
  2. Cut the drinking straw so that is about 14 cm long.
  3. Find the midpoint of the straw and cut a small hole approx. 0.5 cm by 1 cm.
  4. Push a grape onto each end of the straw.
  5. Place the straw over the top of the drawing pin so that the point is in the hole and the system is balanced. This is a bit fiddly and you may have to push the grapes further up the straw to balance.
  6. Check that the system is balanced by giving one of the grapes a gentle push. The straw should spin around freely and easily.
  7. Now take the neodymium magnet and place it close to one of the grapes (but not touching!) The grape should start gently to move away from the magnet and spin around.
  8. Remove the magnet and wait for the grape to stop spinning.
  9. Turn the magnet over and place it close to the grape again. Once again the grape should move away from the magnet.

What’s going on?

Water is ‘diamagnetic’. This means it will be repelled by both north and south poles of a magnet. The diamagnetic force of repulsion is very weak though, so we need a very strong magnet to induce it. One such magnet is the Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NIB) supermagnet, otherwise known as a neodymium magnet.

The grape is repelled by the magnet because it contains water which is diamagnetic. Other fruits and vegetables that contain a high percentage of water will show this effect too, for the same reason. Fancy a spinning cucumber, anyone? Or a watermelon?

And if you’re attracted to the weird world of magnetism, how about the incredible story of the Levitating Frog (including photos!)

Note: Do not place magnets near TV screens, computers, floppy disks, credit cards, watches etc.

<< Back to top

4. Up for Grabs – You’ve got to be in it to win it...

This week we have a fantastic giveaway. Three copies of a brand new magazine aimed at 2-7 year olds. OKIDO is published every 2 months. In each issue children will meet their favourite heroes again, dream, experiment, discover new science pages to encourage their curiosity and scientific thinking, and much much more.

For more details visit www.okido.co.uk/

If you want to win a copy, send us your name, age and address to: Hay-wire.Clubhouse@nesta.org.uk with ‘OKIDO’ as the subject. The winners will be picked at random at 5pm, on Wednesday, 16th May 2007.

Good luck!

<< Back to top

5. Winners – Has your name been picked out of the bag?

Remember Issue 67, when we were giving away the Usborne Pocket Scientist – The Blue Book? It’s full of information about science, together with web links to help you explore further. Well the lucky winner is Katy Taylor  (11) of Reading. Congratulations!

So remember – keep entering ‘cos next time it could be you!

<< Back to top
INFORMATION OVERLOAD

Planet Science has gone Hay-Wire and now you have too!

That’s all for this issue. The next issue of Hay-Wire will be with you in two weeks time so until then, why not ask your friends to join the Hay-Wire Club?

They can visit the Clubhouse for more details (the password is Sciwoof )

Bye for now!