Can’t think what the science connection is here but the idea of a Sci-Fi blockbuster with an exclusively AC/DC soundtrack moves me deeply. This is the same line-up I saw at the Birmingham NEC in 1987, and they may be a little greyer now but they still know how to put on a show. Most […]
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Archive | April, 2010
It’s A Gas…
April 16, 2010 
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There are three common states of matter; solid liquid and gas. This statement ignores other less common states of matter like plasma (very hot) or Bose-Einstein condensate (very cold). Exam questions often ask you to explain events in terms of the behaviour of the particles involved. This is easier if you can picture how particles […]
Read moreTwo Moments Please…
April 14, 2010 6 Comments
A lever is balanced when the moments on both sides are equal. The moment (or turning force) can be calculated by multiplying the force (or load) by the distance from the fulcrum (or pivot). This beam balances because 5N × 2m (on the left) = 10N × 1m (on the right). If you multiply N […]
Read moreToo Much TED…
April 13, 2010 0 Comments
And another one. This chap’s name is Arthur Benjamin and he is jolly good at sums. When you have a spare 15 minutes watch his performance at TED below. Breathtaking!
Read moreDon’t Believe Your Lying Eyes…
April 13, 2010 1 Comment
Two quite long videos but I thought they were worth sharing, particularly for those who like optical illusions. It left me baffled and delighted.
Read moreSeparating Mixtures…
April 13, 2010 36 Comments
A mixture is any situation when two or more substances are mixed together. In a mixture, the different particles are close to each other but they are not joined. This means it should be possible to separate most mixtures out into their component parts. To do this, you need to look at the physical properties […]
Read moreHydrocarbon Explosions…
April 10, 2010 8 Comments
I found this high speed video of a YouTube scientist igniting mixtures of hydrocarbon gases and air. He does this because it is fun, and because it shows the different energies released with different mixtures. The recent shuttle launch shows the incredible energy released when hydrogen is combined with oxygen. The reaction is exothermic, producing a stream […]
Read moreDistribution Graphs…
April 9, 2010 4 Comments
Yesterday I referred to ‘normal distribution’ when I was describing when babies develop their teeth. I did not have space to fully explain what I meant so I hope to clarify it a little here. Normal distribution describes the range of outcomes when collecting data during experiments. Some of the numbers will be larger than […]
Read moreStop Motion Animation…
April 8, 2010 0 Comments
The pictures were cut out from skateboarding magazines and then used in sequence to create the movement, one frame at a time, like a digital flipbook animation. If you have a digital camera try to make one of your own and I will post it here.
Read moreTaupes Répulsif…
April 8, 2010 1 Comment
The only thing that spoils the pristine garden view from my front door is the regular appearance of great piles of rich dark soil on top of the newly mown grass. C’est la taupe! Despite having, literally, thousands of acres of farmland around my garden in which to create their havoc, the local mole population […]
Read moreScience ISS Fantastic…
April 5, 2010 0 Comments
5th April 2010 – Discovery mission to the International Space Station 2:04 “At the dock the shuttle weighed more than 4.5 million pounds…” That’s 2,000 tonnes for those of us at least semi-metric in outlook. In the first 90 seconds of the flight the shuttle burns 1,000 tonnes of fuel. 2:45 The solid fuel booster […]
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