BUILD YOUR OWN PERSONAL FOG TORNADO!

A copier paper box A small 12 volt computer fan from a computer or electronics store. It should be at least 3x3 inches (8cm X 8cm). A piece of clear plastic 10 X 17 inches (25cm X43cm) If your really in a hurry, you can test your fog tornado with clear plastic food wrap. A small plastic food container Dry ice (or other source of fog - see below) Black paint 9-volt battery (if your fan doesn't plug in) Optional (but cool) battery-powered tap light Adult help Parts of the cardboard will need to be cut out using an exact-o blade.This part is definitely for an adult - kids hurt themselves every year trying to cut foam core and cardboard - don't let that be you - know when to ask for help. Follow the diagrams below, cutting away the areas marked in gray. IMPORTANT: Pay special attention to the placement of the slots. In order for the tornado to work, the slots will need to be in the correct place. The opening at the top should be just a bit smaller than your fan. The opening at the bottom should be bigger than the plastic food container. Paint the inside of the box with flat black poster paint and allow it to dry. Tape (or hot glue) the clear piece of plastic into the large window on the front. Be sure to keep the nearby slot open so air can flow through it. Attach the tap-light to the inside of the top of the tornado box near the fan opening. That’s it! Your Tornado Chamber is ready. A note about the fog. I have found 3 decent sources of fog: DRY ICE - Dry ice makes the best looking tornado, in my opinion, which is why I give the directions for it here. Dry ice should only be handled by adults. It can cause instant frostbite. Never handle dry ice without thick gloves and always wear safety goggles. Only someone familiar with dry ice and its dangers should handle it. HUMIDIFIER - Many small humidifiers create a continuous source of mist that works well for the tornado chamber. You will need to find a way to mount the tornado chamber above your humidifier. FOUNTAIN MISTERS - A fountain mister uses ultrasonic vibrations to create a light mist. They can often be found in stores that sell small fountains and in some pet shops. FOG TORNADO TIME! Turn on the battery powered light if you have one, and power up the fan. (red wire goes on the skinnier lead of the 9 volt battery) and place it on the top of the chamber with the breeze blowing up. Place some small chunks of dry ice into your food container and add some warm water to create fog. Put your tornado chamber over the container and watch the wonders of vortex currents at work! As the fan forces air out of the chamber, air from outside the box is forced in through the slots on the sides. The position of the slots causes the incoming air to create a VORTEX (spiral) of air as it is drawn up and out of the box. Real tornados form in a similar way using updrafts and wind-shear (wind from different directions at different altitudes)

Hybrid plants:

Hybrid plants are derived from matings between genetically distinct parents. Such matings are called crosses. Crosses often occur between plants classified as distinct species. Many hybrids are sterile, but many others are merely of reduced fertility and can, in fact, produce offspring. The level of fertility seen in the hybrids varies both with the cross in question and, for a given type of cross, from one individual hybrid to another. Some crosses produce hybrids apparently just as fertile as their parents. 

Typically, hybrids combine the traits of their parents. Often, too, a given trait in a hybrid, say flower color, will be intermediate (for example, the hybrid's flowers might be orange, whereas the flowers of one of its parents are red and those of the other, yellow). Sometimes, however, a new trait not seen in either of its parents will arise in a hybrid. 

Plant breeders commonly start with variable plant hybrids and then apply selection to produce new crops, trees, and flowers with desirable properties. Soliman (1992: 199) says no other factor has had a greater impact on agricultural production. 

New breeds produced by hybridization in the proportion of their genetic from the other (natural processes of this sort are sometimes called introgression ). At the other end of the spectrum are breeds that derive their traits in equal number from both parents. In the former case, one can think of the new hybrid as a slightly altered version of one of the parents, in the latter as a distinct, new composite.                                      Beach Stgaria chirawberry Fraloensis
A complete list of all the new crops derived from the production of plant hybrids, followed by selection, would be both tedious and beyond the scope of this article, but the reader is referred to a summary paper on this topic by Kalloo (1992).

 An inventory of the cultivated flowers derivedfrom hybridization would probably be even more lengthy. Here we will mention a only one example of the many new breeds of plants derived from hybridization: The modern commercial strawberry is derived from hybridization of the Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and the beach strawberry (F. chiloensis), both of which are shown at right. Virginia Strawberry Fragaria virginiana

Bacteria:

Use petri dishes and agar to grow bacteria.

• What effect do household cleaners have on a bacteria culture? What about temperature? What is the best or worst environment in your house for bacteria growth?
• Are there substances in your kitchen (garlic, red pepper, curry, tea tree oil, etc.) that have natural antibacterial properties?
• Use the Gram stain method for testing whether Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria is more common in your house. Do common antibiotics interact differently with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria?
• Studying mold growth conditions also makes an interesting experiment. What types of food mold the quickest? How does temperature affect mold growth? Are there some practical ways to slow down the growth of mold? Experiment with different types of preservatives to see how they prevent mold growth.
• Does bacteria grow in a predictable pattern? Try an experiment by making thumbprint, fingerprint, or handprint bacteria cultures using agar and petri dishes.
• How much bacteria grows in the mouth and what effects do common cleaning techniques have on bacteria growth? Consider brushing with a dry toothbrush, comparing different toothpastes, mouthwashes, and flossing as well as time spent cleaning teeth to find which methods work best to keep the mouth clean.
• Is a dog's mouth really cleaner than a human's?
• Use GloGerms to simulate the behavior of germs. Experiment to find the best ways to eliminate germs from hands and surfaces. (Test water temperature, soaps, length of time spent washing, etc.)

What has a human achieved today in astronomical sciences ?

-How might we decide what qualifies as “the ultimate human achievement” in different areas of knowledge? How might we go about deciding? Would expert opinion necessarily influence what we think?

 In what ways might our cultural paradigms shape our response?

According to Professor Brian Cox, presenter of the BBC’s excellent 3-part series Stargazing: LIVE the International Space Station is the ‘ultimate human achievement’. If you watch this episode from 36:25 minutes into the programme, Prof Brian Cox speaks to 3 of the astronauts on board.

More information regarding it:

·         It is the largest artificial satellite that has ever orbited our planet.

·         It travels around the earth at 28,000km per hour and 400km above the earth.

·         There are 6 astronauts currently living on the spaceship; they are the only people currently in space.

·         Astronauts from around the world have been living in zero gravity for the last 10 years and some stay for more than 6 months.

·         It functions as an observatory, laboratory and workshop.

How Does a Mentos React With Diet Coke and Other Sodas......

A Diet Coke and Mentos eruption (or Diet Coke and Mentos geyser) is a reaction between a carbonated beverage and Mentoscandies that causes the beverage to spray out of its container.

The numerous small pores on the candy's surface catalyze the release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas from the soda, resulting in the rapid expulsion of copious quantities of foam. Although any carbonated beverage will produce a similar effect, the reaction was popularized using Diet coke for seemingly producing the best results.

-A 2006 episode of the television series myth busters concluded that the Pottasium Benzonate, aspartame, and CO₂ gas contained in the Diet Coke, in combination with the gelatin and gum arabic ingredients of the Mentos, all contribute to formation of the foam.

-Mentos is the most significant cause of the eruption due to nucleation

-A Guiness World Record of 2,865 simultaneous geysers was set on October 17, 2010, in an event organized by perfetti Van Melle at the SM Mall of asia Complex, in Manila, Philippines.