Author: Lensyl Urbano

Clouds on Mars

Clouds on Mars seen from the Mars Pathfinder

Discover Magazine blogger Phil Plait has a great post showing clouds formed by air rising over the volcanic mountains on Mars (orographic clouds). The simple animation is fascinating to see, but what’s even more interesting is how they were made. The images were taken by Emil Kraaikamp who uses a telescope in what appears to be his backyard. Each image in the series that makes up the animation is a composite from images taken with red, blue and green filters. Plait has a very good explanation of the process:

I love this, because it shows how using filters tells you a lot about what you’re seeing. Note that in the red Mars is fairly smooth, with some dark spots. The red dust covers the planet, so it smooths out features (though the ice caps are obvious). In the green you’re just starting to see a hint of clouds, and then in the blue the clouds pop right out.

Combine them, and you have Mars. Another world, seen through what most people would consider a small telescope here on Earth.

Photography is a wonderful medium for combining science and art as you manage the exposure to create interesting effects. If you understand a little about how cameras work, the page on the equipment used to take the pictures is quite fascinating.

The things you can do with vinegar and baking soda

Acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate

I like to do as much science as I can using everyday materials. When it comes to basic chemistry the vinegar and baking soda reaction is one of the easiest, safest and useful you can come across. Wayne from www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com has a great page on simple experiments from basic volcano building, to stoichiometry (using a balloon) and demonstrating endothermic reactions (but you’ll need an accurate and fast thermometer).

Auto-Tune and the trajectory of fads

This intelligently done history of Auto-Tune is wonderful for several reasons. First, it has a simple, elegantly executed story arc, where it describes the trajectory of a fad from introduction to over-exposure to parody/remix and finally to a new equilibrium. And it discusses these concepts in a clear and entertaining way.

Know Your Meme: Auto Tune (featuring “Weird Al” Yankovic) from Rocketboom on Vimeo.

Second, Auto-Tune is a great example of something that was created for one purpose but finds a new life in a completely different discipline. The technology was created for analyzing seismic signals in petroleum exploration before being applied to music. It is amazing what can come from working with people of diverse backgrounds, and having a broad appreciation of the world. Group work is important.

Third, in touching on parody, it brings up an issue that adolescents, in particular need to understand; parody is not just a cheap joke, it has something important to say. It uses humor to address significant issues:

While making fun of something is easy [mockery], parody requires a study of both technique and form, before creating its own recontextualization.

Third, the overexposure stage of fads and memes is something everyone should be aware of. The meme infiltrates so many aspects of the culture that it becomes irritating. As a Middle School teacher I see it primarily in the language my students use. By introducing this concept to my student, we now have a common language for talking about at least one type issues in the classroom.

Finally, equilibrium. An important concept in natural and social science, the concept is neatly encapsulated in how the fad starts off small, overshoots and gets smaller but does not disappear as there remains some lower level of use.

UNICEF cartoons on Children’s Rights

Cartoons

In looking for appropriate resources on Children’s Rights, I found some neat little cartoons from UNICEF in Flash and RealPlayer formats.

Some other simple UNICEF material:

Periodic table trivia

Picture periodic table of the elements

This online periodic table by Theodore Gray has pictures of all the elements. Some are in pure ingots or crystals, others in example applications, and some in ore form. What I find most interesting is there is a bit of trivia about each element when you hover over its picture. Also, the images of the noble gasses shows the colors they emit when excited with electricity (e.g. neon lights), which is kind of cool.