Category Fun Facts

Can you use an inverted jar to lift a ball? No lids allowed! Here how you do it.

What you need:

A small ball, a jar with a mouth larger than the ball

  • What to do:
  • Keep the ball on a flat surface, like the floor or a table.
  • Invert the jar over it.
  • Try to pick up the ball with the jar. Can you?
  • Now, start to move the jar in a circle around the ball. Gradually, increase the speed.

What happens:

You can't lift the ball with a stationary jar. But when the jar is moving in a circular motion, the ball also starts to move along the rim until it gradually moves up into the jar. If you continue the circular movement, you can lift the jar right off the table without dropping the ball! This takes a little practice though.

Why?

When the circular motion of the jar is smooth, the ball also begins to move in a circle inside the jar. This happens due to a force called 'centripetal force’.

Centripetal force is the force that acts on a body that is moving in a curved path. While the speed of the ball (and the jars shape) makes it move in a circle, it is centripetal force that keeps it going.

You can lift up the jar when the centripetal force on the ball becomes more than the gravitational force acting on it. Once you slow down or stop rotating the jar, the centripetal force decreases and gravity takes over once more, causing the ball to drop out.

Picture Credit : Google 

How to make Candy rocks at home? Let’s find out by an experiment.

It certainly does! And even more if you can make rock-shaped candy at home!

What you need:

A clean wooden stick, water, sugar, a clothes-pin, a tall, narrow glass jar, a pan, food colour (optional), paper towel

 What to do:

Heat water in a pan.  Bring it to a boil. Ask help from an adult for doing this.

Keep adding in sugar to the boiling water one spoon at a time. Wait for one batch to dissolve before you add the next spoon. There will come a time when no more sugar can dissolve into the water. Stop adding the sugar then and allow the water to cool down.

Dip the wooden stick into the sugar solution and then roll it in some sugar (on a plate). Let it dry completely.

If you want, add food colour into the solution, the darker the better. Pour the sugar water into the glass jar filling it almost to the top.

Clip the stick to the clothes-pin. Let the pin rest on the mouth of the jar as the stick is submerged into the sugar water. It should hang straight without touching the sides of the jar.

Leave the jar undisturbed for a week. You can keep monitoring it though. Cover the top with a paper towel to keep dirt out.

What happens:

Sugar crystals start to grow on the stick. By the end of a week, you have candy on a stick!

Why?

You made a ‘super saturated’ solution when you mixed sugar into the water until it could hold no more. Heating the water added to its capacity of letting sugar dissolve. But once the water cooled, it could not hold that much sugar. So it started forming crystals again. More crystals form as the water evaporates.

The reason these crystals form on the stick is because the stick already had some sugar crystals on it which acted as grabbing points for the other crystals.

Picture Credit : Google 

Have you ever seen water crossing a bridge on its own? Let’s find out by an experiment.

What you need:

Thick tissue paper towels, three glasses, food colours or poster colours

What to do: Arrange the three glasses in a row.

Fill the glasses on both ends with water, leaving the middle one empty.

Add lots of blue colour to the glass on the left, and to the glass on the right, add yellow.

Fold one of the tissues in half lengthwise and place one end in the first glass and the other end in the second. Make sure the tissue touches the bottoms of both glasses without having its middle stuck up too high in the air. If that happens, you can trim the length of the tissues.

The next tissue is placed in a similar manner between the second and the third glasses.

Leave the arrangement, but make sure to keep checking on it intermittently.

What happens:

In a few minutes, we start seeing the coloured water from both the glasses on the edge, climb up the tissue papers. In an hour (maybe more, depending on the thickness of the tissues), the water crosses the paper bridge and starts dripping into the empty glass. In another hour or so, the water level in the middle glass rises as more water from the other two glasses crosses into it. The water in the middle glass is greenish-a mix of yellow and blue colours.

Why?

Water travels up the tissues through a process called 'capillary action’. Capillary action is the movement of a liquid against gravity, through narrow spaces. This is the same principle that allows water to be absorbed by a tree's roots and transported to its leaves.

In this case, the narrow spaces or capillaries are present in the tissues that absorb water, pull it upward and allow it to flow into the middle glass.

Picture Credit : Google 

Can sound travel through empty space? Let’s find out by an experiment.

What you need:

Empty glass bottle with a cap, small bell, short firm wire, adhesive tape, matches, and paper

What you do:

  • Attach the bell to the piece of wire. Fix the opposite end of the wire to the inside of the bottle cap with tape. Check if the bell rings when you shake the wire.
  • Screw the cap onto the bottle. Shake the bottle to ensure that the bell jingles inside without touching the sides of the bottle.
  • Unscrew the cap. Tear the paper into shreds and drop the pieces into the bottle.
  • Light two matches and drop them into the bottle. As soon as you do this, quickly screw on the cap with the bell. (Take the help of an adult to do this step.)
  • Wait till the matches and the shredded paper burn out and the bottle cools.
  • Shake the bottle. Can you hear the bell?
  • Open the cap to let in some air and screw it on again. Shake the bottle again. Can you hear the bell now?

What do you observe?

You can hear the bell faintly immediately after the matches extinguish. After you open the cap and screw it on again, you can hear the bell ring louder.

Why does this happen?

Sound needs a medium like air or water to travel through. Sound waves vibrate the particles of the medium. When these vibrations reach our eardrums, we hear sound.

In the experiment, the burning paper and matches used up the oxygen in the sealed bottle, creating a partial vacuum. As sound cannot travel in a vacuum, you cannot hear the bell well until you let in some air into the bottle.

Picture Credit : Google 

What is the importance of camping?

We live in an age of high connectivity, smothered by information online isn't it time to disconnect and recharge? And what better way to do that than in nature? Everything is magical in the wild. The best way to experience the beauty of the wilderness is by going camping. An outdoor activity which involves spending the night in the nature with bare necessities, camping lets one experience the wilderness in all its magnificence. So why not go camping to hill stations during your holidays?

Imagine waking up to a glorious sunrise in the outdoors, as you breathe in the crisp air. Walk barefoot, sinking your feet into the earth. The only sound here might be the sound of a river gurgling or the cackle of birds. The nights are breathtaking, as you sleep under a star-spangled sky, with the stillness of the night getting cut in occasionally by the chirps of crickets. The sky is your roof and the earth is your floor. Where are we? We have come camping!

We live in an age of high connectivity, spending most of our time online. Shouldn't we disconnect and recharge? And what better way to do that than in nature? Everything is magical in the wild. And the best way to experience the beauty of the wilderness is by going camping. An outdoor activity that involves spending the night in nature with bare necessities, camping lets one experience the wilderness in all its magnificence.

A brief history of camping

Thomas Hiram Holding was the founder of modern recreational camping. In 1908, he came up with the first edition of "The Campers Handbook". As a boy, he travelled widely and went on many camping adventures and these provided a base for the books he wrote on camping. He even used a bicycle as his camping vehicle. The book "Cycle and Camp" (1898) was written based on this.

He also founded the first camping club in the world. Christened the "Association of Cycle Campers", the camping club was established in 1901. Come 1907, the club merged with other clubs to form the Camping Club of Great Britain and Ireland. Famous Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott was the first president of the Camping Club in 1909.

Organised camping

However, organised camping started in the U.S. with a boys' camp in 1861. This was run for the students of the Gunnery School for Boys in Washington, Connecticut. It became an instant success and was carried on for 18 years. Soon other similar camps started to be held. In 1888, the first girl’s camp was established on the Thames River in Connecticut. Other youth organisations soon took to camping and made it an integral component of their activities.

Modern camping

Camping has changed over the course of time. It is not just bare necessities that you get at a camp. Recreational camping now provides all the modern amenities. Camping in vehicles a.k.a caravanning (live in a caravan, camper-van) is also preferred by many travellers.

Another type of camping that has caught on is glamping. This falls in the more luxurious and high-end spectrum of camping. Here, you camp in the wild but amidst al the creature comforts such as electricity, running water, mood lighting, comfy blankets, lavish meals, and so on.

But the authentic camping experience is what would help you connect with nature, away from civilisation and come back well refreshed.

Camping checklist

Camping is a fun, adventurous outdoor activity but should not be taken light-heartedly as well.

This is because you will be in the wild and maintaining the unwritten laws of the wild is necessary to have a safe camping trip.

It starts right from the things you wear to how you dispose of the trash generated. If you are a first-timer, then it is advisable that you go camping with a travel company. They can help you pitch the tent and also offer everything needed for camping. Sleeping bags are an essential part of camping trips. They offer a warm and comfortable sleep as it can get much colder at night in nature.

Whilst camping, you will be cooking food on your camping site and you may need a camping stove for that.

Camping chairs, hammocks, and blankets will help you have a relaxed stay in nature. Other essentials you may need to carry include a flashlight, wet wipes for hygiene purposes, quick-drying towels and cloth, power banks, first-aid kits, trash bags, and so on.

*Clothing

What you wear will depend on the season and the type of weather at the destination you are going to. While camping, you will be out in the sun, in the dirt. So always pack moisture-wicking clothes so that you dry faster while outdoors. Carry sunscreen and a sun hat. And if you are camping in the winter, then take appropriate clothing. The trick is to always be ready for the weather. In nature, weather conditions can change unexpectantly and this needs to be taken into consideration while packing essentials.

*Pitching the tent Pick a spot that is not exposed much to the elements of nature. Ensure it has some shade so that it will stand you in good stead in case it were to rain or snow heavily.

*First-aid kit

A first-aid kit is essential on a camping trip. This should include painkillers, antibiotic creams, bandages, gauze, mosquito repellents, medicines for common ailments, and so on. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Ecological concerns

Whilst out in the wild, ensuring the sanctity of the wilderness is cardinal. The best way to leave no trace is to carry trash bags. When out in the wild and camping, you are sharing the space with many other wild animals.

No trash should be left on your camping site. This is essential for the health of the ecosystem and the wild animals inhabiting the region. Even a tiny plastic article can prove fatal for wild animals.

Why go camping?

The benefits of time spent outdoors are countless and more so when camping. The fresh and clean air can work wonders for your body and the mind and you might feel instantly recharged. There are also chances that you will be away from network connectivity and this will give you time to reflect on yourself, and your goals and can serve as the ultimate social media detox.

Camping can also strengthen the bond between friends and family. It is also a physically enduring activity and you learn new skills such as setting up a tent, tying knots, starting fires, cooking meals, and more. It also helps connect with nature, watch wildlife and experience the natural world in all its glory.

And more than that, you learn the minimalist way of existence, one in line with nature. So why not try camping?

Picture Credit : Google 

Scientist make accurate measurements with the help of various measuring tools. Let’s look at a few of them today.

pH Meter

A pH meter is an electric device that measures the concentration of hydrogen ions (or pH) in a solution to determine whether it is acidic or alkaline. It was invented in 1934 by the American chemist Arnold O. Beckman to measure the sourness of lemons.

It consists of a glass electrode that is sensitive to pH and another reference electrode. The device reads the potential difference between the two electrodes to arrive at results that are displayed electronically in the form of a pH value. This knowledge is critical in chemical lab work and healthcare.

Stethoscope

A stethoscope is a diagnostic instrument commonly used by doctors to listen to sounds made inside the human body-in the lungs, heart and pulse points. The device has two ear buds that are connected by a flexible cord to a sensitive sound detector at the other end.

French physician Dr René Laennec first used a cylindrical roll of paper to listen to chest sounds instead of using his ear in the early 19th Century. Later he improved upon this to create the first stethoscope for medical use (‘Stethos' meaning 'chest’ in Greek).

Barometer

A barometer is an instrument that measures the pressure exerted by the weight of the air in the atmosphere.

As changes in atmospheric pressure are directly related to changes in weather, a barometer is a useful instrument at all weather stations.

The device can be also used to measure altitude since atmospheric pressure changes with altitude.

Breathalyser

It is an instrument used to estimate blood alcohol content (BAC) in one's breath. The instrument that is presently used by the police to discourage drinking and driving is a prototype developed by Robert Frank Borkenstein in 1954. The person exhales into a tube attached to the device which then reads the level of alcohol in the sample breath.

Picture Credit : Google