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Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Advertising
Advertising is providing information, calling attention to, and making known something that you want to sell or promote. It is a message designed to promote or sell a product, a service, or an idea.
Advertising takes place all over us- in various Mediums. Printed ads are found in newspapers and magazines. Poster ads are placed in buses, subways, and trains. Neon signs are scattered along the roads and over the shops. Billboards dot the landscape along our roads. Commercials interrupt radio and television programming. Famous People endorse products to increase the sales of the products.
There are many ways companies use to promote their product. They can offer free stuff to make their product more attractive. They can give tall claims about the goodness of the product in the Ads. Discounts and Sales are another way of boosting sales. Fancy Packaging is also used to lure customers. A company’s logo and tagline also plays a big role in Advertising.
One should try to be an aware customer. We must think and evaluate a product independently before purchasing it. A little research goes a long way. Comparing competing products will also give you a good idea of the options. Stay wary of false claims, fake models and loud packaging.
Making a good advertisement calls for a lot of talent. Next time you look at an Advertisement, think of all the effort gone behind it!
Advertising takes place all over us- in various Mediums. Printed ads are found in newspapers and magazines. Poster ads are placed in buses, subways, and trains. Neon signs are scattered along the roads and over the shops. Billboards dot the landscape along our roads. Commercials interrupt radio and television programming. Famous People endorse products to increase the sales of the products.
There are many ways companies use to promote their product. They can offer free stuff to make their product more attractive. They can give tall claims about the goodness of the product in the Ads. Discounts and Sales are another way of boosting sales. Fancy Packaging is also used to lure customers. A company’s logo and tagline also plays a big role in Advertising.
One should try to be an aware customer. We must think and evaluate a product independently before purchasing it. A little research goes a long way. Comparing competing products will also give you a good idea of the options. Stay wary of false claims, fake models and loud packaging.
Making a good advertisement calls for a lot of talent. Next time you look at an Advertisement, think of all the effort gone behind it!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Great Minds
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci is widely considered as the most talented person of all times. He was an accomplished painter, sculptor, great inventor, military engineer, scientist, botanist, and mathematician.
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in central Italy. At the early age of 14, Leonardo's father recognized what great talent he had with painting. In fact, Leonardo had painted the picture of a dragon that looked so real that it actually scared his father when looking at it. Father and son made a journey to visit Andrea del Verrocchio, a well-known artist, where Leonardo became an apprentice under Verrocchio. This job kept Leonardo very busy.
By the age of 30, Leonardo began sketching and writing daily into notebooks. One of the forms of writing that Leonardo took a fancy to was mirror writing. Some of the famous art works of Leonardo are The Last Supper and Mona Lisa.
He is also credited with inventing or first designed Battleships, Printing Press, Parachute, Flying Machines , Helicopter and Spring-driven Car.
Maybe even more impressive than his artistic work are his detailed studies in anatomy, engineering, and many other areas. He recorded his results in detailed notebooks which combine art and science.
Thomas Alva Edison
Thomas Alva Edison is one of the greatest inventors in history and was responsible for more inventions than any other inventor. Altogether he did 1093 inventions. Some of his inventions developed and improved other peoples’.At school his teacher thought his ideas were crazy and that he might have a learning difficulty. After that, his mother taught him at home. He was full of curiosity and she encouraged him to learn things for himself.
As a child, he grew vegetables and sold them in town. At 12 he got a job selling newspapers on a train, and, at 15, started his own weekly newspaper . He worked as a telegraph operator and in 1869, at 22, he moved to New York where he worked for a gold company. When the machine that printed gold prices broke down, Edison fixed it, then invented a machine that did the job better. This invention made him a lot of money, and with it he set up his own workshop where he manufactured these machines, as well as telegraph machinery.
Edison's favourite invention was the phonograph, first ever instrument to record and playback sounds. Edison worked to discover a way of improving the electric light bulb invented in England by Sir Joseph Swan. He developed a 16 watt bulb that lasted 1500 hours. To make his invention practical for everyday life, he invented ways of producing electricity and distributing it through wires to homes and businesses. In 1882 New York became the first city to be lit by electric lights using generators designed by Thomas Edison. Edison also improved the telephone system that had been invented by Alexander Graham Bell, and sold the Edison telephone system in England. Another Edison invention was the Kinetoscope, a box containing a strip of photographs – world’s first movie camera.
Leonardo da Vinci is widely considered as the most talented person of all times. He was an accomplished painter, sculptor, great inventor, military engineer, scientist, botanist, and mathematician.
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in central Italy. At the early age of 14, Leonardo's father recognized what great talent he had with painting. In fact, Leonardo had painted the picture of a dragon that looked so real that it actually scared his father when looking at it. Father and son made a journey to visit Andrea del Verrocchio, a well-known artist, where Leonardo became an apprentice under Verrocchio. This job kept Leonardo very busy.
By the age of 30, Leonardo began sketching and writing daily into notebooks. One of the forms of writing that Leonardo took a fancy to was mirror writing. Some of the famous art works of Leonardo are The Last Supper and Mona Lisa.
He is also credited with inventing or first designed Battleships, Printing Press, Parachute, Flying Machines , Helicopter and Spring-driven Car.
Maybe even more impressive than his artistic work are his detailed studies in anatomy, engineering, and many other areas. He recorded his results in detailed notebooks which combine art and science.
Thomas Alva Edison
Thomas Alva Edison is one of the greatest inventors in history and was responsible for more inventions than any other inventor. Altogether he did 1093 inventions. Some of his inventions developed and improved other peoples’.At school his teacher thought his ideas were crazy and that he might have a learning difficulty. After that, his mother taught him at home. He was full of curiosity and she encouraged him to learn things for himself.
As a child, he grew vegetables and sold them in town. At 12 he got a job selling newspapers on a train, and, at 15, started his own weekly newspaper . He worked as a telegraph operator and in 1869, at 22, he moved to New York where he worked for a gold company. When the machine that printed gold prices broke down, Edison fixed it, then invented a machine that did the job better. This invention made him a lot of money, and with it he set up his own workshop where he manufactured these machines, as well as telegraph machinery.
Edison's favourite invention was the phonograph, first ever instrument to record and playback sounds. Edison worked to discover a way of improving the electric light bulb invented in England by Sir Joseph Swan. He developed a 16 watt bulb that lasted 1500 hours. To make his invention practical for everyday life, he invented ways of producing electricity and distributing it through wires to homes and businesses. In 1882 New York became the first city to be lit by electric lights using generators designed by Thomas Edison. Edison also improved the telephone system that had been invented by Alexander Graham Bell, and sold the Edison telephone system in England. Another Edison invention was the Kinetoscope, a box containing a strip of photographs – world’s first movie camera.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Evolution of the Man
How does life come on the Earth in such variety. A scientist called Charles Darwin developed the Theory of Evolution, that states that Life evolved on Earth very slowly and by Natural Selection of species.
Scientists agree that human beings evolved from Apes some 5-7 million years ago (mya). Infact, Humans and Chimpanzees have the same ancestoral lineage, but followed different evolutionary paths. Our DNA is 98.4% similar to that of a chimpanzee!!
All human type of species are called Homo. There are many types of Homo creatures discovered, of which all but Homo Sapiens are now extinct. That means every human being on Earth today is a Homo Sapien. Let us follow the path of Evolution and see where we came from!
The human evolution started in Africa, and it is from there that humans spread around the world.
The earliest ancestor of Human is known to be Australopithecus – a creature half ape, half human. Full of hair, he did not know how to make any tools, but used sticks and bones as tools. Australopithecus is looks more Ape like than a human, and is not included in the Homo genre.
Around 2 mya, Homo Habilis (man with abilities) was evolved. Homo habilis could make some basic stone tools like
axe-head and spears. He is also known as the Handy-Man. He lived in caves, and hunted animals. Using and making complex tools is an important sign of intelligence.Around 1,5 million years ago, Homo Eretus evolved. Homo erectus means the man who can walk upright. The evidence was first found in Java, Indonesia, and so it is also often called as the Java Man.
Homo Neanderthalensis was the first human being in Europe. Its’ bones were found in the Neander Valley, Germany. Short, Stout and a lot like modern humans, the Neander Man probably knew the use of fire and used hide to cover themselves in the Cold.
Homo Neanderthalensis and all other species of humanoids were eventually replaced by Homo Sapiens, the man who can think. Homo Sapien evolved around 120,000 years ago. A woman skeleton found in Afria is often touted as the mother of the mankind, and is named Lucy.
The development of human brain , that consumes 20% of all enery produced in the body played a huge role in our evolution, away from the rest of the animals. The hairless body (to aid sweating) , the invention of simple tools, the control of Fire, domestication of animals and eventually Agriculture led to the modern human race.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
MUSIC
Types of Music
Jazz can usually be described as smooth. Most jazzy music has a lot of brass to create that smooth, vibrating sound.
Rock is the most popular form of music. A real heavy drum beat and awesome guitar lines usually make up the best rock music.
Classical music is composed by some of the most brilliant minds in the world. Everyone knows that classical music is some of the most difficult music to perform, requiring great speed and accuracy.
Country music is easily distinguishable from other genres because of its use of the steel guitar. It also focuses on how the artist sings the tune.
The blues are so named because they are supposed to have a depressed or saddened feeling. The whole idea of playing the blues is to let other people know how the musician feels (which, if you're playing the blues, usually means you're saddened).
Reggae is one of the most unique forms out there. It uses a lot of steel drum but usually has a "happy sound".
Types of Instruments
There are a very large number of musical instruments, each with its own unique sound and quality. These musical instruments can be divided into 4 basic categories:
· String Instruments : All string instruments have one thing in common, their sound is made by a vibrating string. Strings can be made of metal, synthetic or natural materials. There are 3 basic types of string instruments, based on how you get the string to vibrate. Strings can be plucked, like on the guitar. The violin is a string instrument that uses a bow to make the strings vibrate. A piano may not look like a string instrument from the outside. The musician actually presses keys. The keys of a piano activate hammers, which strike the strings, to make a sound.
· Wind Instruments : The sound from wind instrument is made by air vibrating in a pipe or tube. The musician blows in one end, and the music comes out the other end. To change the pitch of the sound, some instruments such as the flute have holes in the tube. The musician covers the holes with her fingers. Some instruments have valves instead of the holes.
· Brass Instruments : Brass instruments, such as the trumpet, make sound as a result of a musician blowing into them. They are called brass instruments because they are made of the metal brass. Here too, the pitch of the sound is related to the size of the air chamber.
· Percussion Instruments : Percussion instruments are played by being hit or shaken. Although most people probably think of the drum, there are lots of different percussion instruments. A percussion instrument's sound is made by it vibrating, once hit or shaken. Different types of materials, such as metal, wood or vibrating membrane like on the drum, make different types of sounds. A different thickness or size of material can also make different sounds.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Rains
Meteorology - The science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially weather and weather conditions.
Weather changes all the time. But what brings about the weather changes in our Earth? Earth gets it weather from Sun and Wind.
The earth is slightly tilted on its axis. As the sun shines on the earth, it shines more directly on the northern hemisphere in June, and more directly on the southern hemisphere in December. That's why the seasons are different in each hemisphere. In the spring and fall, the sun shines fairly straight on the equator, giving both hemispheres equal warming.
The uneven heating of Earth by Sun produces warm air in some places, and colder in others. Warm air rises up, and Cold air moves in to fill the place left by the warm air. This causes Wind. And it is the wind (and ocean currents) that move the weather all around the Earth.
Water on the Earth: Triple Waters. Water comes in three forms. As a liquid, we see it in the lakes and oceans, we see it falling as rain, and we see it come into our home for drinking or washing. As a solid, we see water as ice and snow. As a gas, water vapor is always floating in the air. Water changes from liquid to solid by freezing. It changes from liquid to gas by evaporation. It changes from gas to liquid by condensation.
Weather changes all the time. But what brings about the weather changes in our Earth? Earth gets it weather from Sun and Wind.
The earth is slightly tilted on its axis. As the sun shines on the earth, it shines more directly on the northern hemisphere in June, and more directly on the southern hemisphere in December. That's why the seasons are different in each hemisphere. In the spring and fall, the sun shines fairly straight on the equator, giving both hemispheres equal warming.
The uneven heating of Earth by Sun produces warm air in some places, and colder in others. Warm air rises up, and Cold air moves in to fill the place left by the warm air. This causes Wind. And it is the wind (and ocean currents) that move the weather all around the Earth.
Water on the Earth: Triple Waters. Water comes in three forms. As a liquid, we see it in the lakes and oceans, we see it falling as rain, and we see it come into our home for drinking or washing. As a solid, we see water as ice and snow. As a gas, water vapor is always floating in the air. Water changes from liquid to solid by freezing. It changes from liquid to gas by evaporation. It changes from gas to liquid by condensation.
Air is full of Water. You can't see it, but the air contains a lot of water. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. When air gets cold, the water vapor condenses into clouds. And when warm air holds a lot of water vapor, the air can feel sticky and damp. The amount of water in the air is called humidity.
Water Cycle : The rain that falls from the sky today has been around for thousands of years. The molecules of water in today's rainfall might have been in yesterday's cloud or last week's dew, or in a lake or ocean. Although water takes three basic forms (liquid, solid and gas) we see in many forms of it, such as frost, snow, rain, and clouds. The cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation never ends.
Water Cycle : The rain that falls from the sky today has been around for thousands of years. The molecules of water in today's rainfall might have been in yesterday's cloud or last week's dew, or in a lake or ocean. Although water takes three basic forms (liquid, solid and gas) we see in many forms of it, such as frost, snow, rain, and clouds. The cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation never ends.
What are clouds?A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air.
Basic Cloud Types:
What causes lightning?Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. Lightning bolts are extremely hot, with temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun! When the bolt suddenly heats the air around it to such an extreme, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder.
Next time you see a storm, count the number of seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how far away the storm is in miles.
What causes lightning?Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. Lightning bolts are extremely hot, with temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun! When the bolt suddenly heats the air around it to such an extreme, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder.
Next time you see a storm, count the number of seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how far away the storm is in miles.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
MAPS
What’s a Map?
A map is something that shows the whole or a part of some area. Maps are often flat, but globes are maps that show the whole earth. There are many types of maps. Maps can also show what's out in space, or what is inside a space as small as a cell in our bodies. In their simplest form, maps show how things relate to each other in a space. People have been making maps for thousands of years. People who make Maps are called Cartographers.
Orientation of maps
The term orientation refers to the relationship between directions on a map and compass directions. Most Maps are drawn with North on the Top.
Types of Maps.
Maps of the world or large areas are often either 'political' or 'physical'. The purpose of the political map is to show territorial borders; the purpose of the physical is to show features of geography such as mountains, soil type or land use. Maps can be thematic too, to show rainfall for example.
An atlas is a collection of maps, typically of Earth or a region of Earth,
Location on Earth
The earth is effectively a sphere, so how do we describe where a point is on its surface?
The most common way to locate points on the surface of the Earth is by standard, geographic coordinates called latitude and longitude. These coordinates values are measured in degrees, minutes and seconds.
Latitude, and the Equator
We can imagine the Earth as a sphere, with an axis around which it spins. The ends of the axis are the North and South Poles. The Equator is a line around the earth, an equal distance from both poles. The Equator is also the latitude line given the value of 0 degrees.
A line connecting all the points with the same latitude value is called a line of latitude. lines of latitude are parallel to the Equator, and they are sometimes also referred to as parallels. Parallels are equally spaced. There are 90 degrees of latitude going north from the Equator, and the North Pole is at 90 degrees N. There are 90 degrees to the south of the Equator, and the South Pole is at 90 degrees S.
Longitudes, and the Prime Meridian
Lines of longitude, called meridians, run perpendicular to lines of latitude, and all pass through both poles. Each longitude line is part of a great circle. There is no obvious 0-degree point for longitude, as there is for latitude. Throughout history many different starting points have been used to measure longitude. By international agreement, the meridian line through Greenwich, England, is currently given the value of 0 degrees of longitude; this meridian is referred to as the Prime Meridian. Longitude values indicate the distance between the Prime Meridian and points east or west of it on the surface of the Earth.
Do You Know?
All places on the same meridian would experience noon (or any other time of th day) at the same time. When we want to say the time is 10:00 in the morning, we say 10:00 am. What does am (and pm) stand for?? am means ante-meridian (before noon) and pm means post-meridian (after noon).
Location of DELHI, INDIA 28 40 N 77 14 E
A map is something that shows the whole or a part of some area. Maps are often flat, but globes are maps that show the whole earth. There are many types of maps. Maps can also show what's out in space, or what is inside a space as small as a cell in our bodies. In their simplest form, maps show how things relate to each other in a space. People have been making maps for thousands of years. People who make Maps are called Cartographers.
Orientation of maps
The term orientation refers to the relationship between directions on a map and compass directions. Most Maps are drawn with North on the Top.
Types of Maps.
Maps of the world or large areas are often either 'political' or 'physical'. The purpose of the political map is to show territorial borders; the purpose of the physical is to show features of geography such as mountains, soil type or land use. Maps can be thematic too, to show rainfall for example.
An atlas is a collection of maps, typically of Earth or a region of Earth,
Location on Earth
The earth is effectively a sphere, so how do we describe where a point is on its surface?
The most common way to locate points on the surface of the Earth is by standard, geographic coordinates called latitude and longitude. These coordinates values are measured in degrees, minutes and seconds.
Latitude, and the Equator
We can imagine the Earth as a sphere, with an axis around which it spins. The ends of the axis are the North and South Poles. The Equator is a line around the earth, an equal distance from both poles. The Equator is also the latitude line given the value of 0 degrees.
A line connecting all the points with the same latitude value is called a line of latitude. lines of latitude are parallel to the Equator, and they are sometimes also referred to as parallels. Parallels are equally spaced. There are 90 degrees of latitude going north from the Equator, and the North Pole is at 90 degrees N. There are 90 degrees to the south of the Equator, and the South Pole is at 90 degrees S.
Longitudes, and the Prime Meridian
Lines of longitude, called meridians, run perpendicular to lines of latitude, and all pass through both poles. Each longitude line is part of a great circle. There is no obvious 0-degree point for longitude, as there is for latitude. Throughout history many different starting points have been used to measure longitude. By international agreement, the meridian line through Greenwich, England, is currently given the value of 0 degrees of longitude; this meridian is referred to as the Prime Meridian. Longitude values indicate the distance between the Prime Meridian and points east or west of it on the surface of the Earth.
Do You Know?
All places on the same meridian would experience noon (or any other time of th day) at the same time. When we want to say the time is 10:00 in the morning, we say 10:00 am. What does am (and pm) stand for?? am means ante-meridian (before noon) and pm means post-meridian (after noon).
Location of DELHI, INDIA 28 40 N 77 14 E
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Animal Homes
Animals live in a variety of different kinds of homes from holes in the ground, to caves, nests and trees. Some animals use natural habitat for their homes. Other animals build their own home. Some animals even live in other animal's homes. Let’s explore where some animals make their home.
ROCK CAVES
Many animals like the protection and shelter of rock caves for homes. A cave can provide shelter from the sun on hot days. It can also provide shelter from the wind and cold. Some caves can even provide protection from larger predators. Tigers are the largest member of the cat family. There are many types of tigers mostly living in southern continents such as Asia. They like to live in mountainous regions where caves provide shelter from the heat. Some bears, like the brown bear, like to live in mountainous areas where caves provide a good shelter. Many sea animals also like to live in caves. Animals such as the crab and sea urchin bury themselves among the rocks. The morey eel likes to live in small holes or crevices in a coral reef. They hide in these holes, and quickly emerge to grab a passing fish for food. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Bats sleep during the day, and come out at night in search of food. Bats use echolocation, the ability to listen to sounds bouncing off objects, to help guide them in the dark and to find food. Many bats live in caves where they are sheltered from light during the day. They hang upside down hooking their feet into cracks in the roof of a cave or in a hollow tree.
Many animals like the protection and shelter of rock caves for homes. A cave can provide shelter from the sun on hot days. It can also provide shelter from the wind and cold. Some caves can even provide protection from larger predators. Tigers are the largest member of the cat family. There are many types of tigers mostly living in southern continents such as Asia. They like to live in mountainous regions where caves provide shelter from the heat. Some bears, like the brown bear, like to live in mountainous areas where caves provide a good shelter. Many sea animals also like to live in caves. Animals such as the crab and sea urchin bury themselves among the rocks. The morey eel likes to live in small holes or crevices in a coral reef. They hide in these holes, and quickly emerge to grab a passing fish for food. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Bats sleep during the day, and come out at night in search of food. Bats use echolocation, the ability to listen to sounds bouncing off objects, to help guide them in the dark and to find food. Many bats live in caves where they are sheltered from light during the day. They hang upside down hooking their feet into cracks in the roof of a cave or in a hollow tree.
Some Animals Live in the Ground Many animals dig burrows in the ground for a home and shelter. A burrow in the ground can provide shelter from the sun on hot days. It can also provide shelter from the wind and cold. A burrow can even provide protection from larger predators. Small rodents like the gopher, ground squirrel, mole, and rabbit dig burrows in the ground, or under logs and rocks, to provide shelter. Many of these animals, like the gopher, create very extensive underground burrow systems. They connect together many entrance and exit holes with tunnels, allowing them to travel underground. Other animals including the earthworm and ants also live in the ground. The earthworm's long, slender body helps it move through moist soil. The earthworm eats and digests the soil as it moves through it. The main food of an earthworm is decomposing plants and leaves. An Earthworm is very beneficial to us as it makes the soil fertile and its’ underground passages allow rain and air to go deep in the soil.
Some Animals Live in Trees.
Many animals live in trees as a safe place away from predators on the ground. It is probably not surprising that some animals, such as birds, live in trees. Other animals that live in trees are less common than birds. Although you don't see a snake in a tree very often, some snakes live in trees. Animals often make homes in old hollowed out trees. The tree provides both shelter and protection from other animals and predators. The tree is home to many rodents such as the squirrel. The squirrel lives in many areas of the world. It is easily recognized by its bushy tail. Although some squirrels live in burrows underground, the tree squirrel makes its home in trees. Squirrels are great tree climbers. They can make leaps of 10 to 15 feet from branch to branch. In addition to being a safe place away from predators, the squirrel can collect nuts, berries and fruit for food, and store them in the
tree. Owls are large birds of prey who are best known for their hooting calls. Most owls prefer to live in wooded areas, although some owls will find a home in old church steeples or old buildings. Monkeys and chimpanzees are mammals which along with humans are port of the primate family. They have the ability to use tools, such as sticks, to help them catch bugs or to crack open nuts for food. They build their nests from branches and vines in trees. Some snakes, such as the Green Mamba of Africa, live in trees. In trees they can catch lizards, bird's eggs and small rodents for food. Nests are built by birds and other animals, as a home for themselves and especially for their eggs. Most nests are bowl-shaped and built in tree branches, on the ground, or even in buildings. They are made of twigs, leaves, and grass held together with mud or saliva.
Some Animals Live in Hives. The honeybee and bumblebee are very social insects. They live and work in large colonies, and build large nests or hives. These hives are the home for many bees. Inside the hive, the bees build a honeycomb-shaped frame with multiple cells. The cells of the honeycomb are used to store food, such as honey and pollen, or to hold eggs, larvae and pupae. Bees live in colonies, often with several hundred bees sharing the same hive or nest. The hive is usually built in the ground, in trees, or even buildings.
Worker bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers which are used to create wax to build the hive. The queen bee creates the wax in her abdomen, which she uses to build chambers or cells where she lays her eggs. The hexagonal honeycomb is one of the most sturdy and economical structures in the world.
Some Animals Live in Barns. Many domestic animals live on farms. Their home is usually a barn or some form of pen. Most animals raised on farms are used to provide milk or food, but some of them like the horse, can also be used to help with farm work. Come explore some animals that live on a farm, and that live in a barn.
Some Animals live in Webs. A spider's web is very easy to recognize. In addition to be home, the web helps the spider catch food and protect it from some predators. Spiders have the ability to produce silk from an organ in th
eir abdomen called the spinneret. The spider's web has many purposes in addition to being a place to live.
Spiders use their web to trap insects for food. Once an insect is caught, they may also use their web to tie up their victim. Spiders also lay a line of silk as they move around. They anchor the line to a surface, and use the line just like a mountain climber uses their safety rope.
Some Animals Live in Trees.
Many animals live in trees as a safe place away from predators on the ground. It is probably not surprising that some animals, such as birds, live in trees. Other animals that live in trees are less common than birds. Although you don't see a snake in a tree very often, some snakes live in trees. Animals often make homes in old hollowed out trees. The tree provides both shelter and protection from other animals and predators. The tree is home to many rodents such as the squirrel. The squirrel lives in many areas of the world. It is easily recognized by its bushy tail. Although some squirrels live in burrows underground, the tree squirrel makes its home in trees. Squirrels are great tree climbers. They can make leaps of 10 to 15 feet from branch to branch. In addition to being a safe place away from predators, the squirrel can collect nuts, berries and fruit for food, and store them in the
tree. Owls are large birds of prey who are best known for their hooting calls. Most owls prefer to live in wooded areas, although some owls will find a home in old church steeples or old buildings. Monkeys and chimpanzees are mammals which along with humans are port of the primate family. They have the ability to use tools, such as sticks, to help them catch bugs or to crack open nuts for food. They build their nests from branches and vines in trees. Some snakes, such as the Green Mamba of Africa, live in trees. In trees they can catch lizards, bird's eggs and small rodents for food. Nests are built by birds and other animals, as a home for themselves and especially for their eggs. Most nests are bowl-shaped and built in tree branches, on the ground, or even in buildings. They are made of twigs, leaves, and grass held together with mud or saliva.Some Animals Live in Hives. The honeybee and bumblebee are very social insects. They live and work in large colonies, and build large nests or hives. These hives are the home for many bees. Inside the hive, the bees build a honeycomb-shaped frame with multiple cells. The cells of the honeycomb are used to store food, such as honey and pollen, or to hold eggs, larvae and pupae. Bees live in colonies, often with several hundred bees sharing the same hive or nest. The hive is usually built in the ground, in trees, or even buildings.
Worker bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers which are used to create wax to build the hive. The queen bee creates the wax in her abdomen, which she uses to build chambers or cells where she lays her eggs. The hexagonal honeycomb is one of the most sturdy and economical structures in the world.
Some Animals Live in Barns. Many domestic animals live on farms. Their home is usually a barn or some form of pen. Most animals raised on farms are used to provide milk or food, but some of them like the horse, can also be used to help with farm work. Come explore some animals that live on a farm, and that live in a barn.
Some Animals live in Webs. A spider's web is very easy to recognize. In addition to be home, the web helps the spider catch food and protect it from some predators. Spiders have the ability to produce silk from an organ in th
eir abdomen called the spinneret. The spider's web has many purposes in addition to being a place to live.Spiders use their web to trap insects for food. Once an insect is caught, they may also use their web to tie up their victim. Spiders also lay a line of silk as they move around. They anchor the line to a surface, and use the line just like a mountain climber uses their safety rope.
Some Animals Live in Water. About two-thirds of the Earth is covered with water. This is home for many of the Earth's creatures. Many different kinds of animals live in water. A wide variety of fish live in the sea. Many types of fish live in fresh water like rivers and lakes. Other types of fish live in the salt water of the oceans and seas. The water is not only the fishes' home, but it also provides them with the food and oxygen they need to live. Although whales and dolphins live in water, they are mammals. They cannot breathe under water. They must come to the surface to breathe air. They breathe through a blowhole, or nostrils, on the top of their head. Babies are born under water, but must be pushed to the surface by the mother so the baby can take a breath.
The circulatory and respiratory systems have adapted to living in water. Whales and dolphins can dive deep in the water on a single breath.
Some Animals Live in Houses as Pets.
The circulatory and respiratory systems have adapted to living in water. Whales and dolphins can dive deep in the water on a single breath.
Some Animals Live in Houses as Pets.
The Beaver
The most prolific civil engineer and Architect among animals is the Beaver!!
Beavers are famously busy, and they turn their talents to reengineering the landscape as few other animals can. When sites are available, beavers burrow in the banks of rivers and lakes. But they also transform less suitable habitats by building dams. Felling and gnawing trees with their strong teeth and powerful jaws, they create massive log, branch, and mud structures to block streams and turn fields and forests into the large ponds that beavers love.
Domelike beaver homes, called lodges, are also constructed of branches and mud. They are often strategically located in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. These dwellings are home to extended families of monogamous parents, young kits, and the yearlings born the previous spring.
Beavers are among the largest of rodents. They are herbivores and prefer to eat leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants.
These animals are active all winter, swimming and foraging in their ponds even when a layer of ice covers the surface.
Suggested viewing: How does a spider spins its’ web at http://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/spider5.htm
How does a beaver work at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na2HYq11yuM
Beavers are famously busy, and they turn their talents to reengineering the landscape as few other animals can. When sites are available, beavers burrow in the banks of rivers and lakes. But they also transform less suitable habitats by building dams. Felling and gnawing trees with their strong teeth and powerful jaws, they create massive log, branch, and mud structures to block streams and turn fields and forests into the large ponds that beavers love.
Domelike beaver homes, called lodges, are also constructed of branches and mud. They are often strategically located in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. These dwellings are home to extended families of monogamous parents, young kits, and the yearlings born the previous spring.
Beavers are among the largest of rodents. They are herbivores and prefer to eat leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants.
These animals are active all winter, swimming and foraging in their ponds even when a layer of ice covers the surface.
Suggested viewing: How does a spider spins its’ web at http://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/spider5.htm
How does a beaver work at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na2HYq11yuM
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Great Rivers
Anatomy of a river
Rivers are the lifelines of our civilizations. A river usually stars from a glacier atop a mountain. Many streams join together to make a river. Smaller rivers, called Tributaries, join the main river. The sides of a river are called River banks. A river Bed is the soil under the river. Drainage Basin is the area whose rain water is collected by the river. A good way to understand what a drainage basin is to think of the area as a shallow dish, or saucer. Whenever rain falls and lands anywhere in the river basin it all runs into the lowest place in the pan, which is the river. Floodplains are the plains around the river which are flooded during rainy seasons.
Rivers usually meet the sea, at a place called the Mouth. They deposit huge amounts of eroded soils there, forming Deltas. Erosion also creates River gorges and canyons.
Great River – The Amazon.
Amazon is the greatest river in the world by a number of measures. It carries the largest amount of water – At places it is so wide that it is called the River Sea, The Amazon is the second longest river in the world. It begins as hundreds of tiny little streams high in the Andes Mountains. It is joined by over two hundred tributaries which flow into the main river. The Amazon carries more water than any of the world's rivers. Each second, between 34 and 121 million litres of water are carried into the Atlantic Ocean. This is because rain falls on more than 200 days every year.
Amazon is so big because it is situated right on the equator, where it rains almost every day. Its’ drainage basin covers the entire northern half of the continent of South America. On its course to the sea, the Amazon flows through the biggest rainforest in the world. More then a third of all species in the world live in the Amazon. It is home to a great number of Parrots, toucans, jaguars, monkeys, fish, snakes and insects.
Boto – or the River Dolphin, the deadly Piranha and the huge Anaconda all share Amazon as their home.
Great River – The Amazon.
Amazon is the greatest river in the world by a number of measures. It carries the largest amount of water – At places it is so wide that it is called the River Sea, The Amazon is the second longest river in the world. It begins as hundreds of tiny little streams high in the Andes Mountains. It is joined by over two hundred tributaries which flow into the main river. The Amazon carries more water than any of the world's rivers. Each second, between 34 and 121 million litres of water are carried into the Atlantic Ocean. This is because rain falls on more than 200 days every year.
Amazon is so big because it is situated right on the equator, where it rains almost every day. Its’ drainage basin covers the entire northern half of the continent of South America. On its course to the sea, the Amazon flows through the biggest rainforest in the world. More then a third of all species in the world live in the Amazon. It is home to a great number of Parrots, toucans, jaguars, monkeys, fish, snakes and insects.
Boto – or the River Dolphin, the deadly Piranha and the huge Anaconda all share Amazon as their home.
Our Great River- the Ganges.
The Ganges is the main river system in India. Its source is found 3000 metres high in the Himalayas, the world's highest mountains. The Ganges gets its water from the snow melting in the spring and summer months. The course of the Ganges takes it across northern India before it finally reaches its mouth in the Bay of Bengal. The mouth of the Ganges is a delta (it is the World's largest delta).
The Ganges has two main tributaries: the Jumna and the Brahmaputra. The Jumna is 1358 kilometres in length and joins the Ganges at the city of Allahabad. The Brahmaputra is 2900 kilometres long and joins the Ganges in its delta.
The Ganges is the main river system in India. Its source is found 3000 metres high in the Himalayas, the world's highest mountains. The Ganges gets its water from the snow melting in the spring and summer months. The course of the Ganges takes it across northern India before it finally reaches its mouth in the Bay of Bengal. The mouth of the Ganges is a delta (it is the World's largest delta).
The Ganges has two main tributaries: the Jumna and the Brahmaputra. The Jumna is 1358 kilometres in length and joins the Ganges at the city of Allahabad. The Brahmaputra is 2900 kilometres long and joins the Ganges in its delta.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Exploring our Solar System
OUR SUN
The Sun is the closest star to Earth and is the center of our solar system. A giant, spinning ball of very hot gas, the Sun is fueled by nuclear fusion reactions. The light from the Sun heats our world and makes life possible. The Sun is also an active star that displays sunspots, solar flares, etc.. These phenomena impact our near-Earth space environment and determine our "space weather." Someday, the hydrogen in the Sun will run out. A long time from now. Our star will puff up. It will eat some planets. Even the Earth! Eventually our Sun will end up as a white dwarf.
The highly rarefied area around the sun, called the corona, extends millions of kilometers into space but is visible only during a total solar eclipse (left). Temperatures in the corona are over 1,000,000 K.
What goes around the Sun:
The first thing to notice is that the solar system is mostly empty space. The planets are very small compared to the space between them. Even the dots on the diagrams above are too big to be in proper scale with respect to the sizes of the orbits.
The orbits of the planets are ellipses with the Sun at one focus, though all except Mercury are very nearly circular.
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are all Rocky planets, inner planets and small planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are gas , outer, giant planets.
The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter forms the boundary between the inner solar system and the outer solar system.
Mercury
Very tiny planet, only slightly bigger than Earth’s moon, has a very elliptical orbit. Has no moons.
Venus
It is the brightest object in the sky except for the Sun and the Moon. Venus is sometimes regarded as Earth's sister planet. Venus is only slightly smaller than Earth and their densities and chemical compositions are similar. But it is radically different from Earth. It may be the least hospitable place for life in the solar system.
The pressure of Venus' atmosphere at the surface is very high, composed mostly of carbon dioxide. This dense atmosphere raises Venus' surface temperature by about 400 degrees to over 740 K (hot enough to melt lead). Venus' surface is actually hotter than Mercury's despite being nearly twice as far from the Sun.
Earth
Earth, our home planet, is a beautiful blue and white ball when seen from space. The third planet from the Sun, it is the largest of the inner planets. Earth is the only planet known to support life and to have liquid water at the surface.
Mars
Mars, Earth's outer neighbor, is the fourth planet from the Sun. Mars' bright appearance and reddish color stand out in the night sky. Impressive surface features such as enormous volcanoes and valleys are frequently obscured by huge dust storms. The planet probably got this name due to its red color; Mars is sometimes referred to as the Red Planet. Olympus Mons: the largest mountain in the Solar System rising 24 km (78,000 ft.) above the surrounding plain. Early telescopic observations revealed that Mars has permanent ice caps at both poles.
Jupiter
It is the largest planet in the solar system. When approached from afar, its fantastic striped atmosphere gradually reveals intriguing clouds that move around the planet.
Saturn
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, has the most spectacular set of rings in the solar system.
Uranus
Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, has its spin axis almost in the plane of its orbit about the Sun. This produces unusual seasons and also causes unique magnetic and electric field structures.
Neptune
Neptune, the eighth and furthest planet from the Sun, is a very cold place. Its bluish color is caused by small amounts of methane gas in its atmosphere.
Moon
The Moon was first visited by the Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 in 1959. It is the only extraterrestrial body to have been visited by humans. The first landing was on July 20, 1969. The gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon cause some interesting effects. The most obvious is the tides.
Space Exploration:
In 1942 the German V2 was the first rocket to reach 100km from the Earth’s surface (the boundary of space).The rocket was designed by Wernher Von Braun, who later worked with NASA as the creator of the rockets that went to the moon.
In 1947, the first animals were launched into space. Fruit flies were used to study the effects of space travel on animals, and were chosen because they are more similar to humans than you might imagine!The flies travelled with a supply of corn to eat on the flight.
Albert II, was the first monkey in space. He was a Rhesus monkey, a type of monkey that originally comes from Asia. Albert went into space on 14th June, 1949 in a specially adapted American V2 rocket, that flew to a height of 83 miles from earth.
On 4th October 1957, Russia launched the first satellite into space; Sputnik 1, and the space age had properly begun!Sputnik was the first satellite in orbit around the earth. Today there are over 500 working satellites in space. Sputnik means "Satellite" in Russian.
In November 1957, the Russian space dog Laika became the first animal to orbit the earth.Laika travelled in a spacecraft known as Sputnik 2. Laika means "Barker" in Russian, and her mission helped scientists understand whether people could survive in space.
By 1959 Both American and Russian scientists were in a race to get a spacecraft to the Moon; the Russians made it first.Space-probe Luna 2 crash-landed into the moon at a speed that would kill an astronaut if one had been travelling in it! It was ten more years until a human visited the moon's surface.
On 12th April 1961, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Gagarin's spacecraft, Vostok 1, completed one orbit of the earth, and landed about two hours after launch.Gagarin had to bail out and land using his parachute, because the Vostok 1 was designed to crash land!
In 1963 US President John F. Kennedy promised the world that the US would land men on the moon before 1970. Before they could risk people's lives, NASA sent a robot spaceship to the moon, to make sure they could land without crashing. It was called Surveyor 1, and it made the first soft landing on the Moon on 30th May 1966.
On 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong, and then Buzz Aldrin took "one small step" and became the first men on the moon. The first words said on the moon were "the Eagle has landed". Their spaceship, Apollo 11 worked perfectly, flying them 250,000 miles to the moon, and bringing them all the way back safely to earth. Buzz was a childhood nickname - his real name was Edwin!
Two days into its journey to the moon, on 13th April 1970, Apollo 13 suffered an explosion caused by a wiring fault. Using only whatever was on board, NASA scientists and the astronauts on board improvised repairs to bring the crippled spaceship home.The mission was a successful failure: although the crew never walked on the moon at least they made it home alive!
In 1973, Russian space probe Mars 2 explored Mars, the fourth planet of the solar system.The probe was made of two parts. One part stayed in orbit for a year, sending pictures of Mars back to earth. The other was to land and explore the surface of Mars, but it was destroyed when its parachute failed to open.
Until 12th April 1981 all spacecraft were designed to be used only once. The Space Shuttle, was designed to be reused for up to 100 visits to space, in an attempt to make space travel less expensive.With five hugely powerful rocket motors, it can fly at more than 17,000 miles per hour. Six have been built.
On January 28th 1986, tragedy struck. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch, because of a fuel system failure. All seven astronauts on board were killed, and all shuttles were grounded for nearly three years.This shocking accident reminded the world of the dangers of space travel, and the incredible bravery of all astronauts.
In 2003, Space shutter Columbia burst into flames on its return journey, and all its’ crew members were killed. On boars was Kalpana Chawla among others.
In 2000 the first permanent crew moved into the International Space Station (ISS), where crews of astronauts have been living ever since. The ISS is a huge space station for research and space exploration that began construction in 1986 and will not be finished until 2010.
On the 28th April 2001 American millionaire Dennis Tito became the first space tourist when he paid around 20 million dollars for a ride in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.Dennis spent a week in orbit, most of the time visiting the International Space Station. He had to train for 900 hours just to be a passenger!
Why does an astronaut wear a spacesuit?
Space is a very challenging place to explore. There is no air in space, so there is nothing to breathe. It is very cold, unless the sun is shining onto you - and then, without air to protect you, the rays of the sun would soon burn you!To survive in space you need a suit that protects your body from the heat and cold, and surrounds you with air to breathe. Space suits are pressurised, meaning they are full of air to support your body, which is why they look puffed up. A space suit is like a tiny spaceship for one. It is a very complicated machine, with air conditioning, heating, air to breathe and water to drink. It even has a built in toilet!Some space suits attach to a rocket powered backpack, which allows the astronaut wearing it to fly around in space.
The Sun is the closest star to Earth and is the center of our solar system. A giant, spinning ball of very hot gas, the Sun is fueled by nuclear fusion reactions. The light from the Sun heats our world and makes life possible. The Sun is also an active star that displays sunspots, solar flares, etc.. These phenomena impact our near-Earth space environment and determine our "space weather." Someday, the hydrogen in the Sun will run out. A long time from now. Our star will puff up. It will eat some planets. Even the Earth! Eventually our Sun will end up as a white dwarf.
The highly rarefied area around the sun, called the corona, extends millions of kilometers into space but is visible only during a total solar eclipse (left). Temperatures in the corona are over 1,000,000 K.
What goes around the Sun:
The first thing to notice is that the solar system is mostly empty space. The planets are very small compared to the space between them. Even the dots on the diagrams above are too big to be in proper scale with respect to the sizes of the orbits.
The orbits of the planets are ellipses with the Sun at one focus, though all except Mercury are very nearly circular.
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are all Rocky planets, inner planets and small planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are gas , outer, giant planets.
The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter forms the boundary between the inner solar system and the outer solar system.
Mercury
Very tiny planet, only slightly bigger than Earth’s moon, has a very elliptical orbit. Has no moons.
Venus
It is the brightest object in the sky except for the Sun and the Moon. Venus is sometimes regarded as Earth's sister planet. Venus is only slightly smaller than Earth and their densities and chemical compositions are similar. But it is radically different from Earth. It may be the least hospitable place for life in the solar system.
The pressure of Venus' atmosphere at the surface is very high, composed mostly of carbon dioxide. This dense atmosphere raises Venus' surface temperature by about 400 degrees to over 740 K (hot enough to melt lead). Venus' surface is actually hotter than Mercury's despite being nearly twice as far from the Sun.
Earth
Earth, our home planet, is a beautiful blue and white ball when seen from space. The third planet from the Sun, it is the largest of the inner planets. Earth is the only planet known to support life and to have liquid water at the surface.
Mars
Mars, Earth's outer neighbor, is the fourth planet from the Sun. Mars' bright appearance and reddish color stand out in the night sky. Impressive surface features such as enormous volcanoes and valleys are frequently obscured by huge dust storms. The planet probably got this name due to its red color; Mars is sometimes referred to as the Red Planet. Olympus Mons: the largest mountain in the Solar System rising 24 km (78,000 ft.) above the surrounding plain. Early telescopic observations revealed that Mars has permanent ice caps at both poles.
Jupiter
It is the largest planet in the solar system. When approached from afar, its fantastic striped atmosphere gradually reveals intriguing clouds that move around the planet.
Saturn
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, has the most spectacular set of rings in the solar system.
Uranus
Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, has its spin axis almost in the plane of its orbit about the Sun. This produces unusual seasons and also causes unique magnetic and electric field structures.
Neptune
Neptune, the eighth and furthest planet from the Sun, is a very cold place. Its bluish color is caused by small amounts of methane gas in its atmosphere.
Moon
The Moon was first visited by the Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 in 1959. It is the only extraterrestrial body to have been visited by humans. The first landing was on July 20, 1969. The gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon cause some interesting effects. The most obvious is the tides.
Space Exploration:
In 1942 the German V2 was the first rocket to reach 100km from the Earth’s surface (the boundary of space).The rocket was designed by Wernher Von Braun, who later worked with NASA as the creator of the rockets that went to the moon.
In 1947, the first animals were launched into space. Fruit flies were used to study the effects of space travel on animals, and were chosen because they are more similar to humans than you might imagine!The flies travelled with a supply of corn to eat on the flight.
Albert II, was the first monkey in space. He was a Rhesus monkey, a type of monkey that originally comes from Asia. Albert went into space on 14th June, 1949 in a specially adapted American V2 rocket, that flew to a height of 83 miles from earth.
On 4th October 1957, Russia launched the first satellite into space; Sputnik 1, and the space age had properly begun!Sputnik was the first satellite in orbit around the earth. Today there are over 500 working satellites in space. Sputnik means "Satellite" in Russian.
In November 1957, the Russian space dog Laika became the first animal to orbit the earth.Laika travelled in a spacecraft known as Sputnik 2. Laika means "Barker" in Russian, and her mission helped scientists understand whether people could survive in space.
By 1959 Both American and Russian scientists were in a race to get a spacecraft to the Moon; the Russians made it first.Space-probe Luna 2 crash-landed into the moon at a speed that would kill an astronaut if one had been travelling in it! It was ten more years until a human visited the moon's surface.
On 12th April 1961, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Gagarin's spacecraft, Vostok 1, completed one orbit of the earth, and landed about two hours after launch.Gagarin had to bail out and land using his parachute, because the Vostok 1 was designed to crash land!
In 1963 US President John F. Kennedy promised the world that the US would land men on the moon before 1970. Before they could risk people's lives, NASA sent a robot spaceship to the moon, to make sure they could land without crashing. It was called Surveyor 1, and it made the first soft landing on the Moon on 30th May 1966.
On 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong, and then Buzz Aldrin took "one small step" and became the first men on the moon. The first words said on the moon were "the Eagle has landed". Their spaceship, Apollo 11 worked perfectly, flying them 250,000 miles to the moon, and bringing them all the way back safely to earth. Buzz was a childhood nickname - his real name was Edwin!
Two days into its journey to the moon, on 13th April 1970, Apollo 13 suffered an explosion caused by a wiring fault. Using only whatever was on board, NASA scientists and the astronauts on board improvised repairs to bring the crippled spaceship home.The mission was a successful failure: although the crew never walked on the moon at least they made it home alive!
In 1973, Russian space probe Mars 2 explored Mars, the fourth planet of the solar system.The probe was made of two parts. One part stayed in orbit for a year, sending pictures of Mars back to earth. The other was to land and explore the surface of Mars, but it was destroyed when its parachute failed to open.
Until 12th April 1981 all spacecraft were designed to be used only once. The Space Shuttle, was designed to be reused for up to 100 visits to space, in an attempt to make space travel less expensive.With five hugely powerful rocket motors, it can fly at more than 17,000 miles per hour. Six have been built.
On January 28th 1986, tragedy struck. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch, because of a fuel system failure. All seven astronauts on board were killed, and all shuttles were grounded for nearly three years.This shocking accident reminded the world of the dangers of space travel, and the incredible bravery of all astronauts.
In 2003, Space shutter Columbia burst into flames on its return journey, and all its’ crew members were killed. On boars was Kalpana Chawla among others.
In 2000 the first permanent crew moved into the International Space Station (ISS), where crews of astronauts have been living ever since. The ISS is a huge space station for research and space exploration that began construction in 1986 and will not be finished until 2010.
On the 28th April 2001 American millionaire Dennis Tito became the first space tourist when he paid around 20 million dollars for a ride in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.Dennis spent a week in orbit, most of the time visiting the International Space Station. He had to train for 900 hours just to be a passenger!
Why does an astronaut wear a spacesuit?
Space is a very challenging place to explore. There is no air in space, so there is nothing to breathe. It is very cold, unless the sun is shining onto you - and then, without air to protect you, the rays of the sun would soon burn you!To survive in space you need a suit that protects your body from the heat and cold, and surrounds you with air to breathe. Space suits are pressurised, meaning they are full of air to support your body, which is why they look puffed up. A space suit is like a tiny spaceship for one. It is a very complicated machine, with air conditioning, heating, air to breathe and water to drink. It even has a built in toilet!Some space suits attach to a rocket powered backpack, which allows the astronaut wearing it to fly around in space.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
II Ramayana II
Ramayana, the greatest epic of all times, was written by Maharishi Valmiki over 2000 years ago.
Ramayana tells us the Story of Lord Rama, who came on the Earth as an incarnation of Vishnu. He was born as the son of king Dashratha and Queen Kaushalya. He was the eldest among his brothers- Bharat, Lashman and Shatrughan. He married the daughter of king Janak- Sita and was living happily in Ayodhyaya. It was then when his stepmother, Queen Kaikayi asked Dashrath to make Bharat the king and banish Rama in the forest for 14 years. Rama, being an obedient son, agreed.
His loving wife , Sita and loyal brother , Lakshman followed hin in the jungle. They lived there peacefully untill one day Suparnakha, sister of the demon king Ravana spotted them. She instantly liked the handsome Rama, and approached him. Rama rejected her. Furious, she charged towards Sita, where in Lakshman cut off her nose.
Agitated, Suparnakha went to her brother Ravana, and told him of Sita's extraordinary beauty and the brother's atrocities on her. Ravana kidnapped Sita and brought her to Lanka.
Rama and Lakshman enlisted the help of the monkey king, Sugriva and his general, Hanuman to trace Sita. Hanuman was able to locate Sita in Lanka. Soon, Rama and his monkey army invaded Lanka.
A fierce battle raged. Ravana was helped by his able son, Indrajit and mostrous brother , Kumbhkaran. His another brother Vibhishana , was good at heart, and so he changed sides to be with Rama. In the end , Rama won the battle and rescued Sita.
Rama and Sita were noble rulers of their land and ruled wisely.
We celebrate Dasahara on the day of Rama's victory over Ravana and Diwali on the day Rama returned back to Ayodhyaya.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Marvels of Medicine
All of us fall sick sometimes. Medicines cure us and get us back on our feet quickly. But there are many different systems of medicines prevelant in the world today:
Allopathy : also known as the Modern medicine.
Ayurveda : The classic Indian approach to the art of healing.
Homeopathy : propagated by a German Dr. Samuel Hahnemann
Modern Medicine:
Hippocrates is known as the father of medicine. He was the first to suggest that diseases are not divine interventions but natural problems, curable by nature itself.
Steps of a treatment:
When we fall sick, a doctor can cure us. First he needs to ascertain the disease. This is called Diagnosis. He may take help of some tests to accurately diagnose the disease.
Then he will prescribe some medicines in a Prescription.
We must always follow the doctors’ advice.
At times, doctors need to operate on a patient. This is called Surgery
What makes us sick?.
Diseases can be caused due to many reasons. Microorganisms like bacteria and Virus are the main culprits. Some diseases like malaria spread through mosquitoes. Some, like Typhoid are spread by eating dirty food and water. Infectious diseases are diseases that spread from one person to another.
The best way to stay healthy is to eat a balanced diet, personal hygiene and regular exercise. Remember, Prevention is better than cure.
Important types of medicines.
Vaccine: is given to improve the body’s immunity to a particular disease.
Antiseptic: is a substance that is applied to a living tissue or skin to reduce the possibility of infection.
Antibiotic: are substances that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics are given to a patient if he has bacterial infection. One must always complete the full course of an antibiotic medicine.
First Aid:
The immediate care given to someone in emergency is called First Aid.
Always keep a first aid box ready in home. A typical First Aid box will contain
1. Bandaid 2. AntiSeptic 3. Cotton wool and bandage 4.Ointment 5. Scissors 6. Common medicines.
Ayurveda, which means "science of life" in Sanskrit, is based on the premise that everything in the universe, including the human body, is comprised of five basic elements: earth, wind, fire, water and space
Ayurveda prescribes natural remedies to cure the diseases. Yoga plays a big part in ancient Indian system of healthcare.
Charaka was a prominent Rishi and the first important physician of India. His book, Charak Samhita, is an important source of Ayurvedic remedies.
Sushruta was an important surgeon of ancient India and his book Sushruta Samhita is an important document on early surgery .
Homeopathy: Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine , first expounded by german Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. He put forth the idea of “like destroys like” , and created this branch of medicine. Homeopathy is characterised by highly diluted doses of medicine given typically in sugar balls.
Other alternate forms as acupuncture, Siddha medicine etc. also exist throughout the world.
Allopathy : also known as the Modern medicine.
Ayurveda : The classic Indian approach to the art of healing.
Homeopathy : propagated by a German Dr. Samuel Hahnemann
Modern Medicine:
Hippocrates is known as the father of medicine. He was the first to suggest that diseases are not divine interventions but natural problems, curable by nature itself.
Steps of a treatment:
When we fall sick, a doctor can cure us. First he needs to ascertain the disease. This is called Diagnosis. He may take help of some tests to accurately diagnose the disease.
Then he will prescribe some medicines in a Prescription.
We must always follow the doctors’ advice.
At times, doctors need to operate on a patient. This is called Surgery
What makes us sick?.
Diseases can be caused due to many reasons. Microorganisms like bacteria and Virus are the main culprits. Some diseases like malaria spread through mosquitoes. Some, like Typhoid are spread by eating dirty food and water. Infectious diseases are diseases that spread from one person to another.
The best way to stay healthy is to eat a balanced diet, personal hygiene and regular exercise. Remember, Prevention is better than cure.
Important types of medicines.
Vaccine: is given to improve the body’s immunity to a particular disease.
Antiseptic: is a substance that is applied to a living tissue or skin to reduce the possibility of infection.
Antibiotic: are substances that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics are given to a patient if he has bacterial infection. One must always complete the full course of an antibiotic medicine.
First Aid:
The immediate care given to someone in emergency is called First Aid.
Always keep a first aid box ready in home. A typical First Aid box will contain
1. Bandaid 2. AntiSeptic 3. Cotton wool and bandage 4.Ointment 5. Scissors 6. Common medicines.
Ayurveda, which means "science of life" in Sanskrit, is based on the premise that everything in the universe, including the human body, is comprised of five basic elements: earth, wind, fire, water and space
Ayurveda prescribes natural remedies to cure the diseases. Yoga plays a big part in ancient Indian system of healthcare.
Charaka was a prominent Rishi and the first important physician of India. His book, Charak Samhita, is an important source of Ayurvedic remedies.
Sushruta was an important surgeon of ancient India and his book Sushruta Samhita is an important document on early surgery .
Homeopathy: Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine , first expounded by german Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. He put forth the idea of “like destroys like” , and created this branch of medicine. Homeopathy is characterised by highly diluted doses of medicine given typically in sugar balls.
Other alternate forms as acupuncture, Siddha medicine etc. also exist throughout the world.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Hibernation
Energy is needed all the time.
We all need energy – all the time. Every living animal on Earth is burning energy all the time. Physical activities like walking and breathing burn energy. Pumping blood and digesting food burns energy. Even thinking burns energy. For warm-blooded animals, a lot of energy is burned just keeping our body temperature where we need it. Even when we're sleeping, we're burning energy.
What happens in Winters?
That's the whole reason animals eat -- to gain enough energy to fuel all those processes. The system works fine when there's plenty of fruit on the trees or rabbits to catch and eat . But what happens when winter comes and it becomes very difficult to find food? How do animals survive with few energy sources available?
Winters can be very harsh in many places. Human beings find warmth in heaters, woollen clothes etc., but what do animals do? Where do they get their food from when all the land is covered in snow ?
Animals have different, wonderful strategies to cope with winters. Some migrate, Some Adapt, and yet some hibernate. Smaller animals tend to be more likely to hibernate, because migration would require an enormous amount of energy relative to their body size. Larger animals are less apt to hibernate because of the additional energy required to warm up a large body.
What is Hibernation?
Some animals "hibernate" for part or all of the winter. This is a special, very deep sleep. The animal's body temperature drops, and its heartbeat and breathing slow down. It uses very little energy. In the fall, these animals get ready for winter by eating extra food and storing it as body fat. They use this fat for energy while hibernating. Some also store food like nuts or acorns to eat later in the winter. Bears, skunks, chipmunks, and some bats hibernate. Cold-blooded animals like fish, frogs, snakes and turtles have no way to keep warm during the winter. Snakes and many other reptiles find shelter in holes or burrows, and spend the winter inactive, or dormant. This is similar to hibernation.
Water makes a good shelter for many animals. When the weather gets cold, they move to the bottom of lakes and ponds. There, frogs, turtles and many fish hide under rocks, logs or fallen leaves. They may even bury themselves in the mud. They become dormant. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, and the frogs and turtles can breath by absorbing it through their skin.
When an animal enters a hibernationlike state during the summer, it's known as estivation. It's much less common than hibernation. Estivation is like hibernation in hot weather. Animals that live in deserts or tropical climates practice estivation. It may not occur solely because of food supply issues, as with hibernation, but because the conditions become too hot and dry for the animal to survive. The process typically involves burrowing into the ground, where the temperature stays cool, and reducing metabolic activity in a similar manner to hibernation.
How does hibernation work ?
Hibernating animals have a special substance in the blood called hibernationinducement trigger, or HIT. This substance becomes active in the fall, when the days becomecooler and shorter. When HIT becomes active, the animals start preparing for winter. Someanimals store food so that they can eat when they wake up, and some animals eat a lot in latesummer and fall to add excess fat to their bodies. This fat keeps them warmer and acts as asource of energy while they are sleeping. Some animals also make changes to the placeswhere they will sleep (dens). They add leaves and grasses to keep them warm.
Preparing for Hibernation
Preparation is required to hibernate successfully. Some animals prepare a den (also known as a hibernacula) and line it with insulating material, just as leaves or mud. Ground squirrels and lemurs do this. Polar bears dig tunnels in the snow. Other bears might spend the winter in a hollow beside a tree or a shallow cave, leaving them partly exposed to the weather. Bats are well-known for wintering in caves or attics.
Next comes food storage. Food can be kept in the den if it's nonperishable, but this requires the animal to wake up briefly during the winter to eat. Another option is to eat a large amount of food starting in late summer, building up a reserve of internal fat.
Several other things occur when an animal is hibernating:Heart rate drops to as little as 2.5 percent of its usual level. A chipmunk's heart rate slows to five beats per minute from the usual 200.Breathing rate drops by 50 percent to 100 percent. Yes, 100 percent. Some animals stop breathing entirely. A few reptiles go their entire hibernation period without breathing, and even mammals have shown the ability to survive with drastically reduced oxygen supplies. Consciousness is greatly diminished. This varies by species, but many hibernating animals are completely oblivious to their surroundings and are nearly impossible to wake up.
If you were to wake up a hibernating animal midwinter, you would be effectively killing it. It would use up so much energy warming itself up in order to awaken that it would have no chance of making it to spring even if it could re-enter hibernation.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Cartoons!!!
The word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The word is French and describes the cardboard 'carton', on which draughtspersons used to draw.
The term, Cartoon, has evolved over time. The original meaning was in fine art, and there cartoon meant a preparatory drawing for a piece of art such as a painting or tapestry.
The somewhat more modern meaning was that of humorous illustrations in magazines and newspapers. Even more recently there are now several contemporary meanings, including creative visual work for print media, for electronic media, and even animated films and animated digital media.
We can divide Cartoons broadly into three categories:
Caricatures: The comic strips based on day to day life, and politics, to elicit laughter and thought, is often full of subtle satire. The common man by R.K.Laxman is an exemplary example of Caricatures.
Comics: Comics are a sequence of caricatures designed to tell a story using character of its’ own. Comics can be short – strips like Dennis the Menace or long comic books, like Tintin.
Animation pictures: The new cartoons of today, the Animation movies we see on our television screens take a long route from the imaginations of its’ creators to the seemingly realistic movements on your screen.
The original animation was a kid toy, a book whose leaves could be scrolled rapidly. On each page there were figures slightly different from the previous ones, and through the rapid scrolling they merged one with the other. It was an optic illusion. Modern technology is much more evolved, but it works on the same principle: static images presented rapidly and successively.
Mickey Mouse opened the Golden Age of the cartoons that lasted until the middle of the '50s. Disney was followed by the Fleisher Brothers with Popeye the Sailor, the spinach eating sailor with steel muscles, and after them, an invasion of the characters preferred by today's children: Tom and Jerry, Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Duffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety and others. Later, the Simpsons with their odd heads boosted again the popularity of the cartoons.
The first feature cartoon, in 1937, was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", which had a huge success. Other feature cartoons followed and, in 1994, for example, Lion King, made at Walt Disney studios, had one of the grossest revenues of the year.
How is an Animation movie made:
The first thing that is done is that the story itself is developed as what is called a "storyboard". This is literally a giant sized comic strip. As the story is developed the artist adds new drawings to this storyboard. Sometimes the entire story is known beforehand and other times it is developed as they go along. These drawings are pinned into a cork board so it is very easy to make changes as they go along.
After the storyboard is laid out, backgrounds are made for the cartoon. These are painted on cardboard with either tempera, acrylic or sometimes even oil paints. These backgrounds are where the characters of the cartoon will be performing their movements and are extremely large to allow for all the motion that may be required. The camera will then move across the background as the characters move across it.
Before the drawing of the characters even begins, the voices of the characters are recorded on tape and then transferred to magnetic film. The film is fed through a sound reader and every syllable is recorded on an exposure sheet. This is required in order to perform the synchronization between the sound and the picture. Each frame of film must be synchronized separately. This is extremely time consuming.
Finally after all this, the hard work begins. Yes, it gets harder. Every second of film consists of 24 frames with as many as 24 different drawings. That means that an hour animated film can contain as many as 86,400 drawings. Taking these frames, they are fed through a projector to make sure that the movement of each character for each second is smooth. If there are any problems, certain drawings may have to be redone. Note that these drawings are all in black and white.
If the movements of the frames passes the quality control test, it is at that time that color is added to all these drawings, all done by hand.They are then superimposed onto the backgrounds.
The actual filming is done on what is called an animation stand. Many times the picture will be divided into several levels which are separated by about 12 inches. Each part of the background is on a different level so that a 3 dimensional effect can be achieved.
Finally, the film is fed back through a projector which is showing each filmed board at a very fast rate. This gives the cartoon the feeling of motion.
Next time you watch a cartoon, see if you can pick any of this out. If the cartoon is well done, you won't be able to.
The term, Cartoon, has evolved over time. The original meaning was in fine art, and there cartoon meant a preparatory drawing for a piece of art such as a painting or tapestry.
The somewhat more modern meaning was that of humorous illustrations in magazines and newspapers. Even more recently there are now several contemporary meanings, including creative visual work for print media, for electronic media, and even animated films and animated digital media.
We can divide Cartoons broadly into three categories:
Caricatures: The comic strips based on day to day life, and politics, to elicit laughter and thought, is often full of subtle satire. The common man by R.K.Laxman is an exemplary example of Caricatures.
Comics: Comics are a sequence of caricatures designed to tell a story using character of its’ own. Comics can be short – strips like Dennis the Menace or long comic books, like Tintin.
Animation pictures: The new cartoons of today, the Animation movies we see on our television screens take a long route from the imaginations of its’ creators to the seemingly realistic movements on your screen.
The original animation was a kid toy, a book whose leaves could be scrolled rapidly. On each page there were figures slightly different from the previous ones, and through the rapid scrolling they merged one with the other. It was an optic illusion. Modern technology is much more evolved, but it works on the same principle: static images presented rapidly and successively.
Mickey Mouse opened the Golden Age of the cartoons that lasted until the middle of the '50s. Disney was followed by the Fleisher Brothers with Popeye the Sailor, the spinach eating sailor with steel muscles, and after them, an invasion of the characters preferred by today's children: Tom and Jerry, Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Duffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety and others. Later, the Simpsons with their odd heads boosted again the popularity of the cartoons.
The first feature cartoon, in 1937, was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", which had a huge success. Other feature cartoons followed and, in 1994, for example, Lion King, made at Walt Disney studios, had one of the grossest revenues of the year.
How is an Animation movie made:
The first thing that is done is that the story itself is developed as what is called a "storyboard". This is literally a giant sized comic strip. As the story is developed the artist adds new drawings to this storyboard. Sometimes the entire story is known beforehand and other times it is developed as they go along. These drawings are pinned into a cork board so it is very easy to make changes as they go along.
After the storyboard is laid out, backgrounds are made for the cartoon. These are painted on cardboard with either tempera, acrylic or sometimes even oil paints. These backgrounds are where the characters of the cartoon will be performing their movements and are extremely large to allow for all the motion that may be required. The camera will then move across the background as the characters move across it.
Before the drawing of the characters even begins, the voices of the characters are recorded on tape and then transferred to magnetic film. The film is fed through a sound reader and every syllable is recorded on an exposure sheet. This is required in order to perform the synchronization between the sound and the picture. Each frame of film must be synchronized separately. This is extremely time consuming.
Finally after all this, the hard work begins. Yes, it gets harder. Every second of film consists of 24 frames with as many as 24 different drawings. That means that an hour animated film can contain as many as 86,400 drawings. Taking these frames, they are fed through a projector to make sure that the movement of each character for each second is smooth. If there are any problems, certain drawings may have to be redone. Note that these drawings are all in black and white.
If the movements of the frames passes the quality control test, it is at that time that color is added to all these drawings, all done by hand.They are then superimposed onto the backgrounds.
The actual filming is done on what is called an animation stand. Many times the picture will be divided into several levels which are separated by about 12 inches. Each part of the background is on a different level so that a 3 dimensional effect can be achieved.
Finally, the film is fed back through a projector which is showing each filmed board at a very fast rate. This gives the cartoon the feeling of motion.
Next time you watch a cartoon, see if you can pick any of this out. If the cartoon is well done, you won't be able to.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Energy and its Sources
ENERGY
What is Energy? It is the ability to do work. Energy can be harnessed from a variety of sources. A few of the important ones are:
What is Energy? It is the ability to do work. Energy can be harnessed from a variety of sources. A few of the important ones are:
Renewable Energy
- Solar: Sun provide us with free unlimited energy. Disadvantages: This energy is not constant, but variable, and a large area is required to collect any decent amount of energy.
- Wind: Winds are caused by uneven heating of earth by Sun. Their energy can be harnessed by wind mills.
- Hydro: Harnessing energy hidden in fast moving water like in rapids or waterfalls is possible. The energy generated depends on the flow/fall of the water.
Non- Renewable Energy
- Crude Oil : is made from remains of plants and animals. Reservoirs are drilled, and Refineries make many products from oil viz. petrol, diesel, jetfuel, pet. Jelly, ink, crayons, deodorants, tires etc.
- Natural Gas: Colorless, Odourless, Tasteless. Mercaptan is added to the gas to provide a rotten smell. If compressed, this gas becomes liquid and can be stored in cylinders. It is also cleaner than other fossil fuels.
- Coal: Creaated by remains of ancient plants and animals in swampy places. Is mined either on surface or through deep mining.
- Nuclear: Energy can be created through rare and special elements like Uranium.
Electricity :
Electricity is a secondary source of energy i.e. we get it from conversion of other energy sources.
B enjamin Franklin discovered the phenomenon and Thoman Edison changed lives by inventing the light bulb. Electricity travels in circuits.
Since Energy plays such a crucial part in our lives, we must make sure not to waste it. We must use Electricity judiciously and use CFLs (Compact Flouroscent Light) where possible. Petrol and other fossil fuels should be consumed as less as possible since they can't be replenished.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Extremes of Life
Oldest Living Tree: Bristle ConePines in California USA. The oldest specimen, Methuselah is almost 5000 years old!!!
Animal with longest life span:Turtles, around 200 years old
Fastest Animal: Cheetal, 70 mph for short distances
Fastest Bird: Peregrine Falcon, clocked at 124 mph flying and 168 mph while swooping.
Fastest Fish: Sail Fish
Fastest Growing Plant: Bamboo can grow upto 3 ft in a single day!
Largest Animal: Blue Whale
Largest Land animal: African Elephant
Tallest animal: Girraffe , 19 mts. tall average.
Biggest Bird: Ostrich
Smallest Bird: HummingBird
Longest Hibernation: Marmot, for 9 months.
Fastest Train: MagLev, Shanghai.
Fastest Car: Bugatti Veyron.
Tallest Building: Al Burj, Dubai. 2950 ft.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Extremes of the Earth.
Our planet Earth, is full of many interesting extremes. Here are some of the important ones:
Highest Mountain: Everyone knows Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It is 8,848 meters high. Mt. Everest was first climbed successfully in 1953 by Sir Edmond Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. It is located in Nepal, and is a part of the Himalayas Mountain range.
Tallest Mountain : Though Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world, it is not the tallest one. Mauna Kea at 10,000 meters stand much taller than it, and is the tallest mountain in the world. However, most of this great mountain is immersed in the ocean, and only 4205 mts, is visible over the surface of the ocean in Hawaii.
Largest Mountain Range: Mid Atlantic Ridge runs deep in the Atlantic oceans, and covers almost the whole length of Earth. Though it is mostly under water, at 50,000 kms , it is much longer than Andes, Himalayas and Rockies all combined.
Longest mountain range on land: Andes in South America is the longest mountain range on Earth. It is 7000 kms long.
Deepest point in Earth: The Deepest point in Earth is called Challenger Deep, in Mariana Trench. It is 10,924 meters deep, which is much deeper than Mt. Everest.
Lowest Land area: The lowest land area is in Dead Sea, Jordan. It is 422 meters below the sea level. Dead sea boasts of very high salinity, 8 times that of the ocean. Animals can’t live in such salty water, thus its’ name.
Highest Waterfall: is the Angel Falls in Venezuela. It stands 3230 feet tall.
Tallest Volcano: Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the tallest volcano in the world. It stands 13,681 ft. tall.
Coldest Place: Antarctica at nights is the coldest place in the world. Temperatures here have been recorded as low as -129°f at Vostok station.
Hottest Place: El Azizia in Libya is the hottest place in the world. The highest recorded temperature being 136°F.
Driest Place: Atacama desert is a plateau on the Andes mountain range. Some places here have not seen rain for 400 years!
Longest River: River Nile flowing through Africa is the longest river, at 4100 miles.
Greatest River: Amazon river is the greatest and most amazing river in the world. It carries the most amount of water in the world- a whopping 20% of all freshwater in the world. Amazon also supports a vast rainforest all around it, that are also called The Lungs of the World, for generating a huge percentage of the world’s oxygen.
Highest Tides: Bay of Fundy is famous for the highest tides, sometimes as tall as a 3 storey building.
Biggest Ocean: The Pacific ocean is the largest Ocean- its’ area is even bigger than all of Earth’s land mass combined.
Largest Continent: Asia.
Smallest Continent: Australia.
Largest Country: Russia
Smallest Country: Vatican city , an enclave country in the city of Rome, is the smallest country in the world.
Largest Lake: Caspian Sea.
Deepest Lake: Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest lake at 1637 meters deep, and carries more freshwater than any other lake in the world.
Highest Mountain: Everyone knows Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It is 8,848 meters high. Mt. Everest was first climbed successfully in 1953 by Sir Edmond Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. It is located in Nepal, and is a part of the Himalayas Mountain range.
Tallest Mountain : Though Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world, it is not the tallest one. Mauna Kea at 10,000 meters stand much taller than it, and is the tallest mountain in the world. However, most of this great mountain is immersed in the ocean, and only 4205 mts, is visible over the surface of the ocean in Hawaii.
Largest Mountain Range: Mid Atlantic Ridge runs deep in the Atlantic oceans, and covers almost the whole length of Earth. Though it is mostly under water, at 50,000 kms , it is much longer than Andes, Himalayas and Rockies all combined.
Longest mountain range on land: Andes in South America is the longest mountain range on Earth. It is 7000 kms long.
Deepest point in Earth: The Deepest point in Earth is called Challenger Deep, in Mariana Trench. It is 10,924 meters deep, which is much deeper than Mt. Everest.
Lowest Land area: The lowest land area is in Dead Sea, Jordan. It is 422 meters below the sea level. Dead sea boasts of very high salinity, 8 times that of the ocean. Animals can’t live in such salty water, thus its’ name.
Highest Waterfall: is the Angel Falls in Venezuela. It stands 3230 feet tall.
Tallest Volcano: Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the tallest volcano in the world. It stands 13,681 ft. tall.
Coldest Place: Antarctica at nights is the coldest place in the world. Temperatures here have been recorded as low as -129°f at Vostok station.
Hottest Place: El Azizia in Libya is the hottest place in the world. The highest recorded temperature being 136°F.
Driest Place: Atacama desert is a plateau on the Andes mountain range. Some places here have not seen rain for 400 years!
Longest River: River Nile flowing through Africa is the longest river, at 4100 miles.
Greatest River: Amazon river is the greatest and most amazing river in the world. It carries the most amount of water in the world- a whopping 20% of all freshwater in the world. Amazon also supports a vast rainforest all around it, that are also called The Lungs of the World, for generating a huge percentage of the world’s oxygen.
Highest Tides: Bay of Fundy is famous for the highest tides, sometimes as tall as a 3 storey building.
Biggest Ocean: The Pacific ocean is the largest Ocean- its’ area is even bigger than all of Earth’s land mass combined.
Largest Continent: Asia.
Smallest Continent: Australia.
Largest Country: Russia
Smallest Country: Vatican city , an enclave country in the city of Rome, is the smallest country in the world.
Largest Lake: Caspian Sea.
Deepest Lake: Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest lake at 1637 meters deep, and carries more freshwater than any other lake in the world.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Paleontology
What is Paleontology?? Paleontology is a branch of science that studies ancient life forms and history of Earth by studying Fossils etc.
History of Earth: Earth has been around for a long time now; scientists today estimate it to be 4.5 billion years old. First Humans evolved around 1.8 million years ago. Numerous species have lived on Earth before getting extinct. The flora, fauna , weather and even the land mass on Earth has gone through many dramatic changes. But how can we know about the history of Earth if we were not even there? Paleontologists use fossils to aid them in researching the history of Earth.
What are Fossils?
Fossils are the remains of ancient Animals and Plants, the traces or impressions of living things from past geological ages, or the traces of their activities. The fossil of a bone will have no bone in it. A fossilized object is actually a rock with the same shape as the original object, but it will have a different colour, texture and weight. This is because fossils are actually rocks!!
History of Earth: Earth has been around for a long time now; scientists today estimate it to be 4.5 billion years old. First Humans evolved around 1.8 million years ago. Numerous species have lived on Earth before getting extinct. The flora, fauna , weather and even the land mass on Earth has gone through many dramatic changes. But how can we know about the history of Earth if we were not even there? Paleontologists use fossils to aid them in researching the history of Earth.
What are Fossils?
Fossils are the remains of ancient Animals and Plants, the traces or impressions of living things from past geological ages, or the traces of their activities. The fossil of a bone will have no bone in it. A fossilized object is actually a rock with the same shape as the original object, but it will have a different colour, texture and weight. This is because fossils are actually rocks!!
How are Fossils made? Earth is very god at getting rid of waste. As soon as a living thing dies, the process of its’ decomposition starts - the heroes of this process are bacteria. Fossilization is a very rare process, mostly found in sedimentary rocks.Fossils of hard parts (like bones and teeth) were formed as follows:
- Some animals were quickly buried after their death (by sinking in mud, being buried in a sand storm, etc.).
- Over time, more and more sediment covered the remains.
- The parts of the animals that didn't rot (usually the harder parts likes bones and teeth) were encased in the newly-formed sediment.
- In the right circumstances (no scavengers, quick burial, not much weathering), parts of the animal turned into fossils over time.
- After a long time, the chemicals in the buried animals' bodies underwent a series of changes and minerals replaced the chemicals in the bone.
- This process results in a heavy, rock-like copy of the original object - a fossil. The fossil has the same shape as the original object, but is chemically more like a rock!
Fossils help Paleontology in a big way. We know about Dinosaurs, and other extinct species solely due to fossils. TrackWays are footprints that become fossilized.
What are Dinosaurs? Dinosaurs were land dwelling reptiles that walked with an erect stance. The dinosaurs dominated the Earth for over 165 million years during the Mesozoic Era, but mysteriously went extinct 65 million years ago.
Dinosaur legs: upright position
Other reptiles: Sprawling legs
Dinosaurs Facts:
1. Most Dinosaurs hatched from Eggs.
2. Not all dinosaurs were giants – Some were as big as a chicken
3. Most of the Dinosaur were herbivorous. Only a few were carnivorous.
4. Many scientists believed that some Dinosaur evolved into todays’ birds.
Important Kinds of Dinosaurs.
Tyrannosaurus Rex also called T-Rex. Name: Tyrannosaurus Rex means: Tyrant Reptile (King)
Interesting fact: Tyrannosaurus was the biggest and most powerful flesh eater that ever lived on earth. A grown man would hardly have come up to its knees. Its jaw was about 1.5 m long, with teeth that were 15 cm long and were serrated like carving knives. Tyrannosaurus needed a lot of food, so probably spent all its waking hours hunting for food.
Diplodocus 
Interesting fact: Diplodocus was the one of the longest dinosaurs, it was about as long as a tennis court. Its brain was about the size of a hen's egg
Triceratops Means: Three-horned face. Interesting fac
t: Triceratops had a bony frill to protect its head, neck and shoulders. It's head was enormous, nearly a third as long as its whole body. Its curved jaw was very strong and like a parrots beak. Although it was a plant eater it was very fierce - even fighting with its own kind.Triceratops is the best known horned dinosaur. It had three horns: one on its nose and two long ones above its eyes.
Stegosaurus Means: Roofed Reptile
Interesting fact: The stegosaurs bony plated armour was to protect it from attack, but they also helped to keep it cool. It had a tiny tubular skull with a brain the size of a walnut. Its teeth were small, blunt and leaf-like. At the end of the tail there were four long spines, used for protection. Its hind legs were twice the length of its forelegs.
EXTINCTION OF DINOSAURS: Dinosaurs, and a number of other species that lived with it suddenly went extinct some 65 million years ago. Nobody knows for sure wht happened, but the most accepted theory is that major climate change, possibly due to an asteroid impact, and coming of Ice Age killed the Dinosaurs. However, many Paleontologists believe that not all dinosaurs died- some of them evolved into the modern day birds!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Human Body
The Human Body is truly the most wonderful machine on Earth. It performs so many complex and complicated tasks, that we cannot understand them well as a whole. So, we divide the body into various Systems in order to aid our understanding.
1. Nervous System:
The central nervous system consists of the Brain and the Spinal Cord. The five sensory organs – Eyes, Ears, Skin, Nose and Tongue provide outside information to the Central Nervous System. The Brain is an amazing computer, that controls the whole body. The left side of Brain control the right side of the body and vice-versa. Spinal Cord is the Brain’s assistant, and is connected to the body via 32 different nerves. In cases of danger, Spinal Cord acts on its’ own (Reflexes), thus allowing immediate response.
2. Skeletal System:
Bones form the framework of our body. Our Bones are very light, yet strong enabling us to move around safely. Bones protect the soft internal organs, and manufacture new blood too. Blood is made in the soft insides of a bone, called Bone Marrow. Bones are made up of a mix of chemicals, most important of them being Calcium.
3. Muscular System
: Muscles form the bulk of our body. They join the bones to each other, and thus result in movement. Brain directs muscles for any desired movement of the body. Muscles also act involuntarily (without your control), to digest the food, to shut the eyelids etc. Even your Heart is actually a very strong muscle!!
4. Respiratory System:
Breathing is essential to life. We breathe to take in Oxygen, and take out Carbon-di-oxide. Our Lungs are the organs that are used for breathing. They expand and contract like a Balloon in order to breathe. This oxygen is then mixed with Blood, and thus reaches the cells of our Body.
5. Circulatory System : Blood forms the core of the Circulatory System. It moves around in millions of tiny tubes, taking nutr
ition and oxygen to all body cells, and collecting toxins in return. The Heart pumps the blood all around the body. The oxygen rich blood is red in colour, while the oxygen poor blood looks blue. Heart has four chambers, Arteries(to carry good blood out) and Veins(to bring bad blood in.)
6. Digestive System:
We eat, because our body needs nutrition to grow, to function and to sustain itself. But the food we eat has to be broken down in very basic, small units to become really useful for our body. The process of breaking down the food into small, useful pieces in called Digestion. Digestion starts in the mouth with our biting and chewing. Saliva plays a major role too. Then this chewed food goes down the Esophagus into the Stomach. Esophagus is like a one-way slide. The Stomach stores all the food you eat in one meal, and then sends it to the Small intestine. Small intestine does the most of digestion, and the big intestine further absorbs the remaining water and nutrients left. Liver, Our largest organ, has a major role to play here. It removes the Toxins from our body, and also controls the amount of key nutrients that go in our blood, storing the excess for future.
Isn’t the Human Body a marvellous thing? Let’s be thankful to the God for providing it, and let’s take good care of this wonderful machine we have!!!
1. Nervous System:
The central nervous system consists of the Brain and the Spinal Cord. The five sensory organs – Eyes, Ears, Skin, Nose and Tongue provide outside information to the Central Nervous System. The Brain is an amazing computer, that controls the whole body. The left side of Brain control the right side of the body and vice-versa. Spinal Cord is the Brain’s assistant, and is connected to the body via 32 different nerves. In cases of danger, Spinal Cord acts on its’ own (Reflexes), thus allowing immediate response.2. Skeletal System:
Bones form the framework of our body. Our Bones are very light, yet strong enabling us to move around safely. Bones protect the soft internal organs, and manufacture new blood too. Blood is made in the soft insides of a bone, called Bone Marrow. Bones are made up of a mix of chemicals, most important of them being Calcium.3. Muscular System
: Muscles form the bulk of our body. They join the bones to each other, and thus result in movement. Brain directs muscles for any desired movement of the body. Muscles also act involuntarily (without your control), to digest the food, to shut the eyelids etc. Even your Heart is actually a very strong muscle!!4. Respiratory System:
Breathing is essential to life. We breathe to take in Oxygen, and take out Carbon-di-oxide. Our Lungs are the organs that are used for breathing. They expand and contract like a Balloon in order to breathe. This oxygen is then mixed with Blood, and thus reaches the cells of our Body.5. Circulatory System : Blood forms the core of the Circulatory System. It moves around in millions of tiny tubes, taking nutr
ition and oxygen to all body cells, and collecting toxins in return. The Heart pumps the blood all around the body. The oxygen rich blood is red in colour, while the oxygen poor blood looks blue. Heart has four chambers, Arteries(to carry good blood out) and Veins(to bring bad blood in.)6. Digestive System:
We eat, because our body needs nutrition to grow, to function and to sustain itself. But the food we eat has to be broken down in very basic, small units to become really useful for our body. The process of breaking down the food into small, useful pieces in called Digestion. Digestion starts in the mouth with our biting and chewing. Saliva plays a major role too. Then this chewed food goes down the Esophagus into the Stomach. Esophagus is like a one-way slide. The Stomach stores all the food you eat in one meal, and then sends it to the Small intestine. Small intestine does the most of digestion, and the big intestine further absorbs the remaining water and nutrients left. Liver, Our largest organ, has a major role to play here. It removes the Toxins from our body, and also controls the amount of key nutrients that go in our blood, storing the excess for future.Isn’t the Human Body a marvellous thing? Let’s be thankful to the God for providing it, and let’s take good care of this wonderful machine we have!!!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Magic of Stories
The magic of stories, For the UniWorld Gardens Batch fifth class.
The Magic of Stories
Stories are our windows in the worlds unknown. Stories teach us language, culture, history, morals and imagination.
Classics Stories :
Some of the stories that a must for a child to know are :
Cinderella, SnowWhite and Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Shoemaker and the Elves, , Pinocchio, 101 Dalmatians, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Rabbit, Alice in the Wonderland, The little match girl, Little red riding hood Hensel and Gretel and Thumbelina.
In addition to these, some exposure to these well-known story collections is desirable:
1. Panchatantra: Written by Pt. Vishnu Sharma to educate dimwit sons of a king, these tales provide practical knowledge and rules to live life by.
2. Aesop’s Fables: Aesop was a slave in ancient Greece. His collection of stories is one of the most popular in the world, with stories like The Hare and the Tortiose and The Boy who cried Wolf.
3. Arabian Nights: The stories told by the intelligent wife of the Iranian king Shahrjan, in order to escape her execution in the morning. These contain classics like Alibaba and 40 theives, Aladdin and Sindbad.
4. Jataka Tales: The stories from the previous births of Gautam Buddha.
The Art of StoryTelling:
Storytelling is a subtle art than we can use to captivate anyone’s attention. In fact, once you master the art of storytelling, you’ll find it of immense value in day to day conversations as well.
Some key pointers:
1. Know your Story : not necessarily by heart. But you should know the start, the end, and the basic plot of the story for sure.
2. Know your audience: Is it only your child? Is it a group of young kids. What age?
3. Make sure they fit : The Story should be suitable for the target Audience.
4. Amplify emotions in the dialogues: Speak the sentences with appropriate emotional dose. The emotion (happy, angry, sad, disgusted, disappointed, hopeful..) should be clear in the tome you use.
5. Accent your voice according to the character : An old witch would sound very different from a little boy, no?
Choosing a story:
Books are one of the best investments, and the bookstores are full of materials for kids. Some books, though, are printed for adults to buy for their kids, and some books are for kids to enjoy. Know the difference. Choose a book that slightly challenges the present vocabulary of your child. Internet is a good source of some nice stories as well. The Apple story I chose for the class can be found here : http://www.thevirtualvine.com/thelittleredhouse.html
The Magic of Stories
Stories are our windows in the worlds unknown. Stories teach us language, culture, history, morals and imagination.
Classics Stories :
Some of the stories that a must for a child to know are :
Cinderella, SnowWhite and Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Shoemaker and the Elves, , Pinocchio, 101 Dalmatians, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Rabbit, Alice in the Wonderland, The little match girl, Little red riding hood Hensel and Gretel and Thumbelina.
In addition to these, some exposure to these well-known story collections is desirable:
1. Panchatantra: Written by Pt. Vishnu Sharma to educate dimwit sons of a king, these tales provide practical knowledge and rules to live life by.
2. Aesop’s Fables: Aesop was a slave in ancient Greece. His collection of stories is one of the most popular in the world, with stories like The Hare and the Tortiose and The Boy who cried Wolf.
3. Arabian Nights: The stories told by the intelligent wife of the Iranian king Shahrjan, in order to escape her execution in the morning. These contain classics like Alibaba and 40 theives, Aladdin and Sindbad.
4. Jataka Tales: The stories from the previous births of Gautam Buddha.
The Art of StoryTelling:
Storytelling is a subtle art than we can use to captivate anyone’s attention. In fact, once you master the art of storytelling, you’ll find it of immense value in day to day conversations as well.
Some key pointers:
1. Know your Story : not necessarily by heart. But you should know the start, the end, and the basic plot of the story for sure.
2. Know your audience: Is it only your child? Is it a group of young kids. What age?
3. Make sure they fit : The Story should be suitable for the target Audience.
4. Amplify emotions in the dialogues: Speak the sentences with appropriate emotional dose. The emotion (happy, angry, sad, disgusted, disappointed, hopeful..) should be clear in the tome you use.
5. Accent your voice according to the character : An old witch would sound very different from a little boy, no?
Choosing a story:
Books are one of the best investments, and the bookstores are full of materials for kids. Some books, though, are printed for adults to buy for their kids, and some books are for kids to enjoy. Know the difference. Choose a book that slightly challenges the present vocabulary of your child. Internet is a good source of some nice stories as well. The Apple story I chose for the class can be found here : http://www.thevirtualvine.com/thelittleredhouse.html
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Forces of Nature
The Fury and the force of Nature. For the Uniworld Gardens Batch fourth class.
The Nature is the biggest force. It’s fury can be devastating, deadly, and awesome! We discuss some key natural disasters in this class.
It is interesting to notice that many a times, one natural disaster triggers another, or they often happen together. Earthquakes can be accompanied by Volcanic activity, and they can trigger Tsunamis and Avalnaches. Hurricanes can spin off Tornadoes, Flooding or Fires. Each tiny change in the Earth’s dynamic and alive system can affect something else in the atmosphere.
1. Earthquakes:
The ground shakes and moves, without warning. The buildings and trees fall; bridges break, and huge cracks appear in the ground.
Although the ground we walk on seems solid, it is actually moving!! The earth in divided into approx. 20 ‘parts’ called Tectonic Plates. The Tectonic plates are constantly shifting and moving, over a hot molten interior called mantle. The place where these plates meet is called a ‘fault’. When these plates rub together, the friction causes immense energy, that manifests itself as an Earthquake. Earthquakes generally happen along these fault lines. Epicenter is the place on Earth from where the vibrations spread out.
They are measured on the Richter scale – 1 being the mildest one that mostly goes unnoticed. An earthquake of magnitude 7 or more in a populated area is very devastating, resulting in huge loss of life and property.
2. Volcanoes: Volcanoes are also a result of Earth’s internal seismic activities, much like earthquakes. In fact, most of the Volcanoes are situated along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, which is on a major fault line.
Inside the Earth’s core is hot molten rock, called Magma. When the magma rises to the surface of the Earth, it is called Lava. Volcano is basically a hole in the Earth that allows lava to come out. Volcanoes can be classified as active, dormant and extinct.
Volcanoes can be deadly- lava , hot stones, Lahar and the volcanic ash and smoke can kill anything that comes in their way. But volcanoes can also be useful; the early earth was shaped by volcanic activity, the volcanic soil is very fertile too.
3. Tsunami: Tsunamis are caused by Earthquakes at sea.
When a huge earthquake vertically jolts the seabed by several meters, a lot of water is displaced- which starts travelling towards the coast in a straight line. The Tsunami wave is huge by the time it reaches the coast and can cause a lot of damage. The only warning sign of a Tsunami is that the waterline retreats just before a Tsunami, exposing hundreds of meters of seabed.
4. Avalanche:
An avalanche is restricted to mountaineous areas with a lot of fresh, loose snow. This snow can start falling at the slightest disturbance, and gains mass and momentum as it rolls down the slopes. An Avalanche can cover a whole village in no time.
5. Hurricane:
Hurricanes, also known as cyclones or Typhoons, are large rotating storms, built around an area of very low pressure. They are accompanied with lots of rain and very fast winds. The center of the hurricane is called an ‘eye’ , which is rather calm . Hurricanes lose their strength when they make a landfall. The hurricanes are divided in categories from 1 to 5, 5 being the strongest hurricane.
6. Tornado: Tornadoes are an intresting phenomenon restricted mostly to a part of the US, called the Tornado alley.
Tornadoes are the most violent storms known to us, the wind speeds are so high that cannot be measured. A Tornado is a powerful column of spiralling winds, hanging down like a tail from the storm clouds. A powerful tornado can uproot trees and tear apart buildings that come in its way.
7. Floods: Wh
en a normally dry area is submerged in water, it is known as a flood. Floods can happen slowly, due to seasonal heavy rains, or hurricanes. They can also arrive suddenly, known as flash floods. Flash Floods can happen due to a dam burst, earthquake or Tsunami, or as in a recent case, sudden course change of a river.
The Nature is the biggest force. It’s fury can be devastating, deadly, and awesome! We discuss some key natural disasters in this class.
It is interesting to notice that many a times, one natural disaster triggers another, or they often happen together. Earthquakes can be accompanied by Volcanic activity, and they can trigger Tsunamis and Avalnaches. Hurricanes can spin off Tornadoes, Flooding or Fires. Each tiny change in the Earth’s dynamic and alive system can affect something else in the atmosphere.
1. Earthquakes:
The ground shakes and moves, without warning. The buildings and trees fall; bridges break, and huge cracks appear in the ground.Although the ground we walk on seems solid, it is actually moving!! The earth in divided into approx. 20 ‘parts’ called Tectonic Plates. The Tectonic plates are constantly shifting and moving, over a hot molten interior called mantle. The place where these plates meet is called a ‘fault’. When these plates rub together, the friction causes immense energy, that manifests itself as an Earthquake. Earthquakes generally happen along these fault lines. Epicenter is the place on Earth from where the vibrations spread out.
They are measured on the Richter scale – 1 being the mildest one that mostly goes unnoticed. An earthquake of magnitude 7 or more in a populated area is very devastating, resulting in huge loss of life and property.
2. Volcanoes: Volcanoes are also a result of Earth’s internal seismic activities, much like earthquakes. In fact, most of the Volcanoes are situated along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, which is on a major fault line.
Inside the Earth’s core is hot molten rock, called Magma. When the magma rises to the surface of the Earth, it is called Lava. Volcano is basically a hole in the Earth that allows lava to come out. Volcanoes can be classified as active, dormant and extinct.
Volcanoes can be deadly- lava , hot stones, Lahar and the volcanic ash and smoke can kill anything that comes in their way. But volcanoes can also be useful; the early earth was shaped by volcanic activity, the volcanic soil is very fertile too.
3. Tsunami: Tsunamis are caused by Earthquakes at sea.
When a huge earthquake vertically jolts the seabed by several meters, a lot of water is displaced- which starts travelling towards the coast in a straight line. The Tsunami wave is huge by the time it reaches the coast and can cause a lot of damage. The only warning sign of a Tsunami is that the waterline retreats just before a Tsunami, exposing hundreds of meters of seabed.
4. Avalanche:
An avalanche is restricted to mountaineous areas with a lot of fresh, loose snow. This snow can start falling at the slightest disturbance, and gains mass and momentum as it rolls down the slopes. An Avalanche can cover a whole village in no time.5. Hurricane:
Hurricanes, also known as cyclones or Typhoons, are large rotating storms, built around an area of very low pressure. They are accompanied with lots of rain and very fast winds. The center of the hurricane is called an ‘eye’ , which is rather calm . Hurricanes lose their strength when they make a landfall. The hurricanes are divided in categories from 1 to 5, 5 being the strongest hurricane.6. Tornado: Tornadoes are an intresting phenomenon restricted mostly to a part of the US, called the Tornado alley.
Tornadoes are the most violent storms known to us, the wind speeds are so high that cannot be measured. A Tornado is a powerful column of spiralling winds, hanging down like a tail from the storm clouds. A powerful tornado can uproot trees and tear apart buildings that come in its way.
7. Floods: Wh
en a normally dry area is submerged in water, it is known as a flood. Floods can happen slowly, due to seasonal heavy rains, or hurricanes. They can also arrive suddenly, known as flash floods. Flash Floods can happen due to a dam burst, earthquake or Tsunami, or as in a recent case, sudden course change of a river.In case of Natural disasters, Prevention is just not possible. So, Preparation is the best course of action. One should always keep a 'survival kit' ready for such unforeseen circumstances. A basic Survival kit will contain -
Spoil-proof Food and bottled water for three days, Medicines, Blanket, Torch, Swiss Army knife, Whistle and Cell phone.
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