Each of us has something different that brings us happiness and it is indeed a unique experience. However, there are certain chemical reactions in our bodies and environment that can affect how we feel. Today’s infographic explores some of those. [VIA]
Throughout time, we have always been making art and then looking for colors to create art that was more and more realistic. There have been unique combinations of chemicals and materials in the past that have created some interesting colors, not to mention some that when you think about what they’re made of can be downright creepy or dangerous. Check out some of these historical colors, many of which are no longer made for a variety of reasons. [VIA]
Love it or hate it, for most of us, winter means lots of the white stuff, and with Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter for us this morning, we might be in for more of it. It’s well known that no two snowflakes are ever identical, but did you know that snow came in so many shapes and sizes? Today’s infographic from Compound Interest runs through all the different varieties and shapes of snowflakes. Get your shovels ready!. [VIA]
We see the Periodic Table of Elements everywhere but give little thought today as to how it was constructed. Today’s video explains how Dimitri Mendeleev was able to construct the Periodic Table, even without knowing that some of the elements contained on the table even existed! Learn how you can accurately describe the physical and chemical properties of an element just from its position on the table, even without knowing it exists — yet!
If you are anything like me, you need your daily dose of caffeine to function, but are desperately trying (in my case someone unsuccessfully) to watch your caloric intake and “battle the bulge”. Have you ever considered the number of calories that are in some of our “high octane” caffeinated beverages though? Today’s infographic tries to put this in a little perspective, showing some of the most popular drinks with corresponding food items and exercises needed to burn off those calories. (Low calorie, high caffeine drinks in the upper left to high caffeine, low calories drinks in the lower right. Well balanced beverages hang toward the middle of the graph. [VIA]
Java. Joe. Mud. The “hot stuff”. Espresso. Cappuccino. Latte. Mocha…No matter what you call it or how you take it (cream and sugar, please!) coffee is one of those little concoctions that many of us cannot live without. However, have you ever thought about just how this tasty, tasty beverage has become such an integral part of our daily routine? Today’s infographic helps to shed a little light on that as well as providing a good history of coffee in America. [VIA]
Who said chemistry can’t be fun? Seriously, who said that?? Well if you ever do hear someone utter those dreadful words, you might want to direct them to the Periodic Table of Videos site put out by the University of Nottingham. Led by the wild-haired Professor Martyn Poliakoff, the team of chemists and researchers has created short videos for each of the 118 known elements on the periodic table.
The Periodic Table of Videos helps to show viewers not only the elements in their natural and pure states, but also in a brief time provides information about each element’s use, properties, and in some cases experiments are conducted with the elements. Things even go BOOM sometimes, which I know it a big plus for some high school students!
You might consider the Periodic Table of Videos in any chemistry or physical science class as a short intro to studying the periodic table, for element research, or even as a “element of the day” feature in class since the videos themselves are relatively short – ranging generally from about a minute and a half to about 4 minutes long. Alternatively the Periodic Table of Videos is a site you might simply recommend to students as a supplement to their regular classwork as they are all easily accessible and provide a great deal of information.
The only downside to using these in school, depending on your district policy, is that all the videos are hosted on YouTube, so even though they are embedded on the Periodic Table of Videos site, the code to play directs filters to YouTube. Check with your administration and IT Departments about workarounds.
Also of interest:
Science is everywhere – and this is especially true in the kitchen! The Science of Cooking from Exploratorium is a great site for teaching the science (and a little history) behind some popular and common foods and kitchen items.
Broken into six sections (eggs, pickles, candy, bread, seasoning, and meat) Science of Cooking examines not only the science of each, but also includes the history and culture of each food item as well as some trivia and moderated forum discussions. Each section also includes recipes and activities to bring allow students and kids experiment in the kitchen not only making different dishes with various techniques but also activities that demonstrate the unique properties of each food.
Try this as a way to spice up your science curriculum (yes, pun intended!) or as a supplemental, extra credit site to have students practice some science concepts at home. Science of Cooking is also perfect for homeschoolers who want to turn their kitchen into an active laboratory!
What would happen if a nuclear weapon were detonated right over your house? What about right over your school? How about over a well-known landmark? What would survive? How bad would the damage be? What if it were a small “pocket nuke” compared to a 100 Megaton warhead? All of these questions could be answered through the simple web tool Nukemap.
Nukemap uses Google Maps to allow students to choose a location, either a preset city or one of their choosing, and then the size of the device that would detonate. They can either enter a kiloton value o choose from a preset list of about 20 known, historical devices. After they click “Detonate” the tool overlays a series of concentric circles over the map showing the effects radii of the blast. Each comes with an explanation of what would occur within each circle and students can use the zoom feature in Nukemap to pinpoint the exact edge of each circle and can even overlay the satellite image to gain a more realistic idea of the effects of the blast.
The Nukemap tool has a great deal of potential in multiple class settings and lends itself easily to cross-curricular lessons:
Also included on Nukemap are additional links to the history of nuclear weapons and warfare and the current state of affairs in regards to nuclear proliferation. There is also information about the physics behind nuclear weapons and warfare to help students gain a better understanding of how these devices function.
As always, if you have any other ideas or unique ways that you have used a tool or think you would be able to use one, such as Nukemap, please let me know. I love hearing them!
NJBiblio 