Ask Mr. Science page 1

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Intro

During the 1996-97 school year, I spent an hour every week in Linda Waidler's 3rd-4th grade class at Wood-Gormley Elementary (randomly chosen because my daughter was in it), answering any science question the children might have. The next year, I did the same in Shirley Esquibel's 3rd-grade class (by coincidence, my son was in that class), and I've been doing the Science Hour ever since. Even though my kids have moved up and on, I still go to WG Elementary, in recent years to 6th-grade classes.

As my kids grew up, I found that in middle and high schools, you can go to a science class maybe once or twice a year, but you cannot steal an hour every week from a science teacher - there just is not enough time. Also, in a primary school class you reach all kids, not just the ones in science class.

My activities are part of a larger effort in the Santa Fe school district to match up the talents of active and retired scientists, engineers and mathematicians with the needs of the local schools. The Santa Fe Alliance For Science has about 100 such volunteers. Here is one-page article describing the alliance.

Here I have a growing number of pages with subjects that have come up, and elaborate on some demonstrations I came up with to explain some of the concepts. In addition, I usually find a bunch of web links on the subject, so that children (parents, teachers) can do a bit more reading and learning.

I keep these pages for different audiences:

For the children, so can read over some subjects again, and follow the links I found to get more background info, and pictures.
For the parents, so they can see what goes on in class during the science hour.
For fellow science teachers, that may run across them and might find them useful
Having done this for a few years now, these pages are a handy archive for myself. I can quickly look up what I need for a demo.

I'd like to hear from all. Don't be shy. What is special is that I am a scientist, not a teacher, and I do not have a lot of equipment (and neither does the school). The demonstrations therefore use simple materials I find in my kitchen, shop and yard. This is mostly no-tech science, but you'd be surprised what you can do with cardboard, duct tape and paper clips.

I typically update these pages every week during the schoolyear, as questions come in, and rework older paragraphs. These pages are in constant flux, as is everything on the web, of course.

This years' (and previous years') questions
Equipment you can borrow
Other outreach links
Other projects

Keyword index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A	acidification of the oceans air air pressure air, making a lens out of air, speed of sound in warm, cold ~ air, weight of aliens am and fm animal defenses ant bites ants, why are they so strong asteroids astronomy atmosphere auroras automobile, who invented the
B	bacteria, how do they make you sick balance (inner ear) batteries birds, how do they fly bites, ant black holes blank blood boiling blowdarts blue sky body, composition of body, human boiling point of water braking cars building buoyancy
C	car brakes car, who invented the carsick caves chemical composition of the body chemical structures chemistry: periodic table climate change clocks, pendulum cloud chamber clouds, how do they form CO2 combustion, internal comets composition of the body computers construction of buildings copper tape circuit cosmic rays counting (seeds) COVID cyclotron, making a wooden
D	data, data transmission density of air dna doghair dvd, information on a dynamic earth
E	earth interior earth, this dynamic earth, weight of earthquakes echo eclipse, lunar, solar electrical simple circuit electricity electricity and magnetism Electricity, static elements: periodic table end of the world error, margins of evaporation evolution exoplanets eye, how does it work
F	fibers, optical fibonacci numbers flight, how does it work fly in a car fly, how do birds fossils fruit fur, why do dogs have fusion in the sun
G	gems and crystals genetics glaciation\ global warming gravity gravity (black holes) green leaves
H	heliostat helium ,breathing higgs hunting history of the telephone history of the universe how do caves form how does the ear work how many stars are there human body hurricane
I	ice ages ice, slippery ice, why does it float inertia infinity information, data inner ear (balance) insects insects, will they outlive humans interference of light waves internal combustion internal reflection, total
K	kuiper belt
L	laser wavelength leap years leaves, green lens, making one out of air lenses life expectancy life in the seas light refraction light, speed of light, wave nature of liquid nitrogen liquid surface tension longevity
M	magnetic field of the earth magnetism, electricity and mantle margins of error marshmellows mercury, the transit of meteorites microwave oven minerals, crystals, rocks and gems minor planets mirages momentum, conservation of moon, phases of movie wheels going backwards music making mutations
N	neptune and Pluto nicholas, saint nitrogen, liquid northern (and southern) lights
O	ocean acidification optical fibers optics orrery, planetarium ozone hole
P	paper blowdarts paper rockets pendulums people, what are they made of periodic table phases of the moon phone history planets plants, green plastic plate tectonics pluto and Neptune potato battery pressure (marshmellows) pressure, air
Q	quarks
R	radio fm and am radioactivity rainbows raindrop shapes records (LP, 78..) rockets, paper rockets, water rocks, crystals and gems ruben's tube, sound, ruben's tube
S	sand grains, more than stars scaling, strength of ants seas, life in the seeds, how many shooting stars shrinking balloons sick, how do bacteria, viruses make you sick simple electrical circuit simple machines single note echo sinterklaas size of everything skin, functions of sky , blue slippery ice soap films sound sound in vacuum sound recording sound speed in cold air sound, speed of sounds sparklers speed of sound star formation stars, how many stars, twinkle static electricity subatomic particles sun sunbeam projector sunspots surface tenson survival, insects and humans
T	tectonics, plate telephone history the birds in the truck tornado total internal reflection transits of mercury and venus twinkling stars
U	ufo's universe and all that universe, history of
V	vacuum Van de Graaf Generator venus, the transit of Very Large Array viruses, how do they make you sick voice: breathing helium volcanos, supervolcanos Voltage, High
W	warm water rockets wavelength of laser pointer waves, am and fm waves, interference weather web pages, making weight of the earth wet cloth getting darker wheels going backwards in movies Why do tigers have stripes words world, end of the
Y	y2k yearm 2000 years, leap

Chronological index:

on page 2	which fruit has the most seeds Does everything have a name? How do rockets fly? Why is the sky blue
on page 3	comets sound eclipses, and phases of the moon evolution
on page 4	black holes electricity and magnetism aurora
on page 5	observing sunspots # meta sunspots weather static electricity wimshurst machine why are ants so strong
on page 6	plate tectonics margins of error how many stars are there how come people and dogs live longer now
on page 7	the ozone hole global warming meteorites
on page 8	why does ice float how much does air weigh why do dogs have fur balloons and air pressure
on page 9	how does the eye work how do clouds form sound sound recording measuring the speed of sound is the speed of sound the same in warm and cold air
on page 10	lenses and simple optics waves and interference am and fm waves
on page 11	gravity mirages The Universe and all that
on page 12	why are leaves green transits of mercury and venus what will happen in y2k earthquakes
on page 13	insects how do batteries work why is ice slippery how do pendulums work
on page 14	how long does it take for a car to stop measuring the wavelength of your laser pointer will insects outlive humans surface tension
on page 15	about building evaporation
on page 16	fibonacci numbers the shape of raindrops
on page 17	making web pages are there more grains of sand than stars how do rainbows work
on page 18	why do wheels sometimes going backward in movies how does the sun work skin How do they get so much information on a DVD
on page 19	the birds in the truck a fly in a car how much does the earth weigh
on page 20	Why does your voice sound funny when you breathe helium? Why do stars twinkle Making a lens out of air?
on page 21	Making a woodel cyclotron? Why do you get carsick? A Heliostat
on page 22	evolution
on page 23	the size of everything sinterklaas genetics and dna
on page 24	what are people made of do aliens exist what are quarks
on page 25	will Pluto and Neptune ever collide why do we have leap years fun with liquid nitrogen
on page 26	the periodic table chemical structure how do computers work hunting the Higgs ice ages
on page 27	planets Fun with a Van de Graaff generator
on page 28	making music interior of the earth skin total internal reflection
on page 29	Fun with marshmellows the history of the Universe in one year Cloud chamber volcanos
on page 30	Sea life making paper rockets ocean acidification plastic
on page 31	history of the telephone rocks, minerals, crystals and gems flight
on page 32	ruben's tube Orrery/planetarium human body fossils
on page 33	Making paper blowdarts ear bird flight
on page 34	how do viruses and bacteria make you sick The end of the world caves automobile, who invented the
on page 35	Why do ant bites hurt sending information copper tape circuit
on page 36	Asteroids, and the DART mission single note echo internal combustion
On page 37	blank

Suggestions, comments, greetings are greatly appreciated.
Just click here and type away!


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