The science debate for today was the meaning of "meniscus". I said it was the concave shape at the top of a container of liquid. Ross said it could be either concave or convex depending on some kind of pressure. Rich said his meniscus was in his knee.
Luckily Kiefer had his iPhone and was able to settle the debate on the spot.
It turns out Ross and Rich were both right. "Meniscus" is from the Greek word for "crescent". Several crescent-shaped things are called menisci.
A meniscus (in a container of liquid) can be either concave or convex depending on some pretty complicated things. The menisci in your knees are crescent-shaped pieces of cartilage. There are also menisci in your shoulders, wrists and jaw.
Meniscus is also a word used in optics. A lens with a concave surface on one side and a convex surface on the other side is called a meniscus lens.
What seemed like a pretty simple question wasn't at all. Next time we'll debate something easier like health care reform.
Showing posts with label Just for Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Just for Fun. Show all posts
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Fun With Illuminating Gas
One of the books that got me interested in science as a child was the Boys' Home Book of Science & Construction, by Alfred P. Morgan. It was published in 1921, and a note on the front page shows it was a Christmas gift from Aunt Helen to my grandfather in 1928. This was an old book when I was reading it 35 years ago. Today, a better word for it would be "quaint".
Even the cover of this book is amusing. Did boys in 1921 always put on a tie before playing with their homemade telegraph sets, or only when they were having their picture drawn?
As I was thumbing through this book today, I realized I was holding in my hands the original Dangerous Book for Boys. Below is a great example. It explains how you can fill soap bubbles with "illuminating gas", and then blow them up "with a flash and a report". My grandfather's house actually had gas jets like the one in the drawing, although by the time I saw them as a child the house had been electrified and the gas jets shut off.
And not to worry, you country folk with "no illuminating gas in your house", the next page gives you the recipe for homemade hydrogen gas. This book was written 16 years before the Hindenburg disaster, so they have an excuse for encouraging boys to play with hydrogen bubbles.
Even the cover of this book is amusing. Did boys in 1921 always put on a tie before playing with their homemade telegraph sets, or only when they were having their picture drawn?
As I was thumbing through this book today, I realized I was holding in my hands the original Dangerous Book for Boys. Below is a great example. It explains how you can fill soap bubbles with "illuminating gas", and then blow them up "with a flash and a report". My grandfather's house actually had gas jets like the one in the drawing, although by the time I saw them as a child the house had been electrified and the gas jets shut off.
And not to worry, you country folk with "no illuminating gas in your house", the next page gives you the recipe for homemade hydrogen gas. This book was written 16 years before the Hindenburg disaster, so they have an excuse for encouraging boys to play with hydrogen bubbles.
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