Ralph J. Coppola --- r_j_coppola<at>hotmail.com

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Wanderings

In past columns, I’ve listed various “@home” projects that allowed you to use your computer’s idle time to take part in various scientific endeavours. The latest one, stardust@home wants you to join the search for interstellar dust that may have been collected by the Stardust Probe. (Also see the news articles in The Citizen Scientist for 27 January 2006. Editor.)

Studies are showing that most arctic, near-surface, permafrost may thaw by 2100 . This will release methane and CO2 into the atmosphere, thus, accelerating the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming.

This DIY Blood Flow Sensor uses a Piezo Film as its sensitive element.

Along the same line, see Vital Signs Monitor. Note: Scroll down the page to see Figure 1.

Interfacing Piezo Film to Electronics

Jimmy Yawn’s Recrystallized Rocketry site is devoted to potassium nitrate/ sucrose based solid rocket propellants. For those of you who are interested in water rockets, have a look at Jimmy’s Basic Instructions and The Kit pages, both of which relate to water rockets.

More uses for a microwave oven --- Fun with Grapes - A Case Study.

If any of you have been following the Survivor Series on TV, you will remember that the first challenge that all teams were faced with was the making of fire. It might prove useful for the future contestants if they read up on the science of starting fires.

For something a little different have a look at The Physics of Knife Throwing.

lanl.arXiv.org is an “open access to 351,436 e-prints in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Quantitative Biology.”

Relativity Visualized contains a collection of simulations illustrating various aspects of relativity.

Here is a nice little simulation pertaining to the interaction of particles.

The World Sun Light Map is a real-time, computer-generated display of the Earth's sunlight, darkness, and cloud cover based on current weather satellite data.

Astronomy 162 --- Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology is a web based astronomy text by Dept. Physics & Astronomy University of Tennessee.

Welcome to Caltech’s Snow Crystals and Snowflake site.

Here is Jaap van Ganswijk’s Chip Dictionary containing numerically and functionally ordered chip lists, chip pin-outs, lists of manufacturers and much more.

Michael Davis chronicles his adventures in building The Junkyard Turbojet Engine.

Ethnopoetics: Soundings --- curated by Jerome Rothenberg, offers an interesting collection of vocal sounds.

You might no be able to drive this, but, still, it’s the World’s smallest car!

Welcome to the science inspired art of Eric J. Heller.

The Kids Room

Learning through real science --- The JASON Project’s mission is to inspire in students a life-long passion for learning in science, math, and technology through hands-on, real-world scientific discovery.

The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project!

The Mentos Fountain is one of the many easy experiments that can be found on The Steve Spangler Science site.

When I listed CR Scientific’s web site in Wanderings #104 (09 September 2005) did anyone see their experiment showing how to extract ammonia from old gym socks?

David Brear compiled a collection of LEGO Dacta Robotics and Related Web Sites.

Join Cyberbee Learning and have a look at Paper Airplane Science.

The Science of Pulp and Paper Making --- An on-line resource for K-12 students and teachers.

Cathy Sarisky maintains an Archive of Lab Experiments.

Alex Wurden, a grade 8 student, tackles sonoluminescence.

Find your favourite dinosaur on the Discovery Channel’s Dinosaur Planet.

NASA’s IMAGERS web site, a K-8 Earth science education resource, has a fairly good explanation of the electromagnetic spectrum.

WhaleNet is an interactive educational web site focusing on whales and marine research.

Can you escape from one of the rooms?

Suppliers

Being listed here does not constitute an endorsement by SAS or me of any information, product or service.

Piezo films and Geiger-Muller tubes are just a couple of the many items that Images SI Inc. lists in their on-line catalogue.

Measurement Specialties Inc. also carries piezo films.

On The Lighter Side

Murphy’s Laws of Science And Experiments

Murphy's Laws of Volcanology

The Ultimate Collection of Murphy's Laws

From The Far Side

The Crop Circular site presents--- what else, but --- A History of Crop Circles.

Ed Conrad contends that man is as old as coal.