We all know the saying “April showers bring May flowers” but have you ever wondered how to measure a rain drop? There’s always water vapor in our air. Sometimes it collects in clouds and then, when it gets heavy enough, falls to earth as rain.
Most people think of raindrops as tear-shaped. But a French scientist, who filmed falling droplets, found that air resistance causes raindrops to change shape as they fall. He documented large, round drops that flattened as they fell, growing wider and then filling with air like a jellyfish or a parachute . When the parachute inflated, the drop burst apart into smaller droplets. All of this activity happened fast, too – within 6/100 of a second.
So how big are these raindrops when they finally reach us? Meteorologists – scientists who measure such things – say that raindrops range anywhere from 1/100 of an inch to 1/4 inch in diameter.
You can measure your own raindrops.
What you need:
- shoebox lid
- ruler
- flour bowl
- fine mesh sieve
How To Do It:
- Fill the shoe box lid with flour and use a ruler to smooth the top so it is level.
- During a gentle shower, hold the shoe box lid out in the rain until about 15-25 raindrops have fallen into the flour. Bring the lid inside to see what you’ve found. Flour absorbs water, and since the flour is a powder it will hold the shape of the raindrop together.
- Now set the sieve over the bowl. Carefully pour the flour from the lid into the sieve, shaking it gently. This will sift flour into the bowl and leave the raindrop lumps behind.
- Gently pour your flour-preserved droplets onto a sheet of paper and measure them.
Spring Break Science Experiments to do at Home!
Written by: Science Made Fun! on April 2, 2018 @ 10:06 am
SPRING BREAK SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS TO DO AT HOME! Need some ideas on what to do with the children while they are on Spring Break? Come see our STEM science experiments which are FUN, hands-on and can be done together as family or the children can do them with their friends. With so many STEM experiments […]
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FUN FACT FRIDAY
Written by: Science Made Fun! on March 23, 2018 @ 11:27 am
Did you know that an egg looks like a crazy jellyfish underwater? A cracked egg on land might make a big mess, 60 feet below the surface of the ocean, the pressure on the egg is 2.8 times atmospheric pressure, and it holds it all together like an invisible egg shell.
Tags: Eggs, experiments, jelly fish, science, underwater, water
Catogories: Fun Fact FridayRead more
RIP Stephen Hawking… You will be missed!
Written by: Science Made Fun! on March 14, 2018 @ 11:39 am
World renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76. Stephen Hawking was born 8 January 1942 in Oxford, England and at the age of 22 was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given two years to live. The disease left him to live in a wheelchair and […]
Tags: motor neurone disease, science, stephen hawking
Catogories: Hot Topics: Science in the NewsRead more
Spring Forward and Fall Back
Written by: Science Made Fun! on March 9, 2018 @ 3:03 am
Why do we “Spring Forward” and “Fall Back” every year? On March 11th we will be “springing it Forward” meaning we will be setting our clocks ahead one hour. Why do we do this? We move one hour from the morning and add it to the night […]
Tags: daylight savings time, Fall, fall back, Spring, spring forward, time
Catogories: Think About it Thursday, UncategorizedRead more
Your Brain on Video Games
Written by: Science Made Fun! on March 1, 2018 @ 11:11 am
Your brain on video games Think fast! Your brain is a communication powerhouse! It takes in data, analyzes it, and helps you understand the world around you. You also move, breath, and live because of the brain. So, what makes […]
Tags: brain, dopamine, games, hands-on, HTHTWNC, science, seotonin, video games
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Black History Month
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 16, 2018 @ 9:56 am
Black History Month is observed in February and the reason that we have Black History Month is so that we can remember the important contributions and achievements that African American’s have brought throughout this Nations history. One person that thought should be honored this month is Mae Jemison. She was the first African American to […]
Tags: #WomenInSTEM, astronauts, black history month, medical degree
Catogories: Hot Topics: Science in the News, STEM SpotlightRead more
The History Behind Valentine’s Day and Why We Celebrate it!
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 14, 2018 @ 9:21 am
The History Behind Valentine’s Day! The Roman’s had a festival called The Feast of Lupercalia that was celebrated in the middle of February. An Emperor named Claudius II executed two men with the same name, Valentine, in different years, on the same day February 14th. The first Valentine was a Roman Priest and was caught and thrown […]
Tags: cards, chocolate, couples, cupid, flowers, Hearts, love, romance, Valentine's Day
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Word of the Week
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 12, 2018 @ 9:21 am
The Word of the week is: PHASE. The definition of a phase is: a distinct period or stage in a process of change or forming part of something’s development. The science experiment is: Ice Cube Fishing. Now, we have a word of the week, a definition of the word of the week, and […]
Tags: cubes, definition, fishing, ice, ice cubes, phase, word, word of the week
Catogories: Experiments: Science Made Fun, Word of the WeekRead more
Slip and Slide
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 7, 2018 @ 9:45 am
Slip and Slide: Ice, the Winter Olympics, and Animal Adaptations. Ice ice baby! One of the most fun memories I have of winter is pretending to ice skate by sliding on the ice in my shoes. If you were careful and kept your balance you could zoom down the street like magic! Other times, I […]
Tags: canada lynx, cross country skiing, curling, emperor penguins, hare, Olympics, snow, tobogganing
Catogories: E-News HTHTRead more