Think About It Thursday….

 

   Why Do Leaves Fall Off Trees?

During that process, the trees lose a lot of water – so much water that when winter arrives, the trees are no longer able to get enough water to replace it.

And so now we know. Leaves fall—or are pushed—off trees so that the tree can survive the winter and grow new leaves in the spring

Make sure you check out HTHT’s Experiment page, but especially check out the science experiment, Binocular Build & Scavenger Hunt!

You could build a binocular, then go on a scavenger hunt to find all the different color leaves!

Happy Hunting!

 

Source: Pixabay Images
Source: Google.com

Think About it Thursday-Hurricanes!

What is a Hurricane?

A hurricane is a huge tropical storm! It can be hundreds of miles across and have strong winds spiraling inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. Recent Category 5 hurricanes include 2005-Katrina (175 mph), 2005-Rita (180 mph), 2005-Wilma (185 mph), 2007-Dean (175 mph), 2007-Felix (175 mph), 2017-Maria (175 mph), 2017-Irma (175 mph).

What makes a hurricane special is that it rotates around the “eye” of the storm, which is the calmest part.  Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. You need three things for a hurricane to form: warm water, cooler air, and wind.

Typically, hurricanes form over warm ocean waters of at least 80°F. That combined with the cooler atmosphere (the air) of early Fall sets things up for a hurricane. Add into that, wind that’s blowing in the same direction and at the same speed, forcing air upward from the ocean surface. The winds flow outward above the storm allowing the air below to rise. Hurricanes typically form between 5 to 15 degrees latitude north and south of the equator. The Coriolis Force gives hurricanes that special spin you see! Atlantic hurricanes typically occur between June and November.

How are Hurricanes Classified?

Hurricanes are classified into five categories, based on their wind speeds and potential to cause damage.

Category 1: Winds 75-95 mph with minimal damage

Category 2: Winds 96-110 mph with moderate damage

Category 3: Winds 111-130 mph with extensive damage

Category 4: Winds 131-155 mph with extreme damage

Category 5: Winds 155+ mph with catastrophic damage

Sometimes a hurricane will start with a high classification of Category 5 but then drop once it hits land. Once a hurricane hits land it loses strength i.e. decreases in category because of cool temperatures, a lack of moisture, and/or friction. Moisture is what fuels a hurricane!

What are some the most damaging hurricanes in US history?

1. Katrina, 2005
Damage: $160.00 billion
Max wind speed at landfall: 110 mph in August, 2005

2. Harvey, 2017
Damage: $125.00 billion
Max wind speed at landfall: 115 mph in August, 2017

3. Sandy, 2012
Damage: $70.20 billion
Max wind speed at landfall: 100 mph in October, 2012

4. Irma, 2017
Damage: $50.00 billion
Max wind speed at landfall: 155 mph in September, 2017

5. Andrew, 1992

    Damage: $47.79 billion
Max wind speed at landfall: 145 mph in August, 1992

6. Ike, 2008
Damage: $34.80 billion
Max wind speed at landfall: 115 mph in September, 2008

How to Prepare for a Hurricane?

1. Plan your evacuation route.

2. Keep non-perishable emergency supplies on hand.

3. Take an inventory of your personal property.

4. Take steps to protect your home.

 

 

Sources:
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-matthew-by-the-numbers
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-hurricane.htm
https://www.iii.org/article/preparing-hurricane

~Think About it Thursday~

Here is a great Think About Thursday Thought….

Have you ever wondered why your dog freaks out during a thunderstorm?

With Summer storms right around the corner, you need to read this article and find out why and what to do when this happens!!

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/animals-pets-summer-storms-weather/

 

 

Image Source: Pixabay.com
Article Source: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/animals-pets-summer-storms-weather/

Think about it Thursday……April Showers

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:

  1. shoebox lid
  2. ruler
  3. flour  bowl
  4. 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 Forward and Fall Back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 so that people could make better use of the day light hours. In the summer time the sunshine will last longer and we can make better use of the day when we “spring forward”.

As children we love this time of year because it stays lighter later at night, but as parents…. I don’t know how we feel about the time change.

Did you know that there are several places in the Unite States that do not observe daylight savings time, such as Arizona, Hawaii, and our oversea territories like Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico?

So don’t forget to change your clock on March 11, 2018… Spring Forward

Image sources: Pixabay
Sources: https://www.google.com

Think About it Thursday….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Has your child ever asked you a “Think About It” question before.  You know, the ones that maybe you didn’t know the answer to or the one that you could sorta answer, but couldn’t explain right? Then when you get home you have to get online and find the answer, and then try to explain it to them. Well, I am sure that we all have been in that position before.

Well on Think About it Thursday, we are going to answer those questions that you’re not sure about!  This weeks question is, “Why do Volcanoes erupt?”

Volcanoes erupt when gas bubbles inside magma, or hot liquid rock, expand and cause pressure to build up. This pressure pushes on weak spots in the earth’s surface, or crust, causing magma to exit the volcano.

Check out our online Volcano recipe that you can do with your child at home. This way your child will be able to see a Volcano erupt right before their eyes!  

 http://sciencemadefunwnc.net/downloads/volcano2.pdf

If you have any “Think About It” questions, you would like to know the answer to, then ask your question in the comments section below and once a month we will answer your question!

Picture Source:  Pixabay.com
Source #2:  https://www.google.com/

Think About It Thursday: What’s Are Floater’s?

Sometimes, against a bright background such as a clear sky or a blank computer screen, you might see things floating across your field of vision. What are these moving objects, and how are you seeing them?

Perhaps you aren’t seeing these floaters when looking into the bright sky but instead are seeing tiny dots of light? Well these little flashes of light are known as Blue Field Entoptic Phenomenon. These moving dots are actually white blood cells in your eyes. They are flowing in the capillaries in front of your eye’s retina.

These blood cells can’t absorb the bright blue light, which creates gaps in the blood column. Later these gaps appear like elongated moving bright dots to your eye sight. This disorder is also called “Scheerer’s phenomenon”. It’s not dangerous at all and is in fact very common, but most people don’t even notice it if they’re not paying attention to it. You’ve probably experienced it numerous times without realizing.

Michael Mauser explains the visual phenomenon that is floaters and Blue Field Entoptic Phenomenon in this Ted Talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6e_m9iq-4Q

Think About It Thursday: Why Do Leaves Fall Off Trees?

Image Source: Pixabay.com

When winter approaches, our part of Earth receives less sunlight, and the air grows colder, this season is commonly known as “Fall”.   When these changes happen, trees prepare for winter. People believe that leaves die on the tree and the wind blows them off the tree. According to Peter Raven, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden and a renowned botanist, “the wind doesn’t simply pull leaves off trees. Trees are more proactive than that. They throw their leaves off.” Deciduous trees have cells in them that act like scissors. These cells build up a thin bumpy line that push the leaf, bit by bit, away from the stem. You can’t see this without a microscope, says Peter Raven. The tree will then seal the spots where the leaves were attached and bunker down for the winter months.

The falling of these leaves on a tree actually helps the tree to survive the cold, dry air of winter. In the warm seasons, leaves use sunlight, water, and air to make the tree’s food, in a process called photosynthesis. In that process, the tree loses a lot of water through tiny holes in the leaves. In winter, the tree does not get enough water to replace what it would lose through the leaves. If the tree did not seal the spots where the leaves grow, it would die. When spring brings warm air and fresh water, the tree will sprout new leaves and start growing again.

Think About It Thursday: How do Cats Always Land on their Feet?

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Since today is #NationalCatDay, lets take a look at the science behind cats always landing on their feet!

More often then not cats will actually land on their feet after some gravity defying stunts. BUT there are times where they don’t always nail the landing. A cat’s innate ability to reorient its body during a fall is called the righting reflex. This reflex is observable in kittens as young as 3 weeks old and by 7 weeks, the righting reflex is fully developed.

The righting reflex is made possible because cats have a highly-tuned sense of balance and a very flexible backbone, which allows them to twist their bodies around to right themselves when they fall. Cats have something called a vestibular apparatus located in their inner ear that acts as a balance system to allow them to determine up from down when falling. Light bone structure and thick fur also help aid them in softening their landings. Some cats will “flatten” out their bodies in order to decrease terminal velocity and create more resistance to air to make them fall more slowly. A BBC article from earlier this year explains that cats don’t weigh much in comparison to their surface area, which means that they reach terminal velocity at slower speeds than a human would. A typical cat might hit terminal velocity at 60 mph, while an adult human would fall about twice as quickly.

This terminal velocity slows a cat down enough to give it the time it needs to twist their spine to reorient itself and land right side up!

, via Wikimedia Commons”] 

Think About It Thursday: How Far Does The Average Human Walk In A Lifetime?

Image Source: Pixabay.com

According to SnowBrains.com, “the average moderately active person takes around 7,500 step/day.  If you maintain that daily average and live until 80 years of age, you’ll have walked about 216,262,500 steps in your lifetime. The average person with the average stride living until 80 will walk a distance of around 110,000 miles.  Which is the equivalent of walking about 5 times around the Earth, right on the equator.!”