December 2013 E-News: The Curious Evolution of Holiday Lights!

Christmas lights are the most recognizable sign of the season. These lights warm up the coldest of December nights – giving a nostalgic glow to our homes & communities. Even though we are so familiar with these traditional holiday lights, there is a bit of background science that you may not know.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

The Curious Evolution of Holiday Lights!

During the Holidays, we see all types of colorful lights! People decorate the outside and inside of their homes with lights that are switched on ceremoniously in neighborhoods across the globe. This tradition dates back to the 17thcentury when people first began putting lights on their Christmas trees by attaching small candles to the branches using wax or pins, according to the Great Idea Finder. But, it wasn’t until the late 19thcentury, that decorating with small glass lanterns with lit candles really took off. As a result of using candles, most people didn’t put up their lights until Christmas Eve due to the risk of fire. 

In 1882, one of Thomas Edison’s apprentices, Edward Johnson, created the first lit Christmas Tree for the Holiday Season. This tree was in New York City and had 80 small electric lights he called “dainty glass eggs.” Edward Johnson invented the first string of electric lights.

These electric lights; however, posed a danger as they heated up tender Evergreen branches and needles. Albert Sadacca created safe electric Christmas lights in 1917. The first year, the lights were all white. But, the following year, he made colorful Christmas lights that became a sensation in homes across the country. 

Lights are also an essential Hanukkah tradition. A candelabrum (lamp stand) with nine branches, called a menorah, is lit during the 8-day Hanukkah holiday. In the Jewish tradition, the menorah brings light to this time of year.

Modern LED Holiday Lights

 

For decades, incandescent light bulbs have decorated Christmas trees, window panes, and the outside of homes with bright colors during the Holidays. However, older incandescent light bulbs pose some problems. These strings of lights actually use a lot of energy, the older bulbs can also get very hot after running for long periods of time, and we’ve all taken part in the greatest holiday mystery of all time…”Which bulb is causing the strand of lights to go out?!”

Fortunately, scientists have invented LED light bulbs that solve these problems. LED stands for Light-Emitting Diodes. These modern bulbs use 10% of the electricity needed for incandescent light bulbs! LED bulbs are much cooler so they are much safer. For an extra bonus, LED bulbs last for an extremely long time & eliminate the search for the string outage culprit! For the holidays, you will see all colors, shapes, and sizes of LEDs decorating homes for the season. 

A Long Way From Candles

The basic foundation of the Christmas light, the incandescent bulb, hardly changed for nearly a century, and is only now undergoing its first major revolution as we start replacing our old tungsten lights with energy-efficient LEDs. Yet in that same time, we’ve gone from sticking burning candles in a tree to creating massive, computer-controlled – and completely excessive – light displays like this:

One thing’s for sure: No matter what the technology at hand, no matter what the reason to celebrate, the human desire to light up trees and houses in December will forever be a source for amazing – and often hilarious – innovation.

So, where do the old Christmas lights go? 

Around this time every year, millions of American households not only toss out their Christmas trees, but also, millions of strands of burnt-out Christmas lights. While they are supposed to be placed in the recycling bin, most would end up at the garbage dump if it were not for a tiny town all the way across the world called Shijiao located in Southern China.

That’s because, while there is no market for the lights in the USA, there is a great demand for the raw materials that spring from these discarded decorations in China, an opportunity that the small town of Shijiaohas capitalized on, for almost twenty years. Today, over 20 million pounds of discarded lights make their way to the town’s nine recycling facilities.

Once there, they go through a rather complicated process that separates the flecks of precious metals (copper from the wire and brass from the light sockets) from the plastic and glass that the insulation and bulbs are made from.

The strands are first manually untangled and then placed into a shredder that chops them up into tiny pieces. These are then mixed with water and shaken – upon which the heavier metal flecks flow in one direction, while the lighter plastic and glass flow in another – similar to how old miners used to pan gold. The respective materials are then accumulated and sold to Chinese manufacturers who turn them into all kinds of different products including, slipper soles!

So the next time you buy a product made in China, be sure to look at it closely – For somewhere in them you may see a glimmer of your tossed Christmas lights.

As the days get shorter and the nights get darker, we welcome colorful Holiday lights! As you decorate around your home with lights, don’t forget that you, too, can create a fun, colorful magic light box to wow your friends and family with this month’s at-home experiment!

This year, as you begin to string the lights around the Christmas tree remember that you are continuing a tradition that goes back hundreds of years! In addition to holiday lights, some of our other favorite holiday products, from decorations to toys, have surprising origins, too!  Ever wondered where tinsel comes from and why we drape it over the trees? Or have you ever asked yourself when people started to wrap their presents in paper? Learn the history of these and other interesting holiday inventions here.


Editor’s Note: One of the best resources I found for this guide came from JimOnLight.com. His is a six-part series, the first three of which I consulted before writing this article. If you want to read more about the subject, check out the following sources:
Part 1: History of Christmas Lights
Part 2: Modern Lamp Types and Sizes
Part 3: Form Factors of Christmas Lights
Part 4: Christmas Light Power and Safety (new)

December E-News: Make it a Hands-On Holiday with FUN Science!

Holiday gifts are the perfect way to incorporate science into our holiday traditions. Opening a gift that has been hand crafted from science can spark that natural curiosity and open the door to valuable ideas, skills and potential hobbies.

Science is a part of our daily life; everything we do and deal with has since. From cooking to playing ball; growing a garden to watching snow fall – understanding science can help us appreciate and relate to the world around us. No matter the age, the gift of science can fuel curiosity, ignite inspiration, and motivate our lives in so many ways.

Holiday gifts are the perfect way to incorporate science into our holiday traditions. Opening a gift that has been hand crafted from science can spark that natural curiosity and open the door to valuable ideas, skills and potential hobbies.  

It’s been said that the best gifts are those we make ourselves. Whether you’re motivated by a skimpy budget or desire to create one-of-a-kind gifts for those on your Christmas list, you’ll find something for everyone. Along the way, you may even learn a thing or two!


1. Holiday Air Fresheners:

This simple project illustrates how polymers can cause a scent to permeate the air for weeks. Custom scents, colors, and jars allow you to personalize air fresheners for different people. 

Read entire project > >


2. Pine Cone Fire Starters:

Fill a basket with pine cones which have been treated to produce colored flames. Add a festive bow. Seriously, what gift could be better than colored fire?

Read entire project > >


3. Crystal Holiday Ornaments:

These are great for making many types of holiday decorations. You can either make a set of crystal snowflakes as gifts or to attach to gifts as decorations. The snowflakes can last for years & make for a great yearly tradition for families. Short on time? Simply package the ingredients & instructions, wrap in a festive bow & give as a DIY grow your own crystal basket.  

Read the entire project > >


4. Relaxing Bath Salts:

Few things are as relaxing as a hot bath on a cold day. Up the comfort factor with homemade bath salts. Try baby soda bottles for packaging single-serve bath salts and amber bottles for larger quantities. 

Read entire project > >


5. Fizzy Bath Bombs:

Much like bath salts, bath bombs can foster a luxurious feeling in the tub. These bombs cause a chemical reaction which results in bubbles and fizz. Pack them in a wide-mouthed glass jar circled with ribbon or in a tissue-lined box. 

Read entire project > >


6. Hand-Churned Butter:

Learn about emulsions while churning out an edible gift for someone on your list. If you’re extra handy around the kitchen, bake a batch of bread or muffins to accompany the butter. 

Read entire project > >


7. Play Dough Footprint Keepsakes:

These little footprints or hand prints make the perfect keepsake for all of the moms & dads out there. Even better, they are super easy & super cheap to make!

Get the play dough recipe here & the full project directions here.  


8. Lip Balm:

Protect your pout against the elements with handmade lip balm. Handy with your design software? Then create custom labels to adorn the container. Check out your local dollar store for unique containers / vials to put your lip balm into.

Read entire project > >


9. Homemade Paper:

Put old newspapers, laundry lint and junk mail to use with this project! The homemade paper is great for Christmas cards or group it with envelopes and a pretty pen for a gift set. 

Read entire project > >


10. Luscious Hand Cream:

No need to go out & buy expensive hand creams & lotions when you have the power of science! Get project details & recipes for many types of hand creams that you can make at home. You can even print off your very own custom label! 

Read entire project > >


What’s your favorite DIY gift this season? Let us know how you are using science during this holiday & we could feature you in an upcoming blog post!

Email us at info@ScienceMadeFun.net or find your local HTHT location on Facebook! 

How Does Santa Do It? Science of Course!

All those presents, all those kids, how does Santa do it?  North Carolina State University’s Dr. Larry Silverberg, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering let’s in on Santa’s secrets to getting what seems impossible done in one night.

According to Dr. Silverberg, Santa uses nanotechnology to miniaturize the presents (solving the problem of the bulk) along with what he calls “relativity clouds” which bend time and space to allow Santa the needed time to visit all those homes.

What seems like a blink of the eye to us outside the cloud, is months to Santa and his trusty team of reindeer.

Still, reindeer are equipped with jet packs to increase their speed. Dr. Silverberg is a aerospace engineer after all.  The naughty vs.  nice tracking is done with a powerful listening network.

Read more in the researchers blog here or read the NC State news release

Don’t forget, NORAD will get in on the Santa business again this year with   their Santa Tracker.  I’m going to tag this with “manned spaceflight” for obvious reasons!

FUN Holiday Science – Poinsettia pH Paper!

Image Source: Pixabay.com
Many plants contain pigments that are responsive to changes in acidity. An example is the poinsettia plant, which has colored ‘flowers’ (really specialized leaves called bracts). Although poinsettias are perennials in warmer climates, most people are likely to see them used as a decorative houseplant over the winter holidays. You can extract the red pigment from deeply colored poinsettias and use it to make your own pH paper strips to test whether a liquid is an acid or a base.

Materials

  • poinsettia ‘flowers’
  • beaker or cup
  • hot plate or boiling water
  • scissors or a blender
  • filter paper or coffee filters
  • 0.1 M HCl
  • vinegar (dilute acetic acid)
  • baking soda solution (2 g / 200 mL water)
  • 0.1 M NaOH
How To Do It – 
1. Cut flower petals into strips or chop them in a blender. Place the cut pieces into a beaker or cup.
2. Add just enough water to cover the plant material. Simmer until the color is removed from the plant. (Personally, I would just microwave the chopped bracts with a little water for about a minute and allow the mixture to steep, like a tea.
3. Filter the liquid into another container, such as a petri dish. Discard the plant matter.
4. Saturate clean filter paper with the poinsettia solution. Allow the filter paper to dry. You can cut the colored paper with scissors to make pH test strips.
5. Use a dropper or toothpick to apply a little liquid to a test strip. The color range for acids and bases will depend on the particular plant. If you like, you can construct a chart of pH and colors using liquids with a known pH so that you can then test unknowns. Examples of acids include hydrochloric acid (HCl), vinegar, and lemon juice. Examples of bases include sodium or potassium hydroxide (NaOH or KOH) and baking soda solution.
6. Another way to use your pH paper is as a color-change paper. You can draw on pH paper using a toothpick or cotton swab that has been dipped in an acid or base.
Learn more about pH levels here :

Edible pH Indicators 

Chem4Kids.com – Reactions : Acids & Bases 

Santa’s Existence Finally Proven Using High Tech iPhone App Software!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

It has been the holiday mystery of the ages – the real life existence of Father Christmas, better known to children around the world as the jolliest of elves… Santa Claus. Over the years, the FBI, Scotland Yard, MENSA and the Illuminati have all tried in vain to gather proof that the man in the big red suit did exist. Today, the unthinkable, unimaginable has occurred: through new technology developed by Wet Nose Design in London, undeniable evidence proving Santa’s existence has been uncovered

Santa’s Existence Finally Proven Using High Tech iPhone App Software is a post from: Appmodo