Comments for

Comment on Silicon from Sand by ted Brattstrom

ted Brattstrom — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:22:58 +0000

Aloha -

Cool demo, I’ll have to try it, however:

“Next time you step onto the beach, bend down, grab a handful of sand and admire the fact: By mass 47% of what you hold in your hand is the element silicon. The rest is simply oxygen. Remarkable!”

“Dry white sand – beach sand or washed white builder’s sand”

Well, that’s not exactly true – In Hawai’i we have 3 colors of beaches – Black, Green and White….

Black from quick frozen lava, forming a black glassy sand – it is a silicate, but has a goodly portion of Fe and Mg in it along with the Si and O —
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Black_Sand_Forming.jpg/640px-Black_Sand_Forming.jpg

Green – from olivine – again, a product of the volcano, the olivine crystallized in the magma chamber down below (or on the way up and out) – and became separated from the rest of the lava due to cooling / erosion / density differences and the like… (Mg,Fe)2SiO4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivine

White – biogenic sand coming from the erosion of coral, coralline algae, fish bones and shells, foraminifera and the like… Basically, calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Great to look at under a microscope (all sorts of really cool things – tiny shells, sea urchin spines, bones…), and it reacts with acids to release CO2…

a bit about Hawaii white / carbonate sand
http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/manuals-reports/sand-in-hawaii

Black Sand Beach
http://www.socialtravellersite.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/blacksand.jpg

Green Sand Beach
http://www.wildernessphotographs.com/images/large/Green%20Sand%20beach%20island%20of%20Hawaii.jpg

White Sand Beach
http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/white-sand-beach-on-oahu-island-hawaii-brendan-reals.jpg

And none of these will be particularly successful at replacing SiO2 in this reaction

Aloha – and thanks for the cool reaction – now to find some SiO2 sand.

Comment on Contact Us by Tami O'Connor

Tami O'Connor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:49:19 +0000

Hi Rick, we haven’t heard from anyone yet, but before Air Swimmers came out, I used to inflate a clear kitchen garbage bag with helium and then float a helium balloon inside of it to show that the balloon only floated to the bottom layer of helium, just above the air. Density was one of my favorite topics when teaching. I would advise you to do the controlling at first, have the kids identify the science behind the fish, and those that could explain what was happening gets a turn with the controller. It would be a great motivator! If you’re looking for ideas, give the office a call and I’ll share some of the things I did in my classroom.

Comment on Contact Us by Rich Mattson

Rich Mattson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:50:32 +0000

I am intrigued by your new product, air swimmers, but haven’t figured out any ways to use them in lessons. The description mentions possibilities for teaching about density, buoyancy, and propulsion. Has anyone reported in yet on how they’ve used the swimmers for specific lessons? I’m a bit leery on how the students might hog the controls and use the swimmers for goofing off (like in your video) rather than learning about science principles. Any comments?

Comment on What Makes it Spin? by Tami O'Connor

Tami O'Connor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:45:01 +0000

My students loved it! It’s a great discrepant event!

Comment on What Makes it Spin? by Constance Maxwell

Constance Maxwell — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:21:48 +0000

Thanks. I’m looking forward to trying this one too.
Connie

Comment on Coupled Pendulums by Tami O'Connor

Tami O'Connor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:20:37 +0000

Enjoy! Let us know how you make out!

Comment on Coupled Pendulums by Constance Maxwell

Constance Maxwell — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:15:12 +0000

Thank you. I’m anxious to try this out.

Connie

Comment on Ghost Eyeballs by Randy X.

Randy X. — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:55:45 +0000

Haha what a great trick to play during Halloween. I’ve only really seen these used for the planting purpose you mentioned but it sounds like all kinds of fun is to be had!

Comment on Visit Us On Facebook by Michelle White

Michelle White — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:44:58 +0000

Dear Ron Perkins,

I too am a former High School science teacher who owns my own business and I think your company is great. I do science outreach program in the Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana area and would love to represent your company in the area by doing presentations to teachers and or students.

If you get curious, check out my website, crystalclearscience.com
I don’t sell any products, just programs. I know I could help you sell more your great supplies.

Continued success!

Michelle

Comment on 101 Things Everyone Should Know About Science by Rosie Roberts

Rosie Roberts — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:04:35 +0000

I love to learn more about science. It’s one my favorite subject at school.I like reading this one. It’s a good feeling to learn new things and I feel so intelligent after reading. Looking froward to learn this 101 Things