Science blog

Many people look to hydrogen fuel cells as the answer to our energy issues. The only problem, of course, is creating usable hydrogen. Chocolate production may be the answer. Chocolate – The Answer To Hydrogen Fuel Supplies? Mention hydrogen as a fuel source and politicians, scientists and techies get that glassed over look in their eyes. Simply put, hydrogen is a perfect fuel. It can be combined with oxygen to produce electricity. Hydrogen is the most comment element on our planet. When used as an energy source, it produces no greenhouse gases or other pollutants. Sounds great, right? There is just one problem with the idea of using hydrogen as the solution to all of our energy problems. While hydrogen is the most common element on our planet, it is rarely found in a usable form. Instead, hydrogen tends to cling to other elements such as oxygen, which gives us H2O – water. The power required to separate hydrogen from these other elements is shockingly large. In the United States, Honda has a number of hydrogen vehicles it is testing on the road via some families. The cars work well. Powering them, however, is the problem. The families must take the cars to a specific station at a Honda facility. There, they will find a few hundred feet of solar panels and a hydrogen tank. It takes the system roughly two to three weeks to create enough usable hydrogen for one full tank for the car. Given the fact there are millions of cars on the road, you can see the problem. Yes, there are more efficient methods for conversion than solar power, but nothing remotely efficient enough to create enough usable hydrogen. In a humorous turn, scientists in the UK have discovered that hydrogen can be produced from the wastes of creating confectionaries such as chocolate. The waste is treated with e coli bacteria. Yes, that e coli. The bacteria then process the food material and produces gas. Guess what kind of gas is produced? Yes, hydrogen. Could it be that chocolate will play a fundamental role in a hydrogen fuel future? Could we really be that lucky?

The functions of the right and left brain are only a small portion of the potential that comprises THE MIND. The mind and the brain are two very different things. You can think of the brain as the hard drive of the computer and the mind as the software. Your mind is the intelligence that is in every cell, every system and every organ of your body. It is that intangible, incredible, and awe-inspiring part of you that thinks, remembers, sorts information, makes judgments, forms habits, discerns, distinguishes, communicates and otherwise makes you who you are. It is the genius within. Your mind takes in all information through the five senses (sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste). You can liken the five senses to the keyboard on the computer. You receive input through your senses, your “data entry” system. Your brain then stores, categorizes and utilizes this information. A genius knows how to access that information and then apply it in discovering the solutions to any problems that may arise. It is therefore essential that you discover your own individual style for gathering and communicating information. Some of us process sensory input more effectively through visual means, others through auditory stimuli, and others through a kinesthetic (a touch or feel) approach. Here’s a very simple way to begin to contemplate which way your genius accesses information. Imagine for a moment that you are buying a new item of clothing for an important meeting. Would you be most influenced to buy primarily for a) the color and style of the outfit; b) the benefits the salesperson tells you about the clothing; c) the texture and feel of the fabric. If you chose “A”, your brain receives information primarily through visual means. If you chose “B”, you perceive information primarily through auditory means. If “C”, you most likely access information through kinesthetic means. Everyone learns and communicates in all three of these modes. However, most people have developed a natural preference, and tend to use one method more frequently. As an awakening genius, it’s your goal to become aware of your preference and then strive to strike a balance between all three modes: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Are you willing to stretch your abilities by consciously choosing to use your other senses more? Can you imagine the benefits of opening your mind to receive ALL the input from the world around you? Doing so will give you an awareness of an exciting world that’s been there all along, but which you may have been missing. It is natural for you to use what is comfortable, but the awakened genius is willing to grow. Like the turtle, you won't go far without coming out of your shell. You will be pleasantly surprised as you practice using and developing your other senses. You will notice how your memory improves and how easy it becomes for you to make choices. You will discover a whole new world of communication. Once you learn to create a balance in perception, you will be well on your way to thinking holographically – and using the full power of your genius!

Telescopes act as windows to the universe. It is with the help of telescopes that we can study the solar system and view the conjunctions of stars. Not just that, the various planets, galaxies, satellites and asteroids that we get to see only in the books and magazines are made more familiar to us via the telescopes. They act as barrier- breaking instruments between the human beings and the outer space. The universe is no more a mystery to us that exists beyond our reach and we owe it all to the telescopes. The modern day telescopes bring with them a wide array of accessories and it is with the aid of these accessories that it becomes much more easier to successfully put the telescopes into proper use. Let us see what are the important accessories that go well and are a “must-have” for most telescope users: - Filters- These are very essential for telescope users because they reduce the glare on the eyepiece and scatter the light thereby making it less strenuous for us to view distant objects. Eyepiece- this is a very important piece of equipment and its absence can render a telescope useless. Eyepieces come in a variety of sizes and if you add more than one eyepiece to your telescopes then you can have the pleasure of viewing even the tiniest and distant objects with clarity. Mounts- Mounts are the stands for telescopes. It is a mount on which the telescope rests. Since a telescope wont function favorably in vibrations therefore you should ensure that it is placed on a stable mount. Barlow lens- A Barlow lens helps in the magnification of telescopes. These lenses are available in different sizes and we must be careful in choosing the size that best fits the eyepiece. There are two main types of telescopes, the refractor (Galileo) telescopes and the reflector (Newton) telescopes. The refractor telescope uses an objective lens that bends the light towards the eyepiece. While the reflector telescope uses a mirror, which collects the light and then directs it towards the eyepiece. Though both the refractors as well as the reflector telescopes are easily available in the market we should take the following points into consideration before buying a telescope. Do not get impressed by the magnification of the telescopes. This is because magnification alone is of no use if it just produces large but hazy images. Aperture- This is the most important factor while deciding on a telescope. Aperture is the opening that collects light so its important to choose a telescope with a larger aperture that will ensure a clearer and a more detailed image quality. Resolution- This enables the telescopes to produce a more detailed image. So always opt for a telescope, which has a higher resolution. Moreover since resolution is also determined by the aperture, therefore the larger the aperture the better the resolution. Focal length- The distance between the optical center of the lens or the mirror and the optical center of the eyepiece is known as the focal length. The focal length is what determines the magnification in telescopes. Larger focal lengths imply more magnification. If we are careful about remembering the above points then it wont take us long to choose a telescope the next time we want to buy one for ourselves.

Sodium Vapour Lamp consists of a discharge tube made from a heat resistant glass, containing a small amount of metallic sodium, neon gas and two electrodes, Neon gas is added to start the discharge and to develop enough heat to vaporize the sodium. Because of law pressure inside the tube, a sufficiently long tube required to obtain more light. To reduce the overall dimension of the lamp, this tube is generally bent into U-shape. The light produced by this lamp is yellowish which is produced at its optimum pressure of about 0.004mm of mercury. This pressure is obtained at a temperature of about 280° C and so it becomes necessary to maintain this temperature. For this purpose the U-tube is enclosed in a double walled flask to prevent lose of heat. The double walled flask is interchangeable and can be fitted on to another U-tube. While replacing the inner U-tube one must be very careful because if it is broken and sodium comes in contact with moisture, it may result in fire. All electric discharge lamps require a higher voltage at the time of starting and low voltage during operation. Generally, sodium vapour lamps are operated by a high leakage reactance transformer. At starting a high voltage of about 450 volts is applied across the lamp which is sufficient to start the discharge. When the lamp is fully operative after 10 - 15 minutes, the voltage across it falls to about 150 volts. Because of the high reactance of circuit, the power factor is low and hence a p.f improvement capacitor is connected. The efficiency of a low pressure sodium vapour lamp is very high (about 40 - 50 lumens/watt) and it produces a light of particular wavelength having yellow color. Sodium lamps are mainly employed for street, high way and airfield lighting where color distinction is not so necessary.