Vincent Summers, Author at Quirky Science

22Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 5 Comments

Olive Oil and Peanut Oil Fat Composition and Percentages

Food, Health

[caption id="attachment_15332" align="alignright" width="480"] Peanuts fresh from the ground.[/caption] Two of the fats among the most recommended by health buffs are peanut oil and olive oil. Let’s check ‘em out to see what the chemistry is for each of these oils, what their reputed health benefits are, and how they perform in their cooking assignment. Yes, let’s compare individual substances found within peanut oil and olive oil. Peanut Oil Components There are three major components of peanut oil – triglycerides of oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids. A triglyceride is the combining of three fatty acid molecules with one molecule of glycerin. Approximate percentages are: 48% Monounsaturated [Oleic Acid] 34% Polyunsaturated [Linoleic Acid] 18% Saturated [Palmitic Acid] Oleic acid is an unsaturated, 9-omega, cis-fatty acid. Linoleic acid is an unsaturated 6-omega,…

21Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 11 Comments

Stemonitis Chocolate Brown Slime Mold – A Health Threat

Biology, Health

A few years ago, I visited a friend’s clapboard house. I noticed on an outside surface what appeared to be (and was once labeled) a fungus - the stemonitis chocolate brown slime mold. A good friend offered the use of her cell phone to take a photograph. It is the image associated with this article. The fibrous and fuzzy brown growth was located in the area right next to an air conditioner condensation runoff. The weather had been unusually humid to boot. Stemonitis, while it is not the most toxic of molds, is of serious concern to health conscious individuals. It is most closely associated with decaying wood. This was the first time the author had ever come across the mold. The spore output of this chocolate brown thready mess…

21Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

Tender, Delicious Scalloped White Bush Pan Patty Squash

Food, Plants

[caption id="attachment_20657" align="alignright" width="440"] 8-1/2" Squash - Photo July 2018.[/caption] In the Southeast United States, yellow crookneck, yellow straight-neck, butternut, acorn, and zucchini are prominently grown squashes. Less frequently seen is one squash that surpasses all other squashes. At least that is so for some of us. What squash? The tender, delicious, and considerably different scalloped white bush pan patty squash. Special? Bush Pan Patty Squash? The bush pan patty squash truly is different. It’s surpassingly tender if picked at the optimal time; almost all of the squash is eaten—none of it gets wasted. The optimal size is generally about 4-1/2 inches diameter. Cooked at that time, even the skin and seeds can be eaten. In fact, they contribute to the texture of the squash. However, I have eaten them…

09Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

The Algebra Distributive Property – A Simple Introduction

Logic, Mathematics

The algebra distributive property lets you multiply a sum by multiplying each part separately and then adding those amounts together. These words are bound to confuse the reader, so let’s consider an example that will demonstrate what we mean. The Example We want to multiply 4x7. Let’s write it as (4)(7). Then, (4)(7) = 28 Now let’s replace 4 with its equivalent, 3+1. And let’s replace 7 with its equivalent, 5+2. Then, (3+1)(5+2) = 28 This seems to be a pretty strange way to write 4x7, doesn’t it? Yet in mathematics – in algebra-style notation – it is just as correct as 4x7. In this form, we can hopefully explain in an understandable way, how the algebra distributive property works. Refer to the diagram to see how we can do…

08Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Constants and Variables: A Simple Introduction to Algebra

Logic, Mathematics

Please bear with me on this article. You see, I am a chemist, not a mathematician. Yet, as an individual who struggled with the concepts behind algebra (yet I grasped it soon enough to ace it), I can understand how others – intelligent individuals – can find algebra disconcerting. What are constants and variables? Two Basic Participants - Constants and Variables There are two primary participants in algebra – variables (which change) and constants (which do not change). Constants are specific numbers that never change. 27 is always 27. 43-1/4 is always 43-1/4. It never changes; it is constant. So let’s consider your age. Your age changes! This year you may be 16. Next year, you will be 17. Age is variable. Let’s write an equation. Your First Algebra Equation…

06Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Make Homemade Iron Gall Ink from Oak Tree Galls

Chemistry, Education

[caption id="attachment_15237" align="alignright" width="480"] Oak tree gall.[/caption] As you guide your shopping cart down an aisle not devoted to foodstuffs, you spot a bag of a dozen pens on sale for an acceptable price. You grab a pack and move on… At one time, you might have had to prepare homemade iron gall ink from oak tree galls. Oak Tree Galls What are oak tree galls? These generally round growths are produced by the interaction of plant hormones of an oak tree, combined with growth regulating chemicals produced by gall wasps and other insects or mites. The galls are lightweight and filled with air and fibers. They are rich in gallotannic acid, which is broken down by water into tannic acid, one of the ingredients used to make ink. History…

05Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

A Negative Times a Negative Makes a Positive Number

Logic, Mathematics

In high school we were introduced to negative numbers. Why high school? Why not earlier? Because we cannot picture in our minds what a negative number is. We know what positive numbers are. For instance, if we have three apples and someone gives us four more apples, we know we now have seven apples. And as to multiplication, if we have three groups of four three apples each, we know we have 12 apples. But can you visualize what a negative apple might be? How can you demonstrate negative times negative makes positive? Pure Numbers Forget units for the moment. We will concentrate on pure numbers. In the above example, the four groups of three apples becomes simply 4(3) = 12. Suppose, instead of 4(3) we make on of the…

02Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

XY-Coordinate System Symmetry with Examples

Logic, Mathematics

[caption id="attachment_28582" align="alignright" width="480"] Image Department of Energy[/caption]In high school mathematics, the topic of symmetry is bound to arise. Especially is this so in analytic geometry. For curve C, what is its XY coordinate system symmetry? How is it symmetric about the y-axis? The x-axis? The origin? The line y = x? The line y = -x? Symmetric about some point other than the origin? Symmetry About the Y-Axis Symmetry about the y-axis means that if there is a curve that lies to the right of the y-axis, there is an identical copy of it to the left of the y-axis. That is, it is symmetrical if each x value can be replaced with –x. Thus, the parabola y = 1/2x2 is symmetric with regard to the y-axis. For every…

31Jul 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Point on a Line, a Line on a Plane, and a Plane in Space

Logic, Mathematics

Each point has a specific location. Two points determine a line. Three points determine a plane. Let us consider some simple math derivations to arrive at a format for each. For simplicity’s sake, we will use the familiar x, y, z Cartesian coordinate system. We begin with a point on a line. First, Point on a Line In space, a single point has an x value, a y value, and a z value. If the coordinate system chosen for the point is a simple 1-D line, then only one variable – say x – is needed to describe it. Then, since there is no y or z to consider, the mathematical description of the point is x = c But let us, for reasons that will be understood later, write…

27Jul 2016 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Eight Correct Ways to Pet Your Cat

animals

[caption id="attachment_15099" align="alignright" width="440"] "Please pet me..."[/caption] Back because of its popularity, this article discusses a cat’s eight favorite ways to be petted. Yes, there are eight ways to pet your cat so you will become its “best bud.” Let’s enumerate them. Before we do so, however, please take special note... You should always rub, scratch, and pet a cat in the natural direction in which its fur lies down. Also, don’t overdo it. Here are the eight ways to pet your cat. 1. Scratch just in front of its tail. This is Kitty's favorite form of scratching. 2. Scratch along the backbone with two or three fingers. 3. With one finger, scratch lightly in the depressions just behind the ears. 4. Rub the palm of your hand under the…