Vincent Summers, Author at Quirky Science

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

DIY Milk Based Casein Glue

[caption id="attachment_5956" align="alignleft" width="380"] Casein Glue[/caption] Survivalists desire the skill of doing things for themselves. While they may know how to provide food for their families, could they make their own glue if the need arose for it? Would you like to know how you can make your own glue—from milk? That’s right—from milk. It's called casein glue. Elementary Adhesives There are a number of simple ways to make glues using various starches, flour, or gelatin. An improvement to these formulations is casein glue. While it requires a little effort to make, it is still not difficult and it is a superior product. In fact, it is related to some of the famous brands available at your store, including construction glue. Milk is a Natural Casein is an important phosphoprotein…

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Spacecraft Invisibility: Is Cloaking Possible?

Technology

[caption id="attachment_5948" align="alignright" width="440"] Gravitational Lens - NASA[/caption] Have you ever looked for your keys but couldn’t find them? Even though they were right in front of you? The glasses might as well be invisible. If this has happened to you, you should get the concept of cloaking. Is cloaking possible? Cloaking—What Is It? To cloak is to covering or conceal an object, to make it invisible. Invisible at least from a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Not only would the object be invisible, but the surroundings would be seen. It's like something out of Star Trek. Is cloaking possible? Grasping the Idea Imagine you are outside. 25 feet in front of you is a French Poodle. You are looking at it, when a 2½- ton truck pulls between you…

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Scientists Have a Sense of Humor

People

I was originally going to write a serious topic about a unit of measurement in the field of nuclear physics, called the barn, but I'm in a whimsical mood. My funny bone has the best of me. You see, it is not accurate to say scientists have no sense of humor. We'll still discuss the barn, but in a slightly different light. Flashback It all goes back to that well-known institution of higher learning, Purdue University. It was the time of World War II and telephone communication with other scientists concerning particle physics was a touchy subject. Secrecy was vital, so mundane terms had to be used to replace easily identifiable technical terms. You see, the subject involved the cyclotron and the U.S. Government's interest in nuclear affairs. Background In…

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers 4 Comments

How the Electric Eel Produces Electricity

Biology

[caption id="attachment_5928" align="alignright" width="440"] Electric Eel - Attribution 2.5 Generic by Vsion[/caption] In my youth, I was a tropical fish hobbyist. I had many amazing fish in my aquaria. Among my favorites was the knife fish. Now I never would have had an electric eel in my fish tanks. Yet, the electric eel is a kind of knife fish! Electrophorus electricus can produce more than 500 volts. This grotesque creature is a danger to many moderate sized creatures, such as humans. The electric eel is native to northeastern South America. It may reach more than 8 feet¹ in length. E. electricus usually dwells in rivers, but can inhabit swampy areas. They prefer to remain in darker regions. The skin of the electric eel protects it from being shocked by its…

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Why Metals Conduct Electricity

Electrical, Physics

[caption id="attachment_19272" align="alignright" width="480"] High Voltage Lines.[/caption] Elements are divided into metals, metalloids, and non-metals. Copper is a metal. Sulfur is a non-metal. Antimony is a metalloid. Why do metals conduct electricity? What makes them special? It involves electron mobility—their ability to move about. Individual Atoms and Diatomic Molecules Atoms have a positive nucleus encased by negative orbiting electrons. Atoms of a single substance either stand alone or bind together in small groups only. Helium (He) is monatomic. Hydrogen (H₂) is diatomic. Ionic and Covalent Crystalline Solids Some solids may form crystals. The atoms are packed close together. There are three crystal types. Ionic, covalent, metallic. Ionic crystals conduct some electricity. They are not as conductive as metals because their bonds are local. Their crystals are rigid. They fracture. They…

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Drawing Single Bond Organic Hydrocarbons

Chemistry

[caption id="attachment_5904" align="alignright" width="440"] Straight Chain Pentane[/caption] Carbon is one of the few elements that readily bonds to itself, thus allowing the formation of macromolecular structures. It is not at all an uncommon thing to see a lengthy carbon-based structure, possessing molecular weight well up into the tens of thousands. Compare this with an “ordinary” molecule such as table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl) with its molecular weight—a mere 58. Drawing Single Bonded Organic Structures Ordinarily, carbon compounds are written by chemists in as simple a form as possible. Thus, drawing single bond organic hydrocarbons such as n-hexane, we write, C₆H₁₄ or, a little more in detail, CH₃(CH₂)₄CH₃ or, perhaps even, CH₃‒CH₂‒CH₂‒CH₂‒CH₂‒CH₃ [sc name="MidArticleAdsense"] Need Greater Specificity? The problem is, carbon single bonds possess tetrahedral symmetry. This means that single bonds…

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Food Chemistry: What is a Glycol?

Food

[caption id="attachment_5892" align="alignright" width="440"] Propylene Glycol[/caption] In our food, we expect to find ingredients of the earth, sea, and air—ingredients that occur naturally without any finagling from humans. Grains, vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, fowl, and cheese are all welcome. But go to your neighborhood grocery and pick up any package of prepared food product, and you are likely to be assaulted with a huge array of substances that sound nothing like these ingredients. That array will include thickeners, anti-caking agents, preservatives, fungus preventatives, and so forth. Yet another ingredient may be some form or other of glycol. What is that? Simply put, a glycol is a double alcohol—two adjacent carbon atoms each has a pendant hydroxyl group. The structure is seen to the right, below: [caption id="attachment_20003" align="alignright" width="304"] glycol…

19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Does Iron Float in Mercury?

Physics

[caption id="attachment_5886" align="alignright" width="440"] Weather Float[/caption] Both substances are heavy and mercury is a liquid, so what do you say? Does iron float in mercury? Mercury is a liquid; some objects should float in it. There are two factors that must be taken into consideration in order to answer the question, Does Iron Float in Mercury? Those two factors are the density of the material under consideration and its geometry. Our focus for this discussion will center on a block of solid iron, 4 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm. Density – the Numbers A material floats if it possesses a lower density. Iron’s density is 7.9 g/cm³ (grams per cubic centimeter). Mercury’s density is 13.5 g/cm³. The iron presses on the mercury, but because it is lighter, it…

18Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Ammonia Plus Bleach – Why a Bad Choice

Chemistry, Health

[caption id="attachment_5877" align="alignright" width="440"] Monochloramine[/caption] Housewives and others running the home are urged not to mix household ammonia plus bleach together. Why? Because the result is a poisonous gas. What gas? What is the chemical reaction that produces it? Bleach There are two varieties of household bleach. There is oxygen bleach. And there is chlorine bleach. It is the chlorine variety that causes the risk. Chlorine bleach is a solution of sodium or calcium hypochlorite in water. Its strength runs 3 to 5 percent in water. Ammonia 100% ammonia is not a liquid. It is a gas. Household "ammonia" is about a 5 percent water solution. Ammonia gas has the formula NH₃. The solution is sometimes written NH₄OH. NH₃ + HOH → NH₄OH In reality, most of the ammonia is…

18Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers 5 Comments

Calculate Atom Weight Two Ways

Physics

[caption id="attachment_8437" align="alignright" width="400"] Radon atom statistics.[/caption] Ever wonder how much an atom weighs? One atom. Different varieties of atoms weigh different amounts—helium weighs one thing, lead another. But how can the weight of any sort of atom be determined to within reasonable accuracy? We present two simple methods to calculate atom weight. Two Ways One can calculate atom weight from knowing the weights of the constituent electrons, protons, and neutrons. If you know the weight of each of those and the number of each in an atom, you can readily calculate its weight. Yet, there is an easier and a better way. Let’s pick an element out of the hat. Let’s take gold (If we can’t afford it, at least we can talk about it.). To calculate atom weight…