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EurekAlert! - Science Reporting for Kids

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Science Connects the World!





The Fernwood Elementary Science Fair is coming! Our Science Fair will be held on April 15th.



Another Science Fair to check out is the Google Science Fair.



Here is a link to a fun YouTube video using Rube Goldberg device advertising the upcoming Google Science Fair:




























"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...' "






























Thursday, January 6, 2011

More on Aerodynamics

The Magic school bus space adventures [videorecording] J DVD MAG163
Kids' paper airplane book / written by by Ken Blackburn J 745.592 BLACKBU
Dime, por qué tienen alas los aviones / Shirley Willis INTL-SPA J 629.1323 WILLIS
Air and flight / Jon Richards J 629.1323 RICHARD
Flying things / Michael DiSpezio J 629.13 DISPEZI
The Wright brothers [videorecording] J DVD-ED 629.13 WRI649
Model aircraft aerodynamics / Martin Simons 629.1331 SIMONS
Air & flight / Jon Richards J 629.1323 RICHARD
Fei qi lia yao! : fei xing de mi mi / yuan zhu Qiao'anna Ke'er, Bulusi Digen ; yi Wu Meiying. INTL-CHI J 629.13 COLE
Paper Airplanes: Models to build and Fly by Emery Kelly 745.592 Kel
Book of Flight by Judith Rinard 629.13 Rin
Flight by Robert Burleigh 629.13 Bur
The science of air : projects and experiments with air and flight Author: Parker, Steve. J533.62 PAR
From boxfish to aerodynamic cars Author: Allman, Toney. J629.231 ALL
How do aircraft fly? Author: Meredith, Susan J629.1323 MER
The magnificent book of kites : explorations in design, construction, enjoyment & flight / Maxwell Eden 629.1333 EDEN
Rockets and other spacecraft / John Farndon J 629.47 FARNDON



















Flying Hoops


This is one crazy looking flyer. Give it a try for a little fun.

Materials:
2 index cards
Tape
2 straws
Optional items for added excitement: friend, clay, manila file folder.

What You Do:
For each hoopster, cut a 1 inch strip from the short side of an index card. Roll the strip into a circle and tape it to one end of your straw. Cut a 1 inch strip form the long side of the other index card. Roll it into a larger circle and tape to the other end of your straw.
Hold the hoopster in the middle and toss it gently. Experiment with which end flies better.
If you like, challenge a friend to build one and see whose hoopster will stay in the air longer.
Try putting two straws together end to end and making larger loops from a manila file folder. Try adding weight to your hoopster by sticking a piece of clay somewhere along its body. Where does the weight work best?

What’s going on? Your hoopster is an experiment in aerodynamics. Aerodynamics comes from the Greek words for air and power. It’s the study of how gases move. Air, which is a gas, lifts the hoopster as it passes over and under the loops. Bernoulli’s Principle states that fast moving air has a lower pressure than slow moving air. The loops of the hoopster are airfoils. The air has to move faster over the top of the loops than it does beneath the loops. This creates a low-pressure zone above the hoopster that lifts it into the air. Helicopters and airplanes use this principle to fly.