"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
Albert Einstein
Everyday we ask questions. How does this work? Why does this happen? What does this do?
And many times you never find the answers, or the question disappears from your mind before you have time to ask someone or look it up. Asking questions is a very important aspect of life. If you never asked questions, you would never get any answers, and therefore you would never learn anything.
"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."
Chinese Proverb
You should never be afraid to ask a question. Never think that asking a question is going to make you look dumb in front of other people, because chances are; they're probably wondering the same thing. Asking questions only makes you smarter.
So I know after reading that, you must have some questions like, what is she talking about? Or where is this article going?
And to that, I have the answers. As well as the answers to many of the questions that you may have. I've compiled a list of science related questions from our fellow Whyvillians to answer. I know that many of you may have once wondered about these same questions, and that's why I'm here to answer them. For each question, you'll find the Whyvillian who submitted it, an answer and explanation to the question, and a website or two where you can find more information on the topic. We'll start off with a question that I know I used to wonder about . . .
How do glow sticks work? - Cobd
There are many different kinds of glow sticks on the market, but they all depend on a chemical process called Chemicaluminesence. When this process takes place, the electrons in the chemicals become excited, and their energy level rises. When the electrons return to their normal level, the excess energy is released.
Different companies use different chemicals in their glow sticks, but one of the most common combinations is Hydrogen peroxide and phenyl oxalate. The hydrogen peroxide is inside a glass vial inside the plastic glow stick. When you bend the glow stick, you break the glass vial and the chemicals mix. There is also a fluorescent dye in the glow stick, which allows the energy to be released as light.
This reaction does not produce heat, nor is it caused by heat. However, as most of you know, temperature does affect the rate of reaction. If you heat a glow stick, it will glow brighter, but it won't glow for as long. If you put a glow stick in the freezer, then it will glow dimmer and for a much longer time. If you put a semi-used glow stick in the freezer, then the cold temperatures may stop the reaction altogether. However, if you take the glow stick out and let it defrost, it should start glowing again.
For more information visit: http://www.glow-sticks.org/faq.html
What happens when my dad takes a TUMS tablet? -anonymous
TUMS tablets are used to alleviate the effects of heartburn. When your dad experiences pain from heartburn, it's from the hydrochloric acid in his stomach touching the nerves in his gastrointestinal mucous membranes. This occurs when there is abnormal reflux in the esophagus. People can get this very occasionally, where it isn't much of a problem, but some people have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease, which causes chronic heartburn, meaning it happens very often.
When your dad takes an antacid tablet, he is essentially ingesting a basic, or alkali material. This means it has a high pH (8-14). Acids have a low pH(1-6), and something that is neutral has a ph of 7. When you put something with a low pH, with something that has a high pH, it results in neutralization. The antacid that your dad takes probably contains a base such as calcium carbonate, that neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in his esophagus. When an acid and a base react, they form a salt, and water.
Your dad probably doesn't even know all this stuff you just learned, he probably just knows that his TUMS makes him feel better. He would probably be very enlightened to know this, and impressed that you knew something he didn't.
For more information visit: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/92240
That's all for this week, but feel free to y-mail me your questions for next week. Your questions can be about anything science related, and since you can relate almost anything to science, then feel free to ask whatever you please. I can't answer everyone's question in one article. So don't be discouraged if I can't get to yours. Also, I intend for the nature of the questions to be appropriate to all Whyvillians, both in content and explanation. That is also why the explanations may seem slightly dumbed down to some people. I realize that there are older Whyvillians, and if anyone would like a more in depth explanation of any of the questions I cover, y-mail me, and I might be able to include a more in depth answer in a future article.
"Man will not live without answers to his questions" -Hans J. Morgenthau
Yours in Whyville,
dartanian
