Bala's physics

Save The Planet!

2011-08-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

The Incredible Toon Machine, applied to my WoW Horde guild

2011-08-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

4 - Scissors

2011-08-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

Interactive Physics - Extreme Hangman

2011-08-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Interesting Physics - Superconductivity

2011-08-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

Interesting physics experiment

2011-08-06T05:28:00.000-07:00

Space Shuttle Launch Animation from Kennedy Space Center

2011-02-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

The Shuttle Launch

2011-02-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Best science trick ever!

2011-02-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

Amazing Science Experiment [from www.metacafe.com].wmv

2011-02-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

My Inspiration

2011-01-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

Thamizhan Endru Sollada - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, D...

2011-01-07T05:51:00.000-08:00

2010-04-05T03:20:00.001-07:00

Polar Bears Dealing with Global Warming - More bloopers are a click away

2010-04-05T03:13:00.001-07:00

Quercus, Stop Global Warming - Watch more funny videos here

2010-03-14T03:01:00.001-07:00

Global Warming : 50 Things You Can DO - The most popular videos are a click away

how to stop global warming

2010-03-14T01:55:00.001-08:00

Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.We recommend you purchase your CFL bulbs at 1000bulbs.com, they have great deals on both screw-in and plug-in light bulbs.
Install a programmable thermostatProgrammable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.
Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summerAlmost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditionerCleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchasesLook for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy efficient products available.
Do not leave appliances on standbyUse the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanketYou’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.
Move your fridge and freezerPlacing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.
Defrost old fridges and freezers regularlyEven better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.
Don't let heat escape from your house over a long periodWhen airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazingThis requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.
Get a home energy auditMany utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.
Cover your pots while cookingDoing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!
Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are fullIf you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.
Take a shower instead of a bathA shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximize the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.
Use less hot waterIt takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.
Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possibleYou can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
Insulate and weatherize your homeProperly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home.
Be sure you’re recycling at homeYou can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.
Recycle your organic wasteAround 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.
Buy intelligentlyOne bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.
Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you canYou will also cut down on waste production and energy use... another help against global warming.
Reuse your shopping bagWhen shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.
Reduce wasteMost products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
Plant a treeA single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.
Switch to green powerIn many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money by selling the energy you produce and don't use for yourself.
Buy locally grown and produced foodsThe average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
Buy fresh foods instead of frozenFrozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
Seek out and support local farmers marketsThey reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.
Buy organic foods as much as possibleOrganic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
Eat less meatMethane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possibleAvoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.
Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmatesSharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free service connecting north american commuters and travelers.
Don't leave an empty roof rack on your carThis can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.
Keep your car tuned upRegular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
Drive carefully and do not waste fuelYou can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance.
Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflatedProper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!
When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicleYou can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on GreenCars websites.
Try car sharingNeed a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar - offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar.
Try telecommuting from homeTelecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.
Fly lessAir travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel carbon emissions by investingin renewable energy projects.
Encourage your school or business to reduce emissionsYou can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action.
Join the virtual marchThe Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other people urging action on this issue.
Encourage the switch to renewable energySuccessfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them. U.S. citizens, take action to break down those barriers with Vote Solar.
Protect and conserve forest worldwideForests play a critical role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on saving forests from global warming.
Consider the impact of your investmentsIf you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming. Check out SocialInvest and Ceres to can learn more about how to ensure your money is being invested in companies, products and projects that address issues related to climate change.
Make your city coolCities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation. If you're in the U.S., join the cool cities list.
Tell Congress to actThe McCain Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would set a firm limit on carbon dioxide emissions and then use free market incentives to lower costs, promote efficiency and spur innovation. Tell your representative to support it.
Make sure your voice is heard!Americans must have a stronger commitment from their government in order to stop global warming and implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws with teeth. Get the facts about U.S. politicians and candidates at Project Vote Smart and The League of Conservation Voters. Make sure your voice is heard by voting!

Share this list!%20http%3A%2F%2Fglobalwarming-facts.info%2F50-tips.html%0A%0A">Send this page via e-mail to your friends! Spread this list worldwide and help people doing their part: the more people you will manage to enlighten, the greater YOUR help to save the planet will be (but please take action on first person too)! If you like, you are free to republish, adapt or translate the list and post it in your blog, website or forum as long as you give us credit with a link to the original source

Global Warming is an International Issue

2009-06-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

The average facade temperature of the globe has augmented more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900 and the speed of warming has been almost three folds the century long average since 1970. This increase in earth’s average temperature is called Global warming. More or less all specialists studying the climate record of the earth have the same opinion now that human actions, mainly the discharge of green house gases from smokestacks, vehicles, and burning forests, are perhaps the leading power driving the fashion. The gases append to the planet's normal greenhouse effect, permitting sunlight in, but stopping some of the ensuing heat from radiating back to space. Based on the study on past climate shifts, notes of current situations, and computer simulations, many climate scientists say that lacking of big curbs in greenhouse gas discharges, the 21st century might see temperatures rise of about 3 to 8 degrees, climate patterns piercingly shift, ice sheets contract and seas rise several feet. With the probable exemption of one more world war, a huge asteroid, or a fatal plague, global warming may be the only most danger to our planet earth.
Global Warming Causes As said, the major cause of global warming is the emission of green house gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc into the atmosphere. The major source of carbon dioxide is the power plants. These power plants emit large amounts of carbon dioxide produced from burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation. About twenty percent of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere comes from burning of gasoline in the engines of the vehicles. This is true for most of the developed countries. Buildings, both commercial and residential represent a larger source of global warming pollution than cars and trucks.
Building of these structures require a lot of fuel to be burnt which emits a large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Methane is more than 20 times as effectual as CO2 at entrapping heat in the atmosphere. Methane is obtained from resources such as rice paddies, bovine flatulence, bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel manufacture. When fields are flooded, anaerobic situation build up and the organic matter in the soil decays, releasing methane to the atmosphere. The main sources of nitrous oxide include nylon and nitric acid production, cars with catalytic converters, the use of fertilizers in agriculture and the burning of organic matter. Another cause of global warming is deforestation that is caused by cutting and burning of forests for the purpose of residence and industrialization. Global Warming is Inspiring Scientists to Fight for Awareness
Scientists all over the world are making predictions about the ill effects of Global warming and connecting some of the events that have taken place in the pat few decades as an alarm of global warming. The effect of global warming is increasing the average temperature of the earth. A rise in earth’s temperatures can in turn root to other alterations in the ecology, including an increasing sea level and modifying the quantity and pattern of rainfall. These modifications may boost the occurrence and concentration of severe climate events, such as floods, famines, heat waves, tornados, and twisters. Other consequences may comprise of higher or lower agricultural outputs, glacier melting, lesser summer stream flows, genus extinctions and rise in the ranges of disease vectors. As an effect of global warming species like golden toad, harlequin frog of Costa Rica has already become extinct. There are number of species that have a threat of disappearing soon as an effect of global warming. As an effect of global warming various new diseases have emerged lately. These diseases are occurring frequently due to the increase in earths average temperature since the bacteria can survive better in elevated temperatures and even multiplies faster when the conditions are favorable. The global warming is extending the distribution of mosquitoes due to the increase in humidity levels and their frequent growth in warmer atmosphere. Various diseases due to ebola, hanta and machupo virus are expected due to warmer climates. The marine life is also very sensitive to the increase in temperatures. The effect of global warming will definitely be seen on some species in the water. A survey was made in which the marine life reacted significantly to the changes in water temperatures. It is expected that many species will die off or become extinct due to the increase in the temperatures of the water, whereas various other species, which prefer warmer waters, will increase tremendously. Perhaps the most disturbing changes are expected in the coral reefs that are expected to die off as an effect of global warming. The global warming is expected to cause irreversible changes in the ecosystem and the behavior of animals.
A group of scientists have recently reported on the surprisingly speedy rise in the discharge of carbon and methane release from frozen tundra in Siberia, now starting to melt because of human cause increases in earth’s temperature. The scientists tell us that the tundra is in danger of melting holds an amount of extra global warming pollution that is equivalent to the net amount that is previously in the earth's atmosphere. Likewise, earlier one more team of scientists reported that the in a single year Greenland witnessed 32 glacial earthquakes between 4.6 and 5.1 on the Richter scale. This is a disturbing sign and points that a huge destabilization that may now be in progress deep within the second biggest accretion of ice on the planet. This ice would be enough to raise sea level 20 feet worldwide if it broke up and slipped into the sea. Each day passing brings yet new proof that we are now in front of a global emergency, a climate emergency that needs instant action to piercingly decrease carbon dioxide emissions worldwide in order to turn down the earth's rising temperatures and avoid any catastrophe.
It is not easy to attach any particular events to global warming, but studies prove the fact that human activities are increasing the earth’s temperature. Even though most predictions focus on the epoch up to 2100, even if no further greenhouse gases were discharged after this date, global warming and sea level would be likely to go on to rise for more than a millennium, since carbon dioxide has a long average atmospheric life span. You Can Help Fight Global Warming
Many efforts are being made by various nations to cut down the rate of global warming. One such effort is the Kyoto agreement that has been made between various nations to reduce the emissions of various green house gases. Also many non profit organizations are working for the cause. Al Gore was one of the foremost U.S. politicians to heave an alarm about the hazards of global warming. He has produced a significantly acclaimed documentary movie called "An Inconvenient Truth," and written a book that archives his advice that Earth is dashing toward an immensely warmer future. Al Gore, the former vice president of United States has given various speeches to raise an awareness of global warming. He has warned people about the ill effects of Global warming and its remedies.
But an interesting side of the global warming episode is that there are people who do not consider global warming as something that is creating a problem. Skeptics of global warming think that global warming is not an ecological trouble. According to the global warming skeptics, the recent enhancement in the earth's average temperature is no reason for alarm. According to them earth's coastlines and polar ice caps are not at a risk of vanishing. Global warming skeptics consider that the weather models used to establish global warming and to forecast its impacts are distorted. According to the models, if calculations are made the last few decades must have been much worse as compared to actually happened to be. Most of the global warming skeptics believe that the global warming is not actually occurring. They stress on the fact the climatic conditions vary because of volcanism, the obliquity cycle, changes in solar output, and internal variability. Also the warming can be due to the variation in cloud cover, which in turn is responsible for the temperatures on the earth. The variations are also a result of cosmic ray flux that is modulated by the solar magnetic cycles. Global Warming Skeptics
The global warming skeptics are of the view that the global warming is a good phenomenon and should not be stopped. There are various benefits of global warming according to them. According to the skeptics, the global warming will increase humidity in tropical deserts. Also the higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere trigger plant growth. As predicted, due to the global warming the sea levels will rise. But this can be readily adapted. Another argument of global warming skeptics is that earth has been warmer than today as seen in its history. The thought is that global warming is nothing to get afraid of because it just takes us back to a more natural set of environment of the past. Animals and plants appeared to do just fine in those eras of warm climate on the earth. According to few skeptics, the present chilly climate on the earth is an abnormality when judged over the geographical scale. Over geologic time, the earth’s mean temperature is 22 degrees C, as compared to today's 15.5 degrees C.

ELECTROSTATICS

2009-05-10T02:50:00.000-07:00

Sparks
1. A spark between the aluminum globe of the generator and a grounded aluminum globe. On a good day you might see sparks about a foot long or so, but on a hot, humid day you will probably have very small sparks. On a hot, humid day, try using a hair dryer to lower the relative humidity near the generator. You might only need to blow around the outside of the aluminum globe to get sparks several inches in length, but you might want to blow inside the base of the generator to dry things out in there (be careful not to heat up the belt too much-- most models of classroom Van de Graaff generators have latex belts that can be damaged by excessive heat). Sometimes I crack the top half of the globe off and just blow a little warm air straight down the support tube and get decent sparks.
2. A spark between the aluminum globe of the generator and a finger. This is usually not very comfortable, and often the sparks are fairly short and/or faint because of the small radius of curvature of the end of your finger. The back of your arm might give you better sparks, and the sparks won't cause you as much discomfort. On days when I have been sweating a bit, the back of my arm doesn't work very well (for attracting sparks, that is)-- I suppose this is due to the humidity around me! In addition to just making sparks, try the next demonstration.
3. A spark between the aluminum globe of the generator and the back of the forearm making the muscles of the forearm contract causing the hand to twitch. Don't try a spark to the top of your head with your tongue sticking out: not only will you have a small sore spot on your head, you might bite your tongue. Be careful when bending down to pick up objects you have dropped on the floor around the generator for this same reason.
Repulsion
The Van de Graaff electrostatic generator develops either a net positive charge or a net negative charge. It will repel objects with a like charge. To determine if your Van de Graaff generator develops a positive or negative charge, the easiest thing to do is to rub a balloon on your hair or shirt to develop a net negative charge on the balloon, and then throw the balloon at the generator while it is charged. With most classroom demonstration models of Van de Graaff generators, the charge developed will be negative and the balloon will be repelled. If by some odd chance your generator develops a positive charge, it should attract the balloon, at least until the generator charges the balloon positively. Most classroom Van de Graaff generators rely on charges coming from the separation of a rubber belt and a felt-covered pulley. If you look at a triboelectric chart, you will see that this results in the belt carrying away electrons from the felt, the same as the balloon pulls electrons away from your hair or shirt. The electrons are drawn from the rubber belt to the globe at the top of the generator (through corona discharge), and therefore the generator will be charged negatively, repelling the negatively-charged balloon.
1. The hair. Everyone's seen this, many have done this, and many have tried and been disappointed (at least occasionally). Every now and then even I have a hard time getting someone's hair to stand up from the charges building up and repelling each other. Usually my hair works great for this demo, but if I have been sweating (which is usually the case during my Physics on the Road presentations), my hair sometimes won't budge. I generally have a volunteer from the audience come up for the first try (or two), stand on a plastic stool (mine is a Rubbermaid step stool), place one hand on the globe of the generator, hold a mirror in the other hand, and then turn on the generator, and if the hair stays down, I try mine. If that doesn't work, I use some other method to demonstrate the repulsive forces between like charges. Don't avoid any one type of hair except for short or braided hair. Hair spray (previously applied) can sometimes make this demo more impressive because large sections of the hair can be made to stand up instead of individual strands. One thing to watch for during a failure are charges leaking off the person quickly (you can sometimes hear this; if you hear the charges leaking off of the student's shoes, have the student rearrange his or her feet so that they are more completely on the stool). If you can pinpoint the leaks, you might be able to have the student reposition a body part or take off a certain piece of jewelry to stop the leak. Sometimes a leak is due to a nearby object which can be moved or avoided (speaking of which, don't put the stool close to the table or any other object that might cause the student to get shocked). To discharge the student, you can touch the generator with a chicken stick, but I usually just have the student quickly pull the hand away from the generator and step off the stool to discharge. The student might get a small shock to the feet or toes, but this is rare. The hair is always the best "repulsion of like charges" demo, but there are others.
2. Packing peanuts. You know what I mean: put some packing peanuts in a plastic cup and tape it to the top of the generator. Turn on the generator and away they go! I use the packing peanuts made of corn starch when I do this since they are biodegradable (and if they get stepped on and squashed, I can wash them down the drain). On a good day, the cup of foam pieces can be held in one hand while touching the generator with the other hand (and, of course, standing on a plastic stool), and when the generator is turned on, the pieces will fly out. This can also be done with other small, lightweight things, such as some cereals or confetti. If you want a real mess, put some black pepper in a small dish on top of the generator, but be prepared to sneeze! Grits (not cooked!) work well also, but I might be getting too far north for that. 3. Pie pans. Place a pie pan or several stacked pie pans upside-down on the top of the generator. When the generator is turned on, the pie pans lift off one at a time and fall to the sides. This can make quite a racket, and if the generator is not charging the pans well enough, they might just fall off from the vibrations of the generator before they charge up enough to lift off. If you have a chance, try it with some of the small aluminum ashtrays like you find in fast food restaurants. These are cheaper (unless you get caught!), and are easier to store, but then again they are easier to pack away and be lost because of their smaller size.
4. A small balloon attached to the generator by a string taped to the globe will be charged to the same sign as the globe of the generator. The balloon will rise up straight above the generator if the string is not too long ("too long" is determined by the size of the generator and how well the generator is charging; I usually only use a string about six inches in length). Try this with a piece of tinsel in place of the string.
5. A polystyrene cup works the same way as the balloon, but variations on the demos are welcomed by students. Maybe your artistic talents can be demonstrated by drawing on a foam cup.
6. Speaking of your artistic talents, you might want a Van de Graaff designer hat. Take a polystyrene bowl, attach several balloons and/or foam cups with strings and tape, tape a string to hold the hat on your head like a cowboy hat, and let the charging begin! If you don't like making a fool of yourself, just tape the contraption onto the generator (I was going to say, if you don't like making a fool of yourself, you're probably in the wrong profession, but I decided to be nice to those fuddy-duddies).
7. Make a string wig and attach it to the generator. It does about the same thing as hair, but it is extremely more reliable.
Attraction
The generator will attract objects with the opposite charge and many objects with no net charge (through induction).
1. Hold a paper towel near but not touching the generator. It will be attracted to the generator through inductive charging. Don't let go of the paper towel unless you want to do a demo from the next section! Also don't get too close to the generator: paper towels can be conductive and give you a shock. This works with almost any small lightweight object. Sometimes you can even see one of the grounding globe accessories wobbling back and forth from the attraction before the spark jumps across.
2. With someone's hair standing up or with the string wig attached to the generator, move your hand or the chicken stick near the hair or strings. The hair or strings will be attracted to your hand or the chicken stick because your hand or the chicken stick are charged through induction to the opposite sign as the generator charges the hair or strings. Do not get close to the person's head while doing this demo: both you and the student might get a pretty good shock, and shocks to the head are not soothing! This same effect occurs when you move your hand near the polystyrene cup or balloon attached to the generator by a string.
3. Being careful not to pour water on the base of the generator, pour some water from one beaker to another near the generator. The water stream will be bent towards the generator. Sure, this can be done with a piece of Styrofoam rubbed in your hair instead of the Van de Graaff generator, but while you have it out performing other demonstrations, why not give it a try. Sometimes the water is pulled farther to the side than you expect, and small droplets get pulled onto the globe of the generator, so have some paper towels ready.
Attraction followed by repulsion
When an object is charged by induction by holding it near the generator, it will be attracted towards the generator. If it is allowed to get close enough to the generator (sometimes even touching), it can be charged to the same sign as the generator through conduction and will be repelled.
1. Hold a paper towel or coffee filter by the edge near the generator. It should be attracted to the generator. Let go of the paper towel or coffee filter, and it will fly to the generator, get charged, and fly back toward your hand. The same thing works with many small lightweight objects.
2. Blow some small soap bubbles near the generator. I usually use a soda straw as the bubble blower for this demo so that I get small bubbles. This one can make a soapy mess, so don't do it prior to other demos!
Corona discharge
The electric field intensity around a conductor is inversely related to the radius of curvature of the object. Therefore the electric field is greatest near points and edges. Corona discharge occurs because the electric field is so great near points and edges that the air is easily ionized. This ionization can be seen as a blue glow around some objects. If you don't like getting shocked by the generator, keep a small (or large) piece of foil handy to drain charges away in small quantities. The foil actually works better as a chicken stick than a chicken stick, and it's a lot cheaper.
1. Tape a thumbtack to the top of the generator. Turn the lights off. See what happens (you might even be able to hear the corona discharge).
2. Crack the top half of the globe of the generator off. Turn the generator on. Look at the glow around the spray (the sharp piece of aluminum or screen wire or whatever your generator has near the belt to charge the globe) and around the top edge of the generator. You should be able to see the corona discharge, especially near the spray. The same thing happens at the spray in the base of the generator, but it is harder to see because the base is usually not transparent!
3. Instead of having a student place a hand on the generator to do the hair demo, have the student hold a small piece of aluminum foil near the generator to charge through corona discharge. Then to get rid of the charges, have the student point the foil away from the generator.
4. Hold a strip of thin aluminum foil near the generator by the end (try a piece about half-an-inch wide and the width of the roll long). The foil will strike at the globe like a snake, get charged through conduction or corona discharge, be repelled, discharge through corona discharge, and repeat. Try this with a piece of tinsel or string also. Also try connecting a ground wire to the end of the foil.
5. Take a small piece of foil about one square inch in area and hold it near the generator (you don't have to worry about getting shocked, at least not at this point). Let go of the foil and pull your hand away. The foil will be attracted to the globe, but the charges will be leaking off the edge away from the generator, and if the attraction reaches a steady state balancing out gravity, the foil will float around the bottom of the globe of the generator. The biggest problems with this are the shape of the foil (you might need to try several pieces of various shapes and sizes) and the foil sticking to the support column of the generator (I guess this could be overcome by holding the generator sideways or upside down). If it works, it is a very impressive demonstration that many have not seen. I cut a piece of foil the shape of a moth (at least I think it looked like a moth) and it fluttered around the generator for a while before resting on the plastic support tube. I have had pieces of foil flutter around the bottom of the generator for about ten minutes without them sticking to the tube, but I've also had some stick immediately.
Other
By now you are probably sick to death of these demos and have a few ideas of your own to try. If you come up with anything interesting, please email me at mike_smith@ncsu.edu and let me know what you did. Playing with stuff like this is part of my job, so if you have something that doesn't quite work but you think it should, let me know and I might be able to play around with it till it works! Anyway, I thought I'd give you a few more demos to try, but with minimal discussion.

1. Light a candle and hold it near the generator, or fasten it to the top. As long as the flame is closer to the generator than your hand you don't need to worry about getting shocked.
2. Put some smoke near the generator. Maybe try some chalk dust too.
3. Pour an electrorheological liquid near the generator (you will probably get shocked with this one). You don't know what an electrorheological liquid is? An electrorheological liquid is one whose flow is interrupted by static electrical charges. An example of one is a colloid of corn starch and vegetable oil. The oil and corn starch (mixed up very well to form a liquid about the consistency of Elmer's glue) will flow normally until you bring it close to the generator. The charged generator makes the corn starch line up and hold its position and the oil is unable to flow around it. If you want to try this without getting shocked, do the same thing with a piece of Styrofoam insulation charged up by rubbing it with hair instead of the Van de Graaff. This is much easier, but my talk is about Van de Graaff generators, so I had to use one to work this into the talk.
4. Take the globe off of your generator (maybe you don't have the globe anyway-- it's amazing how many pieces of Van de Graaff generators there are sitting around). Take the upper spray off the generator (this might have come off with the globe). Stand on a plastic stool and point a small piece of aluminum foil at the upper pulley. Turn on the generator. You should develop a charge through corona discharge. Sometimes this works better than charging through conduction. If you're lucky, your hair is now standing on end. To discharge, point the piece of foil away from the generator, and there goes that corona discharge again. I guess it's demos like this that make physics teachers such pack rats. Being able to do stuff like this when you only have a somewhat insignificant part of the generator-- after all, the globe is the most important part, right?-- keeps you from throwing anything away!
5. Hold a fluorescent tube near the generator. Adjust the position of your hand to control how much of the tube lights! Also try this with spectrum tubes, especially neon.

2009-01-04T02:25:00.000-08:00

Pictures of the moon's surface taken by Moon Impact Probe (MIP) as it approached the lunar surface after separating from Chandrayaan-1

2009-01-04T02:22:00.000-08:00

Taken over the polar region of the moon by TMC, the picture shows many large and numerous small craters. The bright terrain on the lower left is the rim of 117 km wide Moretus crater.

Images Obtained by Chandrayaan-1

2009-01-04T02:11:00.000-08:00

Taken over the equatorial region of the moon by TMC, the picture shows the uneven surface of the moon with numerous craters. On the lower left, part of the Torricelli crater is seen.

EINSTEIN

2008-12-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

green earth

2008-09-13T05:16:00.001-07:00

Archimedes

2008-07-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

Archimedes of Syracuse is considered one of the greatest mathematicians in history. In fact, he is believed to be one of the three greatest mathematicians along with Isaac Newton and Carl Gauss. His greatest contributions to mathematics were in the area of Geometry. Archimedes was also an accomplished engineer and an inventor. He was believed to have been obsessed with Geometry though.
Archimedes was born in Syracuse, Greece in 287 BC and died 212 BC after being killed by a Roman soldier who did not know who Archimedes was. He was the son of an astronomer: Phidias of whom we know nothing about. Archimedes received his formal education in Alexandria, Egypt which at the time was considered to be the 'intellectual center' of the world. When he completed his formal studies in Alexandria, he returned and stayed in Syracuse for the rest of his life. It is not known whether he ever married or had children.
Contributions:
Discovered how to find the volume of a sphere and determined the exact value of Pi.
Principle of Buoyancy. (It is believe that when he discovered the principle of Buoyancy, he went running through the streets naked shouting 'Eureka' - I have found it)
It is believed that he was actually the first to have invented integral calculus, 2000 years before Newton and Leibniz.
Powers of Ten, a way of counting that refers to the number of 0's in a number which eliminated the use of the Greek alphabet in the counting system. (Scientific Notation)
A formula to find the area under a curve, the amount of space that is enclosed by a curve.
Famous Quote:
"Eureka"

Apparently when taking a bath, he discovered the buoyancy principle and jumped up and ran through the streets naked shouting 'Eureka' which means - I have found it.

Phoenix To Bake Ice-rich Sample Next Week

2008-07-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

This image was acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera on the 35th Martian day of the mission, or Sol 34 (June 29, 2008), after the May 25, 2008, landing. This image shows the trench informally called "Snow White 5." The trench is 4-to-5 centimeters (about 1.5-to-1.9 inches) deep, 24 centimeters (about 9 inches) wide and 33 centimeters (13 inches) long.

Snow White 5 is Phoenix's current active digging area after additional trenching, grooming, and scraping by Phoenix's Robotic Arm in the last few sols to trenches informally called Snow White 1, 2, 3, and 4. Near the top center of the image is the Robotic Arm's Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe.

Snow White 5 is located in a patch of Martian soil near the center of a polygonal surface feature, nicknamed "Cheshire Cat." The digging site has been named "Wonderland."

This image has been enhanced to brighten shaded areas.

July 02, 2008 The next sample delivered to NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) will be ice-rich.

A team of engineers and scientists assembled to assess TEGA after a short circuit was discovered in the instrument has concluded that another short circuit could occur when the oven is used again.

“Since there is no way to assess the probability of another short circuit occurring, we are taking the most conservative approach and treating the next sample to TEGA as possibly our last,” said Peter Smith, Phoenix’s principal investigator.

A sample taken from the trench informally named “Snow White” that was in Phoenix’s robotic arm’s scoop earlier this week likely has dried out, so the soil particles are to be delivered to the lander’s optical microscope on Thursday, and if material remains in the scoop, the rest will be deposited in the Wet Chemistry Laboratory, possibly early on Sunday

Soyuz TMA-12

2008-07-05T04:10:00.000-07:00

The Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft approaches the International Space Station, carrying Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonauts Sergei Volkov, Expedition 17 commander; Oleg Kononenko, flight engineer; and South Korean spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi. Volkov and Kononenko will spend six months on the station, while Yi will return to Earth April 19 with two of the Expedition 16 crewmembers currently on the complex. Docking with the Pirs Docking Compartment occurred at 8:57 a.m. (EDT) on April 10, 2008. Photo credit: NASA

Dr.APJ.ABdul Kalam

2008-06-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

Born - 15 October 1931

Achievements -

This eminent scientist and engineer has also served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. APJ Abdul Kalam is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country. He firmly believes that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations. Apart from being a notable scientist and engineer, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. He is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country and is also often also referred to as the Missile Man of India. People loved and respected Dr APJ Abdul Kalam so much during his tenure as President that was popularly called the People's President. Read more about the biography of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam here. APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and received honorary doctorates from about 30 universities globally. In the year 1981, the Government of India presented him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan and then again, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Before Kalam, there have been only two presidents - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain - to have received the Bharat Ratna before bring appointed to the highest office in India. Read on about the life history of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who's also the first scientist and bachelor to occupy the seat of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. His perspectives on important topics have been enunciated by him in the book 'India 2020'. It highlights the action plans that will help develop the country into a knowledge superpower by the time 2020. One thing for which he received ample kudos is his unambiguous statement that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations. And Dr APJ Abdul Kalam regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower. Even during his tenure as President, APJ Kalam took avid interest in the spheres of India's science and technology. He has even put forward a project plan for establishing bio-implants. He is also an ardent advocate of open source software over proprietary solutions to churn out more profits in the field of information technology in India.

SIR C.V.RAMAN

2008-06-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Roman was one of the greatest scientists of India and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his outstanding discovery in Physics. It was named after him and known as 'Raman Effect'. Besides this he was the recipient of many other prestigious awards including the Lenin Peace Prize in 1958.Chandrasekhara Venkata Roman was born on 7th November 1888 at Trichnopoly in Tamilnadu. His father was a professor of Physics at Mrs. A.V.N. Colleqe, Waltair. Raman was a very brilliant exceptional student and right from his childhood. After passing his matriculation at the age of 12, he was admitted to the Presidency College, Madras. From there he passed his B. A. in 1904 and M.A. in Physics in 1907. He got first position in the University in M.A. While he was student in the Presidency College, he modified 'Melde's theory on sound'. He also worked on 'Diffraction of Light'. His first paper appeared on this topic in 1906.In 1907, after passing a civil service competitive examination, he became the Deputy Accountant General in Calcutta. In 1915, he met Sir Aushotosh Mukherjee, the Secretary of the Indian Science Association. Raman joined this Association as a member and started his research work. In the year 1917, he resigned from his job and became the Professor of Physics at Calcutta University.

During a sea voyage to Europe in 1921, he observed with wonder brilliant blue colour of the Mediterranean, and later the blue colour of glaciers. After returning to India he experimented on the diffusion of sunlight in its passage through water, transparent blocks of ice and other materials. He explained the reason of the blue colour of the ocean. Systematically pursuing his researches in this field, Raman was led to the discovery of 'Raman Effect' in 1928. He used monochromatic light from a mercury arc and the spectroscope to study the nature of diffused radiations emerging from the material under examination. For this discovery he was awarded Nobel Prize in 1930. He became a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1924.He also worked in the field of magnetic attraction and theory of musical instruments. He continued as Professor for 15 years.In 1933, he became the Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He held this post for 10 years. In 1934 he sponsored the foundation of the Indian Academy of Sciences, of which he became president. In 1943, the Raman Research Institute was set up by him. Then he conducted research work for the rest of his life. He died on 21st November 1970 at Bangalore.

SIR ISAAC NEWTON

2008-06-27T09:03:00.001-07:00

Isaac Newton was born in Lincolnshire, near Grantham, on December 25, 1642.. He was sent to school at Grantham, where his learning and mechanical proficiency excited some attention. In 1656, he returned home to learn farming. But, he spent most of his time solving problems, making experiments, or devising mechanical models. His mother noticed this and sent him to Trinity College, Cambridge.In Cambridge Sir Isaac Newton took up Mathematics. His mathematical reading as an undergraduate was founded on Kepler's Optics, the works of Vieta, van Schooten's Miscellanies, Descartes's Géométrie, and Wallis's Arithmetica Infinitorum. He also attended Barrow's lectures. At a later time, on reading Euclid more carefully, he formed a high opinion of it as an instrument of education.In 1665, Newton took is B.A. degree and wrote a manuscript, dated May 28, 1665. It is the earliest documentary proof of his invention of fluxions. About the same time, he discovered the binomial theorem. During 1665 and 1666, he made brilliant discoveries. He formed the fundamental principles of his theory of gravitation at that time. It said that every particle of matter attracts every other particle. He suspected that the attraction varied as the product of their masses and inversely as the square of the distance between them. He worked out the fluxional calculus in a manuscript dated November 13, 1665. He used fluxions to find the tangent and the radius of curvature at any point on a curve. In October 1666, he applied them to several problems in the theory of equations. Newton tried to find out a way to join up the ideas of Galileo and Johannes Kepler on how planets circle the sun. Newton made a link between the force that kept the moon from being thrown away from the earth and Earth's Gravitational force. He called his findings the Law of Universal Gravitation. He then started experimenting with the 'celebrated phenomenon of colours. People were using prisms to experiment with colour, and thought that the prism coloured the light. He proved that white light was made up of colours mixed together, and the prism merely separated them. He was the first person to understand the rainbow.In October 1669, Newton became the second Lucasian professor of mathematics. Barrow appointed him for the post when he stood down. For the first year of his tenure, he devoted much of his time to continuing his optics research. After this, encouraged by Barrow and John Collins, he focused again on mathematics. It was Newton's reflecting telescope, made in 1668, which finally brought him into full view of the scientific community.In the late 1670s, theological studies occupied most of his time. He began a history of the church, starting in the fourth and fifth centuries. In 1686, he presented his single greatest work, the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica ('Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy'). In it, Newton revealed his laws of motion, and the law of universal gravitation.In 1696 Newton was appointed Warden of the London Mint, becoming Master in 1699. In 1689, he was elected a Member of Parliament for the University of California. He was elected President of the Royal Society in 1703 and held the post until his death. Less than two years after his election, Queen Anne knighted Newton in Cambridge. In 1709, Newton began work on a second edition of Principia, and he also published a second edition of Optics. After a series of debilitating illnesses he died on 31 March 1727.

குளோபல் Environment

2008-06-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Arctic Carve-Up

2008-06-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Contrary to opinions such as Senator Frank Murkowski's, the Arctic is not just “snow and ice.”
From Inuit tribes to the migratory caribou, the Arctic is full of life, especially during the summer. For energy-hungry nations, however, the Arctic is full of another element of interest: oil.
Beneath its melting icecaps lie the “world’s largest remaining untapped gas reserves and some of its largest undeveloped oil reserves,” says the WWF. In face of the current “oil shock,” the five nations that border the Arctic Ocean — Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and the U.S. — all want a slice of this lucrative “ice” spot.
Late last May, these five rival nations met in Greenland to resolve these competing claims. The convention reaffirmed rules laid out by the UN Law of the Sea Convention, which draws national boundaries based on geological features. The UN is expected to oversee decisions on Arctic control by 2020.
Climate change has a big role in increasing the appeal of the Arctic. Rising temperatures rapidly melt the Arctic ice, which increase drilling and shipping access during summer months. Eventually, this will even open up “a route through the Arctic Ocean linking the Atlantic and Pacific that would reduce the sea journey from New York to Singapore by thousands of miles,” says The Telegraph.
Absent from the meeting were environmental groups, who “said the closed-door meeting paved the way for a land grab by countries who have claims to the continental shelf at the pole,” according to The Guardian.
Environmentalists also object to the environmental dangers of drilling.
John Calder, the director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Arctic Research Division, warns not only of the landscape destruction and negative impacts on the indigenous Arctic villages due to infrastructure development, but also the calamitous effects of oil accidents:
Oil spills are especially dangerous in the Arctic, because its cold and heavily season-dependent ecosystems take a long time to recover. Besides, it is very difficult to remove the damage from oil spills in remote and cold regions, especially in parts of the ocean where there is ice.

The Gift that Keeps Giving

2008-06-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Working Villages International (WVI) is an NGO with a unique take on how to eliminate poverty in Africa. Their new initiative, Village Reliance, aims to combat poverty directly, rather than dealing only with its effects. They want to give people the skills and tools to take control of their own lives and bring themselves out of poverty.
The goal of this program is to build a village that will be environmentally and economically self-sustainable for people living in the Ruzizi Valley of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
They are building from scratch a model village which will have full employment, private ownership of small farms and businesses, zero carbon footprint and total 100 percent recycling. This project is a practical demonstration that it’s possible to profoundly increase living standards in rural Africa without hampering local culture and ingenuity.

2008-06-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
"Global warming will be the greatest environmental challenge in the 21st century." - Vice President, Albert Gore.
One of the most current and widely discussed factor which could lead to the ultimate end of existence of Earth and man is global warming and its devastating effects. Scientists have asked how fast the Earth is heating up, and how the warming effects on Earth may effect crops and climatic conditions. Several current trends clearly demonstrate that global warming is directly impacting on; rising sea levels, the melting of icecaps, and significant worldwide climatic changes. This paper will discuss the degree of destruction caused by global warming, contributing factors to warming, and finally, discuss what we can do to decrease the current rate of global warming. I would also like to present opposing viewpoints to the effects of the warming process. In my understanding, global warming represents a fundamental threat to all living things on earth.
WHAT IS THE "GREENHOUSE EFFECT" ALL ABOUT?
It is important to understand and discuss the significance of global warming. Global warming is also known as the "Greenhouse effect". The "Greenhouse Earth" is surrounded by a shield of atmospheric gases, rather than a glass or a plastic cover. The air that makes up our atmosphere consists primarily of nitrogen and oxygen molecules (N2 at 78% and O2 at 21%). A large number of "trace gases" make up the remainder of air's composition. Many of these, including carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are the so called "greenhouse" gases. If you have ever felt the piercing cold of the clear winter night sky and wondered why you feel warmer on a cloudy winter night, you have experienced the atmospheric greenhouse effect firsthand. Physics tell us that any object warmer than absolute zero will radiate energy. Cooler objects emit longer waves (in the infrared region) while hotter ones radiate shorter wavelengths. Our sun, powered by its hot, nuclear fusion reaction, produces radiant energy in the visible and ultraviolet regions with relatively short wavelengths. Of the sunlight that strikes the earth, about 70% is absorbed by the planet and its atmosphere, while the other 30% is immediately reflected. If the earth did not re-radiate most of this newly absorbed energy back into space the world would continue to get warmer. Instead, an energy balance is maintained.
The earth is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) warmer than it would be if it did not have the atmospheric blanket of greenhouse gases and clouds around it. Clouds and greenhouse gases keep the earth warm. Once warmed, their molecules then radiate a portion of this heat energy back to earth, creating more warming on the surface of our planet. It is this radiation which causes atmospheric gases to move back to earth that scientists call the "greenhouse effect".
Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas generated by man's burning of fossil fuels and the forests is responsible for about half the greenhouse gas warming. Other gases (CFCs, methane, nitrous oxide, tropospheric ozone) are responsible for the rest. Increases in all these gases are due to mankind's explosive population growth over the last century, and increased industrial expansion. Approximately 80% of atmospheric CO2 increases are due to man's use of fossil fuels: oil, coal, and gas. These petroleum-based energy sources first came into use with the burning of coal during Since 1945 petroleum consumption has increased dramatically, due in large part to increased usage of automobiles worldwide, and the substitution of mechanized farm machinery for animal power. "Mankind is in the process of conducting a major, unintentional experiment, that of feeding back into the atmosphere in a short space of geological time the fossils fuels that have slowly accumulated over the past 500 million years." (Refer to graph #1)
Graph 1Excluded
In 1958, scientists began to measure carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The site selected for these measurements was on top of the volcanic mountain of Mauna Loa, in Hawaii. CO2 measurements at the Hawaiian site have continued. The instruments show the level of CO2 has been steadily increasing (about 0.4% per year) from a level of 315 parts per million (ppm) in 1958 to 353 ppm in 1990. Clearly, Earth's natural mechanisms for absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere cannot handle the large quantities of CO2 being added by modern man. Scientists believe nearly 1/2 of the CO2 being emitted each year remains in the atmosphere, while the rest is being absorbed by trees and the oceans. As a result, CO2 measurements show a continuing build-up of CO2 greenhouse gases in the air, gases that will eventually lead to more global warming. (Refer to graph #2)
Graph 2
HOW FAST IS THE EARTH HEATING UP?
Much debate in the last five years about the greenhouse effect has centered on interpreting temperature numbers generated at weather stations all over the world. The data from these thermometers are averaged and plotted in attempts to determine just how fast the earth has heated up since the measurements began. There is now no doubt the world is getting warmer. The thermometers show that the world is warmer now than at any time since the measurements started. The year 1990 was the hottest year in the last century. Together with 1991, the years of 1983, 1987, 1988, and 1989, have been measured to be the warmest 6 years in the last hundred years. 1991 was the second warmest year of the past century, perhaps due to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo during that year. The ash from the volcano in the upper atmosphere blocks some sunlight to earth, and is expected to generate a temporary two or three year cooling effect. After that time, most ash particles will have settled back to earth, and most scientists expect to see the global warming trend continue.
According to scientists, we can with "99% confidence conclude that current temperatures represent a real warming trend rather than a chance fluctuation over the 30-year period." Most scientists agree that the planet's temperature has risen 0.5 degrees Celsius since 1900, and will continue to increase at an increasing rate. The environment is responding to this warming. For instance, a study of mountain plants in the Alps (Europe), shows that some cold-loving plants are starting to move to higher and cooler altitudes. That is a possible response to increasing temperatures.
CURRENT TRENDS.
The global effects of the greenhouse effect cannot be directly predicted simply because we do not have enough knowledge in the subject. However, we have been able to draw direct connections between certain natural phenomenon that supports the idea that something is changing.
Global warming has great effect on crops and weather conditions around the world. The northern hemisphere contains more land area than the southern hemisphere, and conversely, a lower percentage of the world's oceans. Since oceans absorb more heat than land areas, it is not surprising that most climate models predict faster heating over the northern hemisphere than the global average. In addition, models predict faster temperature increases at higher latitudes. If global warming trends continue, high temperatures everywhere in the US may reduce US agricultural productivity. Northern continental areas are projected to have drier summer soils, due in part to earlier snow melts in the spring, and hotter, more cloudless summers, causing extensive evaporation of ground moisture. In addition, if the inland areas of the northern hemisphere are expected to receive less moisture, then, lake and river levels will be lower. Some reports predict the level of the Great Lakes will drop between 2 and 8 feet. River flows in the western US may be very vulnerable to increase temperatures expected as result of the greenhouse effect.
When many people think of global warming, their first concern is the possible rise of sea levels. With a large number of the world's cities in coastal areas, this is a significant problem. There are two major causes of rising sea levels. First, extra water is produced when ice melts. Secondly, the natural expansion of sea water as it becomes warmer. The range of sea ice around both poles continues to shrink, as it melts. Even with the level of greenhouse gases present today, the earth may warm enough in the next 50 years or so to completely melt the sea ice located on the poles.
Damage from rising seas is very diverse. Buildings and roads close to the water could be flooded and they could suffer damage from hurricanes and tropical storms. "There are good physical reasons to suggest that more intense storms (hurricanes) could result from global warming." Warmer oceans cause more intense storms. Experts believe that global warming could increase the intensity of hurricanes by over 50 percent. Hurricane Andrew's devastation in 1992 set new records. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the 1990 season was the most active year on their records for combined Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes. Damage caused by future hurricanes to populated areas will be more severe since higher sea levels are predicted for the next century. In addition, as the sea rises, beach erosion takes place, particularly on steep banks. Wetlands are lost as sea levels rise. Another serious problem is the threat of salt water intruding into underground fresh water reserves in coastal areas.
In 1992, a report was published by the United Nations, which proposes that if CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions continue with present trends (which is the case), the coastal plains of Bangladesh and the Netherlands will flood by the year 2100. Furthermore, the islands of the Maldives would completely disappear. This would happen if only a two foot increase in sea level occured.
FOREST DESTRUCTION CREATES MORE HEAT:
Trees play a unique role in the global carbon cycle. They are the largest land-based natural mechanism for removing CO2 from the air. (CO2 is also removed by the oceans and ocean organisms.)
Trees are able to store a large amount of CO2 in their structures. An acre of forest will absorb about 10 times the CO2 amount absorbed by an acre of crop land or grassland. One tree absorbs about 13 pounds of CO2 per year, and each one acre of forest absorbs about 2.8 tons of CO2. However, when trees are burned, the carbon locked in the structure is released into the air in the form of CO2. Today, the shrinking world forests are not able to absorb all the CO2 created by human beings while burning fossil fuels. Everyday over 5500 acres of rain forest are destroyed, and over 50 million acres are destroyed every year. Global CO2 levels rise approximately 0.4 percent each year, to levels not experienced on this planet for millions of years. Planting more trees and reducing timber cuts world-wide will help restore the imbalance, and perhaps buy time as ways are found to reduce world greenhouse gas emissions.
POPULATION GROWTH CONTRIBUTES TO GLOBAL WARMING.
The intellectual powers that we enjoy has enabled us to make effective use of technology and thereby changed the environment. Technology is partly responsible for explosive population growth and responsible for the resulting damage to Earth's resources. The industrial revolution caused a rapid increase in the Population growth, as oil and gas fuels were exploited for our use. There is a clear link between the problems of global warming and overpopulation, as increases in CO2 levels follows growth in population. Presently, we have too many people on Earth, who are using technologies that are destructive for the Earth. We cannot continue to grow, and make use of limited natural resources. (Refer to graph #3)
Graph 3
ECONOMIC ASPECTS:
Global warming is big business. Some economists argue that a warmer climate could benefit certain crops and the farming communities. However, property insurers are predicting that worsening storms caused by global warming could eventually bankrupt the insurance industry. Insurance companies are now trying to form strategic alliances, and pool resources which could cover severe economic loss from climatic changes.
In addition, the costs to implement a worldwide plan to cut the production of CO2 and other gases which contribute to global warming would cost approximately 3 percent of the World's total GDP. However, there is a dispute whether the industrialized world should be responsible for the main economic contributions to clean up this planet. It is important to realize that many less industrialized nations are unable to afford actions to prevent an increase in CO2, and the fact that they have no incentive to reduce the carbon emissions that cause the "greenhouse" effect. Several less industrialized nations argue that the developed world was allowed to use of the nature in creating welfare, and that it is now morally right for them to do the same. I believe that funds dedicated to the former Cold war should be used for world ecology.
OPPOSING VIEW POINTS IS GLOBAL WARMING A THREAT?
Certain scientists believe that global warming is not a threat and the planet is essentially cooling off. They argue that the factors causing the phenomenon and the measurements are not fully understood, and that it is impossible to draw any conclusions whether the warming of the earth is a purely natural occurrence. These people, believe that the trend is a false alarm and that it is not a sign of a fore coming global disaster. In addition, Industrial forces argue that human beings can adapt to the changes caused by global warming, but they refuse to mention anything about the environmental impact of climatic changes.
Other opponents to the Global warming theory believes that most changes are due to the energy of the sun is fluctuating. Large sunspot activity is thought to be partially responsible for the "Little Ice Age" from 1450 to 1850. This climate change is well documented in history with many impacts on civilization in Europe, including famines. The temperature fluctuation was only about 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, some researchers believe that smoke from the burning of tropical forests and grasslands causes a strong cooling force on the climate. This cooling effect could nearly equal the warming power built by greenhouse gases created by the fires.
Furthermore, in the issue regarding rising sea levels, It is important to realize that the elevations of various coastal land areas are rising and sinking due to geological factors. Thus, the ocean levels may not rise as much as we think, as continents may be sinking.
In addition, some researchers believe that global warming is foreshadowing a coming ice-age. The last ice age occurred as the Earth's climate was warming. In the Arctic regions, more water would evaporate in summer, and fall onto the land as snow in winter. The winters would not be so warm as to melt all of this snow, thus glaciers would grow. Also, some carbon compounds released in the atmosphere may help prevent global warming. These particles reflects sunshine, which is redirected into space.
WHATYOU CAN DO TO DECREASE GLOBAL WARMING.
There are several things which you can do directly after reading this paper. However, some of the actions which we all have to take will slightly decrease your present standards of living.
First, since the largest portion of electricity in the US is produced by burning coal, we should try to cut-down on our demand for electricity. (Refer to graph #4) Coal combustion creates the largest amount of CO2 per energy unit of any fossil fuel. Coal and oil together represent 80% of the US fuel supply used to generate electricity. When we reduce electric power use, we save money, breathe cleaner air, and help to reduce the global warming problem. Every kilowatt-hour of electricity saved keeps 1.5 to 2 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Americans waste more energy than any other nation. I believe it is time to make our lives, factories, and homes more efficient. Look around at home, and at your work place, and you will find several ways in which you can decrease the use of electricity. For instance, plant several trees on the south side of your house where they can give shade during the hot summer months. Also, install an energy efficient thermostat, with a day and night timer.
Graph 4
Second, decrease the use of your car. If you can't afford to buy a new fuel-efficient car in the next few years, consider selling or junking your gas demanding car and buying a smaller, efficient used car. Besides saving money on gas, oil, tires, parts, and repairs, you can help reduce greenhouse gases. Furthermore, no matter what type of car you drive, be sure to operate it efficiently, try to carpool to work or ride the bus, keep the car tuned up, walk or ride your bike for short distances, park and walk do not use "drive thru" services.
Third, try to follow the following environmental policy of "Reduce....Reuse.....Recycle." Reuse of anything is the easiest and best way to recycle. Save containers, bags, everything that you may be able to use in the future. Also, use cloth towels and napkins instead of paper ones, and use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones.
Furthermore, you can reduce the need to recycle paper by getting off the junk mail lists. Why should trees be destroyed for mail you do not even want to receive? In addition, always remember that recycling is only effective when you buy products made from recycled materials. Otherwise, what is the point of recycling?
Also, remember that each time you make a purchase, you either reinforce a bad environmental product, or you encourage a good one. I believe that people should try to buy quality products that can be used for a long time, buy products with minimal packaging, and not buy disposable products. We certainly have to make-up our minds whether our success as an individual should not be based on the quantity of our consumption, or on the quality of our natural environment.
I believe that It is time to examine our moral values. Examine our attitudes as they relate to our natural world. Each of us needs to ask ourselves: What makes us really happy? What makes us feel secure? It is highly questionable if money and tangible objects make us more happy, it is even possible that we tend to be less happy with our life's when we have a lot of tangible objects and money to care for. Has our striving for more and more materialistic consumption caused us to forget that we are living human beings? We have to realize that we have much more in common with the plants, animals, air and water than we have with the mechanical, chemical and electronic world we have created around us.
Unfortunately, the disbalance which we have created between our life's and the Earth is already showing the signs of disaster. "Earth in the Balance" is moving to the Earth in imbalance, which, in the long run will cease to exist. Remember, we are all in the greenhouse together, nobody can stop the world and get off.

Bala's physics

2008-05-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhibitgcc/index.jsp

Bala's physics

2008-05-18T04:19:00.000-07:00

Bala's physics

2008-05-18T04:16:00.000-07:00

Volcanic Eruptions
A volcanic eruption may send ash and sulfuric acid (SO2) into the atmosphere, which increases planetary reflectivity causing atmospheric cooling. Over time precipitation will remove these aerosols from the atmosphere. Volcanic eruptions can have a worldwide impact.

2008-05-18T04:12:00.000-07:00

Ocean Circulation
Cold water sinks at the poles and travels throughout the world's oceans. It gradually warms, becomes less dense and mixes to the surface. It then moves back towards the poles carrying heat absorbed along the way. Then the cycle continues. Without this cycle the poles would be colder and the equator would be warmer.

கிரீன் ஹௌஸ் Gases

2008-05-18T04:01:00.000-07:00

Importance of Human-produced Greenhou
This diagram shows the relative importance of the major human-produced greenhouse gases to current warming. CO2 is the most important followed in descending order by methane, CFCs, ozone and nitrous oxide.

குளோபல் வார்மிங்

2008-05-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

2008-04-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

If u think u are beaten,u are.If u think u dare not,u don't.If u would like to winbut think u can't,its almost a clinchu won't.If u think u will lose,u are lost.For out in the world we findSUCCESS begins with a fellow's will.Its all in the state of mind.Life's battles don't always goto the stronger or faster manbut sooner or laterthe man who winsis the one who thinks he can!So its my msg to all of u: BELIEVE YOURSELF

GLOBAL WARMING

2008-04-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

"In my view, climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today -- more serious even than the threat of terrorism."
With this warning to an international science meeting in February 2004, David A. King, Chief Scientific Advisor to the British Government, brought the issue of global warming into sharp focus.
The World View of Global Warming project is documenting this change through science photography from the Arctic to Antarctica, from glaciers to the oceans, across all climate zones. Rapid climate change and its effects is fast becoming one of the prime events of the 21st century. It is real and it is accelerating across the globe. As the effects of this change combine with overpopulation and weather crises, climate disruptions will affect more people than does war.
The 2005 average global temperature equaled (within several hundredths of a degree) the record warm year of 1998, according to meteorologists. 2002-4 were nearly as warm, and the 11 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1990. In response, our planet has been changing with warming winds and rising seas. At the poles and in mountains, ice is under fire and glaciers are receding. Down into the temperate zone, change is rearranging the boundaries of life. The plants and animals with whom we share the planet are adapting and moving -- some even going extinct -- because they have no choice.
We six billion humans are being affected, too. Coastal towns are suffering from rising sea level, storms are getting stronger and 35,000 people died in European heat waves in 2003. However, we have choices to make to help correct and ameliorate global warming. This is a story of frightening scale and and great urgency that is just beginning to be told. Please go to Actions to see what you can do now.
I began photographing climate change in 1999, about when scientists started to realize how great a change in temperatures is taking place in our time. Past earth temperatures left their mark in tree rings, glaciers and ancient lake and ocean sediments, and the record shows slowly decreasing temperatures over the last 2000 years. In that time there have been warm and cool periods, but nothing like the rise in temperatures in the past 150 years -- and no increase even close to the past 30. This research has created what has become the single most powerful icon of climate change, the so-called "hockey-stick" graph of temperatures. In 2005-6 it was subjected to intense re-analysis. Evidence of previous cool and warm periods has increased, but the rapid and sustained heat gain especially since the 1970s remains unparalleled in recent earth history.
In general global temperatures have risen since the 19th century industrial revolution. There is little scientific question the reason is a steep increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide -- CO2 -- from human use of fossil fuels. Methane, ozone, other gases and dusts have also increased greatly. The mechanism of our atmosphere is that gases like CO2 and methane trap some of the sun's radiation and hold it in the lower atmosphere, heating it. The natural greenhouse effect made the earth warm enough for life, but the effect is much higher now. Ice core records show that whenever CO2 has increased in the earth's past, so has temperature. The recent increase in atmospheric CO2 is 200 times as great as any previous change seen in the ice cores. The current level is 380 parts per million, the highest in more than 650,000 years. It shows no signs of decreasing.
This increase caused earth's average atmospheric temperature to go up about 1. degree F in the 20th century. Now, according to NOAA, the global warming rate in the last 25 years has risen to 3.6 degrees F per century. This tends to confirm the predictions of temperature increases made by international panels of climate scientists (IPCC). The ocean has actually absorbed most of the added CO2 and heat -- becoming warmer and very slightly more acidic. These increases, seemingly small, have a giant effect on weather, climate zones, plants and animals, sea life, glaciers and river flow -- and thus human life. My project and this Web site seek to document these changes. For more on past climate and today's weather, see especially the Paleoclimate and Weather sections.

2008-03-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

வாழ்க்கை

வாழ்க்கை என்பது பணம் சம்பாதிக்க அல்ல

மனித மனங்களை சம்பாதிக்க ;

What isPhysics?

2008-03-08T01:57:00.000-08:00

It is the study of laws which deals with the stateof universe with respect to space,mass,time,etc.,

Newtons Third law

2008-02-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

"For every action there is equal and opposite reaction"
yaa this is true for our life. If you will do good thing you will receive good, otherwise bad will be the result. So always do good for others.