clhs sciblog

A scientist from Caltech’s Biological Propulsion Laboratory studies water and wind concepts. Bioinspiration processes are used to identify different types wind energies that are used in the world. he started to realize that schools of fish have constructive hydrodynamic interference located inside of the schools.

There are some problems that occur such as lack of space, the propellers have problems functioning because there is no room. vertical turbines use a vertical rotor and are new, which make it possible to be put on smaller land masses which make space harder to fill up. the turbines work in the same direction

The computer models that they used predicted that the wind energy taken from the land  are using a staggered placement approach which would be several times better than a conventional wind farms using horizontal-axis turbine.

He has bought two acres of land north of Los Angeles which hold six turbines on mobile platforms. I believe that these new types of turbines will help to make it possible to have more energy by not taking up so much space. By having more space we can save energy by using wind and it will not only make our lives easier but it will make our environment a more happier place. I think this is a great asset to our society which will help us to make bigger and better things in life that will change things for the better.

Read the full article here.

What difference does a ball make in a game? Well, when it’s the soccer ball that Adidas released for the World Cup, it means everything. The new “Jabulani” ball that was created specifically for the World Cup is said to have abnormal flight patterns. The goalie from Spain went so far as to criticize Adidas new ball by saying, “It’s a little sad that the World Cup has a ball of such poor quality.” A research lab in Japan was the first to test this new ball in a wind tunnel and said it does in fact take “awkward” flight patterns.

If this new ball is in fact used, as it is being planned on, it may create controversy about the outcome of some of the matches. Many of the goal keepers may complain that the flight patterns of the ball made it impossible to stop the shot from scoring, whereas the older balls may have been more predictable. We certainly don’t want any discord arising during the World Cup, which is one of the most prestigious sports tournaments in the world. If this new ball design is the deciding factor in an important match, we certainly don’t want any nations becoming angry because of something as small as the design of a soccer ball.

Read the full article here.

Q4-EC

How many times have you seen scientists get creative to win a photography contest? Well that’s exactly what happens once a year at Princeton University during the “Art of Science” contest. This contest that is held gives scientists a way to show their work in a creative way and gain recognition for it. This years winner was physicist Jerry Ross with his photo Spacecraft that Passes Gas (right).

This contest is an inventive way for people to see the wonders that are being created in a way that is fun for everyone. Lets face it, who doesnt like art? Whether we realize it or not, everyone has an appreciation for some type of art. Princeton University came up with a fun way for scientists to show the world their newest projects and show the world how extremely amazing science can be.

Read the full article here.

Q4-EC

When you bite into a Life Saver Mint it creates a spectacular spark. Why? This is because the electrical charge builds up in the crystalline shape of the sugar within the candy. The effect is called triboluminescence. It occurs when the electrical charge is vigorously released as the structure of the crystals is broken.  This not only happens to sugar candy, but also anything that is torn or broken. When atoms get forced apart violently, they lose a bigger portion of their electrons quicker than usual. The electrons look for balance,  so they bounce around until they find somewhere to rest.

When the atoms are smashed, the electrons are dragged out of their atom orbits. These electrons clash with air molecules and the electrons convert a portion of their energy in the collision. The more pieces of candy that are crushed at one time, the more the amount of atomic damage, which means a cool light show.

I think this is amazing.

To learn more, click here.

Q4-3

Led by the University of Melbourne, a team of engineers, chemists, and mathematicians have been gathered to study bubbles, specifically how they collide. This was before impossible, but with advances in facilities and microscopes it is now possible. The team believes this will affect many different areas of life, like in food (ice cream), water treatment, and the mining industry. You can read more about this here.

This seems like it will lead to many small changes in what we do, because bubbles are in many places in our lives. The understanding of how bubbles work could, like the team said, lead to a variety of changes in many industries. These changes will most certainly be for the better, and improve how we interact with bubbles.

In China, scientists were able to build a device that simulated the effects of a black hole, being able to absorb and trap microwaves.  This was created with 60 concentric layers of copper coated meta-materials. It traps the microwaves using patterns of resonant and non resonant meta-materials. They are able to spiral the radiation inward and convert its energy into heat. Even though right now it can only trap microwaves, the scientists plan on creating a device that will be able to absorb light. You can read more about the article here.

This device seems like it can have many different applications. It is theorized that we can send them into space to absorb microwaves, or as some kind of heater. The ability to transfer radiation into heat can also help when a disaster strikes or in a place that becomes radiated. It seems like it can have many useful abilities.

A device is being developed that may be able to convert sound into light at a frequency that can find cancer spots before they are visibly detectable.  These light waves reflect off of explosives and other weapons in order to make them known.  Read more here. When you combine two semiconductors into a crystal and an intense high-frequency sound wave hits the crystal, it starts compression wave that goes through the crystal, trapping the semiconductor’s free electrons in the wave-troughs.

“The oscillating electrons act as dipoles and emit photons at terahertz frequencies, which Fromhold says could find uses in medical imaging and security.”  This is very useful in that this it could be used in various ways for medical and national security purposes.  Although this technology still is under development, the idea is unique and useful.

Q4-3