High School SMILE Meeting
13 December 2005

Information:

• Write-ups for academic year SMILE meetings for the current semester may be found at http://www.iit.edu/~johnsonp/acysmile.html, and write-ups from previous semesters are permanently located at http://www.iit.edu/~smile/biweekly.htm.
• Your hang tag for parking at IIT is valid in the parking lot by the Keating Gymnasium on Tuesday afternoons, 4-6:30 pm, until the end of the Spring semester 2006.  Be sure to put this hang tag on your inside rear view mirror when you park here.
• Porter Johnson received this announcement via email:

  "Bill Cosby and Jaime Escalante head an all-star cast in this one-of-a-kind comedy that answers the most-asked question about math: "Why do I need to learn this?" This exciting and humorous video shows viewers of all ages how math is used in real life, from skateboard design to rollercoaster construction. A great resource for both classroom and family viewing. Originally aired on PBS during Back to School Week, Math ... Who Needs It?! has remained a favorite of students, teachers and parents throughout the country."

  It is available from FASE Productions; 4801 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 215; Los Angeles, CA 90010 -- tel 1-800-404-FASE, ext. 267. Electronic Order form: http://www.fasenet.org/store/order_form.PDF.
• Global Positioning System Activity:
  • Date: Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 12 noon to 4 pm.
  • Location:  Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Wilmington IL.
  • Cost: $35.00
  • Goals: Technology training on GPS; Guaranteed to get you out of the office mentally; Experience using GPS units with an introduction to geocaching, one of the fastest growing activities.
  • Information, registration form and flyer are available at The GIS to GPS Portal:  http:// www.gis2gps.com.
• For details on future meetings of the Illinois State Physics Project [ISPP] see their website: http://ispp.info.  For details concerning Physics Northwest meetings see their website:  https://www.edline.net/pages/Physics_Northwest.

Bill Colson [Morgan Park HS, mathematics]            Stamps
Bill called attention to a set of commemorative stamps that honor Richard Feynman and other scientists.  For details see the USPS website http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_076.htm and the Friends of Tuva website:  http://www.fotuva.org/online/frameload.htm?/online/stamp.html.  Be sure to obtain this stamp before 08 January 2006, when postage rates increase.

Bill also pointed us to the "Things You Never Knew Existed" Catalogue [http://www.thingsyouneverknew.com/] by Johnson Smith Co:  http://www.johnsonsmith.com/. It has a lot of great stuff,  including stuff we have seen/used in SMILE. Roy added that the Oriental Trading Co catalogue [http://orientaltrading.com] is also a good source of materials.  Thanks, fellers!

Earl Zwicker [IIT]             What is Zulu time?
Earl called attention to a recent answer to the question "What is ZULU time?" by meteorologist Tom Skilling.  It appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Monday, 12 December 2005 on the weather page under the heading Ask Tom Why. The earth's surface is divided into 24 time zones, each representing a longitudinal width of 15 degrees.  Each time zone is represented by a letter  For the time zone of the Prime Meridian the corresponding letter is Z, which is identified with the word Zulu in the phonetic alphabet .... Able, Baker, Charlie, .... Zulu.  Tres Simple! For additional details see the WGN Weather Blog:  http://wgntv.trb.com/news/weather/weblog/wgnweather/.
Thanks, Earl!

Carl Martikean [Proviso Math and Science Academy]         Biochemistry and Other Things
Carl had been discussing motion with his freshman class and asked them to plot the motion described by the first two stanzas of Paul Revere's Ride by J W Longfellow:  http://eserver.org/poetry/paul-revere.html. Here is the first stanza:

Carl then passed out samples of Mozzarella cheese that he had made from regular pasteurized whole milk (see   http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=550085.). There is also a recipe for Ricotta --  in Italian it is called ricotta because it is made from recooked whey, a byproduct of preparing basic cheese.  Junket Rennet tablets (http://www.junketdesserts.com/junketrennettablets.aspx) are located in the ice cream section of the supermarket. Four liters (a gallon) of milk makes about one kilogram (two pounds) of cheese, taking about 5 hours -- most of the time be spent between steps, waiting.  Natural lactic acid production by lactobacillus serves to lower the pH  in commercially made cheese. Citric acid can be used to speed up the process and to serve the same purpose -- it can also be found in the supermarkets, either as food grade coffee pot cleaner or in the Kosher food section as sour/sauer salt: http://www.spicebarn.com/citric_acid_sour_salt.htm.

Carl also pointed out that (1) European cheeses are often made from non-Pasteurized milk, which is not legal in the USA, (2) Cheese was traditionally developed to preserve milk products --- cheese lasts but milk curdles, (3) low-fat cheeses are made from skim milk, and high-fat cheeses from high-fat milk -- there is no mystery!, and (4) the most common widely milked domestic animal on earth is sheep -- and not cows or goats.  Porter Johnson remarked that cheese in many European countries is marked by  fat content: 10 means 10% fat content; 40+ means more than 40% fat content, etc.

Your samples were not bad, Carl!  Thanks.

Ron Tuinstra [Illiana Christian HS]              Virtual Cadaver
Using the projector attached to his laptop computer, Ron ran a graphics package that does virtual dissections to display images involving human anatomy. The graphics were developed from actual dissections of the cadaver of a 68 year old male who died of a heart attack -- and a prototype female is under preparation. The software package is being marketed mostly for college classes, but Ron makes very good use of it for his students. Various functions permit manipulations such as 90^o - 180^o - 270^o rotations, zoom in and zoom out, etc. Ron then gave us a more detailed demo using the tissue selecting function to examine the skeleton. Bones can be identified, or can be added to or removed from the image. This Virtual Dissector software package can be ordered for about $500 (site licenses are available) for installation from the Touch of Life Technologies website http://www.toltech.net/. Ron also ran the Virtual Moon Atlas package, which may be obtained free from the NASA website: [http://www.ap-i.net/avl/en/download].  The planetary configuration could be recovered for any date. Ron displayed them for 29 February 1940, Porter's official non-birthday. The heavens were portentous on that date!

What powerful visualization tools for understanding human anatomy, as well as for astronomy! Thanks, Ron.

During a lull in the activities during setup, Porter described an actual conversation between a Biologist (B) and a Physicist (P).

P: Please tell me something about the human brain.
B: Well, actually there are several brains functioning more or less independently in the human body, with linkages.
P: Wait, wait! You already told me too much!

Next was a simple apparatus. To a tape of length about 50 cm, she attached (hanging vertically) about 30 plastic straws at equal intervals. By flicking the straws appropriately, she produced a clearly visible transverse wave propagating down the tape.  It is a variation of the rather pricey Bell Wave Machine [http://www.physics.ucla.edu/demoweb/demomanual/harmonic_motion_and_waves/waves/bell_wave_machine.html], except that this version is practically free!.

Finally Chris had eight of us stand  in a line at the front of the room with arms interlocked. She shoved gently at one end of the line to produce motion, which was transmitted down the line to each member in turn. This is a "human model" of how seismic waves are transmitted through the Earth during an earthquake.  Longitudinal, transverse, and shear waves were illustrated by these august performers!

Neato! Thanks Chris, and thanks to your valiant team.

Erik Jurgens [Joliet Township HS, physics]             Projectile Motion Made Visible
It can be obtained from K-Mart® for about $10. A similar toy can be found at the Dollar Store®. It is a plastic air gun -- about 60 cm  long and 5 cm in diameter --which shoots a Nerf™ projectile. Erik attached a streamer (about 2 m long )to the projectile. When the gun is fired, the path of the projectile is made highly visible, thanks to the streamer which traces out a smooth, roughtly parabolic path.  An excellent invention, Erik!

Marva Anyanwu [Wendell Green School, science]            Teaching the Metric System
Marva asked us to write down in proper format the expressions for three hundred millimeters [300 mm] and thirty-six kilograms [36 kg] on a sheet. Then she gave us each a list of eight questions to answer, as well as an answer sheet. Here are the questions and answers about the metric system [http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/#metric]:

1. Q: What is the official name of the modern metric system and what is its abbreviation?
   A: The official name is International System of Units. Its abbreviation is SI (Système Internationale d'Unités).
2. Q: How many basic units are there in the metric system? What are they?
   A: The metric system consists of seven base units: meter (m), kilogram (kg), second (s), Kelvin (K), Ampère (A), mole (mol), and candela (cd).
3. Q: Which metric units are preferred for expressing clothing and body units?
   A: The centimeter (cm) is preferred for measuring clothing and body measurements.
4. Q: What is the difference between temperatures in degrees Celsius and Kelvin?
   A: The degree Celsius is meant for ordinary temperatures (with 0^oC as the freezing temperature of water and 100 ^oC as the boiling temperature of water at sea level). The Kelvin scale is a scientific scale for temperatures above absolute zero ( 0 K is about - 273 ^oC).
5. Q: Which is larger, a quart or a liter ... and how many milliliters large is it?
   A: A liter is larger than a quart. It contains 54 milliliters (mL ) more than a quart. A liter contains 1000 mL. A quart contains 946 ml.
6. Q: Which metric system prefix means one-millionth?
   A: The metric system prefix for one-millionth is micro.
7. Q: What is the difference between mass and weight?
   A: Mass is the quantity of matter, measured in kilograms (kg). In everyday language, mass is usually called "weight", as in "my weight is 68 kg" or "I weigh 68 kg". However, in correct scientific language, the word weight is reserved for the force of gravity, which is measured in Newtons (N). [It is more correct, technically, to state "my mass is 68 kg". However, in everyday life, the word "weight" is used.]
8. Q: What are the short forms for metric units called?
   A: The short forms for metric units are called symbols. [It is not correct to call them abbreviations.]

• The essence of the "metric system" is a set of units separated by factors of ten, rather than the more primitive units based upon separations by factors 2, 4, 12, and 20.  In 1789 the newly formed United States of America was the first large nation in the world that adopted "base ten money" based upon "dollars and cents", rather than "pounds, shillings, and pence". The Napoleonic monetary system of "francs and centimes" was a copy of ours. Napoleon also developed a base ten metric system of units --- he even experimented with "base 10 time units -- 100 days per year", but that idea was quickly found to be impractical, and we still have "base 24 and base 60" primitive time units. [Except for Swatch InternetTime -- for details see the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Internet_Time.] The base-10 English system of units was adopted in the United Kingdom after the defeat of Napoleon. The English unit system was a "parallel version" of the Napoleonic system, based upon the foot, pound, and second. The "standard pound" and "standard foot" were located in Greenwich (London environs), whereas the "standard kilogram and meter" were located in Paris for over two centuries.
• One real advantage to a more primitive unit system is that it is easier to split things into halves, thirds and quarters than in a metric unit system. North Americans living in continental Europe very quickly realize that they get ten eggs in a carton or a ten-pack of beverages.  What can a chef do with only 10 eggs, with three, four, or six per serving?
• The average European is no more scientifically literate than the average North American. The green grocer will have no understanding of the distinction between mass versus weight. S/he will know nothing about English units, and cannot possibly convert back and forth.  In a purely metric country, conversion simply involves multiplying and dividing by factors of 10. European Ounces (actually, 100 grams) and pounds (actually, 500 grams) are very commonly used in commerce.
• In Germany the beverage glasses must be marked in cl (centiliters) or dl (deciliters).  For example, 0,5 dl (Eur) or 0.5 dL (USA) means 5 deciliters, or a half-liter.  By law the glass must be filled to that mark with beverage, not counting foam!
• European clothing sizes, while based on the metric system, are no more rational than those in the USA -- and certainly not simpler to use! Ladies unmentionables are purchased in sizes 75 - 80 - 85 - 90. These numbers, which refer to centimeters, correspond approximately to 30 - 32 - 34 - 36 inches. However, it is pointless to convert them from metric to English units, since they are defined in terms of a different torso measurement. A similar story goes for all clothing --- try it on to be sure that it will fit you!
• American shoe sizes 9 - 10 - 11 refer directly to foot length in inches, whereas European shoe sizes 41 - 45 are defined more indirectly. Caveat emptor!
• In the USA there are standard sizes for plumbing fixtures, building hardware, and building construction, whereas in Europe these things are widely variable, even in a given country. In addition, it is often challenging to flush the toilets in the various European countries!  There are distinct commercial advantages to living in large nations with strong central governments, which spread across the entire continent, as in the USA.

Very nice!  Thanks, Marva.

The following people are scheduled for our first SMILE meeting of the Spring semester, Tuesday January 24, 2006, at 4:30 pm in room 152 Life Sciences building:

• Debby Lojkutz
• Don Kanner
• Pat Riley
• Chris Etapa
• Marva Anyanwu

Happy Holidays! See you next year at our first meeting!

Notes prepared by Ben Stark and Porter Johnson.