THE SKY BLUE? April, 8 The sun shines white and black light
to our planet. The white light has all the colors in it. In our upper
atmosphere, we have dust particles and oxygen molecules. The white light
meaning all of the colors in a rainbow shines through the upper levels of the
atmosphere and the blue light scatters across the entire planet. That is why
our sky is blue. Now, during sunrise and sunset, the light traveling through
atmosphere is longer at the horizon, then if you were to look up high in the
sky. There are more dust particles and oxygen molecules at the horizon, so that
is why you see such pretty colors like red, oranges and yellows.
WEATHER? Amy, 7
The weather is just
the state of the atmosphere at any time, including things such as temperature,
precipitation, air pressure and cloud cover. Daily changes in the weather are
due to winds and storms. Seasonal changes are due to the Earth rotating around
the sun. WHAT CAUSES WEATHER?
10 Because the Earth is round and not flat,
the Sun's rays don't fall evenly on the land and oceans. The Sun shines more
directly near the equator bringing these areas more warmth. However, the polar
regions are at such an angle to the Sun that they get little or no sunlight
during the winter, causing colder temperatures. These differences in
temperature create a restless movement of air and water in great swirling
currents to distribute heat energy from the Sun across the planet. When air in
one region is warmer than the surrounding air, it becomes less dense and begins
to rise, drawing more air in underneath. Elsewhere, cooler denser air sinks,
pushing air outward to flow along the surface and complete the
cycle. WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY CHILD OVERCOME HIS FEAR OF SEVERE
WEATHER? HeatherI get this question a lot. I would recommend buying
your son a NOAA Weather Radio. There are a life saving tool and its good to
have one anyway. They are about $30 and you can get them at Target or Radio
Shack. Have him help you set it up. The radio will alert you of approaching bad
weather. So, he doesn't have to worry about the changing weather unless the
radio goes off and names your county. It will alert you of Severe Thunderstorm
Watches and Warnings, as well as Tornado Watches and Warnings. A 'watch' means
that the ingredients for severe storms are in the atmosphere and you need to
'watch' the sky. A 'warning' means that severe storms are happening. Watches
keep us alert and on our toes, while warnings mean we take the necessary
action. By explaining all of this to him, he will know the difference. If
severe weather is approaching, then follow the steps of your family disaster
plan. For more information on this, check out the link below. WHY DO WE HAVE SEASONS?
Ava, 11 As the Earth spins on its axis, producing night and day, it
also moves about the Sun in an elliptical (elongated circle) orbit that
requires 365 1/4 days to complete. The Earth's axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees
and is why we have seasons. When the Earth's axis points towards the Sun, it is
summer for that hemisphere. When the Earth's axis points away, winter can be
HOW BIG ARE RAINDROPS?
Raindrops are much smaller than we think! They are actually smaller
than a centimeter. Raindrops range from 1/100 inch (.0254 centimeter) to 1/4
inch (.635 centimeter) in diameter.
WHAT IS A TORNADO? Kelsy, 10 A tornado begins as
a funnel cloud with spinning columns of air that drop down from a severe
thunderstorm. When they reach the ground they become tornadoes. Tornadoes are
between 300 and 2,000 feet wide and travel at speeds of 20 to 45 miles per
hour. They usually only last a few minutes, but their spinning winds, up to 300
miles per hour, can lift houses into the air and rip trees from the ground.
WHY ARE CLOUDS
WHITE? Amanda, 6 Clouds are white because they reflect the light of
the sun. Light is made up of colors of the rainbow and when you add them all
together you get white. The sun appears a yellow color because it sends out
more yellow light than any other color. Clouds reflect all the colors the exact
same amount so they look white.
WHY DOES IT RAIN? Bobby, 8
We get rain
when there is an area of disturbance, usually associated with a low-pressure
system. The water vapor in the clouds creates droplets and those droplets keep
getting bigger and bigger until the fall. When they fall, it creates rain!
HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT TIME IT IS BY LOOKING
AT THE SUN? Alex, 12
Because the sun ALWAYS rises in the
east and sets in the west, you can tell the time just by looking at where the
sun is. When you look east and the sun is on the horizon that means its
approximately 6:00am. When the sun is directly above your head that means its
noon. When you look to the west and the sun is on the horizon that means its
approximately 6:00pm.
WHY DO WE GET MORE SUNLIGHT IN THE
SUMMER THAN IN THE WINTER? Haley, 13
not have noticed this, but the Earth tilts over slightly. If you have a globe
at home or in school, you can see that the line between north and south poles,
that goes through the center of the Earth, isn't vertical. It's actually
tilting over by about 23 degrees. In our summer, the north pole is pointing
towards the Sun so the Sun rises and sets roughly from due east to due west. In
winter, the Earth is on the other side of the Sun so the North Pole is pointing
away from the Sun. This means the Sun rises and sets more towards the southeast
and southwest. You might notice this as you look out of the window. Think back
to how high in the sky the sun was during the summer. Compare this to where the
sun is during the winter and you'll see it's much lower down towards the
horizon. Because the sun is lower down on the horizon, there's less time for it
to travel between horizons. There's less distance for it to travel so the sun
rises later and sets earlier meaning there's less daylight.
HOW DO TORNADOES
FORM? Jake, 8
Tornadoes are truly a mystery.
Basically, they start as a horizontal column of air that rotates. For some
reason, some of these turn vertical. Meteorologists are still unsure why this
is. Once they turn vertical, they turn into a funnel cloud. As soon as they
touch the ground, they become a tornado.
WHAT MAKES CLOUDS
FORM RAIN? Mandi, 9
Cloud drops form when warm air cools
and the water in the air condenses. With lots of drops and movement (winds and
currents) the drops bump and merge until heavy enough for gravity to pull out
the drops as rain.
HOW DO HURRICANES FORM?
11 Hurricanes form in warm ocean water from an area of low pressure.
Once the low starts to spin counter-clockwise, it can gain a tremendous amount
of strength, but it can only do this if conditions in the atmosphere are right
for development.
WHY DO CLOUDS TURN GRAY? Joey, 10 Clouds are made up of
tiny water droplets or ice crystals, usually a mixture of both. The water and
ice scatter all light, making clouds appear white. If the clouds get thick
enough or high enough all the light above does not make it through, hence the
gray or dark look. Also, if there are lots of other clouds around, their shadow
can add to the gray or multicolored gray appearance.
WHY DO CLOUDS FLOAT? Brad, 11 A cloud forms when air
heated by the sun. As it rises, it slowly cools it reaches the saturation point
and water condenses, forming a cloud. As long as the cloud and the air that its
made of is warmer than the outside air around it, it
floats!HOW IS HAIL MADE?Nicola, 12Hail is created when small
water droplets are caught in the updraft of a thunderstorm. These water
droplets are lifted higher and higher into the sky until they freeze into ice.
Once they become heavy, they will start to fall. If the smaller hailstones get
caught in the updraft again, they will get more water on them and get lifted
higher in the sky and get bigger. Once they get lifted again, they freeze and
fall. This happens over and over again until the hailstone is too heavy and
then falls to the ground.
WHAT CAUSES
THUNDER? Adam, 8
Thunder is caused by lightning. When a
lightning bolt travels from the cloud to the ground it actually opens up a
little hole in the air, called a channel. Once then light is gone the air
collapses back in and creates a sound wave that we hear as thunder. The reason
we see lightning before we hear thunder is because light travels faster than
IS IT TRUE THAT YOU CAN USE THUNDER TO TELL HOW
FAR AWAY A STORM IS? Samatha, 10 Yes, you
can use thunder to tell how far away a storm is. Next time you see a storm,
count the number of seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the
thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how
far away the storm is in miles.
WHY CAN YOU SEE YOUR BREATH WHEN ITS COLD
OUTSIDE? Jasmine, 11 Your breath is reasonably warm and humid and it
has invisible water vapor as a large component of the gas. Warm moist air
meeting the cooler air outside the body causes the invisible water vapor to
condense the cooler air outside are visible and form the cloud that you see.
The relative humidity which depends upon water content and temperature goes to
100%. As the breath gets further from the person's face the water content
dilutes and the relative humidity goes down and the droplets go back into vapor
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EL NINO AND LA
NINA? Alexandra, 13 El Nino is the warming of the equatorial waters
in the Pacific Ocean, while La Nina is the cooling of the equatorial waters in
the Pacific Ocean. Both of these have an impact on our weather, depending on
where you live.
HOW DO WE GET SNOW?
8 We get snow when there is an area of disturbed weather, usually
associated with a low-pressure system. The water vapor in
the clouds creates droplets and those droplets keep getting bigger and bigger
until the fall. When temperatures get below freezing, it creates
WHY DO CLOUDS FORM AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS IN THE
ATMOSPHERE? Brian, 12 The characteristics of clouds are dictated by
the elements available, including the amount of water vapor, the temperatures
at that height, the wind, and the interplay of other air masses.
HOW DOES LIGHTNING FORM? Danielle, 11
The most commonly accepted
theory of how lightning forms is that, when ice and water particles collide in
a cloud, they are charged. Lighter particles tend to be positively charged and
end up near the top of the cloud, while negatively charged particles are near
the bottom of the cloud. So in your typical storm cloud, the negative charge at
the bottom of the cloud enhances the positive charge at the ground. The cloud
wants to "complete the circuit" and creates lightning. Each bolt has the
potential to be as strong as a billion volts with temperatures as high as
54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Because a lightning bolt is so hot, it superheats
the air around it. The air particles quickly expand and contract, so fast that
they break the speed of sound and create a sound wave that is called thunder.
WHY DO WE SEE
LIGHTNING BEFORE WE HEAR THUNDER? Rebecca, 11 We see lightning first, because light travels faster
than sound. Think of it like this, when you're watching fireworks, what happens
first, seeing the bright lights of the fireworks or hearing the loud boom? Of
course, you see the fireworks and then you hear the boom from them. Lightning
and thunder work in the same manner.
WHAT CAUSES THE NORTHERN
LIGHTS? Matt, 14 Aurora occur due to energetic particles from a solar storm,
which cause the gases in the upper atmosphere to glow. It takes place between
50-100 miles above the Earth and can last anywhere between a few minutes to a
few hours. Aurora are most common in polar regions.
WHAT CAUSES THE WIND TO
BLOW? Julie, 13 As the sun warms the Earth's surface, the atmosphere
warms too. Some parts of the Earth receive direct rays from the sun all year
and are always warm. Other places receive indirect rays, so the climate is
colder. Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Then cool air moves
in and replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what makes the
wind blow.
WHY ARE YOU LESS LIKELY TO SEE STATIC ELECTRICITY IN THE
SUMMER? Mackenzie, 12 In the summer, our dew points are much higher
due to warm and humid air coming from the Gulf of Mexico and that is why we
have humid weather. In the winter, our dew points are much lower due to cold
and direr air coming from Canada. The lower the dew point the better it is to
create static electricity, so that's why you see it more in the winter.
GLOBAL WARMING? Mia-Louise, 13 Global warming refers to an average increase in the
Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth
may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range
of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists talk about the
issue of climate change, their concern is about
global warming caused by human activities, like pollution.WHY DO THE LEAVES CHANGE
COLOR?Lola, 9During the spring and summer the leaves have served as
factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are
manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous
cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. Along with
the green pigment are yellow to orange to red pigments as well. Most of the
year these colors are masked by great amounts of green coloring. But in the
fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature,
the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the
green color disappears, and the yellow to orange to red colors become visible
and give the leaves part of their fall splendor. The best time to enjoy the
autumn color would be on a clear, dry, and cool day.CAN ANIMALS PREDICT THE
WEATHER? Ella, 9If your dog
always comes inside right before it rains, you may think that animals can
predict the weather. It's probably more accurate to say that animals react to
certain environmental signals that accompany weather changes, not to the
weather itself. A prevalent opinion is that animals can detect certain events,
like earthquakes, as soon as they happen, even if the originating event is a
great distance away. The majority of researchers say that animals make greater
use of their existing five senses, especially when compared to humans. The most
critical sense is hearing. HOW CAN A CHILD OVERCOME THEIR FEAR OF
STORMS?Mrs. Stewart, Elementary School
TeacherIn the case of thunder and lightening phobias, children
who are excessively afraid may carefully monitor the daily weather, and may
refuse to participate in activities such as sports or other outdoor activities
if there is even the slightest cloud in the sky. For these children, the help
of a child psychologist can be extremely important to help the child return to
their everyday routines without avoiding things. There are several techniques
that have been used by psychologists to help children with such fears of
thunder and lightening. First, therapists who are carefully trained in how to
conduct relaxation therapy may help teach children to relax during a
thunderstorm. Children are also often thought to readjust their anxious
thoughts about thunderstorms and to obtain accurate information about when to
be concerned, how to keep safe, and when it is okay NOT to worry. It is also
important that children practice these skills during storms. Although
therapists unfortunately do not have the power over mother nature to cause a
thunderstorm right in time for a therapy session, there are other ways that
storms have been re-created so that children can learn to face their fears.
Children can purchase CD's of thunderstorms, which are available in most music
stores. Children are encouraged to practice positive coping skills while
listening to thunder storms. Several museums have lightening exhibits where the
phenomenon of lightening is explained, and created in the museum for children
to learn about it. In addition, other techniques, such as having a therapist
use a strobe light while the child listens to a lightening and thunder tape,
can help children re-create the feeling of being in a storm. Ultimately,
exposure to real storms can help children see that if they take proper
precautions, they do not need to be excessively afraid.Go through your house to check for leaky water pipes. Check bathroom and kitchen cabinets, the attic, basement, crawl spaces, and garage. Look for pipes running along outside walls of your house or through your foundation as well.
Use tools or have a professional licensed plumber repair any leaking pipes or pipe joints before wrapping them.
Know what type of pipe material you will be wrapping. The pipe's material can determine what kind of insulation product you use. Check hot and cold water supply pipes since both kinds of pipes can freeze.
Plastic pipes should only be wrapped with automatic heat tape. This kind of tape is insulated with heavy rubber around its wires.
Find the length and diameter of each pipe you will wrap. Count the number of faucets or valves along each pipe. These figures can help you determine how much insulation product you will need to buy.
Consult your pipe manufacturer's guidelines to help you decide how much insulation you will need.
Visit your local building supplies store. Purchase enough pipe insulation product, such as heat tape or cable, for your pipes.
Follow any specific directions from the product's manufacturer to wrap the pipes. Wrap pipes carefully with the insulation product.
Heat tape has a plug at 1 end to heat a pipe electrically. From the plug end, run the tape straight down the length of the pipe if directed to by the manufacturer. You may need to wrap heat tape in a spiral or corkscrew fashion around a pipe instead.
Wrap areas of pipe that go below ground with heat tape until you reach the frost line.
Secure the heat tape to the pipe with bands of electrical tape wrapped around the pipe's diameter. Space the bands of electrical tape according to the heat tape manufacturer's directions.
Encase pipes and their heat tape in a pipe sleeve, jacket, or other insulation. Cover the insulation with a waterproof material if it does not have weather protection.
Plug in your heat tape's plug to an outlet. It should go directly into a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet without using an extension cord.
Look for a GFCI outlet under your home, near where your water supply comes in.
Turn on a water faucet in your house. If the water that comes out of the faucet is a trickle or lower in pressure than usual, its water supply pipe is likely frozen.
Leave the water faucet on. As the water running through the pipe is above freezing temperature, it will help thaw the pipe.
Find the faucet's frozen pipe. Places to look are where exposed pipes run along outside a house or through the foundation where your water supply enters the house.
Wrap a frozen piece of pipe in an electric heating pad. Apply heat from an electric hair dryer or a portable space heater. Make sure no flammable items or materials are nearby.
Towels soaked in hot water can also be used to wrap frozen pipes in. Heat the water for the towels in a pot or other suitable container on the stove.
Have someone else check that water running through the faucet works normally if necessary.
Check other faucets 1 at a time around the house. Thaw any other frozen pipes you can access.
Call a licensed professional plumber to thaw the pipes you cannot reach, find, or unfreeze yourself.
Can you tell us abouthaircare?
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home construction
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being carefree
how to be more carefree
Tell us everything you know here. Remember, more detail is better.
Please be as detailed as possible in your explanation. Don't worry about formatting! We'll take care of it.
For example:Don't say: Eat more fats.Do say: Add fats with some nutritional value to the foods you already eat. Try olive oil, butter, avocado, and mayonnaise.
Another material to wrap unfrozen pipes with is newspaper. This is best if you live in a region where temperatures do not often drop below freezing or remain below freezing for long. Try wrapping pipes in a layer of newspaper that is at least 1/4-inch (0.63 cm) thick.
Leave bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors open so warmer air can circulate around the cabinets' water pipes. If doing this, keep harmful cleaning and chemical products usually stored in these cabinets out of the reach of children.
Keep the garage closed to prevent pipes located there from freezing during cold weather.
Check your heat tape once a year or more for deterioration and maintenance. If deteriorated enough, heat tape may melt plastic pipe, leading to a fire or damage from the pipe's water.
If going away during a cold weather period, continue heating your home while away. Leave the thermostat's temperature around 65 degrees F (18 degrees C) or no lower than 55 degrees F (13 degrees C).
Do not wrap heat tape so it crosses or overlaps itself or apply it to a pipe at a 90 degree angle.
Other dangers of using an open flame device include starting a fire and risking exposure to a deadly level of carbon monoxide.
Never use a kerosene or propane heater, a blowtorch, or other open flame device to thaw a frozen pipe. The flame can make the water in the pipe boil, leading to the pipe exploding.
Be sure to carefully follow any instructions provided with your heat tape. There have been cases where an improper installation has caused a major fire.
Never wrap leaking pipes or pipe joints in heat tape.
Plumbing and pipe repair tools
Professional licensed plumber
Pipe material
Measuring tape
Pipe length and diameter
Number of pipe faucet and valves
Pipe manufacturer's guidelines
Building supplies store
Heat tape manufacturer's directions
Electrical tape
Pipe insulation
Waterproof cover
Water faucet
Electric heating pad
Electric hair dryer or portable space heater
Pot or container for heating water
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