Facts You Didn't Know About.... Water!

http://discovermagazine.com/2010/may/20-things-you-didn.t-know-about-water

This article revealed 20 interesting and little know facts about the resource we depend on everyday... water. From all these facts here are 5 of my favorite:

1. Fresh can be a relative term. Before 2009 federal regulations did not require water bottle to remove E.coli.
 Response: I like this fact because many people are hyped up by E.coli in food such as meat. That the law permitted E.coli in water bottles is astounding. 

2. The new Water Recovery System on the International Space Station recycles 93 percent of astronauts’ perspiration and urine, turning it back into drinking water.
  Response: This would be great to use on Earth but it is probably too expensive to practical.


3.Good gardeners know not to water plants during the day. Droplets clinging to the leaves can act as little magnifying glasses, focusing sunlight and causing the plants to burn.
  Response: I didn't now that even tiny droplets of water can magnify and actually burn something.

4. Scientists at Oregon State University have identified vast reservoirs of water beneath the ocean floor. In fact, there may be more water under the oceans than in them.
  Response: I wonder whether all of the water under the ocean is salt. Is any of it fresh enough to drink? Does it just stay there or is it part of the water cycle?

5. Recent evidence suggests that when the solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago, comets had liquid cores. If so, life may have started in a comet.
  Response: If life started in comets does that mean there is life in other planets hit buy comets?

Here are 5 of my own facts about water:
1. In 20 minutes, one thunderstorm can send down over 125,000,000 gallons of water!
        http://ellerbruch.nmu.edu/classes/cs255w03/cs255students/mteasley/p4/watercycle.html
2. Between 1950 and 2000, the U.S. population nearly doubled. However, in that same period, public demand for water more than tripled! Americans now use an average of 100 gallons of water each day — enough to fill 1,600 drinking glasses! (EPA, 2008)
       http://www.oberlin.edu/recycle/facts.html
3. It takes 2 gallons to brush your teeth, 2 to 7 gallons to flush a toilet, and 25 to 50 gallons to take a shower.
      http://www.njawwa.org/kidsweb/waterfacts/waterfacts.htm
4. If 4% of the world's military expenditures (36 billion dollars) was saved each year, all of humanity would have clean drinking water and a sanitary way of disposing waste.
     http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/water.htm
5. If all the world's water were fit into a gallon jug, the fresh water available for us to use would equal only about one tablespoon.
     http://www.rivers.gov/waterfacts.html

Helium: The Vanishing Element

 Going, Going, Gone
This article is about helium, one of the most useful and strange elements, which is vanishing off the face of the Earth. Helium is used in everything from balloons to MRI's to liquid fueled rockets. Many of the highest technologies require this buoyant element. It is one of the most plentiful elements in the universe  but on Earth it can only be found in great quantities in a few subterranean pockets, many of which are in the US. Due to mindless management it may soon vanish.

Q: Why is this element rare on Earth yet abundant throughout the universe?
A: Earth may once have had an abundant supply too but it was burned up by the sun eons ago. Why most of it is in America is just a random act of nature.

Q: What do we need this element for anyway?
A:  MRI's, liquid fueled rockets, optical fibers, particle accelerators, all require helium either to test or manufacture.

Q: What could we do to prevent this problem?
A: The US could stop selling off their reserves and instead keep it for times of need. They should focus on the small scale laboratories. Scientists should work on finding alternatives to helium. Helium balloons not used for scientific study should be banned. Maybe we could figure out a way to harvest helium from space.

Q: How could this issue happen with other elements?
A: Maybe other gases could be lost up in space. When the last tree on Earth is cut down we will lose all our oxygen and have an abundance of CO2. Perhaps some of less common gases in our atmosphere like ozone could disappear due to CO2 emissions. Then ultraviolet light from the sun would burn us.

Evidance of a Chemical Reaction

1. The bromine is corroded by the alcohol at first. The solution turns red and begins to put out red smoke. Alcohol levels decrease. It returns to the original red color.

2. It starts by smoking and fizzing. Then a flame appears, dances around, and crackled. Finally it fizzles out.

3. It sparks and bangs. Yellow, red, and magenta sparks shoot from the solution. Smoke signals the end.

4. Again, it sparks and bangs. A pink flame jets upward surrounded by yellow sparks. Popping sounds come from the sparks.

5. There is smoke then a sudden jet of flame, followed by an explosion..

6. Smoke and white steam rise from the pool. The liquids change to a white gas. This change cools the pool.

7. The dry ice blows up; white fizz and foam is everywhere. A crater in the water forms. Water rushes to fill it.

8. It fizzles up to the top. Smoke rises. The mixture bubbles over the top. Liquids on the inside turn black and the foam becomes gray. It fizzles.

9. The gummy bear flames and smokes. A pulsing fire comes from it.