REX'S EMAIL about SCIENCE in GENERAL |
In a message dated 23/11/98 20:04:24, you wrote: <<Hi Rex. My name is Katie and I live in Kansas. I am 12 years old. I was wondering how we feel things. You know, like happy, sad, confused, angry, hurt, stuff like that. What makes us feel that way? Kati e age 12 Kansas>>
Hello Katie,
WOW, that is a sort of complicated question, so I asked Wise for help.
Anything that you "feel" depends on what your life is like and your education, what you learn both in and out of school. Each person senses these things in a different way because each human was born in a particular country and has lived under different conditions and circumstances-- even if they are from the same family!!
You have to know what feeling "bad" is in order to be able to feel "good". Negative feelings or confusion often are the result of not knowing enough about something to be able to see why it happened.
Real happiness is when you "feel" like you understand most things around you and you fit right in to any situation. The more you study all kinds of things in the world around you and try to understand them, the happier you will be for a longer period of time. As long as you always try to live according to the real important true things you have discovered in your life, you could almost always be happy!!
REX
In a message dated 1/6/98 03:58:53, you wrote: <<Hello Rex! My name is Jamie and this is my first time asking you a question and so I am excited and nervous too. I hope this one is not too easy for you, but not too hard. Okay, why is it that when you are looking at the wheels on a car when it is going forward, it looks like the wheels are turning backwards? I have noticed this lately and dont understand how they can do that. I hope you can answer this. Thank you, Jamie from Ohio>>
Hello Jamie,
Well, the answer depends on how you are looking at the wheels turning.
IF you look at the back part of the tire it will appear to be moving forward, BUT if you are seeing only the front part, they are spinning towards the rear.
There are many things in life that are relative to how you look at them!
REX
In a message dated 24/5/98 02:01:09, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, I am 11 years old and live in Alabama. We have alot of arrowheads in this area. Are these a type of fossil or rock? Does water in the streams cause them to have the funny bumpy feel to them? Are they found in other states? I really would like to know more about them. I do nothave any but look for them sometimes. Thanks, JD Alabama>>
Hello JD,
WOW, hope you find a couple arrowheads.
They were made by Indians as arrow points to hunt with. They are NOT fossils, simply pieces of mineral that these tribes chipped to the shape of a pointed arrowhead.
They are very hard but the rolling around in the bottom of the stream may have made the surface slightly more rounded than it was when it was made, sort of like old bottle pieces that sometimes may be found along streams and rivers.
They are found in most States.
For more information about Indian Cultures in your State you might go to a library or museum and check out the pamphlets and books they should have on the subject.
Good luck in your hunting!
REX
In a message dated 7/3/98 17:23:17, you wrote: <<Hi Rex again, it was on the news once that all snowflaks are diffrent shaped. Is that true? I do not now if that is scince qestion or not. But i really wnt to know it. How can they now if all snoflaks are diffrent if they dont see all the snoflaks that fall everhwere? Is this a science qestion? I really like you Rex. You are very smart. By>>
Hi again Cody,
YES, every snowflake has a different crystal shape, and YES, it is a science question.
Do you know that fingerprints are all different too? Nobody has ever seen every fingerprint, BUT they know (well, sort of-- noone "really" KNOWS unless they could see every one that ever existed!) they are all different.
And scientists are finding out what some others have known for many years, that the iris of each of your eyes is different from every other iris in existance! They even have new security devices that recognize people by their iris!
Some German, Japanese and other scientists believe that you can examine the iris of a person and tell what health problems he has. It is called Iridology, or "iris diagnosis".
REX
In a message dated 20/2/98 03:16:17, you wrote: <<dear Rex: How come when it snows the snowflakes are white, but when it rains, raindrops are clear? Snowflakes are frozen raindrops why do they change colors? From, Billy Richards in Minnesota >>
Hello Billy,
You are correct, snow is just frozen or crystallized water. Seamore told me that white is not really a "color", it is technically an absence of any color!
REX
In a message dated 15/2/98 23:52:30, you wrote: <<Hiya Rex! My name is Whitney. Now, this really isn't for your contest, only because it wouldn't win( Oh well, I'll give it a shot anyway!). I'm sure of that. What I want to know is this.....The Chicken or the egg. It said that you could ask a science question, so I did. Do you have any ideas? Even if you're not sure, I just want your opinion. So if it's not to much trouble, could you e-mail me at: WLong@ezonline.com . I would really appreciate it! Thank you! - Whitney : ) P.S- Say hi to Sting for me! You should know him, he's retired too! >>
Hi Whitney,
Well, I asked Peace to figure out what your question was, and he said you probably wanted to know what to have for breakfast.
In the U.S. a lot of people like eggs for breakfast. Sonny, my human friend, said that when he was in Israel and Iceland that there was also fish on the breakfast menu. Chicken should also be very good, I guess. Maybe there is some country where they serve it early in the morning. I don't see why not.
Of course I know Sting! He said to say hello to you for him.
REX
In a message dated 8/2/98 00:34:27, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, My name is Alison I'm from New York. I collect beanie babies and i don't have any good retired ones Im looking for a good retired one and i found this web site so im entering it.My question is what is denser water or rubbing alcohol? I have a science fair project I have to do on Dense liquids and i don't know what is denser. Could you help me out? Thanks alot, Alison from NY>>
Hi Alison,
Since this is your science fair project it would be un(science) fair to tell you the answer, since that is what you are supposed to be doing as your project.
Do you take tests and have all the answers given right beside the question? I doubt it!
Iggy told me that your project is sort of simple to do. You need a beaker of water and another of rubbing alcohol (make sure you know which kind of alcohol it is! There are several kinds). Take a small test tube, marking a line with indelible marker every half centimeter starting at the bottom. Place this test tube in the beaker of water and see what line the top of the water comes to. Then wipe the water off of the test tube and put it in the beaker of alcohol and check which line the surface of the alcohol reaches.
You should get two different "readings", one higher than the other, meaning that the test tube will sink deeper in one of the liquids. The liquid, either the water or alcohol, that it sank deeper in is the least dense.
Your project sounds like fun!
REX
In a message dated 27/1/98 00:33:02, you wrote: <<Hello! My name is Lisa. I saw your site, wondering about a question for school. The question is: When you get really far away from something, like the mountains, why do they appear a blueish color? Thanx, Lisa P.S Who is your best friend? Mine is Legs the Frog. I saw him last night in the pond out back! >>
Hello Lisa,
When you are very far away from something, like mountains, there is a lot of air, a.k.a. atmosphere, between you and what you are looking at. Take the sky for example, it looks blue on a clear day. From outer space the "sky", or space, is totally black except for the light of the stars and all.
Things appear blue or colored because there is a lot of dust and all in the atmosphere and it bends the light between you and what you are looking at, making it look a different color.
WOW, Legs is hopping all over here all the time. When it is warmer out he plays in my human friend, Sonny's, pond.
My favorite Beanie pals are Peace, Steggy and Rainbow.
REX
In a message dated 25/1/98 19:43:52, you wrote: <<Hi Rex, If you can I need help I am in grade 2 and am trying to do a science fair project, this is my first science fair project. It is about making a magnet with wire and a battery and a nail, and how with a straight piece of wire the magnet is not a strong, and the more it is coiled around the nail the stronger it gets, here is where I need your help, PLEASE! I have a presentation board, but I need help of what all and how to put my information on the board, do you know of any web site that could show me, I really appreciate you being here and for any help. Do you think my project will be good, if I figure out how to my the information on the board? Thank you, Cody, Greenup, Ky age 7 >>
Hello Cody,
WOW, what a great project for your grade. After you make your different magnets, the most important part of your project is the "presentation board" or display. That is what attracts the attention of the judges and makes them look at your project a little more than one displayed in a box or something.
Really great boards that fold into three parts are available at most large office supply chains. They are stiff white cardboard and stand up by themselves behind your project.
'97 Teddy did a science project at the Beanie Science Fair. It was about comparing the weights of one Beanie type. He asked 45 different Blizzard brothers from three different tag generations to get on a balance (= a scale, sort of) that weighed them in grams. That was a total of 135 different Blizzards! He made a nice neat table listing the different weights, and then he calculated the average weight for each tag generation. He printed all his stuff using Sonny's computer and printer.
On his presentation board he used the left part to show WHY he did his project, what he wanted to find out, and general info about Beanies, about Blizzard and what weight is and all.
On the bigger center part of the board he put the title of his project in neat colorful large letters at the top : "Do all Blizzards weigh the same?" He included information on how he did his project, photos of the different tag generations so people could see what they looked like, and a list of the materials he used in his research. He also put pics here of the Beanies climbing onto the balance, and had a balance as part of his exhibit.
On the right side of the board were the results of his experiment, with computer printouts of the tables with all his numbers and all.
And of course in front of the presentation board he had his exhibit, with the balance, a Blizzard who stood there and answered questions for the visitors, and most importantly his REPORT. The report contained all of the information about the project, like an explanation of what weight is, how it is measured, all kinds of information about Blizzard and tag generations, what question he wanted to answer with his experiment, how he did the experiment and what his results were. He also added about 37 references that he found on the Internet and in the Beanie library about his subject.
The Science Fair judges always read the report to see how much work a child has done on his project. Now if you have a great report PLUS a really kewl presentation board and display the judges will give you more points.
Good luck from all of us. '97 Teddy thinks your project is a good one. HE got second place for his!
REX
In a message dated 18/1/98 23:29:54, you wrote: <<Dear Rex,
My teacher asked us if anyone knew the 3 states of matter. I raised my hand and said them all correctly. Yet a boy in my class yelled," And Plazma!" Why did he say this ? Is it true? Gost>>
Hi Gost,
GOSH, you probably didn't say them ALL because there are 4 states of matter You probably said the usual three that everybody knows, solid, liquid and gas. But IF your school books are up-to-date they would also list the 4th one which is plasma.
This does not have anything to do with blood plasma! It is the material the stars are made of. Did you know that it is so heavy that only a thimble full would weigh many tons?
REX
In a message dated 13/1/98 01:04:58, you wrote: <<Hey Rex my name is Jeremy and i need some help on my science project the teacher gave my a land for it is Flowing Water that would be like a waterfall or creek and it could also be a river. You have to put it in a cardboard box i was thing about doing a waterfall or a river for the waterfall i was going to do salmon jumping and a bear trying to catch the fish. For the river i was going to put a guy fishing drifting down the river with fish but i cannot choose one so could you help me. Then we have to do kind of report with pictures and other infomation about teh waterfall or river. That would really help me if you have any ideas right back please. Jeremy 12 6th grade male >>
Hello Jeremy,
WOW, that sounds like a really kewl science project. What you do depends on how big the box is that you will use , so first pick out a box that is large enough to hold all you want to put in it.
After you get your box, you can make the fish, boat and the man out of that clay stuff that hardens and then paint them nice so they look like the real thing.
The river can be a mirror, and the waterfall can be cotton that you stretch a little to make it look like water. Get some real rocks, green moss for the "forest floor", and a couple of those little trees that they use for a model railroad setup.
Then for the report, pick a river you like and do a net search and you will find loads of info, including pics that you could use for the report. BUT remember that the report has to be in your own words, so after you read all the internet stuff, take notes and write your own report.
Peace is always doing kewl things like that, and he uses really big boxes so his Beanie friends can be in them! Imagine how your project would look with Teddy in the boat and Goldie swimming in the river!
REX
In a message dated 8/1/98 00:49:12, you wrote: <<Hello Rex, My name is Kelly and in science we are learning about matter. Would a lightning bolt be plasma, a liquid, a solid, or a gas. Thanx. Also do you know why some beanies are animals, and others are not? Thanx!!!! >>
Hi Kelly,
I had to ask Mystic about this one. She uses her magic horn to capture lightening during a storm and then we store the electricity in boxes and recycle it to heat the nursery during the winter. Do you recycle things like cans, newspaper and plastic soda bottles? You know it's good for the environment.
She said that lightening is just electricity with a whole lot of energy. And guess what, nobody knows exactly what electricity is ! Some scientists say it's the movement of electrons, but you know that electrons have a negative (-) charge. So why do batteries have a positive (+) end?
All the Beanies in the nursery are animals of some sort or another. You know that there are loads of different kinds of animals. Even Spooky is a ghost animal (if you look in an encyclopaedia you will find GHOST shrimp. They are distant relatives of Spooky.), and Snowball is a snowMAN, just like Frosty, his cousin.
REX