Tuesday, May 31, 2005

 

What causes the seasons?

Question:
What causes the seasons:

Hints:
Answer:
If you had to give one reason it's because the earth is titlted 23.5 degrees relative to the ecliptic (the plane that the earth rotates around the sun in).
This causes two effects, one is that the sun is up for longer during the summer than it is in the winter. This gives the sun more time to heat the ground than in the winter. But this is not the most important reason.
The most important reason is that the sun is higher in the sky, and points down more directly. Imagine flashlight in your hand and you point it straight down to the ground. It makes a small, bright circle of light. If you tilt the flashlight it'll make a larger, duller oval of light. But the amount of energy is the same from the flashlight it's just spread over a bigger area.
Note also that the sun doesn't heat the air or the clouds (or very little) it heats the ground (or the water) and the ground heats the air.
 

Bus Ride

Question:
You are riding a bus, where's the best place sit on the bus for the most comfortable ride?

Hints:
Answer:
I'd say that sitting in the middle should give you a more comfortable ride.
The reasoning is that if you are over the back wheel, say, you get the amplitude of the bumps over that wheel. If you are further back, you get the amplitude plus a bit more because of the lever effect. If you are in front of the back wheel you get less amplitude (lever again).
Unfortunately, both wheels are bouncing so the best you can do is average the two by being between them.
 

Transferring the Ransom

Question:

You kidnapped something or someone and they have agreed to give you the money. How do you transfer the money without getting caught?

Hints:
Answer:

 

Intro

The basic idea of this blog is to record some dinner time questions for your kid(s). Relatively easy questions that make you think, that may have several answers.

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