Fitness first
Fitness enthusiast or exercise newbie, you are sure to find these facts fascinating. Watch the video and get moving.
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Run Dino Run
Many dinosaurs had a need for speed. See if you know who among them was Usain Bolt!
The longest dinosaur was Argentinosaurus, which measured over 40 metres, was the heaviest too. At 77 tonnes, it was the equivalent to 17 African Elephants. But, today, let us know more about these racers. Preserved footprints called a trackway can be used to find a rough estimate of how fast that particular animal was travelling at that moment. This method uses simple equations based on the distance between footfalls and the size of the feet.
The speediest dinosaurs were the ostrich mimic ornithomimids, such as Dromiceiomimus, which could probably run at speeds of up to 60 kms per hour. Find the others as your arrange them in order of who was fastest.
Coded messages
Time to crack some codes! Think you can figure this puzzle out? Find out…
Morse code is a form of communication that has existed for a very long time and has come in handy in many situations, especially during times when there were no telephones, to send an emergency message to someone.
Do you think you can figure out how it works? Try to crack the following codes. Use the chart to get started.
[Here’s a hint: there’s a theme!]
What’s your soundtrack?
Which soundtrack do you most relate to? Take this fun quiz to find out.
Are you cool as a cucumber or someone who gets flustered easily? How laidback are you? Or are you one of those Type-A individuals who is constantly raring to go and achieve great things? Fancy yourself to be the life of the party, or do you have two left feet?
Well, here’s how you can find out which of these soundtracks define you, and get a peek into the kind of individual you are. All you have to do is answer a few simple questions in this personality quiz, and voila, you’ll have your answer.
What are you waiting for? Get, set, go!
Nation’s defenders
They are the real heroes of our country. Can you identify the Indian military forces based on their emblems?
We live in a safe and peaceful environment thanks to our Indian military force. With over 1.4 million active personnel, the men and women of the Indian armed forces protect our borders at land, sea, and even the skies.
The Indian military force is the second largest in the world. Unlike many countries, where military service is compulsory; in India, it is completely voluntary. In fact, we have the world’s largest volunteer army! That is indeed something to be proud of.
How well do you know about the Indian military? To start with, can you match these logos to these 6 military and paramilitary forces?
In Many Tongues
Can you crack this crossword that’s based on languages? Take a shot at it.
India has 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution but there are many many more that are spoken across the country. Now think of the number of languages if we look at countries across the world. Mind-boggling, isn’t it?
This crossword is based on languages. See how many of the words you can identify.
Discover Something New Today – 10
Have you ever wondered why we burp? Find out in this quick video…
For crown and country
On June 11, 1770, James Cook found the Endeavour stuck on a reef. Surely, he rued that day. But, as luck would have it, this ‘misfortune’ made an important discovery – the Great Barrier Reef.
When the ship HMS Endeavour hit a reef and got stuck, little did James Cook, the leader of the expedition, know of the grand discovery he had made: The Great Barrier Reef. This complex of coral reefs, shoals and islets off the northeastern coast of Australia is the longest and largest reef complex in the world.
Born to a farmhand in Scotland, James’ introduction to the sea was while apprenticing in a general store in a coastal village north of Whitby, Scarborough, England. He was an explorer, navigator, cartographer and captain in the British Royal Navy. He is known for his three voyages undertaken between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and Australia. He died on February 14, 1779, in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, United States.
Cook did not realise the magnitude of the discovery that he had unwittingly stumbled upon. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest structure of living organisms in the world and is recognised as a site of environmental importance and is a World Heritage Site.
Back in England, he was promoted to commander and presented to King George III. He was soon organising his next ambitious voyage, but that is another story.
Check the timeline to keep abreast of his voyage.
The science of Hanuman’s flight
(Part #7) The air molecules take the opportunity to teach Hanuman exactly what went on when he flew towards the sun.
While Meghnath is busy learning more advanced sciences, Hanuman is flying around with his Air Molecule friends.
Illustration: Sahil Upalekar
Hanuman: Hey Molecules, whatever took place while I was chasing the sun seemed like a dream. But now, I slowly remember experiencing several bizarre things.
Air molecules: Like what, Hanuman?
Hanuman: In the beginning, till we reached the rainy clouds. everything seemed fined. But after flying a few kilometres past them, it was freezing. Why?
Air molecules: To understand that, you will need to learn about gravity, air density, altitude, pressure and temperature.
Hanuman: Woah! That seems like a lot of science!
Air molecules: Everything you experienced at that time is science.
Hanuman: Fine. As long as you don’t put me to sleep…
Air molecules: Ha ha! Don’t worry, we will explain it to you in a way that you will understand. Now, what do you know of gravity?
Hanuman: Anything with mass will have some pulling force. For planets like Earth, we call this force as gravity, which tries to pull everything towards its centre.
Air molecules: Exactly! Basically, everything that exists on Earth is being pulled towards the centre of Earth. The closer you are, the more gravity you experience.
Hanuman: Next, what is density?
Air molecules: It is simply the number of molecules packed within a certain area; be it in air, a solid or liquid. Gases are less dense than solids and liquids because their molecules are far apart.
Air molecules:With regards to air density, there are more air molecules closer to the ground. Do you know why?
Hanuman: Because the pull of gravity is more?
Air molecules: That’s right! Now, let’s move on to temperature…
Hanuman: You mean, heat?
Air molecules: Temperature and heat are different. Heat is the transfer of thermal energy between molecules and measured in joules. Temperature is the average kinetic energy of molecules and is measured in Celsius, Kelvin or Fahrenheit.
Hanuman: What is kinetic energy?
Air molecules: Kinetic energy is the energy that a molecule possesses due to its motion. Don’t confuse yourself. Just remember: kinetic means movement.
Hanuman: Okay. Let me see if I understand. When we are closer to Earth, there is more gravity; due to this, there is more density of air molecules; due to more density, there is more kinetic energy, and more kinetic energy means higher temperature. Am I right?
Air molecules: You are super smart, Hanuman! So, what do you think happens as we move away from the ground?
Hanuman: Gravity reduces…
Air molecules: Exactly. As gravity reduces, the density of air molecules decreases, thus kinetic energy decreases, lowering the temperature.
Hanuman: So that is why we go to hill stations. The temperature is less there!
Air molecules: Shall I teach you a trick? It will be useful when you fly and reach great heights.
Hanuman: What’s that?
Air molecules: As you move up every 1 km, the temperature drops by 5.45 to 6 degrees.
Hanuman: In that case, if the ground temperature is 30°C degrees, when I fly up 5 km, it becomes zero?
Air molecules: That’s right. But this calculation works only until 20 km. After that, it’s different; as we cross the ozone layer, and the sun’s direct high energy radiation starts hitting the molecules.
Hanuman: Oh! I will remember that.
Air molecules: The concept of pressure is also similar. As there are more molecules closer to the ground, there is more pressure.
Hanuman: Pressure is force per area, right?
Air molecules: Yes. More the number of molecules and movement, the more the pressure. Lesser the air molecules, the lesser the pressure.
Hanuman: Wow! It took my guru a whole year to make me learn all this! You are great teachers, Molecules.
Air molecules: Thank you! If you start looking at the science around you practically, it becomes more fun and magical.
Hanuman: I would love to learn more!
The author is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras incubated ed-tech startup that offers Air Science workshops for children between five and 14 years.
How well have you read the text?
Based on your reading of this article, can you answer the following true or false questions?
Animal mayhem
Colouring sheets make an excellent way to pass time. Get your own set now and get colouring!
