A few days ago, I wrote a post for all the students following the blog, especially those who were asking about how physics and math could be found onboard (and off). I got some responses to this, and I hope even more of you have thought about the questions I posed! Here are the original pictures & questions (with hints), along with the answers:
Why does this weather balloon rise, and why does it pop when it gets high enough? (Think about density and pressure.) The balloon is filled with helium gas, which is less dense than the air around it, so it rises through the atmosphere. Air pressure decreases with altitude, and when pressure outside is less than pressure inside…pop!
The yellow object is made of foam – for scale, you can see me in the picture. Why would this help one of our scientific buoys float, and why is it so big? (Think about density and buoyancy.) Less dense objects float on top of denser liquids. In this case, the foam by itself will float, but it’s so large because it also needs to keep scientific instruments afloat that would otherwise sink.
What do you see in the photo that would help you lift heavy objects? (Think about the path of the rope and the forces on it.) When heavy instruments and long cables are being lowered into the ocean, a system of gears and pulleys support some of the weight of the objects, therefore lightening the load.
Why does the screw shape on the drill make a hole in the ice more easily than a spike? (Think about the motion of the two tools entering the ice.) The motion of a screw helps to translate the rotational force into a downward force, to help drill the hole. And if held in place in the hole, the motion of the inclined plane spiraling around the screw will bring matter (ice in this case) up, ejecting it out of the hole.
Why does the ship fire its sideways thrusters in conditions of wind and strong currents, to stay in one location? (Think about balancing forces acting on the ship.) In order to stay in one place, the ship has to compensate for currents and wind, so thrusters push the ship in the opposite direction, balancing the forces on the ship.
What makes one layer of ice more transparent than the other? (Think about trapped air pockets.) Different layers of ice form in different conditions, and have different characteristics, like the amount of trapped air pockets. The more air pockets, the more light is refracted (or bent) as it passes through the ice, which makes the ice appear less clear.
This is as high as the Sun gets in the sky at this time of year. Why is that? (Think about our location.) This is maybe easier to understand with a globe (or a ball) and flashlight (for the Sun). Shine the flashlight on the globe. Now imagine standing on the globe in the tropics, and then in the Arctic. No matter how Earth rotates from day to night, the Sun will never get as high over your head in the Arctic as it does in the tropics.
Why and how do scientists turn data into pictures? (Think about all the data we collect from the ocean.) Graphs help visualize numbers & data. Step 1 in analyzing data or information is to look for patterns, or where patterns break down. There are lots of variables in the ocean (temperature, salt, living organisms), and graphing helps us see the “big picture.”
Hi Trinity Carmichael at LEOMHS which is your favorite physics or math?
Hi Trinity, I think your question is like asking me which I like better, peanut butter or chocolate. They go so well together, like physics and math, that you can’t really choose one without the other!
Hi Lindsay! I’m am in Ms. Gilbert’s class at LEOMHS I was wondering if anything you learn on board can be useful for other subjects like for example, History or Literature?
Hi Ashley, actually you asked the question at exactly the right time, because if you look at the blog posts on the 14th and the 16th, you will see some amazing stories of explorers and adventurers from history that we have learned about onboard – people who skied across Greenland, sailed for the North Pole, mapped the northern coast of Asia, etc. When you read those stories, just imagine being on some of those expeditions!
Have you gotten the chance to see the Northern Lights?
Hi Alana, unfortunately we have not seen the Northern Lights. We are definitely far north enough to see the phenomenon, but it’s summer – which means that the Sun is nearly always in the sky in the Arctic, so it’s not dark enough to see it. (Plus it’s cloudy nearly all the time as well.) I really want to see it someday though!