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SME} LENE ry Holiday special - The Science Around us & Stories, DIYs & contests Leal Ua) The Golden Belt P31 Eve See BU aa PER tedediey turer & p24 Free poster - the Solar Olympics! BL a aL one ne? Nel eRe ul § Dale ad Tre ae ed Lace Web only content - bwmag.in RU ge eg aerate eee ae eet Sen ca ee no eee Cn ed premier publication for kids - Rohit Kumar, Scientist at Raytheon BBN Technologies, Cambridge, Massachusetts Soe een eC Ua cee? Cover artwork by Pooja Prabhakaran © & No part ofthis magazine may be reproduced without the express consent of Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited (ACK). Any reproduction, modification, distribution, transmission, republication, display or exploitation in any way of the content{s),n whole or in part, of this magazine is strictly prohibited. ACK makes no warranties or guarantees, express or implied, written or oral, as to the contents of the magazine, the information, materials or opinions, included in this magazine, Inno event shall ACK be liable for damages of any kind arising as a consequence of using or following any method or formula as mentioned in the ‘magazine, including but nat limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive and consequential damages. Consumer Complaints +91-22-6629 6999 customerservice@ack-media.com Business Queries & Custome Service Escalations: sasikanth.c@ack-media.com Ad-sales: advertisingsales@ack-media.com Credit Bhavani V Eric D'souza & Team Heta D, Swati G & Shilpi M India Book House & Team Janak F, Yogesh G & Team Jayanthi V K.K. Arun & Team Lalit & Team Mayur S & Team Narayan M, Sagar S & Team Sandeep S & Team Sr. VP Operations Sandeep Padoshi Digital Business Head Shubhadeep Bhattacharya Sr. VP Sales & Marketing Prakash Batna Copyright © 2014, Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited. All rights reserved. ™ Vol 03 | Issue 05 | May 2014 Editor & General Mana Sasikanth C Consulting Art Director Savio Mascarenhas Assistant Editor Priyanka Talreja Design Lead Ria Rajan Designer & Illustrator SaudaminiT & Pooja P Junior Illus: Jeenal Patel tors Resident Geek Pushkar Samant Founding Editor & Art Di Vinayak Varma Advisory Board Arvind Gupta Scientist & Educator AS Manekar, Dy.Director National Council of Science Museums Hari Parameswaran Scientist & Educator Dr. Chandrakant Shukre Astrophysicist Maya Menon, Director The Teacher Foundation Geetha Narayanan, Director Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology Dr. Balaji Sampath Aid India Foundation Siddharth Rao, Director ‘Agumbe Rainforest Research Station Subscriptions: brainwave@ack-media.com Brainwave is Printed and Published by Vijay Sampath on behalf of Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited Printed at Indigo Press (India) Pvt, Ltd., Plot No. 41, C/716, Opp. Dadoji Konddeo Cross Road, Byculla (E), Mumbai 400027 Published at Krishna House, 3rd Floor, Raghuvanshi Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (West), Mumbai 400013, May 2014 O1 Vol. 03 | Issue 05 | May 2014 ™ BRAINWAVE concn THE a LH COVER STORY FUN FACTS eMac ets us Cr ere rl) R fa Cet tlc) ps OU RRC Co) CCR ara) , Tel ea kel 4 Coe Ce 2 Peter avata bd calcio et rea ts i become friends PCM cet Meet alle TT) rls a 02 BRAINWAVE Aptitude guide: A. + iM ty e Ss J7¢7%ns p.24 Free Poster FUN TO DO EY RR Oe era rae Fee om p.44 DIY * Words tagged with G have been explained on page no. 47 Winagift! May2014 03 MEET THE SMARTIES Beyond the skies, trouble brews. Danger awaits us, all humans! Sneaking and lurking in the dark, Someone's plotting to tear humanity apart. Much before they act, our friends arrive to thwart the attack, Liss 2. 3. Go! The Smarties arrive fast. Yes they are here, look! The Smarties rarely punch down opponents - they are peace lovers. They use not only brawn, but also brains! The battle’s won; let us meet them now, They are real heroes - take a bow! www.bwmagin/meet-the-smarties 04 BRAINWAIE Now that you know them, see their wonders, The episode begins, the Earth's saved from plunder. Plog rouzaruomeay ZEc FRIAKY Séianes Mite-y Eyelashes Not sure if you should be shocked or enlightened by the science behind acne! There are times when you make a wish off stray eyelashes So how can they possibly be frightening? Well, they can be! Parasitic mites live in the hair follicles of your eyebrows and eyelashes! They measure a mere fraction of a millimeter in length, and feed on the dead skin cells and oil that collect in the hair follicles. Healthy adults have one or two mites per square centimetre of facial skin, though people with the condition ‘rosacea’ can have 10 times more! Well, at least you know who's to be blamed for all that acne! = by Joanne Carto Say Cheese! Feeling too lazy to brush your teeth? After reading this, your toothbrush is going to be your best friend forever! Imagine 25,000 species of bacteria residing in your mouth! If that hasn’t freaked you out, here's some more insight - dental plaque, a pale yellow bio-film that develops naturally on your teeth is made of microorganisms. At first, the plaque is soft enough to clean using a fingernail. But, within 48 hours, it begins to harden and in 10 days, turns into tartar that needs a dentist's drill No need to brush regularly? = Pillow Monsters! Why do you need movie monsters when you have some right at home, on your pillow? There are no monsters under your bed or in your closet. Why would they be found there, when they have the perfect place to lounge in ~ your pillow! A common cause of asthma and allergies worldwide, there are about a zillion house dust mites living on and inside your pillow. They survive off your dead skin cells. While the average life of a male is 10-19 days, the female can last up to 70 days, laying 60- 100 eggs in the last 5 weeks of her life. Nightmares now? = May 2014 05 BG * flainbow ina ! by Pushkar Samant Ver OrG oii A) ee a eet RE Gere eee ee as eel oe honey, liquid soap and food colouring (red and green) Pour liquid soap into one of the plastic glasses: Pour some water into another plastic glass and add a pinch of green colour to it. Mix well. and add a pinch of red colour to it. Mix wel. Add approximately equal amount of Now, fill 1/4th of the empty glass with honey. ; coloured liquid soap to it. Pour very slowly. 06 BRAINWAVE upioyouanig ofoed = womnsy u ss Add the same amount of coloured water to Finally, pour oil into the glass very slowly. it. Pour very slowly. STR eM ToC ote Pou Mea ics cun eee Peake Mm contained in a given space or volume. ORCC eur Ces aca ava Res uh te Ree nol a Pau eee enn ek al tr) Re Ce Re cueL MirmuCtle Do not stir. Let the glass be still for 30 minutes and observe. Your will see a rainbow ‘in your glass! Pee ener caer e Peete Rin nacre Poe Ree Soe neces Cees Me cued ter tne urs) EES Ce cana ase Research and email your answer to brainwave@ack-media.com The best answer wins a cool ACK comic book! May 2014 O7 08 #2 ie J - PY) ITS TIME FOR HOTEWORH, NOW. IT'S BREAK-TINE. MOMS CALLING, IT'S B (F it { |] ome iressrer cue ure 4 4 + ¥ PA JS eur users ue serone Te com a clocks onUnCHOLR LunrTenay JAE CARLO. ART AVPRMVEMIPLLA ves ee SO ocerberT. CAME FTO BENG? WELL BEFORE THE ELECTIAC CLOCK THAT SERVES US SU FATHFULLY TODAY LIAS INVENTED 8) THE ISTH CENTURY, PEUPLE HEPT ‘TRACK OF TIME INMPNY Leys. THE FIRST RECORDED CLOCK INVENTION WAS BY THE EGYPTIANS ARCUND 1388 BC TH spoke into the telephone. This sound is then reproduced in the telephone receiver of the person you are talking to How? Let's find out. electric current 16 Transmitter: The mouthpiece - the part we talk into. The complete call - The sound waves that you create by speaking into a telephone's transmitter are tured into electrical signals. - The electric signals are carried along telephone wires and delivered into the telephone receiver of the person you called. ~ The telephone receiver of the person listening to you uses these electrical signals to recreate the sounds waves you originally made. sound travel so far? Believe it or not, ‘ism that make it all happen! 2s such things amazing? The diaphram vibrates because of two magnets attached to the edge «> the diaphragm. One of the magnets is a regular one that holds the diaphragm at a constant steadiness, The other is an electromagnet that can have a variable magnetic pull. The electromagnet pulls the diaphragm away from the Receiver: regular magnet. The more electric current, the stranger the Thea coe electromagnet's pull, creating stronger vibrations. the part we This way, what you spoke into the telephone is recreated listen from. at the receiver's end! Moving with it: MOBILE The process in mobile phones is different. In the absence of wires, here's how calls work: - Mobile phones send and receive wireless radio signals. ~The handsets that we carry communicate with each other through base stations that are located every few kilometres throughout the geographic region of coverage. - The base stations are connected via switching centres, tracking calls and managing their transfer from cell to cell. May2014 17 Preston cera . Mee Tine | |) eee if mapetiae, << umars © Laake fl i re long, the J Pa meee, i ieacs ‘¢ Joa sa, ee ie heat? { Illustrated by. Pooja Prabhakafan Mm (ie ‘My, what kind of overwhelming heot is this? Indeed, ir i ile bean madd by wom he Did you soy ‘beginning’, my boy? How are we fo refuses fo loave my sdel del ee ober sbishet weiter i Dinesh, why havent felewibted ake oe Haka mis sory, we Forge elcome fo Indo, Ar. Holmes. county of varied climates ond ferrin frat iorataal Toe esti em pl oa grr go pommanly over 40 degen centigrade boca itr This, Ae cles, i jst He Bepioning of snarl Get) I know what fons ore -elechricaly powered mechanical contraption: suspended from the ceiling of « 100m. They we rotting paddles “fo citulale air and thus, cool the room down, Dad... doced! Who invented the Fon cond when? But, “switch on the AC” you soy? Wha is ths code language tha you speck in, Dr. Karnor? A's short for Air Conditioning. Let me, Dr. Koma Philip Diehl invented the ceiling fan | Pe Holmes. hr conditioners alter in 1887, my boy, Hlechic fon: have an electric motor the properties of ai fo mcke thot have fan blades attached to ifs rotating shal. As 5 ‘conditions more favourcble. the motor spins the blades begin to rolate, circulating |’ / in the room. ach blade is angled obit, ond as the inclined plane of the blade moves theough the air, it Fees the oi ahead of if forward. I fakes air from the ores behind itself and blows it to the front. the fon generate o movement of sir. cousng the warm, less dense ait faite, andthe cool, dense oir to descend. Thus, it becomes like Thal’s so ool! Indeed, the fon is a blessed invention, But what is that white box hanging on your wall? It seems to be emitting cooler cir. Is that the AC? | - — Sea) |] = ‘And what exactly iso refrigerant? Rebigeronls are edihanaly made p of fuoracrbons, \ _ especially chlorofluorocarbons. But due to their ozone DAA depletion tfecls, they ore being phosed out and ammonie, ) Se eee eee eel reece eee | a the air hos become cold | ‘th yes! The AC. And how does that work, Dr. Kumar? Well, Mr. Holmes, the basic concept of an air conditioner is that a chemicel called a refrigerant moves from inside the home to the coulside, absorbing and costing aut het in the proces. The teftigerant cools down and then re-enters the home, starting the cycle anew. LAAN Ok, Though I donot understand everything, | gel the gs Now, how does refrigerant work? Well actually, i's similar to how liquid woter, when heated, evaporates info gas, or water vopout. A refrigerant absorbs heat when in is liquid stole, tronsforms into 0 gas ond is agoin forced fo return fo becoming @ liquid by expelling the heat it absorbed ae zi So that’s that? The part inside the home where the refrigerant evaporates is well ‘the evaporator, obviously. | Aeekrigeront round the entire house ~ thal’ the workings oF on AC ©) Ohno, fr Holmes, Fm not done yet. I'm just geHing started! Wi ‘in air conditioning system essentially has four ports, i evaporator, a compresior, a condenser and on expansion device. Woit, wait... before you shoot off any more questions, I'll explain, what they oll are! Very fascinating. Do go on, Dr. Kumar. | As cir from the house moves ocross the evaporator, the | refrigerant within the coll picks up the Femperatuce of the oir. | Thus, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the cir and tums info a | vapour. So, the air become colder. i Hmmm, but what does a condenser do? Gelling there, Mr. Holmes. From the compressor. the hot, pressurized gos flows over the condenser. Here, the gat is condensed back into its liquid state os heat is rodialed away. Outdoor units offen have metal fins on them fo help dissipate the heat more quickly. then, the vaporized refrigerant pases ino the compressor, ich is located oubide the home along withthe condenser. ‘As the name implies, the compresorcompreses the gas info @ ‘take of higher pressure and higher femperature i‘ —___—__. - — And that’s the mystery behind how your has house cooled down? | TSB | i a oe 7 ={ 1h no, Holmes. Thal’ jut one pat of how it coled. of rather. one gy «yee. the refigernt i now teturned info the home. the ‘expansion device regulates if flow ino the evaporator, where jst os \ before, it will absorb heot end ft} change phase from 2 liguid into © 4 low preioe go. ae ie wd That's cool, son. Though I wouldn't want to imagine what life Kumar, you can’t be napping even before | serve lunchl ould babel TReAG sien falar Dinesh. come on, help me set the foble ‘Oh mother, I'm not napping, | just learnt how the air conditioner | ‘ond fon that we cont live without work! Who knows, next fire on cof them conks off, | may even be able to repair it! \ Well Dr. Kumar, summers — arguably for the better — ‘would never be the same! Lo) eee & SO There are three main types of airconditioning systems. Research ond email them fo vs of rainwave@ack-mediacom fo win two cool dmar Chika Kaha comics! May 2014 21 Mig Re Toy As the ceiling fan slowly whirss, the electronic monster in the room - the air conditioner cools down their bodies and minds! he OMS tis hard to survive even a day of the hot summer without a fan or an air conditioner, isn't it? Similarly, without a heater, winters would be unbearable. But, what if there exists a gadget that lets us adjust our body temperature as needed? A team of students at MIT has developed just that, and named it '‘Wristify'! IL is a thermoelectric bracelet that maintains the body temperature of the wearer by irregularly blasting his or her wrist with hot or cold pulses. Are you asking yourself how the device maintains the temperature of the whole body by blasting pulses on to just a single section of the body? Apparently, heating or cooling a small part of the body locally can trick the mind into thinking that it is warmer or cooler than it really is. The students claim that this does not take a very large amount of hot or cold 22 BRAINWAVE TLR aaa Ne ae RTE eae og aca aN temperatures. Just 0.1°C per second can make the entire body feel several degrees warmer or cooler! ‘Wristify' powers the wristband with a lithium-ion battery similar to those used in cell phones. It can last a full day on a single charge. It might be a couple of years more before this device is available in the market commercially. And when it does, it's going to help solve two major problems: 1. Energy consumption i.e. usage of electricity to run ACs and heaters 2. Environmental impact caused by the usage of coolers and heaters The icing on the cake is that we can set the temperature perfectly as per our preference. ‘Wristify' is indeed a golden gizmo. Wouldn't you agree? = May 2014 23 NE * Surface Gravity: 1 ci) ba CTL UA PCO TNT ziT39 aT Cae ear} LYMPICS *Surface gravity of the astronomical bodies compared with Earth BRAINWAVE SCIENCE IS JUST A GAME 26 BRAINWAVE ~ MIGRATORY TRAVELLERS: What do the humpback whale, caribou and alaskan bar-tailed godwit have in common? Let's dig deeper into their incredible migrating patterns! away in unforgiving summers, did you dream of cool, breezy hilltops? And how many times did you actually land up there - bags, baggage and family in tow? H ‘ow many times, while you withered With rising temperatures and tempers, a visit to a cool hill station once a year has almost become mandatory. Similarly, birds and animals across the globe move towards hospitable climates for food, shelter and water. The only difference is that their destinations are ridden with treacherous treks, spanning thousands and thousands of miles! Humpback Whales Car pou Humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometers every year! They feed only in summer, and migrate to breed and give birth in winter. During the winter, humpbacks fast and live off their fat reserves } Caribou or the reindeer ravels more than 1000 ilometers annually! hey migrate as summer proaches, to find food. in the grass rich lands they igrate to, they eat up to 5 ilograms of food each day! So, when did this whole migration business actually begin? Well, migration has been recorded as much as 3,000 years ago by Homer and Aristotle. More recently, in 1749, Johannes Leche began recording dates of arrivals of spring migrants in Finland. Today, these migratory animals are traced using many methods such as bird ringing and satellite tracking. Apparently, birds migrate using celestial cues from the Sun and stars, the Earth's magnetic field, and mental maps. Here are a few incredible journeys: led Godwit This bird holds the world record for the longest nonstop migration - an eight-day, 11,000 km autumn journey from Alaska to New Zealand! Imagine such a small bird traversing such distances! May 2014 27 im * THE GOLDEN BELT by Shivank Kacker, Vadodara, Std. 5, Navrachana School Sama My name is Wrelly. I have to cross a hill to get to school. One day, when | was walking to school, | saw an old man walking down the hill, in the opposite direction. As he crossed me, he turned back and handed me a gold coated belt. Before | could react, he pressed a button on the watch and dense smoke came out of it. And by the time the smoke cleared, he disappeared! | felt weird, but continued walking. There was no space in my bag. So, | wore the belt. You will not believe what happened next! My body became muscular and stronger. | was so scared that | took the belt off immediately. Suddenly, a trap door opened beneath my feet. | fell into the ground and lost consciousness. When | opened my eyes, two people were standing over me. One was the old man who gave me the belt and the other was a kid who | didn’t know. They then trained me to use the belt and be a super hero. The old man’s name was Scondal and the kid's name was Kelly. Both were super heroes themselves. One day, electricity everywhere in the world was disconnected. We knew why. It was because of Dr. Kurcle - a great, but power hungry scientist. He wanted to rule the world! My team flew to Dr. Kurcle's hideout with the help of our super- GPS and jet-shoes. On reaching there, we wore our special YA goggles that help us see what's happening inside a building There, we saw him, He was consuming all the electricity of the world to build a giant mean robot. It was so big that it could destroy a whole city with one sweep of its arm! Kelly shattered the glass windows of the building using ultra-sonic sound waves. But by the time we went in, the robot was activated! While Scondal arrested Dr. Kurcle, Kelly and I tried stopping the robot. Without having to fight him, we cleverly reprogrammed him. Soon, he was on our side and electricity was restored! That was the first of my many super-hero adventures. = 28 BRAINWAVE reipg jouer :womay As March and April 2014 were exam months, the deadline for all the contests that appeared in those issues has been extended till 15 May, 2014, So, utilize your summer holidays to the maximum extent and take part in them all. May you win many prizes! ST All participants, please note that you have to send in your entries with the right subject line, your picture, age, school, accurate address along with pin code, and phone number. Entries without these details often get lost in the mountainful of emails we receive. Don't risk it! letters from Readers Hi, I really love Brainwave. | heard about it only last year. It is awesome! Thank you for the tip you gave - technology is our backbone. | am still a buzzing bee finding out answers for the questions given. Hirran, via email Dear Hirran, That is very good! Be curious and keep seeking answers to each and every question that crops up in your mind. And for anything related to science and maths, we are here :) Keep writing, SK, Editor I love reading your monthly magazine, Brainwave. The experiments in your magazine are really fun and exciting. | even love reading the Time Travelling Kumars, The Smarties and other articles. Your posters really do inspire me. But, | think that you can add a little more colour to your magazine. | would be waiting for your next issue. Anusha Venkatraman, via email Dear Anusha, Glad that you like the magazine so much. We shall definitely consider your suggestion of making the mag more colourful. If you have noticed, the cover story and infographic are filled completely filled with colour. Is that what you have on your mind? SK, Editor I read your article MASTER OF MACHINES in the March 2014 issue. The content is the same as in my textbook, but Brainwave made it so interesting. All cheers to Brainwave! Harisankar VS, via email Dear Harisankar, Yes, that is our effort - to make textbook lessons exciting and interesting, Very often, the science is very simple. It's the way in which itis presented that confuses us. Do read ‘Arby Files’ in the April 2014 issue. It demonstrates how you can make each concept fun to learn. SK, Editor May 2014 29 ih ¢ . Science by mistake .... Let's read about accidental discoveries that actually helped humankind! Anesthesia In 1844, a dentist named Horace Wells brought his wife to a laughing gas© show. During the show, one of the gassed volunteers gashed his leg, but felt no pain! Horace Wells, gauging the importance of this phenomenon, used nitrous oxide in his dentistry practice and taa daa! Anaesthesia came into being. © Chewing Gum Who would have though that Thomas Adams, a photographer, would be the one behind our much loved chewing gum? Adams attempted to use Chicle, a kind of natural gum, to make tires and boots. Failing miserably, he popped a piece of Chicle in his mouth — and dum de dum! the chewing gum was invented. © In 1853, eighteen-year-old William Perkins, hard at work in his chemistry laboratory attempting to synthesise artificial quinine to treat malaria, accidently created mauve, an odd shade of purple, the mass-production of which revolutionized fashion and industrial applications of chemistry research. That's what oodles of hard work does for the lucky, we suppose! = 30 BRAINWAVE iis Wonsog oomsy After finishing three bowls of ice cream, Jeremy started feeling a weird sensation in his tongue! of the summer. Jeremy and his friends finished their evening game of football. Thirsty and drenched in sweat, they decided to raid the ice cream parlour. | t was one of the hottest days Jeremy ordered three big bowls of mango ice cream, one after the other, and finished them all within minutes! “Shluti, please poul some watel into this glass,” he said and everyone burst into laughter. “Your tongue has gone numb, Jeremy,” Shruti teased. “What ale you saying?” Jeremy, who hadn't yet noticed it, asked. “It's all the ice cream. Everyone feels it after eating or drinking food items that are very cold. You will be fine in some time,” Sal explained. “It happens because of the lack of sensation,” the studious Khan added, without looking up from his bowl of ice cream. “The nerve in your tongue does not receive blood because the ‘freezing’ diminishes the size of the blood vessels, stopping the flow of blood. So, the nerve senses nothing and the tongue goes numb.” “One of these days, we should eat lots of ice cream and note down all the words we can't pronounce well when the tongue is numb. It would be fun, wouldn't it be?” exclaimed Shruti while they were riding back home. With your parents’ permission, try this and share a few such words with us. Who knows what gift you might win! May2014 31 er Res cae naan TET so well that we were forced to select seven, one of whom was 15+. So, here are the final six: Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Chennai Vana Vani matriculation, Chennai 32 hreya, 15 Pratul Venkatesh, 11 Advait K.Revanth, 16 Be a super-scientist: Perform a cool do-it-yourself activity and email the video or step-by-step pictures to brainwave@ack-media.com The best entry will be published on our video channel and awarded a surprise gift worth Rs. 250 - every month! Youtii) www.youtube.com/brainwavemag National Public School, Bangalore Udita Gowdety, 9, Kennedy High, Hyderabad BW STUDENT Mukund Rao, 12 P.S.Senior Secondary School, Chennai Ritvik Upadhyay, 14 Kendriya Vidyalaya, New Dethi The Big May is é ntful for India. It repr za Boon jrienstvcs sents development. This Month, That Year - Smiling Buddha As India was growing, it needed to be ahead in all fields including defence. So, came in the Smiling Buddha, India's first nuclear weapon explosion that took place on 18 May in 1974, This device was detonated by the Indian Army in the long- constructed army base in Pokhran, Rajasthan. This nuclear test also happened to be the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation other ‘than one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Day to remember This project continued as Pokhran Il on 11 May in 1998, during which a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions were conducted by India. To commemorate this, 11 May has been officially declared as National Technology Day in India. The day was officially 5 signed by the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This day is celebrated by giving awards to various individuals and organisations . in the field of science and The nuclear test site anette in Rajasthan. suowiuo oypawnte 221N05 abou) lyothee Thass was a practitioner of Siddha and dance, and provided health and life medicine and is regarded as a pioneer of the solutions to common people. Dravidian MovementS. A commemorative postage stamp on him was issued on Some of their ideologies are believed to have 21 October in 2005. originated more than 10,000 years ago! Shiva is believed to be the earliest Siddha. A The Siddhas were early age wandering adepts Siddha has also been defined to refer to one that dominated ancient Tamil teaching who has attained ‘siddhi'. According to some and philosophy. They were extensively literature, the South Indian Siddhas were knowledgeable in science, technology, expelled by the Indo-Aryan invaders, leaving astronomy, literature, fine arts, music, drama, many of their traditions lost or distorted. = May 2014 33 cis = : e 2ge May has been a month A Scientific Summer 72070 by Priyanka Talreja How? Let’s find out! suouoy mipauiyiy,:3:N0g a60u) Kola Superdeep Borehole, commemorated on the 1987 USSR stamp By TR CECT Kola ee oe ny at Superdeep Borehole 1 ,4ay, the 40,502 ft long reached rocks of Archaean Sakhalin-l Odoptu OP-11isthe | Pepto here) deepest drill. Itis located in the | SUlen ty ened Russian island of Sakhalin. = Itwas on 24 May in 1970 that the scientific drilling project of the Soviet Union began in the Pechengsky District, Northern . _ Russia. Peete a Curie shared the Nobel Prize in 1903 with his wife. True love! This project was an attempt to Here are a few key days in May: drill as deep into the Earth's bay 5 een my eles crustas possible. The deepest GSETED rank Hornby founded the hole drilled reached 40,230 ft. legendary Meccano Toy This was in 1989. Till date, this 1686 - Daniel Gabriel Company. Learning is fun! is the deepest hole ever drilled Fahrenheit invented a and the deepest artificial point thermometer. Fever gone! [May14_] on the Earth. . 1946 - Surgeon andinventor, 1763 - Chemist Louis- For two decades, this hole Robert Jarvik invented the Nicolas Vauquelin discovered was also the world's longest —_Jarvik 7 artificial heart. chromium and beryllium. Yay! borehole in terms of Heart attack! . measured depth. This project om : pa ae . had to give up its glory in 2008 (TEED lughes invented the carbon when a 40,318 ft Al Shaheen microphone and a teleprinter. oil well was dug in Qatar. 1859 - French physicist, Pierre Call. them all! = 34 BRAINWAVE Jeiog rower 2uomay ° 2S The Power OF Microorganisms! by Skreet What's the story behind oxidation? Why do we need preservatives to store food longer? Oxidation what? Ever heard of oxidation? Noticed how an apple or 2 potato turns black when left unpeeled in open air? sg Observed how iron rusts on exposure to air and water? These are nothing but examples of oxidation, When the father of Modern Chemistry, Oxidation is the interaction between oxygen Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier recognized molecules and all the different substances they and named oxygen and hydrogen, helped come in contact with, from fruits and metals to _construct the metric system, wrote the first living tissues. More technically, oxidation can extensive list of elements and helped reform be defined as the loss of electrons of an atom chemical nomenclature, it came as no surprise or molecule when it reacts with other atoms or —_ that he discovered the role oxygen plays in molecules. combustion, Preserved, with love Enter chemical preservatives, the earliest use of which was salt, used often during the Middle Along, long time ago, before preservatives Ages. Salt has a desiccating effect which draws were discovered, food was placed in water out of food. m containers such as clay jars to keep them from spoiling. Why? Well, by keeping them in clay jars, air and moisture were kept at bay. This slows the spoiling process down. Soon, another method popped up - drying food. This became a popular preserving method since most bacteria and fungus require moisture to grow. May 2014 35 Som iy nina [= Dr) Earth sCrs bites ree) vt Ke CFC is acting as a shield rR On ree a Nai protective layer. 100 200 Penaeus Gace ny etna ue ake Lord Voldemort casts a shield Peanuts states ere teat Pete te yeec ett) ee ee aise aia ane moment. Similar kinds of man- Dee ee erat Pecan mem cit Pe ca eae kee gc gett ae Pere ee RCN 7 tue a eee) een Une car erase Rue MiG CacN eRe u ner) Peace ei) SRE Ce acct ts erie ne Breet sn ere eee Suey Berea een ro) etme ener! Perec aa trae and crabs as well as frogs and salamanders exposed to excess Mecwioeeet ints Pe een LES 300 SCONES) layer is getting depleted faster due totherrelease of pollution that contains Rue ee ae eran Ola Etat Ra rca Retsiulfercy Petpet) eee) Cem eu ozone and Fi past) depletion a rie] 08) According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one atom oj aT RRO CML ALR ONO R MAL TOLOMC ETL CIM Lem LEAL Te OPUS wupioyqory ofood womuy . fa Sma rt home Ss by Pushkar Samant Smart is the way to go - in homes or at offices! Smart Security Guard There were times when dogs used to guard our homes. Though they are not outdated, technology has sidelined them. The world's first smart home security device, Canary, for instance, is an invisible security guard. Canary's HD video camera and safety sensors track everything from motion, temperature and x air quality to vibration, sound, and activity to 2», help keep you safe. Through Canary's secure mobile app you can check in on your home from virtually anywhere. Wherever you are — you can always be home! = Multiscreen TV 2024 - itis only a decade from now. But in digital time, that’s a century! By then, TVs will evolve into a multi-screen experience throughout your homes. You'll have screens in any room and in every size. They will be voice controlled and connected to the Internet. Ads might be tailored to suit your specific taste! = Fridge in your school bag Is it possible to carry your fridge with you wherever you go? The obvious answer would be no. But technology has again proved us wrong! General Electric is all set to launch climate controlled glass containers that have refrigerated handle attachment, temperature display and many more features. As you add items to the container, it will keep track of the date of entry of each item and alert you about when itis best to consume each. = May 2014 39 2 Truth behind energy drinks Energy drinks seem to be a great option for people who are feeling low and weak. Bul, hey! Are they really? (C) Centre of Science and Environment What are energy drinks? How do these energy drinks make us feel energetic? Energy drinks are beverages that contain caffeine, taurine, vitamins, herbal The ‘feeling’ of energy comes from caffeine, supplements and sugar or sweeteners. These which is a stimulant. are marketed as products that can improve energy levels, stamina, athletic performance and powers of concentration. Hom 0 the energy drinks affect our jean £ These drinks are the fastest growing beverages in the US market. In 2011, sales Energy drinks contribute to obesity thanks topped USS9 billion! to the added dose of calories they offer. This also means increased blood pressure and Half of the consumers of these drinks are blood glucose levels, which is dangerous between 12 and 25 years old. for people with diabetes. 40 BRAINWAVE upyougory ofood omy Surveys around the world show: In January 2011, about 300 people in the US suffered health problems from excessive consumption of energy drinks. As per the American Association of Poison Control Centres, most of these 300 were children and teenagers. Germany has tracked energy drink related incidents since 2002. Reported outcomes include liver damage, kidney failure, respiratory disorders, agitation, seizures, hypertension, heart failure and in some cases, even death! Ireland's poison centre reported 17 energy drink related adverse events including confusion, seizures and two deaths between 1999 and 2005. New Zealand's poison centre reported 20 energy drink related adverse events from 2005 to 2009; 12 cases were referred for vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, jitteryness, racing heart and agitation treatments. Energy drinks in India Let's begin by saying that the caffeine content in these drinks is not supposed to exceed 145 parts per million (ppm). CSE tested samples of eight brands of energy drinks. These brands were chosen on the basis of their popularity. The aim was to check the standards the energy drinks were following. The study found that except for three, all brands exceeded the 145 ppm caffeine limit, the highest being 314.09 ppm and the average being 213.58 ppm. The study also found that the energy drink manufacturers flout labelling rules. Caffeine levels and the warning that lactating mothers should not consume energy drinks were missing from the labels of some. On some, the labels weren't legible while on others, there is no mention of the quantity of energy drinks that could be consumed. Also, the manufacturers pitch their products claiming that the caffeine content is equivalent to that of an average cup of coffee. This is misleading. A normal serving size of coffee is Loom and contains about 24-48mg of caffeine, while energy drinks come in 250ml cans and contain 80mg of caffeine. = Brainwave says: Energy drinks look cool and make you feel fashionable. But, going overboard with anything can be very harmful. Be careful the next time you feel like having an energy drink. Let's try some dry fruits instead? May 2014 41 THE ry lla /3 MISSION RED PLANET: cprsove 4 Eilers ee ukee Nex ee means enya ce PREVIOUSLY... OFFICERS AT VISION GALACTIC’S TRAINING CENTRE ARE GOING THROUGH THE PROFILES OF THE FINAL 10 CANDIDATES SELECTED FOP THE ORSANIZATION’S MANNED MISSION TO MARS/ THE INSSION IS A "FIRST EVER’ FOR HUMANITY AND COLILD GE A GREAT GAME CHANGER! | Mame: Steven Havk | Ase: 19 |_ Profession: Software Whiz T BUILT A BILLION COLLAR SOFTWARE SECURITY SYSTEMS FIQM BY THE TIME T WAS 17. Name: Rodrigo Sanchez Age: 42 Profession: Author & Film-maker I WAS CORN TO MAKE MOVIES ANO HAVE BEEN ON IT FOP 25 YEARS NOW, THOUGH IT MADE ME GO BROKE. of Name: Waba Khan Ager 55 Profession: Scientist by profession, Electrical & Mechanical Engineer by education TAM A PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY GLICU, A GREAT . RESEARCHER AND INNOVATOR. I HOLO 123 PATENTS. lane: Sheldon Mathew [ANE ASPs er oe te Professions Getired Commando I HAVE FACED AND OVER-COME ALL POSSIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES ON THE EAGTH. I WAS STATIONED IN AFRICA, ASIA, RUSSIA AND EVEN THE ARCTIC, AND. KEPT GOING. I WAS PART OF NUMEROUS MISSIONS (ON THE LAND, UNDER WATER AND IN THE AIR. Name: Marv Rourke Ager 3? Profession: *Top secret* WOW! THAT'S A 6QEAT MIX OF PEOPLE! THE MISSION WILL DEFINITELY SUCCEED. MISSION RED PLANET ACU by SPARED NO EFFOQTS AND FUNDS. BUT, 00. NOT UNDERSTAND WHY 14 ANO 22 YEAR-OLOS 'WOULO AGREE TO TAKE SUCH A HUSE RISK. 0 ge CONTINUED... May 2014 43 TT ae YOURSELF e e ! mn ul Make a simple DC motor this summer. e * Caution: Parental supervision is needed. by Pushkar Samant 1 E- B 3. NTU 1-1" Pa ies) ERECT 4. a 5. Reread ees Tel Method: Step 1 Step 2 at? Wind copper wire (10-15 turns) around a battery cell as shown and make a coil. Tie the coil with the loose end of the wire, as. shown. This will hold the coil together. Point the wires outwards from the coil. Step 4 < upioyouanig ofoed = womnsy Scrape the top, left and right (three sides only) off the other end. Remove the insulation completely from one end of the coil, 44 BRAINWAVE Step 5 Using the insulation tape, attach the safety } Place the disk magnets at the side of the pins to the battery cell, as shown. i battery cell, as shown. Step7 Why does this happen? Electricity passes through the coil that re RUE ute eel Uae ola Na eee Tn saree eI which explains why the coil spins. “PY? Magnets have two poles, north and south Peete en eiaetrecrct ray =a eur uraicsesCer r magnets’ field, the coil spins. Place the coil between the loops of Try various sizes and shapes of the coil and the safety pins and observe. You can ira also stick the magnet to the battery cell (between the safety pins) with the insulation tape. NR RRC CRUR UC una a eters What did we achieve by removing only 3/4th insulation from one end? Research and email your answers to brainwave@ack-media.com The best answer wins a cool ACK comic book! May 2014 45 sets ste in ties etn lee ‘ ee Greasurve Sunil | ‘You must be aware of the grind by now. The Treasure Hunt leads you to the theme of the next issue, Take your magnifying glass out and become the adventurer, Follow the words or phrases marked in pink in this issue and use them as your clues, & / % / ; closer and you will find enough clues to get you i cracking. What are you still waiting for? Get started and finish fast, to better your chances of a win! ‘The top entry will win a summer special pack of cool ACKs and Tinkles, Email your answers to brainwave@ack-media,com with ‘Treasure Hunt? as the subject. iat reont Pics rentltiat reat Bersat seebRtesat We run more than ten activities and contests in each issue. They can win you many exciting prizes. Participate in all the activites of an issue, and you can win a merit certificate, the title ‘Smartenstein' and a mystery gift - every month! There are more than 10 activities and contests in this issue. Turn to the index on check the features marked witha’ ' out, and participate in them, What are you waiting for? Settle down with your favourite snack and get started! yuts xo4pes yom www.bwmag.in/eategory/bw-smartenstein p10 Carbon 12 and Carbon 14 are two isotopes of the element carbon. Isotopes are forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons. They differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties. pi Polymers are molecules that constitute a long organic (or carbon) chain in which units of atoms are repeated and linked together. For example, polyethene contains thousands of ethene molecules bonding together to form a chain of repeating '-CH2-' units. pl4 Hypothatmus is a section of the brain responsible for hormone production. It is the size of a pearl and controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue and sleep, amongst others. p30 Laughing gas: Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas is a chemical compound with the formula N20. At room temperature, itis a colourless, non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odour and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic effects. It is known as ‘laughing gas' due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it. n movement: Also called as the self respecting movement, it is a movement with the aim of achieving a society where backward castes have equal human rights. Indo-Aryan invaders: Some historians advocate a theory of a large scale invasion of South India by a racially and technologically superior race of people. Throughout history, many have rejected this claim. GLOSSARY p34 Borehole is a deep, narrow hole made in the ground, especially to locate water or oil. p35 Combustion is the process of burning something. Combustion takes place when fuel, most commonly a fossil fuel, reacts with the oxygen in air to produce heat and light. Complete combustion happens when supply of air is plentiful. Otherwise, incomplete combustion occurs. ding the magazine? quiz to win a mystery ift worth Rs. 200! Email to brainwave@ack-media.com 1, What are the poles of a disk magnet? 2, How is caffine? ‘What is a red-ox reaction? 4. What is migration? is an electromagnet? How it work? Ran) www facebook.com/brainwavemag www. brainwave-edu. blogspot.com May 2014 47 SUBSCRIBE NOW! Pay only ~-7206-580! Get 12 issues of Why pay < 60 every month (that's $720 a year) at your news-stand to enjoy Brainwave? Now, Brainwave is the perfect balance of science and fun, which will make you call your friends up and say, "Guys, let's play science!” You get 48+ pages of comics, stories, experiments and contests. There is a Treasure Hunt too! You can win many exciting prizes and even be on our Student Board. ETen aaa (11 year: Brainwave+Tinkle magazine - 880 YOUR DETAILS* Student's Name: Guardian's Name: Date of Birth: Address: (DD MM Yvvy) City: Star School: Cla: Email (Student): Email (Guardian Tel. of Guardian: (R)- Mobile: Guardian's signature aad ed OO CREDIT CARD Card Type: OVisa (MasterCard Please Charge ¢____ to my Credit card Number below: Expiry Date: Card member's signature 0 CHEQUE/DD Enclosed please find cheque/DD no. drawn in favour of ‘ACK Media Direct Limited.’ ‘on (bank) for the amount. dated / ! PONE seas Visit: www.amarchitrakatha.com Email: brainwave@ack-media.com ACK Media Direct Ltd., Krishna House, 3rd Floor, Raghuvanshi Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (West) Mumbai - 400013. Publisher, at its sole discretion, shall have the right to revise the offer or subscription price. * All fields are mandatory for the subscription to be activated, zt zv No. MAHENG/2012/42382 Cy ree ules aan Ceadieal ce Rn cera Pea ron All by Pushkar Samant Alby demonstrated a cake trick when I visited him a few days ago! “Hey Pushkar, come in. Let me show you some magic today,” Alby welcomed me. And before | could say anything, he added, “In this bowl, | am beating 90 grams of sugar with three eggs and some butter." And as | was looking silently, he continued, “Now, | add 90 grams of all-purpose flour.” Though | shared his enthusiasm for magic, | was able to grasp little from his activity. Next, he poured the mixture into a tin that was already greased with the butter. He placed the tin in a preheated oven. “So Pushkar, since the oven is preheated to 180 degrees, in 8-10 minutes you will get a fresh cake from Alby,” he revealed, with a broad smile. “Oh! That's great," | exclaimed. “By the way, | didn’t add any baking soda. Still, the cake will rise. Can you tell me why?" Alby quizzed me. “Well, usually cakes rise due to baking soda. Are you sure that this will rise?” | asked. “Of course!” Alby said, opening the oven. | saw that what he said indeed happened. “Research and find out the reason, dude. No cake till then!" he added to my dismay. Can you please help me answer the question and get the cake? = May 2014 WO ii a, Half-animal, Half-human by Joanne Carlo When science allows human DNA to merge with animals’, here’s what happens! Heard of Lord Narasimha? Popular Hindu deities, as evidenced in early epics, iconography, temples and festivals for over a millennium are often visualized as half- animal and half human. As much as we'd prefer believing them to be part of our epic history and nothing else, today, science gives an explanation. Surprised? Don't be! Human Sheer? We hear of so many people dying of organ failure. If they had a donor, their lives could have been saved, Unfortunately, the waiting list for organs is longer than the supply. So, in 2007, when scientists at the University of Nevada-Reno announced that they could grow livers in sheep (made up of 20 percent human cells), their research was encouraged wholeheartedly! As the circulation systems of sheep and humans are similar, Dr. Esmail Zanjani injected human stem cells into growing sheep fetuses. The study hasn't yet peaked, but who can say? Soon, no human would die of liver failure, and we'll have Baa Baa Black Sheep to thank for it! wo BRAINWAVE Humanzee They say that humans share over 98 percent of their DNA with chimpanzees. So, would it be impossible to create a human-chimp hybrid - a Humanzee? Scientists thought not! ‘As immoral as it may sound, in the 1920s, Ilia lvanoy, a Soviet biologist artificially inseminated female chimps with human sperm. Unfortunately, that did not work. In 1970s, a chimp named Oliver was thought to be a humanzee since he walked upright. But, genetic testing in the 90s disproved it. Human Rabbits? Who would've ever thought these tiny furries could be the answer to tissue growth? Chinese researchers at the Shanghai Second Medical University successfully fused human cells with rabbit eggs. The eggs were allowed to develop for several days before the scientists destroyed the embryos to harvested their stem cells. They hope that this process can one day be used to grow cells or tissues for transplantation. Iaiog wuzaruomay 2Es While some technologies have given a new meaning to life, others have, well... backfired. Here’s our list of the top 3 mean backfires that crashed with a loud thud. Thundering blunders Aoquio) wiwiopnos omy by Priyanka Talreja Search oINg Google: The Cory Cat Blunder Bing found cheating: If Bing decides to enter the search engine market, it should not look at Google for answers! Bing got caught ina trap laid by Google and was accused of copying all of Google's search results. Here’s how the story goes. Google apparently laid a clever trap, making up search results for The Eric Fail A flop Apple: The ill-conceived Apple II] flopped in the market so bad that all it did for the company was lose most of its business. In 1980, Apple Ill was designed to be better than the hugely successful Apple Il, The idea behind this system was that its casing would act as a natural heat sink, drawing heat away from the components and keeping the system cool. Unfortunately for Apple, this case design also meant that nonsense queries for words such as “juegosdebeniogrande.” When they typed those same nonsense words into Bing, guess what? The same fake search answers showed up. Though Bing later turned down this accusation and said Google was lying, no point crying over spilt milk, right? = the chips on the motherboard had to be positioned close to one another. With inadequate heat sinks and no fan to cool down the board, the system proved to be good at just one thing - overheating. In addition to performance problems, floppy disks were often damaged by the internal drives, and out of shape chips became dislodged from the motherboard. Not surprisingly, the Apple Ill was discontinued in 1984. = May2014 WO

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