Science by Email 8 June 2012

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	8 June 2012
News: New elements given names By Patrick Mahony Nuclei collide at high speed to form new elements. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry recently announced new names for two recently discovered elements: flerovium and livermorium. All elements are made of atoms, which each have a nucleus in their centre. The nucleus can be made of protons (with a positive charge) and neutrons (which have no charge). The number of protons determines the element. For example, every carbon atom has six protons in its nucleus. The number of protons in an element’s nucleus is its atomic number. The periodic table arranges all the elements in order of increasing atomic number. Elements with a high atomic number are said to be ‘heavy’. By far the most common element in the Universe is hydrogen. Here on Earth, nitrogen is the most common element in the atmosphere, while oxygen is the most common in the Earth’s crust. Many elements, such as gold, are much rarer. Quite a few of the elements on the periodic table aren’t found naturally on Earth at all. The heaviest element that occurs naturally on Earth is uranium, which has an atomic number of 92. Flerovium and livermorium have atomic numbers of 114 and 116, much heavier than uranium. There are more than 20 other elements heavier than uranium on the periodic table. If they don’t occur naturally, where do they come from? Chemists and physicists can synthesise elements heavier than uranium, by smashing a relatively heavy element together with a lighter one. In the case of flerovium and livermorium, the two elements were curium and calcium. The new elements get their names from laboratories in Russia and the USA where these experiments are carried out. Elements such as these are highly radioactive. They decay almost immediately into lighter elements, releasing radiation in the process. This means you won’t be able to take a good look at a lump of livermorium or flerovium. They disappear in roughly the blink of an eye! More information Element 114 is named flerovium and element 116 is named livermorium The periodic table of elements, in pictures Careers link Where a chemistry major can lead you
You will need these materials.   Line up the plastic containers in the box.   Turn on the hair dryer, and carefully pour the sand in front of it.   Try this: Blowing in the wind   You will need Newspaper Hair dryer Sand Jar Box Small plastic containers to fit in the box What to do Cover a table or bench with newspaper. Line up the plastic containers next to each other inside the box. Fill the jar with sand. Hold the hair dryer at one end of the box. Turn on the hair dryer. Use the lowest setting. Carefully pour the sand in front of the hair drier. The sand will collect in the plastic containers. Compare the sand grains in each of the containers. Do they look and feel the same? What’s happening? You may notice that the grains of the sand in the containers closer to the hair dryer are larger than the ones further out. The smaller grains are usually lighter, and are blown further than the heavier grains. However, some larger grains may be blown further than smaller grains. Sand is not made of one material, and can contain grains made of a number of different substances. One major component of sand is silicon dioxide, which is used to make glass. Sand may also contain a variety of other minerals, broken up sea shells (if it’s from the beach) and organic matter. To be a sand grain, the particles must be 0.0625 to two millimetres in size. These materials that make up sand can have different densities. The less dense grains are also more likely to be blown further than denser grains. This is one reason why some, apparently large grains of sand are blown a long way. Applications Erosion is the removal of sediment such as sand, while deposition is the build up of sediment, all by natural processes. Erosion and deposition by wind play an important part in shaping a number of landscapes. The roots of plants can hold grains of sediment in place. This means that places with little or no plant cover, such as deserts and coastlines may be highly affected by wind erosion and deposition. Sand dunes on beaches and deserts are shaped largely by wind. By studying the size, shape and orientation of sand dunes it is possible to work out information about the wind conditions in the area. By Patrick Mahony CREST question: Artificial and natural barriers can be used to reduce erosion. Design and carry out an investigation that models this.   Try another Science by Email activity using sand More information What is sand made of? Sand grains gallery Wind erosion and deposition View the online version Quiz questions 1. Which planet shares its name with a chemical element? 2. Which of our senses uses receptors called rods and cones? 3. To which kingdom of life do mushrooms belong? 4. The Square Kilometre Array will be the world’s largest what? 5. What do a ladybird’s bright colours indicate? Did you know? Marine herbivores, including fish, urchins and sea snails, are responsible for eating around 70% of the seaweed on the sea floor. Websites Do it! If you were a plant, how long would you survive? Find out in this game! See it! Did you see the transit of Venus this week? Check out some pictures from this rare astronomical event. Win a Parkes Observatory online shop gift voucher! Wherever you are in Australia, you can now purchase a range of astronomy and space science educational resources and souvenirs from the Parkes Observatory online shop. To celebrate the transit of Venus, take a photo of a stunning sunset or sunrise and email it to us along with your name, address and age. Two winners will receive a $100 gift voucher for the Parkes Observatory online shop. Entries close 15 June 2012. Full terms and conditions can be found here. Rescue science, Saturday 9 June at 9.00 am on Network Ten Meet some dogs with very well trained noses, find out how a fire extinguisher works and spend some time with the water police. Join Dr Rob as he carries out rescue missions with the Volunteer Marine Rescue Association and SCOPEs out all the science behind search and rescue! Next episodes: Thursday 14 June, 4.00 pm: Hydrogen Saturday 16 June, 9.00 am: Pet science Want to have your own episodes of SCOPE to watch whenever you feel like it? Click here to download them directly into your iTunes folder, or go here to download iTunes. Charges apply. Quiz answers 1. Mercury is the planet that shares its name with a chemical element. 2. Our sense of sight uses rods and cones. 3. Mushrooms are fungi. 4. The Square Kilometre Array will be the world’s largest radio telescope. 5. A ladybird’s bright colours warn predators that they taste bad. Research from Deakin University found that the brighter the ladybird, the worse it tastes to predators. Science by Email is a CSIRO publication. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and bankmecu are proud partners of Science by Email. Editor: Jasmine Leong| Manage your subscription | FAQ

 

 

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