what is tsunami?

• Tsunamis are huge waves of water that are usually caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
• As a tsunami approaches the shore, water may recede from the coast, if it is shallow enough the water may be pulled back hundred’s of metres. If you are in the area, observing this is a good indication that a tsunami is on the way.
• Regions in tsunami danger zones often have warning systems in place to give people as much time to evacuate as possible.
• When tsunamis hit shallow water (often near the coast) they slow down but increase in height.
• An earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia in December 2004 caused a tsunami that killed over 200000 people in 14 countries.
  
• In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan caused a tsunami that was a major factor in the death of over 15000 people.
• The tsunami waves created by the Tohoku earthquake reached heights of over 40 metres (131 feet) in some areas, wiping out coastal towns and causing a number of nuclear accidents.
• The Japanese word tsunami literally means ‘harbor wave’.
• Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves but this term has fallen out of favour because tsunamis are not related to tides.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  sources: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/tsunamis.html
  
  
   

recycling

do you know who is thomas edison?

Legacy as an inventor

One of Edison’s mentors during those early years was a fellow telegrapher and inventor named Franklin Leonard Pope, who allowed the then broke youth to live and work in the basement of his Elizabeth, New Jersey home.
On December 25, 1871, he married Mary Stilwell, and they had three children, Marion Estelle Edison, Thomas Alva Edison, Jr., and William Leslie Edison. His wife Mary died in 1884. On February 24, 1886, he married 19 year old Mina Miller. They had an additional three children, Madeleine Edison, Charles Edison (who took over the company upon his father’s death) and Theodore Edison.
Edison, who made the famous quote, “genius is 99% perspiration; 1% inspiration” eventually invented the light bulb:

Thomas Edison died on Oct. 18th, 1931 in New Jersey at the age of 84 years.

 

how rain is formed?

rainbow

how the rainbow is formed? check the video out!

acid rain

 

 Rain is very important for life. All living things need water to live, even people.

Rain brings us the water we need. But in many places in the world even where you live, rain has become a menace.
Because of pollution in the air, acid gases from factories, cars and homes, the rain is becoming dangerous for the life of every living creature.
This rain is known as 'acid rain'.

WHAT IS ACID RAIN?

Acid gases are produced when fossil fuels like coal and oil are burned in power stations, factories and in our own homes. Most of these acid gases are blown into the sky, and when they mix with the clouds it can cause rain - or snow, sleet, fog, mist or hail - to become more acidic.
The opposites of acid are alkalis; for example, toothpaste and baking powder are both alkalis. Strong alkalis can also be dangerous, such as ammonia and bleach.
Lemon juice, vinegar and cola are all acidic. Rain is naturally acidic, but acid gases make it even more acidic, sometimes as acid as lemon!
Nature can also produce acid gases, such as volcanoes. When they erupt, the smoke that comes out of the crater is also full of acid gases.







source: http://www.clean-air-kids.org.uk/acidrain.html

your sense of taste

Taste buds probably play the most important part in helping you enjoy the many flavors of food. 

 Your taste buds can recognize four basic kinds of tastes: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. 

 The salty/sweet taste buds are located near the front of your tongue; 

the sour taste buds line the sides of your tongue;

 and the bitter taste buds are found at the very back of your tongue.

Everyone's tastes are different. In fact, your tastes will change as you get older.
When you were a baby, you had taste buds, not only on your tongue, but on the sides and roof of your mouth. This means you were very sensitive to different foods.

As you grew, the taste buds began to disappear from the sides and roof of your mouth, leaving taste buds mostly on your tongue.

As you get older, your taste buds will become even less sensitive, so you will be more likely to eat foods that you thought were too strong as a child.


source: http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/taste/taste.html