Welcome to Sunday Science! Every Sunday during the summer, we're going to guide you through some cool experiments that you can do at home. It's a good idea for you to keep a record of what you do in a Science Journal. That way you can record what you learn, compare results and maybe use them to design new experiments! Have a look at the Science Journal box for some ideas to get you started. Remember always ask a grown-up's permission before trying out an experiment.
歡迎閱讀《週日科學版》!在暑假期間,我們每週日都要為你介紹可以在家中進行的有趣科學實驗。你可以在《科學日誌》中記錄自己做了哪些活動,這樣就可以將所學的紀錄下來,比較這些結果,也許還可以利用它們來設計新的實驗!先看一下《科學日誌》的點子再開始吧。展開實驗之前,記得要獲得大人許可喔!
Have you ever noticed that earthquakes feel differently depending on the type of building you are in at the time? Today's experiment will explain why.
PHOTO: CATHERINE THOMAS, TAIPEI TIMES
What you will need:
A piece of cardboard (about 30cm by 16cm)
A sheet of construction paper (about 35cm by 50cm). If you don't have any construction paper, you can use stiff paper -- like the cover of a magazine.
Scotch tape
A straw
A ball bearing, BB or other small ball that will fit inside the straw
Scissors
A 30cm ruler
A pen or pencil
- Using your ruler and pencil, divide the paper into five or six strips about 2.5cm wide. The longest strip should be about 50cm. The next should be 8cm shorter, and each succesive strip should be 8cm shorter than the last.
- Carefully cut up the paper so that you have five or six strips.
- Take each strip and tape the ends together to make a circle.
- Stick the circles onto the cardboard, just like in the picture.
- Take the straw and cut a piece 2.5cm long.
- Seal one end of the straw using Scotch tape and a scrap of paper (so that the inside end isn't sticky).
- Put the ball in the straw and seal the other end in the same non-sticky way.
- Attach the straw to the cardboard parallel to your circles.
- Shake the cardboard from side to side, keeping your hands level. Note how the different rings react. Start slowly and then speed up. Don't forget to record your observations in your Science Journal.
你是否注意過地震發生時,你會因當時所在的建築物不同,而有不一樣的感覺嗎?今天的實驗就要告訴你原因!
所需材料︰
一片硬紙板(約三十公分長、十六公分寬)
一張美工紙(約五十公分長、三十五公分寬)如果你手邊沒有美工紙,你可以用硬紙張,如雜誌的封面。
膠帶
一根吸管
小鋼珠、BB槍子彈、或其它可塞入吸管裡的小球
剪刀
一把三十公分長的尺
一枝筆或鉛筆
- 用尺和鉛筆將美工紙劃分成五或六條大約二點五公分寬的細長條。最長的細長條必須五十公分長,下一個長條短八公分,依此類推,接下去的每長條都陸續比上一長條短八公分。
- 小心地把紙裁成剛剛分好的五或六等份細長條。
- 拿起每一細長條並將兩端用膠掉貼起來,做成一個環狀物。
- 將這些環狀物依照圖示黏到硬紙板上。
- 拿起吸管並將它裁成二點五公分長。
- 將吸管的一端用膠帶和小紙片封起來。(如此一來,膠帶的內側才不會黏黏的。)
- 把小鋼珠塞進吸管裡,並且將吸管的另一端用相同的方法封好。
- 將你的吸管平行環狀物,固定在硬紙板上。
- 手保持水平,搖晃你的硬紙板。注意這些環狀物不同的變化。一開始搖慢一點,然後加快速度。別忘記將你的觀察紀錄到你的《科學日誌》裡。(翻譯︰泰德)
What's the Science? 科學原理
The ball hitting the end of the straw shows the frequency of the vibrations you are creating. The rings resonate at more than one frequency each. The largest ring begins to resonate first because it has the largest mass (and so it has a low resonant frequency) and because it is the least stiff of the rings (also giving it a low resonant frequency). An earthquake's frequency (and the direction) will affect how each building reacts. Of course, height is not the only factor. If a building is built well, then the "stiffness" will be increased, so lower frequencies don't affect it as much. So two buildings of the same height can have different reactions in an earthquake.
當小鋼珠撞擊吸管的一端時,其實你正在製造振動頻率。這些環狀物各自有不同的振動頻率。最大的環狀物最先開始共振,因為他的質量最大(它的共振頻率也因此較小)同時,因為它是所有中最不堅硬的,所以它的共振頻率比較小。每棟建築物也因此由於地震頻率還有其搖晃的方向不同而有不同的反應。當然,建築物的高度並不是唯一取決的因素。如果一棟建築物蓋的夠穩固的話,它的「堅硬度」就會增加,如此一來,低頻率的影響就不會這麼大。所以兩棟相同高度的建築物對同一個地震可能會有不同的反應。
Bonus 你知道嗎
Taipei 101 has a big steel ball that acts like a giant pendulum. It counteracts movements of the building that could be caused by earthquakes or high winds.
台北101摩天大樓內設置了一個巨大鋼球,其作用像是一個巨大的擺錘,用來減緩建築物因地震或是強風所引起的晃動幅度。
TODAY'S WORDS 今日單字
1. depend v.t/v.i.
取決於 (qu3 jue2 yu2)
2. construction paper n.
美工紙 (mei3 gong1 zhi3)
3. ball bearing n.
鋼珠 (gang1 zhu1)
4. divide v.t.
劃分 (hua4 fen1)
5. strip n.
細長條 (xi4 chang2 tiao2)
6. successive adj.
連續的 (lian2 xu4 de5)
7. level adj.
水平的 (shui3 ping2 de5)
8. frequency n.
頻率 (pin2 lu4)
9. vibration n.
振動 (zhen4 dong4)
10. resonate v.t.
共振 (gong4 zhen4)
Further ideas 進階點子
Try shaking the cardboard up and down. How do the rings react now? When the rings move, are they always the same shape? How about if you shake the cardboard back and forth? Try making some more rings out of stiffer paper. Add them between the first set of rings. How are the two sets different?
試著上下搖晃硬紙板,看看這些環狀物的反應是如何?當環狀物移動時,它們的形狀是否都保持不變?如果來回搖晃紙板,又會有什麼變化呢?試著用較硬的紙張多做一些環狀物,並將它們放到第一組環狀物間。這兩組環狀物有什麼不一樣的反應呢?
Science Journal 科學日誌
What do you know about earthquakes? In what directions do they make the ground move? How do your "buildings" react to earthquakes? Is the reaction always the same? Why do you think that is? Do you think you feel an earthquake more if you are in a short building or a tall building? Is that always true?
你對地震了解多少?地震的搖晃方向是如何?你做的「建築模型」對地震反應如何?反應總是都一樣嗎?你為什麼這麼覺得?你覺得地震在矮的建築物裡感覺比較大,還是在高的建築物裡感覺比較大?真的總是這樣嗎?
Next week 下週預告
For next Sunday's experiment, you will need the following special items: a chocolate bar (at least 18cm long), some toothpicks and a microwave.
下週日的科學實驗,需要特別準備以下的東西︰一條巧克力棒(至少十八公分長),一些牙籤和一台微波爐。
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)