Bennett Science Blog

By Amber Bennett Strong STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills set kids up to succeed both in school and later in life. Encouraging them to be interested in these subjects is easier than you might think, especially if you start when they're young.  Activities that encourage children to be curious and creative will spark a love of learning. Plus, science experiments and other hands-on STEM projects are a fun way to bond with your kids. Here are three easy science experiments that preschoolers and early elementary students will enjoy. 1. Leakproof Plastic Bag A (age 5) doing the leakproof plastic bag experiment. Our preschooler loves to do any experiment that involves water. I can give her a couple of beakers, and she'll happily pour water back and forth between them, especially if I put a few drops of food coloring in each beaker so she can mix the colors.  Another great activity that involves water is the leakproof plastic bag.  All you need are: Large plastic

Datacenters used for cryptocurrency mining use a lot of energy. By Amber Bennett Although cryptocurrencies are virtual, they are having a tangible impact on our environment. Research shows that cryptocurrencies actually are worse for the earth than other types of money. So, why is that? Simply put, it's because of the resources needed to run the supercomputers that mine Bitcoin and other virtual currencies.  Energy Use The datacenters used for mining use large amounts of electricity. For example, the global Bitcoin network uses  more energy than entire countries . In fact, according to the University of Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index , the network's power demand is the same as more than 14 million typical American homes. Most of the energy used in the datacenters comes from fossil fuels instead of renewable resources. Plus, datacenters' high energy use can destabilize the electric grid. Materials Mining Another way that cryptocurrency impacts the environme

If you're going to spend time watching videos on YouTube, why not learn something while you're at it? Whether you like slow-motion videos of explosions, crazy chemistry and physics demos, or simple explanations of complex science concepts, the following 10 YouTube channels are worth your subscription. By Amber Bennett   1. Physics Girl Source: YouTube/Physics Girl Dianna Cowern's  Physics Girl  channel features demos, experiments, and other cool stuff (be sure to check out her 1,800-mile test drive of a hydrogen fuel cell car ). If you have just started studying physics or would like to brush up on the basics, we recommend starting with this playlist . 2. Vsauce Source: YouTube/Vsauce Michael Stevens' Vsauce channel covers a wide variety of subjects, including space, art, physics, and human behavior. His physics videos answer such questions as " Which way is down ?" and " How much does a shadow weigh ?" You can check out his physics videos on this p

By Amber Bennett It keeps our favorite devices charged, our lights and router on, and our appliances running. As much as we rely on electricity, you might not understand exactly how it works or certain terms related to it. Not to worry. Keep reading for a guide to common science terms related to electricity. First, let's start with electricity itself. Electricity  Basically, electricity is the energy of charged particles. It also can be described as the flow of electrons (negatively charged particles) from one atom to another. When the electrons are able to move , they can light a lightbulb, power up a cellphone, or give a washing machine the power it needs to run a load of laundry.  Now, let's look at science terms related to electricity. Battery A battery is a device used for storing energy . It converts chemical energy into electrical energy. Most batteries include a case, two electrodes, and an electrolyte (the chemical that fills the gap between the electrodes; it often i

By Amber Bennett Have you ever wondered about the origins of the phrase, "get your ducks in a row"? What about how the "doggy paddle" works or why squirrels are such amazing jumpers? The answers to all of these questions have one thing in common: physics. Keep reading to learn about the science behind these three famous animal behaviors. How Do Squirrels Leap from Branch to Branch? A squirrel leaps through the air.  Photo Credit:  caroline legg ,  CC BY 2.0 , via  Wikimedia Commons The death-defying acrobatic maneuvers performed by squirrels look a lot like parkour tricks. But how do they know how to land tricky jumps between bendy tree branches that move with the wind?  Researchers say  it's a combination of learned behavior (practice makes perfect) and inherited adaptations.  To see what determines how far a squirrel is willing to jump and how the leaps are timed, researchers set up an obstacle course in an artificial forest. Then, they used peanuts to encoura

The Northern Lights appear above Canada. Photo Credit: NASA By Amber Bennett Few people have the opportunity to view one of Earth's natural wonders: the awesome light shows known as auroras. This is because the northern and southern lights light up the sky primarily in the polar regions. So, what causes the ribbons of light and glowing skies? The cause is the solar wind that flows from the sun to the Earth. The majority of the charged particles  are deflected by the magnetic field. However, some of them move along the magnetic field to the north or south pole. Once there, they enter the atmosphere, bumping into nitrogen and oxygen atoms. This excites the atoms, which makes them unstable. The atoms then relax and enter a ground (unexcited) state, releasing the photons (light particles) that create auroras. This photo of an aurora was taken on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: ESA/NASA  Where Can You See the Auroras? You can watch the breathtaking light show known as t

Photo Credit: Public Domain By Andrew Bennett Torque can be a tricky concept, particularly when we are asked to think of it as a vector. Since torque is a vector, to fully describe the torque caused by a force, we have to give both the magnitude and direction of the torque. The torque describes the ability of a force to change the rotational motion of some object or system. If you were to grab the handle of a door and pull it toward you, you could cause the entire door to rotate.  If you pulled harder (with more force), you could make the door rotate more rapidly (or rather, you would make it have a larger angular acceleration). If you tried to pull the door again, but this time pulled on the hinges, you wouldn't get any rotation. Similarly, if you grabbed the handle and used it to pull directly toward or away from the hinges (to the side, instead of toward yourself), the door's rotation wouldn't change. How Do We Calculate Torque? From this, we can gather that the amount