woodchurch science

flue gas desulphursation systems are used to remove sulphur dioxide. “wet scrubbers” are the most widespread method and can be up to 99% effective. a mixture of limestone and water is sprayed over the flue gas and this mixture reacts with the SO2 to form gypsum (a calcium sulphate), which is removed and used in the construction industry.

…is apparently a complicated business. usually steel hardness is measured using the rockwell hardness test. this site tells you all about it. HRC is the one normally quoted for steel.

these ancient buildings are made of limestone. why do you think the egyptians needed to build pyramids if they wanted to build high buildings?

see how versatile limestone can be. all of these beautiful buildings have been made from concrete and glass, both products of limestone.




this company (thermit welding) join railway lines together using the thermit process. a classic example of a displacement reaction in action. visit the link and see some photos of the equipment they use to join the tracks in-situ.

this link has a video of the thermit reaction made by some year 10 students from the thomas hardye school in dorchester

this site gives a printable explanation of the process of converting vegetable oil into biodiesel. the printout is not that easy to find so here’s the link

if you are studying chemistry in year 10 then you will know that oil is not just for energy. you will learn that scientists are developing new plastics and so-called ’smart’ materials.

kettles that change colour and signs that glow-in-the-dark are two recent examples of products becoming ‘smarter’ as a result of new materials. colour-changing thermochromic pigments are now routinely made as inks for paper and fabrics - and incorporated into injection moulded plastics. a new type of phosphorescent pigment, capable of emitting light for up to 10 hours, has opened up entirely new design opportunities for instrumentation, low-level lighting systems etc. more examples can be found here, here for power boots, stunners and minority report stuff and here for more news on new materials.

[listen to this blog entry!]

nasa has selected lockheed martin as the prime contractor to design, develop, and build orion, america’s spacecraft for a new generation of explorers.

the orion crew capsule will carry astronauts back to the moon and later to mars. the first flight with astronauts aboard is planned for no later than 2014. orion’s first flight to the moon is planned for no later than 2020.
orion improves on the best features of the apollo project and the space shuttle program, increasing the likelihood of success. orion is being designed to fly to the moon, but could also be used to service the international space station in low-earth orbit. more information together with simulated video clips here

15 y9 pupils took part in a project to prepare perfumes. fragrances were extracted from rose petals, lavender, rosemary, mint, orange peel, cloves and stock by maceration and steam distillation. after break pupils then made simple soap from vegetable oil and caustic soda.




resources for this project can be found here:
teacher guide/technician guide/soap making instructions/pupil booklet

the new football that is being used for the first time in the world cup is likely to bamboozle goalkeepers at some stage of the tournament, a leading scientist has warned.

The adidas ‘teamgeist’ football has just 14 panels - with fewer seams - making its surface ‘smoother’ than conventional footballs which have a 26 or 32 panel hexagon-based pattern. this makes it aerodynamically closer to a baseball and, when hit with a slow spin, will make the ball less stable, giving it a more unpredictable trajectory in flight. “with a very low spin rate, which occasionally happens in football, the panel pattern can have a big influence on the trajectory of the ball and make it more unpredictable for a goalkeeper,” said dr ken bray, a sports scientist at the University of Bath and author of the new popular science book How to score – science and the beautiful game.