Kathy Sykes's Sun and Sea diary, from the BBC/OU series Rough Science 2
Day 1
Incredulous - Kate wants me and Mike B to make an underwater torch. A torch that works above water would be hard enough!
J, Ellen and Mike L are topping up the car battery (for the torch) with distilled water and also recharging it. Wow!
Mike B and I talked about how we'd do it:
Possible physics solution: a light bulb
Possible chemical solution: make phosphorus
Possible biological solution: fireflies (!)
Mike B said phosphorus making is dead hard - and he wasn't convinced it would work. So we both had to use our own approaches to make sure one thing did work. Mike B began collecting, bashing, grinding and boiling bones. I just think it's amazing how little we can know about each others' subjects. I thought chemistry was pretty close to physics but I'd be CLUELESS about making phosphorus. Mike B claimed to be clueless about circuits and wiring things. Couldn't quite believe him (it's too easy to assume that what you find easy - other people will also find easy).
I tried out lots of different filaments - all the wires that didn't have insulation (and weren't copper - it conducts too well); and also carbonised (burned) hair and paper. Thankfully - had some fab stuff that glowed wonderfully when about 5 coils long. Hurrah!! The problem was it glowed best at shorter lengths but then burned through. Needed to get low pressure inside the jar and remove the oxygen so it can't burn.
Explained voltage, current and resistance to Kate. V chuffed - she was so excited to understand it for the first time.
Meanwhile - Jonathan built an even bigger and lovelier contraption to turn the parabolic mirror to face the sun. At end of day I was ready to try out an experiment: comparing my 'bulb' (emptied of oxygen by burning a candle in it) in a filament open to the atmosphere. Expected jamjar bulb to last longer. Spectacular failure! Really funny! Probably 'cos I didn't measure filament lengths exactly (measured 4 coils instead of cm). That'll teach me to be sloppy!
Fun day working with Mike B - who's hysterical and the '18-30' film crew. Laughed our way through the day!
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Content last updated: 27/07/2006
