Category Physics

How are Stars born?

Stars take birth out of clouds of hydrogen, helium and dust particles present in galaxies. Due to the turbulent motion in these gas clouds, the dust particles undergo random collisions and condense under the influence of strong gravitational pull. As the gases and dust particles begin condensing, the temperature inside rises due to increasing pressure. As the condensing mass grows bigger the gravitational pressure at the centre increases further till the intense heat raises the temperature to around 10 million degrees Celsius. At this temperature the hydrogen atoms start colliding so vigorously that they fuse with each other to form helium atoms. In the process some mass is lost. For every 1000 kg of hydrogen used up, 993 kg of helium is formed. The rest is converted into tremendous amount of energy according to the relationship E= , where E is the energy, m the mass and c the velocity of light. This energy is liberated in the form of light and heat and a star is born.

How does Polish shine shoes?

The shine of a surface depends on its smoothness. Smoother the surface, more it will reflect light and thus will appear shiny. Unpolished leather does not shine because its surface is full of tiny pores and is rough. When we apply polish on this rough surface, the wax in the polish fills up the very small microscopic pits of the leather surface. Vigorous brushing or rubbing with a soft cloth spreads the wax evenly by melting. This makes the surface shine. If the shoe is rubbed after a few drops of water is sprinkled on it, it shines even more because the cloth surface after absorbing little water does not stick to the wax on the leather surface but glides smoothly. Liquid shoe polishes do not need rubbing as these leave a quick drying film on the leather which itself is reflecting and gives a glossy look. 

How is Curd formed?

Curd is formed by a chemical reaction which involves casein, the protein that occurs in milk. The coagulation of this protein results in the formation of curd. This occurs if bacteria called Lactobacillus acidophilus is present in milk. This bacterium produces lactic acid by the fermentation of the milk sugar lactose. The lactic acid so formed by the bacterial action contains positive hydrogen ions which are attracted to the negative particles of the protein casein. As the latter are neutralized, these protein molecules no longer repel one another but coagulate. The optimum temperature at which Lactobacillus acts is around 40°C. So milk is usually warmed to this temperature before setting it to curdle. 

How do Naphthalene balls keep away moths?

The naphthalene balls used for keeping away harmful insects from damaging clothes are basically volatile chemicals having a strong odour. These compounds include a wide variety of aromatic chemicals which are mainly derived from petroleum and coal tar. These chemicals are toxic. As they are highly volatile, they produce vapours which repel insects such as moths and silverfish which damage clothes during storage.

How do Woollens keep us warm?

Wool fibres are made of a particular protein (Keratin) which is a bad conductor of heat and as a result does not allow body heat to escape. This helps us in keeping warm during winter. These fibres are wavy in structure, the property commonly known as crimp. Crimp imparts resilience to the fibre due to which fibres quickly recover from wrinkling and crushing. Because of this wavy structure the fibres do not come perfectly close and as a result a large number of air pockets are formed. The air entrapped within these pockets acts as an insulator and traps body heat inside.

How is Hail formed?

Hail is formed in thunder clouds when ice pellets formed near the freezing level in the atmosphere are caught in air currents. They are tossed up and down by air currents within the thundercloud where these pellets collide and fuse with one another. Further deposition of water or ice, causes them to grow into hailstones. Certain conditions such as vertical upward air currents help prevent hail falling too quickly and results in the increase in the size of hailstones.