Fire Triangle, Animal Models and more

S5 E6: FIRE TRIANGLE - Christina enters and asks why she was to have her hair pinned back and her sleeves rolled up. Mr. Wizard explains they are going to be investigating fire and hair and sleeves should be safely out of the way. He also points out the fire extinguisher on the table. She knows how to use it. He shows her the fire triangle and explains they are going to start fires and put them out by removing one of the points of the triangle: oxygen, heat, and fuel. (ADULT SUPERVISION) BUZZING BUTTON - Mr. Wizard shows Tarek an envelope with Rattlesnake Eggs written on it. In spite of the fact that Tarek expects a trick, he is startled by a buzzing sound when he opens the envelope. They examine the construction of the buzzer: a V of wire between the ends of which are two rubber bands connecting two washers. As the washers are twisted winding up the rubber band, they discuss the meaning of kinetic or moving energy. With the gadget back in the envelope, they discuss potential or stored energy. This is a lesson in potential energy turning to kinetic energy. MONKEY HELPER – Mr.Wizard narrates: Hellion, a female Capuchin monkey has been trained to do everyday chores for Robert because he’s confined to a wheel­chair and cannot use his hands. Robert tells Hellion what he wants her to do and points a laser to direct her to the job. Hellion is the first graduate of a training program headed by Dr. Mary Joan Willard at the Tufts New England Medical Center. Capuchins are ideal companions because they’re gentle, can manipulate objects, and live for about thirty years. Hellion has been prepared with proven techniques similar to those used to training animals. For a job well done, she’s rewarded with a banana-flavored food pellet. LOGIC SWITCHES 1 - Damon works the switches on a series of boards on which there are batteries, buzzers, and switches that illustrate the logic statements: yes, no, either-or, and either but not both. Mr. Wizard then produces switches on a board that represents a farmer who wants to cross a river in boat with a fox, a hen, and some corn. The farmer can’t leave the hen and corn together or the fox and hen. Damon is challenged to close the switches in the proper order so as to keep the safe bulb lighted. see Part 2 for Damon's decision. LOGIC SWITCHES - 2 - Damon solves the switch problem. ONE PERFECT KILOGRAM - Mr.Wizard shows Jessica how to measure one kilogram by using scientific weights and scale. ANIMAL MODELS - Mice are the most common animal subjects used in scientific research. However, certain human diseases do not occur in mice. So other kinds of ani­mals are models for research at the New York State College of Medicine at Cornell University. Studying woodchucks may determine whether certain hepati­tis viruses causes liver cancer in people. Cats can be infected with a feline leukemia virus similar to the human virus. Progress here could not only help cats but also millions of people. Dogs may be an appropriate model for a particular dystrophy. MICROSCOPIC ORGANISM - With a much enlarged microscope image on a TV monitor, Mr. Wizard introduces Erin to Euglena. They discuss the ordinary definition of an animal as an organism that moves around and cannot make it’s own food and a plants an organism that stays in one place and can make it own food. Mr.Wizard explains the Euglena is swimming about on the microscope slide and scientists discovered it has chlorophyll inside with which its makes its own food. That’s why he calls it a superstar of the microscopic world. MAKING NYLON THREAD - Andrew is going to make a nylon thread similar to those that make up a nylon rope. He and Mr. Wizard put on rubber gloves and carefully mix two chemicals in a glass. Mr.Wizard pulls up some of the lower liquid which changes to a solid as it is moves through the upper liquid. He attaches the new solid (a polymer or long molecule) to a glass rod and Andrew turns it winding up the newly-made nylon.