Can You Stump the Science Teacher with This Simple Coffee and Milk Experiment?

[Dirkspink]

We're doing a science project, and we get major extra credit if we have a question in our project that he can't answer. He told us that his ''weakness'' would have to be physics. So does anyone have some questions i could ask that could stump an eighth frade science teacher? Anything at all?
THANKYOU

 

[Dirkspink]

how about advanced terms and formulas? Modulus?

 

[Gokul43201]

I'm not sure if this is eighth grade material, but you might know about the demo that "proves" that sound needs air for propagation. You put a sound maker (like a ringing alarm clock) in a bell jar that's connected to a vacuum pump. If you start the pump and evacuate the container, the ringing becomes fainter and soon goes away. The "explanation" given is that when evacuated, there's no air in the jar, and hence, no way for the sound to travel.

But if you have a pressure gauge connected to the jar, you can find the pressure at which the sound stops being heard. At this pressure, the mean molecular spacing is actually smaller than the typical audible wavelengths. So, then, at this pressure, sound should be able to travel. Yet, you can't hear it. Why ?

 

[Dirkspink]

ok. I like the question, but what is the answer? i need to know to get the A.

 

[vsage]

Finding the effective resistance of odd objects is mathematically simple if you know how to manipulate them the right way. A few years ago someone asked me what the resistance of two opposite vertices of a Hypercube was given each side was a resistor of 1$$\Omega$$. If you are a little clever and know how resistances are added, it's no more than an hour's work.

 

[Physik]

Use a quantum mechanics problem. I'm sure he doesn't know many, if any, formulae for it.

 

[vsage]

Use a quantum mechanics problem. I'm sure he doesn't know many, if any, formulae for it.

The catch is I think we have to convince the student how to do the problem too though!

 

[Sirus]

You could also ask him to derive the parallel axis theorem for a three-dimensional mass. That's good fun.

 

[Physik]

The catch is I think we have to convince the student how to do the problem too though!

He could use an easier QM formula.

 

[OddThoughts]

Here are a couple of simple problems that when people overthink them they are easily stumped.


1. If you have a room that is 100% thermally insulated at a comfortable temperature of say about 70 deg F, then you introduce a refrigerator into the room and it is running with the door open,,, after a long enough time for the room temp to stableize , ,did the temperature of the room decrease, increase, or stay the same as before the refrigerator was there? Why?


2. If you are in a small boat in a swimming pool and there is a bowling ball in the boat as well, and you toss the ball into the pool. Does the water level in the pool raise, lower, or stay the same? Why?

 

[ek]

He's a grade eight science teacher. It shouldn't be that hard to come up with something pretty simple he won't know.

How about asking him what Newton's second law is. He'll say $$\vec{F} = m\vec{a}$$ and you'll say, no, it's actually $$\vec{F} = m \vec{a} + \vec{v} \cdot \frac{dm}{dt}$$

I think that might do the trick. Not hard to understand either.

 

[Physik]

Just ask him to solve a projectile motion problem.

 

[Dirkspink]

again, i love the problems, but i know absolutely NOTHING about QM or any kind of physics, so I need the answer to the problems, but thanks (especially ek)

 

[Chronos]

Place a drop of ink in a jar of glycerin. Slowly stir the mix until the ink drop dissipates. Slowly stir again in the opposite direction and the ink drop will reform. Ask teacher to explain what just happened.

 

[Dissident Dan]

Dirk, you can't just ask for other people to do your homework for you. You also have to pay. J/K.

Seriously, we can provide guidance, but we can't do your work for you. That's life.

 

[Sirus]

Dirk, the best way to find questions (and answers!) that your teacher won't be able to solve is to browse through some of the forums here. The college-level homework help forum will have some challenging questions, most of which we can explain to you so you understand the answer. Answering questions is why we're all here, and there are plenty of hard ones, so start browsing.

 

[Dirkspink]

should have thought of that...thanks

 

[Raza]

we are giving him advice and suggestion

 

[Dirkspink]

what about some laws of physics? I saw a thread with links to a whole lot of them, but i have no clue which ones would be more known than others--the ones my teacher probably wouldn't know. I took a look through through them, but i couldn't tell the hard ones from the common ones.

 

[Gokul43201]

Among the laws, Bernoulli's principle is most misunderstood - especially that it pertains to points along the same streamline.

 

[Galileo]

If you take a small hose and put one end in a bottle or bucket of water (or lemonade or whatever) and suck the other and like straw until you can drink the water, release the hose and put the end at a lower level than the water level in the bucket. Water will continue to pour out of the hose until the bucket is empty.
I've always found this intriguing, since it looks as if the water is doing work against gravity.
Your teacher might figure it has to do with pressure, but I wonder if he can explain it.

 

[ZapperZ]

We're doing a science project, and we get major extra credit if we have a question in our project that he can't answer. He told us that his ''weakness'' would have to be physics. So does anyone have some questions i could ask that could stump an eighth frade science teacher? Anything at all?
THANKYOU

OK, I'll join in the festivities. But first, there's something that I don't understand, and if I'm right, most of the people who responded to your question here also missed it.

You are doing a science project, but you want to have a question WITHIN that project that can stump your teacher. Is how I understood this correct?

Therefore, what matters here is not just finding any arbitrary question that can stump your teacher, but rather finding a question that is relevant to the project you are doing that can stump your teacher, no?

If I'm wrong, and you just want any plain old question that can stump your teacher, then I have tons! But if it has to somehow fit in with your project, then you need to first of all describe your project in detail. Only then can we figure out something relevant to what you are doing and come up with questions that are not far out in left field.

Zz.

 

[BobG]

We're doing a science project, and we get major extra credit if we have a question in our project that he can't answer. He told us that his ''weakness'' would have to be physics. So does anyone have some questions i could ask that could stump an eighth frade science teacher? Anything at all?
THANKYOU

How can you hang a hammer from a table, using only a ruler, hammer, and string?

Only the ruler is allowed to touch the table. The string has to be shorter than the ruler and can touch the ruler in only one continuous section (no putting the ruler on the corner and looping the string around opposite ends of the ruler). The ruler can't be fastened to the table in any way (no fair getting an expandable dining room table and pinching the ruler between the leafs).



The point where the hammer hangs from the string forms a pivot point. If the heavy end of the hammer is pointing towards the table, there is a torque around the pivot point, the hammer head is pulled down while the hammer handle pushes up against the ruler. The edge of the table is a pivot point for the ruler. If the hammer is pushing up harder than the gravity is pulling the end of the ruler down, the net effect is for the ruler to be held firmly on the table.

 

[Dirkspink]

any question goes

OK, I'll join in the festivities. But first, there's something that I don't understand, and if I'm right, most of the people who responded to your question here also missed it.

You are doing a science project, but you want to have a question WITHIN that project that can stump your teacher. Is how I understood this correct?

Therefore, what matters here is not just finding any arbitrary question that can stump your teacher, but rather finding a question that is relevant to the project you are doing that can stump your teacher, no?

If I'm wrong, and you just want any plain old question that can stump your teacher, then I have tons! But if it has to somehow fit in with your project, then you need to first of all describe your project in detail. Only then can we figure out something relevant to what you are doing and come up with questions that are not far out in left field.

Zz.

to ZapperZ, the project itself is a breeze. all we have to do is make a circuit board. I'm sure you guys have all had to make one before. The questions are just there for him to answer (completing the circuit, you know). So the question really don't matter, except that they have to be science related somehow, and for extra credit, they would have to be hard enough to stump the science teacher. Makes sense, right?

 

[Raza]

I don't know I am making this question up.

A 355mL of water is at 15C degrees. Two ice cubes were put in the water (each 50g) with the degree of -15C combined. How long will it take for the water to have a temperature of 7C degrees?

 

[BobG]

I don't know I am making this question up.

A 355mL of water is at 15C degrees. Two ice cubes were put in the water (each 50g) with the degree of -15C combined. How long will it take for the water to have a temperature of 7C degrees?

$$\infty$$? Or, at least until the ice cubes have melted and you realize you need a third ice cube. Of course, assuming standard room temperature, the water would also be warming, so you'd better plop in another ice cube, as well.

 

[Leo32]

Might not be a 100% physics problem, but it's a nice one to calculate:

Say you have 2 cups, one filled with coffee, one filled with exactly the same amount of milk.
Take a spoonfull of coffee and dump it in the milk, stirr well.
Take a spoonfull of this milk with coffee mixture and put it in the coffee cup.

Is there more milk in the coffe, or is there more coffee in the milk, or is it the same ?

Greetz,
Leo