Friday, December 28, 2012

Why is it easy to swim in sea than in a river?

                                Why is it easy to swim in sea than in a river?

We know sea water is salty. But river water is fresh water.. It is believed that river water is not salty . Sea water eventhough it has river water , when the river flows long distance to reach sea, the water becomes rich in dissolved salts.
Because of these soluble salts , sea water is having more density than river water. The salt is responsible for the increased density. This density increases the upthrust which helps the body to float in the sea water. Our body sinks less in sea water than in a river.
Hence we find it easy to swim in sea than in a river.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Mouse of mountains

                                             Mouse of mountains

This name was given to Shivaji from his enemies.
Shivaji was the king of Marathas. He was against Mughals who were in hold of northern India. The story of Aurangajeb , a mughal king and Shivaji is well known.
Shivaji was following guerrilla techniques when he had to fight. As he was ruling a kingdom which had abundant forests and mountains , Shivaji was very expert in using guerrilla techniques .
He was surrounding the enemies in an unexpected manner . When the enemies were ready to start fight, Shivaji and his army were vanished in a fraction of second !
Shivaji had youths from the tribe Malavas , who are well known of forests and also could fight in an unexpected way. Thus, he was called by his enemies by the name mouse of mountains .

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

How is diamond formed?

                                                 How is diamond formed?

In mineralogy , diamond is an allotrope of carbon. , where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of face centered cubic crystal . Diamond has the highest hardness and high thermal conductivity. It can be contaminated by very few impurities.
Diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure in the earth's mantle. Diamonds are brought close to the Earth's surface through volcanic eruptions by a magma which cools into igneous rocks. The formation of diamond requires very specific conditions -------- exposure of carbon bearing materials to high pressures . Diamond is the hardest known natural material on earth.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Infrared rays

                                              Infrared rays

The less dangerous wavelength from Sun's energy is infrared rays. These are the waves that produce heat and are known as thermal waves.
The heat we feel from sunlight, a fire  are all infrared. The infrared wavelength is further broken down into 3 categories -----
1. Near infrared
2. Mid infrared
3. Far infrared
Near infrared are the wavelengths that are used to send messages to TV from remote controls. They are not hot at all , infact we can not feel them too.
Mid infrared are the waves where they begin to produce heat. To these rays, our body's nerve endings can sense. These have the frequency greater than near infra red.
Far infra red rays produce heat. We can find room heaters in cold weather countries during winter. People have far infra red heaters in their houses over there. They only raise the temperature of the object they have been focused on and does not raise the temperature of surrounding free air.

Friday, December 21, 2012

What is ultrasonic sound?

                                      What is ultrasonic sound?

Sound is created through vibrations.  The number of times that a vibration occurs per second is directly related to whether we can hear the sound or not . Any sound that is created by less than 20 vibrations per second , are far too much low in pitch to be detected by human ear.
These kind of sound are said to be in sub-audible range. At the other end of spectrum , lies the sound that vibrate upwards of 20,000 times per second.
These sounds are known as ultrasonic sound  and they are produced at a pitch too high for the human ear to detect. it is well known that bats and even elephants can communicate using these sounds.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Why do we eat food?

                                                 Why do we eat food?

The question may sound funny. Everyone tell the answer as "to live". But scientifically speaking, the answer is not just that.
Our body is made of tiny and numerous cells. The work of cells is to produce energy. This energy is very essential for our daily activities.
How do cells produce energy? They require  glucose and oxygen for that purpose. Oxygen we will get from breathing. But what about glucose? The food we consume, will finally get reduced to glucose.
Patients are always advised to take glucose as an instant way to produce energy. It would be the instant way. But what we consume food is also get reduced to glucose. That's why we eat food.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Ascorbic acid or vitamin C

                                              Ascorbic acid or vitamin C

Vitamin C is also having the name ascorbic acid. It is an essential nutrient for human and other animal species.  Vitamin C is a co factor in atleast 8 enzymatic reactions.
When dis functional it can cause the most severe symptoms of disease scurvy.  In animals, ascorbic acid is most important in wound healing and preventing bleeding from capillaries. Ascorbic acid is a weak sugar acid structurally related to glucose.
The molecules of acid have vitamin C activity ; therefore and are used synonimously with vitamin C , unless otherwise specified.  The deficiency of Vitamin C leads to disease Scurvy . Without this vitamin , the synthesised collagen is too unstable to perform its function.
Scurvy leads to the formation of brown spots on the skin , spongy gums and bleeding from all the membranes.  the person with ailment looks pale , depressed and is partially immobilized. Vitamin C is found in higher concentrations in immune cells.
But it is not certain that how vitamin C interacts with immune cells. 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Phenol

                                         Phenol

Phenol , we use it in our house . Phenol is also known as Carbolic acid or Phenic acid.  It is an organic compound with chemical formula C6H5OH.  It is white crystalline at room temperatures.  It is slightly acidic , but requires careful handling since it can cause burns.
Phenol is appreciably soluble in water. It is considered as weak acid.  It can turn blue litmus to slightly to red.    It finds wide clinical uses , Phenol's derivatives are used in preparation of cosmetics  including sunscreens and hair dyes.
It can be used as analgesic.
We use many acids in our house , but they are weak. But concentrated ones are hazardous. 

Monday, December 17, 2012

How does a snake hunt its prey?

                                 How does a snake hunt its prey?

Snakes, while catching its prey uses a combination of senses , relying mainly on smell .
Snake though it has tongue, it dont have any taste buds. A snake's tongue can not sting or prink . Unlike lizards , the tongue is not used in swallowing the prey.
There is a notch on the upper lip of snakes , so the tongue can flick in and out while the mouth remaines closed. Since the tongue is forked , snakes can find and attract mates.
Heat ( infrared rays ) is another important sense , especially for night hunting snakes . The twinned sensors allow snakes to judge distance and also will give the image of the prey in the dark.
Heat sensing is an unique quality of night hunting snakes. They use infrared rays (IR Rays).

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Why do we burp when we drink cold drinks like cola?

                                  Why do we burp when we drink cold drinks like cola?

A burp - sometimes also called belch - is nothing but gas.  When we drink or eat , we dont just swallow liquid or food. We also swallow air at the same time.


Sometimes when we swallow gases like oxygen or nitrogen , they need to get out of the body. That's where burping comes in . Extra gas is forced out of the stomach , out of the mouth as a burp.



After drinking soda or other carbonated beverages , we burp more. The gas that makes these drinks fizzy is carbon di oxide ( CO2 ). It can bring big burps. Sometimes eating or drinking in a hurry , can make a person burp since this can send extra air into the stomach.

Extra air in = more burps out .

Friday, December 14, 2012

What is great red spot?

                                         What is great red spot?

The planet Jupiter is known as great red spot.  The atmosphere of Jupiter is mainly made of molecular hydrogen and helium.
The atmosphere of Jupiter lacks a clear lower boundary. It shows a wide range of active phenomena,  including cyclones, storms and lightning.
The atmosphere consists of great red spot. It is the largest known vortex in the solar system. It could engulf several earths.
Jupiter also has powerful storms, accompanied by lightning strikes. But it is not known exactly what causes great red spot's red colour. But experiments suggest that red colour may be caused by complex organic molecules.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Liver in human body

                                          Liver in human body

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and in some other animals. it has a wide range of functions including detoxification , protein synthesis ,and production of biochemicals which are necessary for digestion . Liver is essential for survival ; there is currently no other way to compensate for the absence of it.
This organ plays a major role in metabolism . It lies below the diaphragm in the abdominal pelvic region of abdomen. It produces bile, an alkaline compound  which aids in digestion.
People who drink too much liquor suffer from liver cancer . Liver cancer is the main cause of death in those patients. Some say Hepatitis (Jaundice ) disease also occurs because of infection to liver. 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

What is Vinegar?

                                             What is Vinegar?

Vinegar is used widely in kitchens nowadays. But actually its an acid.
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid ( CH3CO2H) and water . It is today widely used in kitchens as a general cooking ingredient . It is the most easily available mild acid . It has a great variety of industrial , medical and domestic uses.
It can also be used as a general household cleanser. White vinegar , since it is acidic , it can dissolve mineral deposits from glass and other smooth surfaces. For most uses , dilution with water is recommended for safety . Vinegar is also used to remove cigarette smoke residue from windows and surfaces .

                                                                                                 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

What is hard water ?

                                     What is hard water ?

Water described "hard" is high in dissolved minerals especially Calcium and Magnesium . Hard water is not only a health risk but also a nuisance because of mineral build up on fixtures and poor soap and detergent performance as it is hard to get foam.
Water is a good solvent and picks up impurities quickly . As water moves through soil and rock , it dissolves small amount of minerals and holds them in solution. Calcium and Magnesium sulphates are the two most common minerals that make water "hard" .
The degree of hardness becomes greater as the calcium and magnesium content increases. We can add washing soda ( Sodium Carbonate ) to make it to lose its hardness. 

Monday, December 10, 2012

Symptoms that may indicate AIDS

                                         Symptoms that may indicate  AIDS

AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome .  It is a disease of the human immune system caused by the Human Immunodeficiancy Virus (HIV)
During the initial infection , a person may feel a brief period of influenza like illness . This is typically followed by a prolonged time without symptoms. As the illness progresses , it interferes more and more with the immune system , making people much more likely to get infections.
There is no cure or vaccine for the disease ; however anti retro viral treatment can slow the course of the disease . But these medications are costly and may be associated with side effects. HIV originated in western central Africa during the early twentieth century.
People with AIDS , have an increased risk of developing various virus induced diseases . The patients have systematic symptoms such as prolonged fevers , sweats ( particularly at night ) , swollen lymph nodes , chills , weakness , and weight loss .

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Lunar facts

                                                    Lunar facts

Lunar facts means facts about moon. We all know moon is the natural satellite of earth.
1. We see moon glowing in the sky. But moon isnt producing any light. He is just reflecting the sunrays that fell on him.
2. Lunar eclipse always happen on full moon days.
3.  Only one face of moon is visible from earth as the direction of revolving of both moon and earth are in the same way.
4. Upto 59 % of area of moon is visible from earth.
5 . Moon is going outwards from earth day by day.
6. Astronaut Kalpana Chawla's name has been put to crater of moon.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Hydrochloric acid

                                   Hydrochloric acid

Hydrochloric acid has the chemical formula HCl. It is used in our chemistry labs . It is corrosive and should be handled with care.
The acid can be found naturally occuring in the stomachs of many animals as a relatively weak solution. Excess hydrochloric acid in the stomach may cause dyspepsia. 
Hydrochloric acid does not contain any organic molecules , hence is regarded as a mineral acid. It is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride , which when in a saturated form contains about 43 % of hydrogen chloride. The aqueous solution is a strong electrolyte.
It disassociates to give H + and Cl - ions. Ionization is so much complete that the acid is considered as strong acid. Since it is a corrosive acid , it can be used to clean the metal surfaces. It is also a strong electrolyte, proton donor and also an acid.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Why does it hurt when an ant bite?

                                     Why does it hurt when an ant bite?

If I were to say scientifically , ants do not bite. Ants are not like mosquitoes. Mosquitoes suck the blood but we do not feel pain as they inject anesthetic to numb that area.
But ants dont have that mechanism. Actually , ants dont feed on our blood like mosquitoes. They bite us only for self defense  They spray formic acid    from their tail. This perticular acid hurts. If we are not alive , we would die because of effect of this acid.
Its chemical formula is HCO2H. It is usually found in venom of bee and ant stings.  Formic acid has low toxicity . However concentrated one may kill us.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Liquid silver

                                           Liquid silver

Here i am not referring about silver jewellary.  There is an element which is also referred as liquid silver because of its appearance.
It is mercury. It is having the chemical name Hg and atomic weight of 80. It is also known as quick silver or hydrargyrum.  Because of the name hydrargyrum, it has got the chemical name Hg. Mercury is the only metal which is liquid at standard condition of temperature and pressure .
The only other element which is liquid at these conditions is Bromine. The element mercury is toxic. It is widely used in thermometers , barometers , sphygmomanometers etc. It is used in clinical conditions because of its toxic nature . It is also used in amalgam material for dental restoration.
Mercury   is also used in tubelights found in houses . Electricity is passed through mercury vapours in florescent lamps producing short wave ultraviolet light , which then causes the phosphor in the tube to fluoresce, making visible light. 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Monkey's day out in our garden

                             Monkey's day out in our garden

After finishing all the tender coconuts in our coconut trees, monkeys were gone to some other place in search of fresh tender coconuts.  But today morning , I spotted a lone monkey in our garden. I shouted at it. It stared at me as if it is not scared of any one.
I wondered why it has come again? It has finished all the tender coconuts in trees. But I didnt see its family members. It was alone. May be other members have asked it to go to our garden and inspect what all left ? what is the new development?
I remembered God  Hanuman has come to Lanka in search of Sita. Similarly , this monkey has come in search of tender coconuts which it has forgotten to pluck and drink !
God Hanuman = Lone monkey spotted in my garden.
Sita = tender coconuts .
Ravan = me !
I am thinking of burning monkey's tail as Ravan did . Now I know exactly what Ravan felt when he saw Hanuman in his country . !

Monday, December 3, 2012

Eagle nest

                                           Eagle nest

As I was walking in garden in the morning time, I observed an eagle busy picking up wooden sticks. But because of the sound made by my crutch , it was alert and carried the sticks in its beak and flew away over my head. I said assuring words but it flew away.
According to my knowledge , the eagle must be preparing tools for its nest. Henceforth , I will call it as pregnant eagle. But if it is pregnant, its stomach must be bulged. But the eagle looked quite normal and it flew normally too.
I remembered the wordings of book regarding birds : only the mammals' stomach will get bulged when they are pregnant. Like humans  and other animals. Pregnant eagle usually lays 2 eggs in its nest. Its nest usually situated in higher positions like our pregnant eagle had selected a coconut tree !
In eagles , it is female domination. Female species are much stronger compared to male . But both , male and female look after the eggs , the other one will be off to food fetching. Out of 2 eggs it has put , if one of them is male and the other one is female , they will fight as soon as they born, and female will be victorious and it will kill its brother infront of parents !

Saturday, December 1, 2012

How does fog form?

                                  How does fog form?

In morning, I could see fog in the surroundings of my house. In the place of high humidity , like ours ,  fog is formed. Tiny water droplets are also dropping on the head.
Fog is a natural weather condition that can cause visibility to become zero. In some places, (not ours !) schools delay their opening time,  until the Sun burns fog off.
How does the fog form ? Fog is basically a cloud on the ground. These clouds are the collection of tiny water droplets formed when evaporated water is cooled. The infrared cooling is responsible for the fog formation .
Infrared cooling is formed due to the change of seasons from summer to fall and winter.  During the summer , the ground absorbs solar radiation. As air passes over it, it is made moist and warm. This mass of warm air collides with cooler air.
This cause the water vapour in the air mass to condense quickly  and fog is formed.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

My market forecast

                                        My market forecast

My market forecast is that in coming days there is going to be the shortage in supply of coconuts . This is based on true facts ---------
Coconut had 3 states  namely tender coconut , ಬಚ್ಚಂಗಾಯಿ , coconut. Monkeys are plucking tender coconuts and throwing them down. The first stage ,itself is disturbed because of monkeys. Assuming that they dont touch tender coconuts, these tender coconuts may have get turned into coconuts .
But now that possibility is less. Hence my market forecast is shortage of supply of coconuts. The monkeys have to be blamed for the shortage.

Who are the twins?

                                        Who are the twins?

This article is based on my knowledge of Ramayan.
King Dasharath had 3 wives , namely Kouslya , Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He had 4 sons namely Ram , Laxman , Bharat and Shatrugna. Its common knowledge that 4 sons from 3 wives that means one of them had twins . Tracking out the incidence -----------
Ram is the only one son of Kousalya .
Bharat is the only one son of Kaikeyi.
That leaves us with only one possibility . Sumitra had twins . They are Laxman and Shatrugna. My doubt is cleared . But usually people get confused that Ram and Laxman as twins. But they are brothers not twins. Laxman had full respect for Ram  that he followed him during Vanavas also.
Bharat eventhough he had crowned king in absence of Ram , he put the footwear of Ram on Simhasan and said Ram is the king. Even he had great respect for Ram. But about Shatrugna, nothing much has been said. He too must have had respect for his brother Ram.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Monkey got a new taste !

                                 Monkey got a new taste !

Our area is full of coconut farms. Monkey trouble is very common nowadays. These monkeys aim for tender coconuts. That also, they half drink it and throw away the shell. When I saw this, I thought what a national waste ! If they want to drink tender coconut like us, we can share with them. But they just drink half of it and throw away.
Yesterday also, in my neighbourhood monkeys climbed the coconut tree and were drinking tender coconuts freely. Our neighbour saw this and he burst crackers in order to make noise. Monkeys will run away fearing for noise. But reverse happened.
Monkey must have got used for this sound. It kept watching as my neighbour burst crackers. It didnt run away. It sat on the tree and after the noise came down, it plucked fresh tender coconut , drank it and threw the coconut shell over neighbour's head ! His destiny was good and he escaped. I kept wondering about intelligence level of monkeys !
As they are coming and drinking tender coconuts daily, now tender coconuts are nil on the tree. Monkey got a new taste nowadays. It is plucking papayas, bananas and whatever it thinks is good for eating. Nothing is left for we, humans. Everything is for them . 

Friday, November 23, 2012

Who reached the moon first?

                                Who reached the moon first?

We all know that Neil Armstrong is the first man to reach moon. It's true . Hence USA is the first country to send a live man on moon.
But the first thing which reached moon is not of USA. It's of USSR . 
It was the time of cold war . Both USA and USSR were the countries who indulged in the competition to prove themselves as best.
USSR was the first one to send unmanned vehicle to moon. Thereby it has planted USSR flag on moon. As the moon is not having any environment,  I guess the flag must be still there.
But now USSR is broken into small countries.  Hence now the word cold war is also obsolete. But USA sent live man on moon because USSR had sent unmanned vehicle on moon.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Planet which revolves around Sun fastly

                                   Planet which revolves around Sun fastly

Mercury is the planet which revolves around Sun fastly.
It is very nearer to Sun. It is the first planet after Sun. It just takes 88 days to complete its one revolution around Sun.
But eventhough , it is nearer to Sun , it is not the hottest planet. It is planet Venus which is the hottest planet because of green house gases.

Story of Pradyumna

                                   Story of Pradyumna

Pradyumna is the son of Shri Krishna and Rukmimi. it is believed that he was the incarnation of Kamadev. the story goes like this -----
In Tetrayug, when God Shiv was in meditation , Kamadev became the barrier for God's meditation. Angrily, Shiv burns Kamadev.
Kamadev's wife Rati, was very sad.  Then Shiv blessed her that in next birth, Kamadev will be the part of God himself ! Likewise, Kamadev in his next birth , was the son of Shri Krishna.
When Pradyumna was a baby, he was abducted by a demon named Sambara. He was then cast into the sea and swallowed by a fish. The fish was caught and was carried to Sambara's house.
In the kitchen, fish was opened and they found a baby inside. He was given to a woman in Sambara's house to raise. Later, woman came to know the true identity of the baby. Pradyumna grew up and battled against Sambara and killed the demon.

ತುಳು ಗಾದೆ

                                       ತುಳು  ಗಾದೆ 

ಪೇರ್ ಗು  ಏತು  ಪೆರ್ಪ್ಪು  ಬೋಡು ? ಇಲ್ಲಗು ಏತು ತೂ  ಬೋಡು ?

ಅನುವಾದ 

ಪೇರ್ = ಹಾಲು
ಏತು  = ಎಷ್ಟು
ಪೆರ್ಪ್ಪು = ಹೆಪ್ಪು
ಬೋಡು = ಬೇಕು
ಇಲ್ಲಗು  = ಮನೆಗೆ
ತೂ  = ಬೆಂಕಿ

ಅರ್ಥ 

ಹಾಲಿಗೆ  ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ( ಒಂದು ಹನಿ ) ಹೆಪ್ಪು ಹಾಕಿದರೂ ಮೊಸರು ತಯಾರು.. ಅಂತೆಯೇ  ಒಂದು ಮನೆ ಹೊತ್ತಿ ಉರಿಯಲು ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಬೆಂಕಿ ಕಿಡಿ ಸಾಕು.
ಅಂತೆಯೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಾತು ಹಿತ - ಮಿತ ವಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಚೆನ್ನ. ಮಾತು ಅಂಕೆ ತಪ್ಪಿದರೆ ನಮಗೇ  ತೊಂದರೆ.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The work without thinking aftermath

                                     The work without thinking aftermath

Here is a story which illustrates the result of a work which has been done without thinking aftermath.
There was an elephant passing in the forest. It was in happy mood.  It was doing various tricks with its trunk. Likewise, it was passing happily on the forest street.
There was a sparrow which was preparing to build its nest. It was going to be the proud mother soon. It had its eggs nearby. It was very busy on construction since its old nest was destroyed by the strong wind. It was doing the work so that in the new nest, it can continue the  work of hatching.
Elephant was walking doing tricks with its trunk. Unknowingly, its trunk hit the sparrow who was busy working . Sparrow didnt notice the elephant. Due to the impact of hitting, sparrow lost its balance and fell down and died soon.
Elephant was moved by this sight. Its jolly mood is now turned into a mood of sorrow. Whatever happened, was unexpected. Elephant saw the preparations sparrow was doing. It has figured out that sparrow must be constructing nest. Then as it is also a mother, it searched for children of sparrow.
It saw the eggs. Now , since the mother sparrow died, there is no one to hatch the eggs. Elephant decided it must repair the damage it has caused. Without thinking , it sat on the eggs of sparrow in order to hatch them as it has seen with other birds.
The result ? The eggs are now broken. This happens if we do any work . be it with a good intention , without thinking its aftermath.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Chandrashekhar limit

                                 Chandrashekhar limit

Chandrashekhar limit is the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf star. This limit was predicted by Chandrashekhar in 1930.
White dwarfs , unlike main sequence stars , resist gravitational collapse primarly through electron degeneracy pressure ,rather than the thermal pressure.
The Chandrashekhar limit is the mass above which electron degeneracy pressure in the star's core is insufficient to balance star's own gravitational attraction. The white dwarfs which are having the mass greater than this limit , undergo further gravitational collapse , evolving into neutron stars or black holes. The white dwarfs having the mass under this limit , will remain stable as white dwarfs.
The currently accepted value is
             1.44 M ( 2.864 * 10 ^ 30 kg)
where M= mass of white dwarf

Hardy- Ramanujan number

                                         Hardy- Ramanujan number

Hardy and Ramanujan were the famous mathematicians.  Ramanujan is Indian and since childhood, he had affection for mathematics.
The number is 1729. It is famous because,
1729 = 1^3  +  12 ^3  =  9 ^3 + 10 ^3
The importance of this number first came through the conversation of these two mathematicians. When Hardy had come to visit Ramanujan , he travelled by the taxi numbered 1729. When he had mentioned about this near Ramanujan, he said it is an interesting number.
It is very interesting because it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways as shown above.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Snake darshan

                                Snake darshan

As i was about to close the windows, i heard nightingale singing. Since there stood a huge mango tree near the compound, I figured out that nightingale must be sitting on branches and singing. I  saw it too. It is very shy that it was hiding behind the leaves.
If it would give a nice appearance, I would have taken the photo of it and would show it to everyone. But only sound was coming , no video ! Disheartened I was about to leave, there I saw a snake passing very urgently ! It was dark in complexion , not so long.
I ruled out the possibility of a cobra. Because I have seen mongoose in our garden. There is also one bird called Kuppala in tulu. All are considered enemies of cobras beside humans ! It is method of mother nature for protecting us.
Then there is only one snake which can be seen frequently. It is ಕೇರೆ in Kannada. It is non-poisonous. Hence humans will not harm it. It likes humans as it is frequently found near houses. I counted my friends. I have many friends , every animal who always come and visit me !

Thursday, November 15, 2012

How did Nakul got his name?

                              How did Nakul got his name?

Nakul is the 4th of Pandavas. Pandavas are 5 namely, Yudhistir, Bhim, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev. Among them, Nakul and Sahadev are twins.
Nakul was considered handsome among all the Pandavas. He got his name because of this. Nakul can be written as Na + Kula meaning no one in the group.
To signify he is handsome among the Pandavas, he is named like that.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Why does it hurt when salt is put on an open wound?

                               Why does it hurt when salt is put on an open wound?

When salt is put on an open wound it hurts or I can say we have a burning sensation. What causes it? The best answer is salt sucks up the moisture around the wound.
Salts are also used as cure for wounds. It hurts because of the heat formed touching our sensitive wound in the salt reaction that kills bacteria.

Story behind Swat valley

                                  Story behind Swat valley

Nowadays, Swat valley of Pakistan is in news. It is because of the girl named Malala , who has taken the courage to break the restrictions posed by Taliban regarding education of girls. Taliban could not stand the opposition put forward by a girl. Finally, they shot her . But she survived. Now regaining her strength in a hospital of London.
But the intention of this article is different. It is about Swat valley. We know that, in older days, Pakistan was the part of India. What was the name of Swat in those days? It was popularly known as SUVASTU in those days. Now it is known as Swat.

Hottest planet of solar system

                                     Hottest planet of solar system

The hottest planet of solar system in planet Venus. It is the second closest planet to Sun. Venus'  mass and volume are quite similar to Earth's.
Venus is the brightest planet, earning it a name of "morning star". Venus atmosphere mostly consists of  ( almost entirely of about 96%) ,carbon di oxide ( CO2) , a green house gas which is responsible for incredibly hot, greater than 400 degree Celsius conditions on Venus , surpassing the melting point of lead. Venus has clouds.
The clouds situated nearly higher about 30 km from the surface , are rich in sulphuric acid . During precipitation , the acid rain evaporates before hitting the ground. If we dont control the rate of emission of CO2 , earth's situation will be similar to Venus.

Why do onions make us cry when chopping them?

                               Why do onions make us cry when chopping them?

When we cut an onion, we have experienced the burning and tearing of eyes, we get from the vapors when cutting. When we cut an onion, we break its cells., releasing their contents. The contents are amino acid sulfoxides which then form sulfenic acids.
The enzymes present in our body are now free to mix with these sulfenic acids to produce propethenoil S-oxide, a volatile sulphur compound. This gas reacts with the water in the tears to form sulphuric acid. The sulphuric acid burns, stimulating eyes to produce more tears to wash the irritant away.
The sulphur containing compounds just like onions, also leave a characteristic odour on fingers.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

How does God Hanuman got his name?

                     How does God Hanuman got his name?

God Hanuman is hailed as an ardent follower of Shri Ram in Hinduism. But how does he got his name? Sanskrit texts give many explanations regarding this.
When Hanuman was born, he was unaware of his ability and strength. As a toddler, he thought the glowing Sun outside on sky , is a mango fruit that he can eat ! As the thought struck him , he readily flied to sky on intention of catching Sun.
Everyone were aware of his divine ability. Everyone were terrified about the outcome. That time, the king of devas, Indra decided to step in. He struck the boy's jaw with his weapon Vajrayudh. Because of this, boy's jaw was disfigured and he fell back to ground.
In Sanskrit, hanu= jaw and man or mant= prominent or disfigured. The name Hanuman or Hanumant thus means that "one with prominent or disfigured jaw.

Why does a coconut shell make sound when thrown into fire?

                              Why does a coconut shell make sound when thrown into fire?

I always wondered why does a coconut shell make sound when thrown into fire? Be it in the houses where we use coconut shells as fuel to boil water and we get hot water to bath.
While in temples too, when performing homa, they offer dry coconut shells to fire. It will make sound as soon as it catches fire.
Wet coconut shells will not be used. Only the dry coconut shells. These shells are porous and because of this, gases are trapped in these . Hence when the shells are thrown to fire, the pressure inside the shell created because of gases, try to escape outside.
Hence, we hear a loud noise . The gases which are trapped inside the shell are responsible for this.

Monday, November 12, 2012

How does a voltage stabilizer work?

                              How does a voltage stabilizer work? 

We use voltage stabilizer in house for tv, fridge etc. But how does it work? It is believed that stabilizers will keep the electronic tools safe from voltage surges. Here is how ------
Electro mechanical regulators usually called voltage stabilizers , have also been used to regulate the voltage on AC distribution lines. These regulators operate by using a servo- mechanism to select the appropriate tap on an auto transformer which has multiple taps.
They do it by moving a wiper on a continuosly variable auto transformer. If the output voltage is not in the acceptable range, the servo mechanism switches connections or moves the wiper to adjust the voltage into the acceptable region.
The controllers provide a dead band wherein the controller will not act, preventing the controller from constantly adjusting the voltage as it varies by an acceptably small account.

Pre-caution steps when the person has epilepsy attack

                  Pre-caution steps when the person has epilepsy attack     

The epilepsy attack to a person is commonly known as fits attack. Though there are medicines available in market, to control the intensity of it , still these patients are considered as the subjects of laughter. People most commonly do unscientific methods while trying to help the victim.
The most common method used by the people , whenever they see a person suffering from fits is they just push some iron materials into his palm. In some places, people hold the shoes near the nostrils of the victim thinking that the step will make him feel better.
But according to medical science, both methods are unscientific. Instead of doing all these, first we must see that victim must not hurt himself. His head must be kept carefully on floor as there are chances that due to impact of falling down, head injury may occur.
If there are furniture s around him, they must be removed or kept in a safe distance. Medical help must be sought as soon as possible.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Tulu names of cities

                                         Tulu names of cities

Undivided Dakshina Kannada district is famous for its worship centres of all religions. The cities known by rest of Kannadigas are having other names in local language Tulu.
Till today, people refer to them by these names. Some cities according to my knowledge------
Kannada name of city                                                    Tulu equivalent name

1. Mangalore ( ಮಂಗಳೂರು  )                                              Kudla
2. Karkala                                                                           Kaarla
3. Manipal                                                                           Manna Palla
4. Udupi                                                                              Vodipu

About nuclear bombs

                        About nuclear bombs

Nuclear bombs work on the principle of nuclear fission reaction. In that reaction, element Thorium plays a key role. Thorium is widely spread in the state of kerala.
It has to be mentioned that first nuclear bomb was made in USA and  it had dropped the first nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. After that on the city of Nagasaki, another nuclear bomb had been dropped.
Our country, India has also tesated its capability of producing nuclear bombs. India has tested its nuclear bomb in the dessert of Pokhran in Rajasthan.
The radiation level thus emitted is measured in the ubits of Rantzen.

The longest river of south india

                          The longest river of south india

The longest river of south india is Godavari. Krishna river is also among the longest river. Krishna river flows in Maharashtra,Karnataka and Andhra pradesh.
Godavari is also having the name of  moola ganga. Godavari is very ancient. Its birth year dates back to the era when real ganga and also the himalayas were not exist.
Hence the name moola ganga as it is ancient than the north indian ganga river.

Similarity between man and monkey

                              Similarity between man and monkey

As I was away from the house for some time, my friends monkeys were feeling lonely. When I returned to house , I had a nice surprise.
As I was about to enter house, I saw monkeys were sitting on the top of coconut tree. What they were doing? well, they were partying !
Monkeys were very happy that no one is around and they can do as much damage as they can . They were drinking tender coconut. As soon as they saw me, they felt ashamed of themselves !
They didnt run away. They sat on the tree and were giggling at me. As it is diwali time, neighbourhood boys are playing with crackers. For the sound made by crackers, they felt scared  but they didnt forget to complete drinking of tender coconut !
The similarity between man and monkey ? It is the nature of partying  while in happy mood.
                                 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

My experience of ghost

                              My experience of ghost

Today, I have seen a ghost  It had dark face, long hands ! I was in the room and suddenly I came outside to call  since network signal is not available inside the house.
There I saw, it stood holding the window bars, was peeping inside. I was frightened. But I shouted loudly since there was no one in house. I was alone.
As soon as it saw me, it heard my shout and it disappeared. Soon, I gathered all my courage, went outside opening the door with my crutches. There it was, sitting near the gate.
I again shouted. I was unable to make out what it is. Listening to my shout also, it didnt move. Now again I was feeling scared.
After sometime, it moved. Then I figured it's long tail and style of walking. It is the monkey ! I heaved a sigh of relief and came inside.
I called my mother and said monkey was peeping inside the house. She said it is actually God Hanuman since today is saturday and she said it had come to bless me !
But i know what monkey is thinking. . The girl is also like us but only the tail is missing !

Working of a fluorescent tube

                                   Working of a fluorescent tube

We  all use tube lights or fluorescent lamp in our house. It is actually a gas discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor
The excited mercury atoms produce short wave ultra violet light that then causes phosphor to fluoresce , producing visible light.  A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful light more efficiently than a incandescent lamp.
The fixure is because it requires a ballast to regulate the current through the lamp. Because they contain mercury, many fluorescent lamps are classified as hazardous waste.

Apsara named Tilottama

                                 Apsara named Tilottama

Tilottama is an apsara described in Hindu mythology. Tila is the Sanskrit word for sesame seed or a bit and Uttama means better or higher. Tilottama is therefore means the being whose smallest particle is the finest.
In Mahabharat,  it is described as Tilottama is created by divine architect, Vishwakarma. It is said that he created her on request of God Brahma , by taking finest particle of everything.
Long ago, there was a demon king named Nikumbh. He had 2 children named Sunda and Upasunda. They are described as inseperable siblings who shared everything between them like kingdom, bed , food . Once the brothers performed meditation so that God Brahma will grant them a boon.
The brothers asked for immortality with the God but Brahma granted them a boon that only they, themselves can hurt each other and no other. Soon, demons attacked heaven and started harassing sages and people. They had become invincible.
Soon, people prayed God against them. Brahma ordered Vishwakarma to create a beautiful woman. Thus , he created Tilottama. Brahma ordered her to seduce the demon brothers so that she can become the issue of contention between them.
Tilottama appeared infront of demons. Both demons were lured by her beauty and both of them held her right and left hand and argued her that she must become his own wife. Thus, fight started between them and it ended by the death of demons.

What are suffixes AD and BC?

                              What are suffixes  AD and BC?

We have studied in history that the years are often referred as respective year then BC or AD. For example this year can be written as 2012 AD. But what these suffixes actually refer to?
Anno Domini (AD) and Before Christ (BC) are designations used to label or number years used with the Gregorian calender. This calender era is based on the birth of Jesus , with AD counting the years after the birth of Jesus and BC, denoting the years before.
There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD1 starts immediately after BC1. BC countdown starts backwardly like 99 BC, 98 BC.....1 AD, 2 AD .Since 1856, the alternative abbreviations CE and BCE are sometimes used in the place of AD and BC.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Facts about ozone

                                  Facts about ozone

Ozone is also known as tri oxygen, since it has 3 oxygen atoms. Its molecular formula is O3. it is an allotrope of oxygen, that is much less stable than the di atomic oxygen (O2).
ozone is formed from the di atomic oxygen by the action of ultra violet rays on oxygen atoms and also atmospheric electrical discharges, and is present in lower concentration throughout the atmosphere. In total, ozone makes up only 0.6 parts per million of atmosphere.
In standard condition, ozone is a pale blue gas which condenses to a dark blue liquid  and finally viloent black solid. Ozone's instability compared to di atomic oxygen is such that it may decompose explosively. Hence, it is used only in lower concentration in industries.


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Some facts about teeth

                                     Some facts about teeth

An adult human normally has 32 teeth. It may not be the same number to all of them due to various reasons ! But a child dont have these many teeth.
They have teeth called milk teeth. Usually they are 20. But as children reach the age of 6-7 years, they will loose these teeth and in place of them adult teeth will come. If these teeth are lost, they can not be replaced in natural way. But there are artificial means.
I wonder what the animals do? They dont brush. But for us humans, cavities are the common problem. But now, dentists try to save the teeth by some how instead of removing them.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

What is inside an atom of element?

                                   What is inside an atom of element?

Every element is made up of atoms. An atom of a combined element is called molecule. Inside the atom there are 3 particles ------
1. Proton
2. Neutron
3. Electron
Proton is having positive energy. Electron is having negative energy. Neutron is not having any charge , we can call it as neutral.
The centre of atom is nucleus. In nucleus , we find protons and neutrons. Electrons are not inside nucleus. They revolve around the nucleus.
The atomic number of an element is denoted by the number of electrons it is having in atom.  The weight of protons and neutrons are comparatively similar and sum is denoted by atomic number of element. The number of protons determines its chemical element and the number of neutrons, the isotope of element. The electrons are bound to nucleus by electro magnetic force.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Why does the grass look green?

                                 Why does the grass look green?

We know in a day, a grass looks green. the sunlight is mixure of 7 colours as we see in a rainbow. But why the grass looks green , why not other colours such as red or blue?
The colours what we see are the colours those are reflected. That means all the other colours are absorbed or kept. Grass looks green because it has chlorophyll, which absorbs blue and red light and bounces off or reflects only the green light. , giving grass a green colour. But why does the chlorophyll reflects only green light , why not other colours?
Light has energy. Chlorophyll absorbs or keeps the right light which is necessary for photosynthesis of plants. Through this, a plant can convert carbon di oxide and water to glucose and oxygen . Green is usually the leftover light that is not absorbed and is then reflected, making us see the grass green.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Why does cavities appear mostly in molar teeth?

                                Why does cavities appear mostly in molar teeth?

We all suffer from dental cavities. Though cavities may form in any teeth, but it is predominantly formed in molar and pre molar teeth.
In our mouth we have 3 different types of teeth . Out of them, molar teeth are the teeth which are used to grind the food we have taken inside the mouth.
Naturally, these teeth have work more than any other teeth. Food has to be there near the molar teeth for longer time . And when it is not properly washed or cleaned, germs will prosper in these teeth on remaining food particles.
Thus, creating cavity. Hence always molar teeth are the easy target for cavities to form

Why is the sky blue?

                                         Why is the sky blue?

The light we get from Sun during day is a mixure of 7 colours namely violet. indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. A clear cloudless day time sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light from the Sun more than red light.
But when we look towards the Sun at sunset, we see red and orange colours because blue light has been scattered out and away from the line of sight. The colour red is having greater wavelength compared to violet. The retina of human eye responds most strongly to red, green and blue wavelenghs. Thus, in traffic signals also we use red and green signals for stop and start.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Carbon di oxide

                                     Carbon di oxide

Carbon di oxide will not allow heat to pass through it, thus become hazardous to living creatures. Green house effect will arise and proportion of oxygen become less and with the excess amount of heat, it is difficult to survive for living creatures.
In planet Venus too, same condition occurs. There because of large amount of carbon di oxide, it has formed  a  layer over its surface. This layer allows sunrays inside but will not allow them to go out. Because of this, temperature on Venus is very much high.
People are feeling scared of this phenomena may repeat on Earth too all because of air pollution. Thus carbon di oxide eventhough it is not toxic, will create the phenomena of green house in large amounts. But in Venus, from where this CO2 have come?
According to my theory, Venus must be having Volcanoes. When a volcano erupts, large amount of CO2 gets added to atmosphere. This is a natural phenomena. But in our Earth, we are making CO2 to exceed its limit all by our folly.

The carbon

                                                       The carbon        

Carbon is having both good as well as bad qualities. Carbon is having purifying and cleaning qualities. When we burn something, it will finally reduce into ash. This means each and every substance is made of carbon. We get ash easily by burning fossil fuels. My grandma was using this ash to wash the utensils. She said by this, they will be clean. People who cant afford to buy dish washing powder, still use this method.
Carbon also has purifying property. We have water purifier in the house. In that machine, to purify the water , water is first passed through blocks containing carbon. With this, the visible impurities will surely vanish thus we get pure water.

Carbon di oxide (CO2) is the gas which is now in news. Even it has both good and bad qualities.  I*n the films, we see actor and actresses  dancing amidst the white fog. Now how this fog comes? It is not the natural one. This is happened because of dry ice which is crystallised CO2.

When this CO2 is passed through water, we get soda which quenches our thirst during summer. Most of the soft drinks have adopted this technique.




Saturday, October 6, 2012

Why does a fan make sound when operated on inverter?

                      Why does a fan make sound when operated on inverter?

This question always haunted me. Nowadays, loadshedding has been put in our area. We have inverter in the house. When the power goes, Inverter will get switched on.
We can put lights  and fans with inverter running. But I observed when power is there, and when I switch on fan it runs smoothly. But when it is operated on inverter , it gives the sound. When the power is back, sound disappears. According to my knowledge, the reason is like this:
Inverter when it is charging i.e. when supply is there converts AC to DC and stores power. When the supply goes, it recharges the power. Now the interesting thing happens.
Inverter converts its stored power which is in DC to AC means now it acts like sine wave generator. Supply is always having pure sine wave at 50 Hz.
But a modified sine wave looks more squared than round. In real life, the modified sine wave are less powerful and the signal does not look as "perfect"as we get in our labs.Because of this, sharp edge arises in modified so called sine wave which are responsible for noise component.
modified sine wave has much more frequency content compared to a pure sine wave. Thus, we have a noise coming from a fan operated on inverter.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Facts about teeth

                           Facts about teeth

We all have teeth ! natural or artificial. A healthy man has 32 teeth in mouth . It varies for individuals. Wisdom teeth gives late entry to our mouth . It comes at the age of 18. But there is no connection between this teeth and wisdom. I have only 2 according to dentist. Maximum limit is 4.
Teeth are usually hard, the hard part is called Enamel. Common problem a man faces is tooth cavity. The cavity is formed because of the  acids formed by bacteria on residual food particles stuck between gaps of teeth.
Now, with forming of cavity tooth ache will not come. Moreover, we will not come to know about formation of cavity. But when the cavity grows deeper and reaches root of tooth, then pan starts. At that time, we will remember we have teeth.
It is  advised to brush the teeth after eating anything to get rid of residual particles of food.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The atmosphere

                                  The atmosphere

Atmosphere is the one where we find essential gases like oxygen . The atmosphere is held in its position above the ground level by gravitational force of planet Earth. If this force is not there, then it would be difficult to find these gases in a single place.
The gas which is the main source of food is carbon di oxide (CO 2). It is very surprising to know that this gas is mainly responsible for the existence of food chains . The isotope of oxygen which is known as ozone (O3) is also present in atmoshere.
Ozone layer is the one which is protecting us from mutations of genes which may occur by over explosure to IR rays of Sun. As we move to higher altitude, we feel difficult to breathe because atmosphere gets thinner .There is an isotope of CO2 too.
It is diamond. When CO2 gas gets compressed in high pressure, it gets convert into diamond, which is a precious stone.

The middle era India

                                         The middle era India

The middle era India was very vast.  The northern part of India entirely ruled by King Harshavardhan . He was a good administrator also. In the northern part of India, his kingdom had river Narmada as the boundary. Because of the proportion of his kingdom, he is also called as Uttarapatheshwar.
King Harshavardhan died in the year 647 AD. But after him, there is no capable king like him to rule India and country was an easy target to external forces. In the time of Harshavardhan, the southern India was ruled by Immadi Pulikeshi . He had the name Dakshinapatheshwar. The name came because he was ruling the entire southern India.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

A Tulu proverb

                                  A Tulu proverb

Proverbs are plenty in Tulu and here is one ----------

ಪೂ  ಕಟ್ಟಿನ  ಬಲ್ಲ್ ಡ್  ಎರು ಕಟ್ಟಿಲೆಕ  

This proverb signifies the importance of choosing correctly.
Poo = flower
Kattina  balld= Flowers used to make garland by means of rope
eru= bull
kattileka = bull tied by a rope

Meaning : The rope which is used to make flower garland can not be used to tie the bull. Both are ropes. But to make garlands, we use a delicate rope made of banana plant  or thread. But to tie a bull, we need a rope which is stronger.
This rope must be capable of restricting uneasy movements of bull too. For both purpose, we use rope but of different variety.
This proverb stresses the importance of choosing a correct option in doing things.

Working of pressure cooker

                                 Working of pressure cooker

Pressure cooker is very essential in our day to day life. Working of pressure cooker based on converting water into steam and cooking food in steam.
Before putting food items to be cooked in pressure cooker , we put some amount of water. This water on heating, will get convert into steam.
We have a weight on the top of cooker. It covers the path through which steam will go out. But as the pressure of steam inside cooker is more, the steam will try to pass out . The only path it has to lift the weight and make itself free to go outside.
In the process of lifting the weight it makes noise through the hole. It will pass out and as the pressure decreases inside , weight will come to its original position.
When again the pressure of steam builds up inside, steam will again find its way to pass out by lifting the weight. In this process, food items kept inside the cooker will get cooked up.
But as we switch off the gas  and uncover cooker , there will be water inside. In the beginning what we put water will surely get converts into steam. But when steam gets cooler it will come back to its original form, water. Thus we find water inside cooker after the work done.

Significance of mica in our daily life

                                  Significance of mica in our daily life

Mica is a naturally occuring compound. Mica is called ಕಾಗೆ  ಬಂಗಾರ  or ಅಭ್ರಕ  in Kannada. It is a very brittle  substance that if we just hold it little tight, it will break into pieces. Mica is having glowing characteristics. But it is non  toxic.
In our daily life, we use mica frequently. When we do ironing to our clothes, the bottom surface of the instrument is coated with mica.
Iron box is having coils inside it. These coils will get heated up when we pass electricity through it. But we needed a substance which can conduct heat through it but not electricity.
Just think of other metal coating for the bottom surface. We know that metals are good conductors of heat but they will also pass electricity through them.
We needed a substance which can only conduct heat through it and not electricity. Mica is that required substance. It is a good conductor of heat but it will not pass electricity through it.
If there is any other metal instead of mica , we dare not to touch iron box as we get free dose of current shock too !

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Some interesting facts about frogs

                             Some interesting facts about frogs

Frogs have teeth. They have both upper jaw and lower jaw. But when they catch their pray, to eat that they just swallow it. They dont use their teeth.
Now what is the use of jaws and teeth? Frogs are using them to catch the pray in their mouth firmly.Now it is very interesting to know how they catch their pray. They have a very good eye sight. When some pray has come near it, it is impossible for it to run away.
There are many types of frogs . Specially they were seen in rain forests. There is a special type of frog. Speciality is there , instead of just jumping from one place to other,as all the frogs do, they can walk ! The speciality not ends here itself.
They have special type of skin around their legs. They use these as parachutes like we humans use. They live on trees. These are handy to them.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Interesting facts about travel to moon

                                      Interesting facts about travel to moon

Many countries have travelled to moon. United states of America is the first nation to send man (alive)to moon. He was Neil Armstrong who died recently.
Even our country, India has joined this group by doing Chandrayaan.  All the travels to moon aimed at knowing the atmosphere of moon . Even in Chandrayaan, we have been successful in finding the traces of water on moon.
The next phase of  Chandra Yaan is scheduled next year i.e. 2013
The first aircraft which was sent to moon was Luna - 2. But it was unmanned and it was collided to the surface of moon during the landing.
The other series of Luna aircraft brought samples of mud and stone of moon with them to Earth for examination. The aircraft which was sent to moon carrying man is Apollo- 11. 

Friday, September 28, 2012

How does Ganesh become God?

                           How does Ganesh become God?

In ancient times, there was a demon named Sindhurasur. He was troublesome and always giving trouble to people. People were fed up of him.
All went near Ganesh and told him their problem. Ganesh assured them that he will kill the demon. Likewise, he went near castle of demon. Demon's guards saw Ganesh coming on mouse.
Ganesh was a little boy then. Sindhurasur started to laugh after seeing Ganesh. He thought a small boy like Ganesh cant defeat him in battle.
Ganesh called demon for battle. Sindhurasur readily agreed. But in battle ground, as demon was watching, Ganesh grew to 4 times his original size.
Ganesh killed the demon. As name itself said, after killing Sindhurasur Ganesh became red.  At that time, saints worshipped him and offered him special type of grass called Doorva. With that, Ganesh's anger got less and he became normal again.
Till now, people worship Ganesh with Doorva.

Nitrogen Gas

                                  Nitrogen Gas

Nitrogen is the gas which is available in our atmosphere along with Oxygen, Hydrogen and Humidity. It is non toxic gas but of many use.
We all use Incandescent bulbs in our house. They give light and also heat. Inside the bulb, we can see a wire which is made of Tungsten metal. It is held between two points and through which electricity flows and it will glow thus we get light.
But inside a bulb, in the space found inside filled with Nitrogen gas. But when we put on the switch, sometimes bulb will not glow. This is because of melting of Tungsten wire due to excess heat . Then we replace the bulb with new one.
Nitrogen in soil is essential for plants. The fertilizers we use, contain this Nitrogen but not in gaseous form.

Acid + acid

                                 Acid + acid

It is a very rare combination. The acids for which we have been forbidden to touch, will form an useful combination of solvent.
The acids are ------
1. Hydrochlroric Acid (HCl)
2. Nitric Acid
These are the acids which are always dealt with utmost care even in laboratories. But when these are combined together, they form Aqua regia which is a known solvent of many use.
 About Aqua regia, we can find more literature from a PUC chemistry book.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Various names of Arjun

                                       Various names of Arjun

Arjun was the third among Pandavas. He was the great archer also. He had won many battles on his own. Arjun was most adorable among his brothers to his guru Drona.
Arjun was also known by various names. Here are some ---------

1.Arjun
2.Falguna
3.Partha
4.Kireeti
5. Gandeevi
6.Shewta Vahana
7.Bheebhastu
8. Vijaya
9. Krishna
10. Savyasaachi
11. Dhananjaya
12. Madhyama Pandava

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Facts about Pondicherry

                                 Facts about Pondicherry

Pondicherry is one of the union territories of India. It was first in the clutches of French. Still we can see the architecture of French..
Now Pondicherry is mainly inhabited by fishermen. But surprisingly, 40%  of Pondicherry is crop growing field. Pondicherry now has been renamed as Puducheri. It has its own government. 

Ozone layer

                                          Ozone layer

Nowadays there are often saying of ozone layer. Because of air pollution, ozone layer is vanishing. Ozone layer found around 25-30 meter from the surface of Earth.
The thickness of ozone layer is measured in Douglas Units. Ozone layer protect us from the bas Infrared Rays (IR rays ) of Sun. As it becomes thin, more IR rays will enter into atmosphere . Exposure to IR rays will result in skin cancer and other health problems for humans.
But how will we know the thickness of Ozone layer? It is much above us and we can not take rulers to measure the thickness of ozone layer. For that reason, special satellite named Neo 7 is there. It will measure the thickness of the layer.
Ozone is the isotope of oxygen. Its chemical formula is O3 means 3 atoms of Oxygen. The emission of CO2(carbon di oxide) due to air pollution is hazardous to the layer.

Balamuri Ganesh

                                          Balamuri Ganesh

The idols of God Ganesh is often hailed as Balamuri or Edamuri. But what is the reason for calling the idol by that name?
The reason is when creating the idol of God Ganesh,  if the trunk of elephant headed God is at the right direction , that Ganesh is hailed as Balamuri. But usually, the trunk in the idol will always point to left direction.

Why does planet mars is known as red planet?

                                   Why does planet mars is known as red planet?

Planet mars is the 4th planet in our solar system. It is next to our planet Earth. Planet Mars is always a source of curiosity to humans.
Some say there are living organisms on Mars. America's NASA in its mission found that there were signs of flowing of water. But now there is very little amount of water and also Oxygen which are essential for living creatures.
Mars is red to look from Earth. Hence it is always referred as red planet. In our vedas  too, Mars is hailed as Angaraka meaning red in colour. Because of its colour, our ancestors branded it as the symbol of war. but what is the actual reason for red colour of Mars?
Recent studies concluded that surface of Mars is very rich in iron ore. Hence it has the red colour. If man is succeeded in his going to mars mission, the iron ore from Mars can be brought to Earth thus helping Mars to regain its original colour by emptying the iron ore !

Speciality of films

                                       Speciality of films

These films are of olden age. But they are having the speciality that they got released on the same day as India got independence i.e. 15th august, 1947.
They are ----------
1. Shehnai
2. Mera geet

Pre independent India

                             Pre independent India

In pre- independent India, there were lots of states which were ruled by respective kings who thought they are supreme. But when India got the independence after the partisan , choice was there for the small kings to either join to Indian territory or to Pakistan.
But after giving lots of requests also, there were 3 territories which wants to be independent by declaring them as independent states. They were  -----------
1. Indore
2. Junagadh
3. Hyderabad
Forcibly they had to be added to Indian territory.

Story of Guruvayur temple

                           Story of Guruvayur temple

Guruvayur is a town in Kerala, which is famous for its Shri Krishna temple. But how does this city got its name?
Guruvayur is the town where guru = master of devas i.e. Brihaspati and Vayu=  air both worshipped idol of Shri Krishna together. Hence the town got the name Guruvayur.

Nuclear fission reaction

                                 Nuclear fission reaction

In nuclear bombs, nuclear fission reaction takes place. In that, an atom is divided into its smaller parts . In this type of reaction, an atom is divided into its components :by products are once again tremendous energy and heat.
Man is using this technique for making of nuclear bombs where as it can also be used for peaceful purposes like generation of electricity. But whatever  may be the reaction, there will be generation of energy and heat. It is upto us to use it for peaceful purpose.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Some facts about Sun

                                 Some facts about Sun

We all know that because of Sun, we get light and heat. But how it comes?
In universe, Hydrogen is the element which is vastly found. Similarly , in Sun too there is a very large amount of Hydrogen. In Sun nuclear fusion reaction takes place. In this reaction, 4 molecules of Hydrogen combine to form an atom of Helium.
In this reaction, a large amount of light and heat are produced as by products. The nuclear fusion reaction is opposite to nuclear fission reaction which is mainly used in making of nuclear bombs.

Some facts about Sun

                               Some facts about Sun

Sun is a medium sized star. But we see so many stars on the sky when it is dark. But all of them were seemed to be just twinkling. But Sun eventhough he is a star, he is actually heating the earth. Not like other stars. Why so?
The answer is simple. In universe, there are many stars. Sun is one of them. Compared to other stars, he is very near to Earth. Hence he looks bigger compared to other stars. Sun , because of his gravitation force has attracted the planets which now revolve around him and Earth is one of them.

The next occurance of comet Halley

                                The next occurance of comet Halley

Comet Halley is the well known comet. It is having the elliptical path and it comes visible once in every 76 years. The next occurence of the comet will be on the year 2061.
Some say ,comets are responsible for extinction of dinosaurs on planet Earth. Scientists believe that a comet might have collided with Earth and because of that large amount of dust had been erupted on the surface  and dinosaur vanished from Earth due to suffocation.

How Triveni Sangam got its name?

              
                                 How Triveni Sangam got its name?

 Triveni Sangam is the place where 3 rivers meet , namely Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. It is one of the sacred places in Hinduism.
Out of 3 rivers Gamga, Yamuna are the rivers which are famous and are well known. But Saraswati river is the invisible one. Some say it was present in ancient times. Scientists have also discovered the flow of river which is now hailed as Gupta Gamini.
Now coming to origin of triveni sangam. Veni is a word of Sanskrit origin. In Sanskrit , Veni = part of hair. Tri= 3. We girls when tying our hair to make a knot, we divide the hair into 3 parts. Then using those 3 parts we tie the knot.
But this way of tying the knot, while looking externally looks is made of only 2 parts.  The 3rd one is invisible to onlooker eventhough it is present. Similarly, in triveni sangam, only the rivers Ganga and Yamuna are visible flowing. But the third river Saraswati is invisible.
Hence the name Triveni Sangam.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Glass houses in Karnataka

                                    Glass houses in Karnataka

 A glass house is completely made of glass including the walls.  A famous saying in Kannada says that if a person lives in a glass house, he must not throw a small stone also at others. Because the person who got hit by stone thrown by him, reacts by again throwing a stone at glass house, the whole glass house will get shattered down. So its better be careful while passing the comments on others.
Now, the famous glass house of Karnataka is at Lalbagh garden of Bangalore. When  independence day and republic day are nearing, there will be a exhibition of various beautiful flowers and fruits. But this is not only the glass house present in Karnataka. There are 2 more places where glass houses are situated. The other places are------------------
1. It is the residence of Governor of Karnataka i.e. Raj Bhavan
2. Indira Gandhi glass house in Hubli.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Facts about magnet

                                                 Facts about magnet

We all know a magnet has 2 poles namely south and north. When another magnet comes in contact, the opposite poles of both magnets will get attract to each other.
It is not necessarily another magnet which will get attract. Things made of iron, nickel , cobalt are the ones which will get attracted by a magnet.
This theory we can use in a simple situation. We all use pins or needles etc almost everyday. If we have a floor having the white colour, then it would be very difficult to pick a pin or needle which has been fell on the floor. If it is not picked up, then it may create problem.
On this siuation, if we just slide away  the magnet on floor, then the fallen pin or needle will get attract to magnet and will get stuck to it. Thus we can safely  handle the fallen needles on floor with the help of magnet.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Confusion of King Kans

                                           Confusion of King Kans

King Kans was the uncle of Shri Krishna. Krishna is the son of Kans's sister Devaki. But Kans had evil intentions from the beginning. His father was King Ugrasena. Ugrasena was the king of Mathura. But Kans imprisoned his father and became the king.
Kans's sister Devaki married to Vasudeva. But  a voice from heaven said Kans that the 8th child of Devaki will be the cause of his death. By listening to that, Kans was scared. He imprisoned both Devaki and Vasudeva. He was keeping an eye on them.
Devaki became pregnant and gave birth to a child. But Kans came and killed the child. But my doubt is, when he had known that 8th child will be the cause for his death, he could have spared the first 7 children ! But the article is confusion of Kans not mine.
But the real confusion of Kans came now. Devaki had a miscarriage on her 7th child. But actually her womb was transferred to Rohini, wife of Nanda in Vrindavan. Thus born Balram.
Kans was confused. Devaki became pregnant again. Kans didnt know how to count. whether is it 7th or 8th !? But his courtiers said it is the 8th one. Thus , Kans arranged a tight security to couple. Krishna was born but the guards were fast asleep and Vasudev was able to exchange the children of Yashoda of Vrindavan and his wife Devaki.
Kans didnt know the children were exchanged. He came to kill his death but it was a girl child. As Kans readied himself to kill the child, child was able to free herself from Kans's clutches and she was Yogamaya. She said that the true 8 th child is growing in Vrindavan.


Monday, September 3, 2012

Monkey statistics

                                      Monkey statistics

Since yesterday , I was happy that monkeys have got good knowledge about live and let live. But it is not so. Again our coconut trees have become prey to monkey.
Early in the morning, they come to drink tender coconuts. Yesterday, monkey climbed the coconut tree and plucked nearly about 50 tender coconuts.
Out of them, it had allowed us to have a taste of only 10 . Rest all are its share. I calculated - in market, a tender coconut costs nearly Rs. 15 . In that way, I was horrified after coming to know the damage done by monkey. After drinking the tender coconut, it throws the remaining part to ground.
The sight remembers of me an battle ground after the war had been stopped. Poor coconuts are the wounded soldiers. But here I must say them as dead bodies of soldiers. They are not of  any use. These monkeys are going to empty all the tender coconuts by this way.
Yesterday, monkey was on our trees all the time. Cant it see the coconuts in others' garden? Why only us? Coconut trees must take action. That is the only remedy remaining now .

Myths about comets

                                    Myths about comets

Comets are the stars with tails ! They have a head part and also the tail part. The tail is mainly consisted of frozen ice and also dust particles.
They just follow the head part because of the gravity attraction. Comet's orbit will be  elliptical and they may revolve around a star like Sun. Same as planets revolve around Sun .
The Halley comet always come around the orbit of planet earth for every 76 years. Now since ancient time, there are myths regarding comets .  People are scared by the occurrence of these. People think if a comet is visible in sky, then it is surely going to be destruction on our planet earth.
The next  myth is that if the tail of the comet passes through earth's orbit , then there is a sure chance of tsunami. May be it all had happened as a mere coincidence, there is no scientific background for these. It is all just because of the orbit of comet.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Three cheers for monkey !

                                          Three cheers for monkey !

Yesterday afternoon, as I was sitting in sit  out I heard dogs barking. As I was wondering for the origin of chaos, I noticed the monkey on top of coconut tree infront of our house. I figured out that it must have come to drink tender coconuts.
I thought we, humans look after the coconut trees by watering it and by putting fertilizers to it. These monkeys come and drink all the tender coconuts eventhough it is a rainy season !
My father went to check the aftermath of monkey attack to our coconut trees. Guess what ? He came back holding 4 tender coconuts in hand. Monkey must had thrown it on ground.
Because of monkey, we all drank 2 glasses of tender coconut water which may cost Rs. 15 in market. Now I dont scold monkeys till it share the tender coconuts with us.
                         BOLO BANDAR KI JAI !

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Unchalli Falls

                                                   Unchalli Falls

In state of Karnataka, Uttara kannada district is largely consists of forests. In the forest, we can see many falls by unknown water sources. Some are there only for rainy season and some are permanent. Out of them, Unchalli falls is well known.
Unchalli falls is called by many other names too. Lusington falls is one of them. May be the serving  British official Lusington must have witnessed this falls for first time and made it well known. In remembrance , his name has been kept for water falls.
It is also called as keppa joga. Keppa means deaf in Kannada. This water falls makes the noise so much that it is impossible to hear what others say. Hence it is optly named by this name.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Facts about Betalnut

                                              Facts about  Betalnut

Betalnut is called to kannada's ಅಡಿಕೆ . Now everyone knows that we use betalnuts after our lunch . In all parts of India, it is used either as supari or in paan.
But to eat it as it is, it is not very tasty. It requires a healthy teeth to cut it and to grind it inside mouth. People in Karnataka, grow it in garden. Nowadays , it is in news since many states are banning the use of it. It is mainly used in gutkas, jardas etc which people love to chew.
But doctors warn that chewing large amount of betalnuts continuosly for a long time may give rise to cancer of gums and mouth. But more of anything is always hazardous. Our grand parents were having the piece of betal nut after lunch. In Ayurveda, it is hailed as good in small amounts if taken.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The telescope

                                      The telescope

Telescope is an instrument which is used to view the distant objects mainly in space. From sitting in the backward of house, we can explore the space provided sky is free of dark clouds. People have discovered many planets, asteroids and even the comets using telescope.
The modern day telescope what we are using now, is first used by 2 scientists from Netherlands in 1608. The orbit of planets thus found is calculated and if there is a lapse in the movement, it is mainly due to the presence of other object. Thus the hunt for various planet like objects goes.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

How does rainbow happen?

                                                   How does rainbow happen?                           

Rainbow always happen to the opposite direction of Sun. It can happen either in east or west direction. But not in north or south direction since Sun will not be seen in those direction.
The reason for rainbow is the refraction principle of physics. As we have studied in 2nd PUC, the principle of refraction is very simple. When a beam of light rays passed through a sphere, it will divide into 7 colours namely Violet, Indigo, Brown. Green , Yellow, Orange and Red. Red always as the last colour since its wavelength is small as compared to Violet which comes first.
Now in the morning, when Sun rises in east and when sunrays comes at an angle of 45 degrees, that time if there is rain is coming, then sunrays passes through these droplets of rain which acts as a sphere and get refracted thus giving rise to 7 colours. Hence rainbow occurs in west. Same happens when Sun is going to set in west direction and rainbow occurs in east direction.
It is the main principle behind rainbow and why it is not seen in north or south direction.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

ಗುಂಡನ ಸಿಟ್ಟು

                                               ಗುಂಡನ  ಸಿಟ್ಟು 

ಮಳೆಯಿಂದಾಗಿ ರಸ್ಕ್ ತಿನ್ನಲು ಬಾರದ ಗುಂಡ
ಹಸಿವಿನಿಂದಾಗಿ  ಆಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ , ಕನಲಿ  ಕೆಂಡ ;
 ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸಿದ ದೇವನು ಹುಲ್ಲು ಮೇಯಿಸಿಯಾನೆ ?
ಅದರಂತೆ ನಡೆದಿದೆ ಗುಂಡನ ಹುಲ್ಲು ಭಕ್ಷಣೆ  !