Wednesday, December 29, 2010

WATER DROP SHAPE

What is the shape of a drop of water?
If you Google that question, you'll find a Wikipedia answer
with much more information than most people will ever need.
Farther down the search page, the same question is posed 
by a nine-year-old to Bob Trach of Argonne National Laboratories
in a series called, "Ask a Scientist."  His answer is more my speed.

Contrary to popular misconception
a free-falling raindrop is not shaped like a teardrop--
round on the bottom and pointy on the top.

If the falling drip is small enough, it is a perfect sphere.
A sphere is the geometrical shape that has
the smallest surface for its volume.
The drop takes this shape because water molecules
tend to stick to each other.  So, when not confined by a container,
and with nothing around it to distort its shape,
a very tiny water drop is perfectly round like a ball
because the water molecules are pulling inward toward each other.

If the drop is larger like a raindrop in free-fall,
it has a domed top and a semi-flattened bottom
because as it falls it must push the air out of it's way.

Photos taken recently through my window 
during a rare sunny day with temperatures above freezing.

Monday, December 27, 2010

GIFTS AND A CHALLENGE

Greetings to my blogger friends!  
Your posts fill my days with fun and friendship.
Some blogs I just read and enjoy.  On others I leave comments.
Many have been kind enough to visit and comment here.
THANKS!
Your stories and photos are gifts to me from all over the world.

Sometimes I even receive more than comments!

My friend Anairam in South Africa sent me a card bearing Christmas greetings 
and a portrait by Agnolo Bronzino.  It is so fun to see Anairam's handwriting 
and to note the festive embellishments of red glitter put there by her hand.

Linda Sue from north Puget Sound sent me a whole box of goodies.
One item was a new set of words for my magnetic poetry collection.
Putting the intimidating words to work was a formidable challenge.
With dictionary in hand I produced the following.

I don't know if it makes any sense,
 but it looks rather flamboyant and ostentatious
don't you think?

The final line is stolen/borrowed from another blogger friend
who is presently trying to keep her head above water 
during unprecedented flooding in Queensland, Australia.
Thanks and best wishes to Bush Babe.
Be sure to check out her astounding photos of their bridge going under.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

A TREK AND TRACKS

No work on Friday so I waited until sunrise to go for a walk.

The path by the river had been cleared once,
 but the snow was deep enough to record the passing of...

bunnies...

and deer.

These are probably skunk tracks.  They're bigger 
than domestic cat tracks with five toes and there are marks from the claws.
My tracks at the bottom.  Love those snow cleats.

These are house cat tracks.

Smaller, four toes, no claw marks.

BIG dog tracks.  Probably weren't left at the same time
as the cat tracks since the cat was walking at the time.