Dwayne’s Study Zombies

Hey, did anyone out there watch the 2010 Winter Olympics? Watching all those skiers and skaters made me wonder how come you can slide down snowy or icy surfaces so fast, but if you tried the same thing on grass or concrete, you wouldn’t slide as much. I mean, what makes ice so slippery? I know it has something to do with friction but I don’t really know what friction is, so I tried to look it up. But then I realized something. The internet has a LOT of information! There’s like over 25 MILLION results when I put the word “friction” into google.com. When I looked at the first one at Wikipedia, it said:

Friction is the force resisting the relative lateral (tangential) motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, or material elements in contact. It is usually subdivided into several varieties.

Already I’m like, WHOAH, what does THAT mean? I have no idea! That’s why sometimes I feel stupid, ’cause I read stuff on the internet when I just wanna find out a simple answer to a simple question like, “Why is ice slippery” and I get this sentence about relatives and ladders and tangerines. I don’t get it! (more…)

You know what I love? The fair! It’s got all those crazy rides that spin you all around, and up and down, and I feel like I’m gonna get sick, but I just keep riding them!! They’ve always got these deals going too where you can get a bracelet or something and ride all day long! I used to be able to ride on those spinning ones (the one at my fair was called the GRAVITRON!!) all day and night, but nowadays I can only ride them a couple of times, and then I gotta take a breather and go on a much more tame ride, like a roller coaster.

Check out this practice question I found about the GRAVITRON!

A man stands on a ride at an amusement park that spins around. As the ride spins faster, the man is pushed back against the outer wall and finds it very difficult to pull himself away from it.

Which statement best explains this event?

1. There is glue on the wall holding him on.

2. The ride is creating a magnetic force that pulls the man toward the metal in the walls.

3. The ride is creating a new center of gravity inside the walls.

4. The spinning of the ride creates a centrifugal force that pushes the man outward from the center.

5. The ride creates an optical illusion the makes the man think he is falling backward into the wall. (more…)

Hey dudes, it’s jacket time! Seriously, it’s cold out there!!! Sometimes I have to wear a thermal under shirt, two t-shirts, a small sweatshirt, a giant sweatshirt, AND a jacket when I got outside! Then I’m nice and toasty! It doesn’t snow where I live, but sometimes I go up to the mountains and snowboard! I’ve got serious snowboarding skillz! I do flips and jump off trees and buildings and even people! …ok, well I run into trees and buildings and people. But other than carving ice, there’s not much to do when it’s cold but FREEZE! I like the summer way better.

However, if it weren’t for the greenhouse effect, we’d all be ice statues! Check it out!!

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Okay. So, I never really wanted to be a scientist, until I learned about these surfin’ scientists in Hawaii! Seriously, GED guys, you’ve got to read this article…Hawaiian Scientists Take Their Test Tubes Surfing.

Kewl, right? I mean, if I could totally surf while taking the GED, I bet I’d do lots better. Only my answers’d be all wet. (more…)

Okay, GED science time! Kewl… I totally can’t believe my dreams are gonna become reality. Did you ever want to be invisible? I sure did… you know, sneaking into movie theaters… pretending to be a ghost and haunting Curtis… awesome! And pretty soon, they’ll be real invisibility cloaks… I just gotta save up my money, dudes, cuz I bet they’ll be expensive. (more…)

Okay… GED science pop-quiz time!!! Here’s a practice question jus’ like you might get on any GED science test… (more…)

So.. static electricity!!! Makes your hair stand on end! It’s all science, I tell ya’, GED science! Yes, it is. And you can prove it. See, there’s this thing called a Van de Graaff Generator. Kewl science name, right? It’s a MYSTERIOUS object that makes your hair stand on end! No joke. (more…)

I got a GED science experiment for you! Forget books for studying for the GED test…. I learn things by doin’ them! That’s right. Get out from in front of your computer, cuz here’s a GED experiment anyone can do right in their own home. Ok. Here it is. Now, do this before you read anything more. Get up from your computer. You got to be wearin’ shoes, so put them on if you’re barefoot! Then, stand on the carpet and rub your feet back and forth. Now, touch the doorknob. (more…)