The Titanic, a Story of Fire and Ice

Over 104 years ago, the massive ship Titanic was speeding along the ice laden coast of Newfoundland when it collided with an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. But is it fair to put all the blame on the iceberg? New evidence has emerged to suggest that another element could have played an immense role in the Titanic’s ill fate. A photograph found in an attic in Wiltshire, southwest England, shows a 30-foot-long diagonal black mark on the starboard side of the Hull close to where the ship was pierced by the iceberg. What could’ve caused such a mark? Engineers at Imperial College London have analyzed the photos and determined the mark to be most likely caused by a coal fire in one of the three story bunkers. This coincides with another source of information, an official British inquiry. The inquiry unveiled that a fire had started in the Titanic’s coal stores 10 days before the ship even departed, and continued burning for several more days into its voyage. This fire would not have been a roaring fire as one might think, but more of a slow burn similar to that of hot coal in a grill. Over the period of 12 to 13 days however, it is speculated this constant heat would have greatly weakened the iron bulkheads and the hull causing them to become brittle. Add a ship traveling at high speed and a large iceberg and you have a recipe for disaster.

Even though the Titanic sank you can purchase one online that floats! Check out these links for toys & gadgets related to the Infamous Titanic! These can be used in experiments, for gifts or just for fun.

Inflatable 2-ft TitanicInflatable Titanic







Liquid Wave Titanic PaperweightLiquid Wave Titanic Papperweight








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Newton’s Laws of Motion

Are you familiar with Newton’s three laws of motion?

Newton's Cradle

In 1687 Sir Issac Newton published his works entitled Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. As intimidating as that may sound it is simply Latin for “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.” In this work he compiled three laws that are now renownedly known as Newton’s Laws of Motion. In this blog we will consider what the three laws are, why they matter and some modern-day examples to make them relatable.

  1. Newton’s First Law of Motion

An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion. However either can be changed due to an application of force.

This law is essentially Galileo’s concept of inertia and is known simply as the Law of Inertia. Newton stated this law to set the parameters for his next two laws. I’ll use a Fidget Spinner for an example. Before spinning, the object would likely not start spinning on it’s own! However, after spinning one, it would continue to spin forever if it were not for the effects (forces) of friction and gravity. It would be interesting to see an astronaut try this experiment while in space! 


2. Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Force equals Mass times Acceleration F=ma

This law explains the connection between the mass of an object, the acceleration and the resulting force. This equation also works backwards to determine the mass or acceleration of an object. For an example let’s use two vehicles on a crash-test course to determine their differences in force during impact. Let’s say Vehicle 1 is a Military Hummer with a weight of 7,700 lbs and Vehicle 2 is a Smart Car with a weight of 3,000 lbs. It seems we all know which would have more force but how do we reach that conclusion? Can Vehicle 2 impact with more force than Vehicle 1? Newton’s Second Law tells us. Lets take a look. Vehicle 1 weighing 7,700 lbs traveling at 60 mph will hit the wall dealing a force of 462,000 N. Vehicle 2 traveling at the same speed will only deliver 180,000 N of force. For Vehicle 2 to exert the same amount of force on the wall it would need to be traveling at 154 mph. That’s over twice as fast!


3. Newton’s Third Law of Motion

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

This Law is pretty easy to understand. Newton is telling us that for each and every force between two objects there is another force in the opposite direction of equal magnitude. An example of this is Newton’s Cradle. The cradle holds 5 balls of equal weight and size suspended from a foundation. If one ball is lifted and released it will hit the other four motionless ball and stop. However, the force will travel through three of the balls and cause the fourth to swing into the air as if you had pulled it up like the first! This scientific gadget can be used in different ways to yield different results (such as lifting two, three or even four of the balls). However, the law still remains the same. What we learn is that the ball that stops exerts its force toward the other four while at the same time the four exert a force on it.


Newton's Cradle


Now you have it! We really hope you enjoyed learning with us. Please come back to find more scientific knowledge and experiments! And feel free to share this page with any interested friends, family or students!

Science Jokes Explained


This shirt from ThinkGeek reads: “Johnny was a chemist’s son, but Johnny is no more. What Johnny thought was H2O was H2SO4.”

The science: H2O is, of course, water. H2SO4 is sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive acid. It’s a clear liquid just like water, so it’s no wonder poor Johnny got them mixed up.

Heisenberg and the Cop

Heisenberg argued that you can know either the precise location or the precise momentum of a particle, but not both. Even though this sounds like our measuring tools or technology is limited, the Heisenberg principle actually means that you cannot measure (no matter how good your technology is) the precise location or momentum of a particle.

May the Mass Times Acceleration Be With You

May The Mass x Acceleration

This shirt, from Snorg Tees, mixes science with geekery.

In physics, the force of an object is equal to the mass multiplied by the acceleration of the object. Therefore force = mass times acceleration. This image simply replaces “May the FORCE be with you,” from Star Wars with mass times acceleration.

Sodium Jokes

Chemistry is fun, but this one is more of a play on words. In the periodical table of elements, Sodium is represented by the symbol Na which looks like the word “Nah,” meaning “No.”

I found this Humerus

i found this humerus Organic Women's Fitted T-Shir

Another t-shirt, another play on words. The humerus is the long bone in your upper arm, but the word sounds like “humorous,” as in “funny.” So the joke sounds like it says both “I found this humerous (funny),” and “I found this bone.”

Lost electron

Atom humor

If an electron has more positrons than electrons, it has a positive charge. This joke takes advantage of the double meaning of “positive,” meaning both “positive charge” and “are you sure?”.

Carbon Dating

Did they form a covalent bond?

While it looks like these two carbon elements are out on a date, carbon dating is a method to estimate the age of organic materials.

 How it works: plants absorb carbon dioxide. But there are actually two types of carbon: carbon-12 and carbon-14 . Carbon-12 is ordinary, stable carbon. Carbon-14 has two extra neutrons and is a bit unstable. Eventually, carbon-14 will lose those two extra neutrons and become carbon-12. The rate that carbon-14 loses half its neutrons is called a half life. It’s a constant, predicatable time frame (5,740 years for carbon) and so can be used to estimate the age of organic materials like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This joke is twofold: carbon dating can mean “two carbons on a date” or “using the decay of carbon to determine the date of organic materials.” The other line, “where half you been all my life?” sounds like a romantic line, “where have you been all my life?” but also refers to the half life of these carbon-14. All in all, it looks like a rather unstable relationship.

Here’s a final, self-explanatory one for you:

Can't Put it Down

How to turn a lesson into Halloween magic

How to turn a lesson into halloween magic

You’ve seen it–that magical moment when you students just “clicked” with your lesson. They were engaged, even if just for a few brief moments, instead of daydreaming or wishing they could be texting their friends.

Adapting your lesson to a Halloween theme is more likely to engage them. Kids are already fascinated by Halloween. Connect your science lesson to it, and they will be more engaged and interested.

The holiday becomes a catalyst for engagement.

How to adapt your lessons

Three simple steps:

Step 1. Look at the lessons you have planned for the next two weeks.

Are there any demonstrations you will do? A small modification may be all you need to turn it into a Halloween-based science lesson.

Step 2. Look for connections to Halloween: pumpkins, smoke, goo, colors, or mixtures.


Can you do the experiment inside a pumpkin? I’ve seen the classic baking powder + vinegar demonstration called a Halloween experiment because it was done inside a pumpkin.

Witches Brew and Potions

Does the demonstration involve mixing anything together? That can be called witches brew or potion.

Smoke, Goo, Glow, and Colors

Does it involve anything along the lines of smoke, goo, something glowing, or the colors orange, black, or red?

Orange and black are classic Halloween colors. (Here’s a demonstration with black dry ice.) Red can bring up imagery of vampires or (for older kids) blood. (Here’s a simple density demonstration using Halloween colors.)

Mad Scientist

As a science teacher, you always have the option to pull the catch-all theme: mad scientist.

Step 3. Make it more than a label

For themes like this to work, they need to be more than a silly label placed on an ordinary experiment. Most kids will see through superficial labels.

So how do you take a demonstration, mix it with your theme, and come out with something to engage the kids?

How you Present it Matters

A man was once showing non-teachers how to teach. He had a delicious cake with the lesson topic written on top with icing. “Anyone want some?” he asked. Of course everyone did. When the first volunteer came up to get his delicious piece of cake, the teacher describes what happened:

I then sank my fingers into the top of the cake and tore out a large piece. I was careful to clench my fist after tearing it out so that the frosting would ooze through my fingers, and then as [they] sat in total disbelief, I threw the piece of cake to [him], splattering some frosting down the front of his suit. Would anyone else like some cake? I inquired. For some reason, there were no takers.

The teacher then brought out a fancy plate, silver fork, and napkin, and carefully cut a slice of cake from the non-destroyed side and offered it to the class. (Source: Teaching, No Greater Call.)

How you present your Halloween-themed demonstration makes an enormous difference. You can put a shallow label on an ordinary experiment. Or you can present it well, with the details that impress. Maybe dress up as a mad scientist or maniacal witch and brew a concoction of magical science.

Get inspiration

Here are some effective ways others have incorporated Halloween into their lessons. Launch your ideas from these inspiring demonstrations:

Halloween Science: Fluorescent ChlorophyllÂ Halloween Science FunÂ Candy Potions ~ Invitation to play with Halloween Candy

See my Halloween science Pinterest board for more ideas!

How do you adapt your lessons?

Share with us what you have done to adapt your lesson to a holiday theme. What makes it successful? Do the kids love it? Do they learn more?