Leaves

Fall (or autumn if you prefer) has been here for quite some time already, and with it the changing of the leaves.  I realized that I don't actually know why the leaves on some trees change colours, though I felt like I should.

Most people can remember from school that leaves have their green colour because of chlorophyll which is used for photosynthesis.  However as summer ends the days begin to get shorter, so the trees don't have as much sunlight and they begin to start storing more nutrients in their roots.  As the chlorophyll leaves the leaves (hah) other pigments (yellow, orange, red) become much more prominent.

The yellow colours of leaves are always there, however they're normally overpowered by the green chlorophyll in the summer.  It's only when the chlorophyll is receding that the yellow colours start to become visible on the leaves.  So yellow is always there, but what about red?  Well not all trees produce red leaves, and the weather can have an effect on their brightness.

It turns out that some trees are able to tolerate direct sunlight better than others.  When nutrients are being transferred away from the leaves the trees are more susceptible to sunlight.  The red pigments in leaves help to protect the leaves and give the trees more time to absorb nutrients.

Why do balloons deflate?

When I was younger I was into circusy things and received a balloon pump, several balloons and a balloon animal book as a gift so that I could practice my craft.  Recently I discovered the pump and some leftover old balloons and decided to try my hand at it again.  One thing that I quickly found out is that old balloons pop very easily when you're trying to inflate or bend them...

Of the few that I was able to successfully inflate and shape, I noticed that over the next few days the air would slowly leak out of them.  Obviously I had noticed this before, but I had never thought too hard about it.  I figured there are probably small holes that the air leaks out of, but I had never actually looked it up.

Upon closer inspection I learned that balloons are "not perfectly air-tight".  So the air molecules can slowly go through the surface.  However you might be thinking, "If they can go out why can't they go back in?  Shouldn't it be about equal?".  Well the pressure is slightly higher inside the balloon and so to equalize it the molecules are pushed outwards.

Apparently Mylar balloons have smaller "holes" than latex balloons, so they will leak slower.  Also helium balloons will leak faster than regular balloons because the helium does not interact very much with anything else and so will be smaller than the entire molecules of air.  Since they're smaller they'll have an easier time escaping.  Apparently you can also get your helium balloons coated so that they stay inflated for a longer amount of time!

Raising a few eyebrows

I've always been jealous of people who can raise one eyebrow at a time.  Although there aren't any lucrative ways of using this talent (that I know of), I think it adds a little something extra to almost any facial expression.  Since I'm not able to move my eyebrows independently and I know people that "just can", I was curious if this was only genetic or could be a learned skill.

After some searching it seems as if some people just have the ability to individually move their eyebrows naturally, while others have taken a lot of time to learn how to do it through practice.  People also report only being able to raise either the left or right eyebrow by itself but not the other one!  It also doesn't seem to correspond with their handedness (funny word).

Supposedly anyone can learn to do it with enough practice.  For those who don't naturally have the skill, it takes time to learn how to separate the control of the muscles.  Spending some time each day for a few months and you too could be the proud owner of dexterous eyebrows.  Some people do it by holding one eyebrow down or even taping it to get a feel for what the muscles are doing.  Mentally you should focus on moving just one of them, at first maybe only slightly.  It can help to do this in front of a mirror so you can see how your face looks when you use your muscles in a certain way.

I'm probably not going to end up spending the time to learn how to do this but it could be a good activity if you find yourself bored at times in the day.  Maybe try to learn on the bus ride you take each day, as long as you don't mind a few people smirking in your direction.

Hockey Tape

I've played hockey quite a bit, though only roller and floor hockey, never ice.  Throughout this time I've taped my hockey sticks.  On the blades and on the top of the shaft.  I knew that taping the shaft would give you a better grip and the knob on the end can make it easier to hold onto.  But I'm embarrassed to say that I never really thought about why people tape the blade of the stick.

I guess it makes sense that since taping the shaft of the stick can give you a better grip on it that taping the blade can give you a better grip on the puck (or ball I suppose) and allow better stick handling.  Apparently taping the blade helps to protect against impact as well as water damage during game play.  If the tape is black (like the puck) it can help to distract the goalie or if it's on the goalie's stick then I believe I've seen it make it more difficult to tell if the puck crossed the line in some cases.

Less functional reasons include giving the stick a unique appearance or style or simply doing it out of superstition.  Also since taping the stick is simple and methodical it can help to distract the mind before a big game.