Asked about snow, Beakman uses a large block of ice and a pitcher of water to demonstrate water's three states ?? solid, liquid and gas ?? before explaining how they work together in the rain cycle. Noting that snow forms when water vapor ...See moreAsked about snow, Beakman uses a large block of ice and a pitcher of water to demonstrate water's three states ?? solid, liquid and gas ?? before explaining how they work together in the rain cycle. Noting that snow forms when water vapor in very cold clouds gathers around microscopic ice nuclei, he claims that no two snowflakes are alike. To demonstrate this fact, Beakman and his friends catch some snowflakes on a piece of black paper for closer examination with a magnifying glass. For "Beakmania," Beakman notes that the yo?yo was invented in the Philippine Islands; that the shortest name of a place is the French town of Y; and that the world's largest cat is the Siberian Tiger. In the "Liza Challenge," Lester is dared to blow a ping pong ball out of a small funnel. When he is unable to do it, Liza explains that, because of Bernoulli's Principle, blowing on the funnel actually reduces the air pressure around the ball, causing it to be pushed into, rather than out of, the funnel. Asked why giraffes have long necks, Beakman explains that it is because of a process known as natural selection. Called in to help, guest Charles Darwin notes that giraffes with the longest necks were better able to get the food they needed from taller trees, making it easier for them to survive over their shorter?necked counterparts. As this characteristic was passed down through their generations, giraffes with long necks dominated while those with short necks eventually died out. Continuing with the explanation, Beakman points out other that many species have experienced a similar evolution, pointing to the pepper moth and the alligator snapping turtle as just two examples. Written by
Anonymous
See less