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As we turned in our crazy coasters practice problems from the previous night, very few of us knew what a momentous day we had in store for ourselves. It was the end of a phase in our physics careers; the start of another. Mechanics were finished; electricity had just begun.
We embarked on this new journey by first discovering the reactions produced by a Van de Graaff generator. We learned about the belt that runs inside the generator that creates electricity and charges the sphere. We also learned about physics lab-partner marriages. With all due respect, I think Sonny and I will find our own respective spouses. After seeing electricity run through Miranda, Shachi, Kyle, Jack, Carlie and I, we set out to complete the Electricity Stuff worksheet that Mr. E had passed out to us. We learned a bar trick with rabbit fur, used tape to generate an electric charge, and watched Mr. E smash lifesavers in the dark room. We completed that worksheet with plenty of time left in class and turned it in to the second period folder. Pretty much everyone then got a jump start on their homework, which was a guided reading worksheet on 18.1-18.5. It is due today.

QOTD: Why do wintergreen lifesavers spark when you bite into them?


The lifesavers are made of crystalline sugars that break and release electrons into the atmosphere upon being bitten, or smashed, as the case may be. Then, all of the freed electrons search for a new home in the atmosphere. The newly-positive atoms of the mint, the nitrogen in the air, and the electrons from the mint collide in a way that produces a faint blue light in the right conditions.