01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 00100001 Those ones and zeros might not look like anything to you, but in binary code the numbers are actually saying “Hello!” Any code that uses just two symbols to represent information is considered binary code. Different versions of binary code have been around for centuries, and have been used […]
Stars, bullet rosettes, dendrites, plates, needles, columns, and clusters—there’s scarcely a shape that a snowflake hasn’t formed. When they pack together into tall snowdrifts, it’s hard to imagine that each crystal is distinct, never to be seen again. But it’s true: No two snowflakes are alike, as the adage goes. The man who coined the […]
Students will listen to explorers (both historical and present-day) describe their favorite expeditionary gadgets, then choose and justify one piece of technology to bring on an imaginary expedition, drawing from today’s modern tech. Listening activity: How has technology changed exploration? Technology Search: What technology would you bring on your expedition? Target Grades: 4th – 9th Estimated […]
The Squishy Circuits team developed this activity so that young children (including my own daughters) would have a playful way to explore circuits. Squishy Circuits use two different types of dough as circuit-building materials—one that conducts electricity well, and one that does not. Both doughs are made with readily available ingredients such as flour and […]
Target Grades: 7-12 Time Required: 30-60 minutes Subject Areas: Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Activity Type: Data Analysis and Visualization Standards: NGSS HS-LS2-2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.9-10.3 Mapping is a powerful tool for understanding the spread of diseases that are transmitted by invertebrates such as mosquitoes and ticks, called vectors. Epidemiologists, the scientists who study disease transmission and distribution, will often […]
Darkness cloaked the Dzanga forest clearing in the Central African Republic, broken only by the faint light of a crescent moon. The January night was still and quiet, except for the usual background hum of crickets and frogs. Then, a different kind of noise rose from the din—loud and low rumbles, accompanied by roars and […]