Winter Wonderland

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Christmas is fast approaching. Aside from the usual hustle and bustle, it can be noted that during this season the nights are getting colder and longer. Well not really longer but it seems so. I for one love this season. Hmm…all the love and gifts, who wouldn’t be.

Okay, so we have what we call seasons. According to Wikipedia, the seasons result from the Earth’s axis being tilted to its orbital plane; it deviates by an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees. Thus, at any given time during summer or winter, one part of the planet is more directly exposed to the rays of the Sun. This exposure alternates as the Earth revolves in its orbit. Therefore, at any given time, regardless of season, the northern (NH) and southern hemispheres (SH) experience opposite seasons.

Photo courtesy of physicalgeography.net

Have you heard of Winter Solstice? It is the shortest day of the year, it occurs either on December 21 or 22, when NH is leaning farthest away from the sun. It is also called Midwinter. While the Summer Solstice occurs on June 21 or 22 thus called Midsummer.

Now you know when did this Midsummer Night’s Dream happened in Shakespeare’s play.

Instability

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Unstable life, unstable work, unstable relationship…why oh why?

Don’t know why either.

Maybe we could learn something at microscopic viewpoint.

As mentioned before, naturally electrons are unstable, except for inert gases, you’ll learn later why.

But first let me introduce you first to a very important tool – The Periodic Table!

(this is only a part of Periodic Table since I just took a print screen, if you want the complete version get it from www.ptable.com )

The number of electrons an element has depends on the atomic number. It is the number that is usually placed as superscript.

So Hydrogen H has one valence electron, Helium He has 2 and so on.

The first energy level must be filled with 2 electrons to be stable, then the following energy levels must have 8 electrons.

So basically only those inert gases (on the most right side column) are stable and the rest of the elements seek their destined partners.

Love aka Chemical Bonds

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Elements like people are very unstable. They both search though life for their partners. But in the case of elements it can have a max of 4 bonds (maybe Islam got their idea from this!). And once they bonded they stay like that forever unless an outside force caused them to separate. A real life drama.

There are different kinds of bonds: covalent bonds, ionic bonds and metallic bonds.

Covelent Bonds is where elements or atoms share their electrons. Talk about true love…hahaha…

Whereas Ionic Bonds, mostly happens between a metal and a non-metal, where the non-metal gains control of the electron/s and the other giving it up. Hmp, selfish love (non-metal) vs unselfish love (metal)…but this is more common in real life…

Metallic bonds are harder to explain, really techie, but as the name implies it is a bond between metals and usually of the same kind. Homo love...haha...

Life and Science

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I find science very fascinating!

Imagine the whole universe conniving and constantly on the go 24/7.

The planets revolving, and yet never bump with each other. (Astronomy)

The tiny egg and sperm cells joining together, how it develops into a baby and all these actions happened in the womb of a mother! (Biology)

The formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen atoms. (Chemistry)

But above all, I am more enthralled with the one who created the minute details of this and that, God, He is definitely omnipotent! All the glory should be yours, now and forever!