Quickie Questions - Humans and the Things They Do - Other Scientists

Date Answered Questioner (age, location) Question Answer

January 5, 2010randal (age 12, kansas,usa) what does it take to be a scientist?????????? Please, visit our web page to learn about the wide range of interests and specializations that the team of scientists, artists, educators, programmers, and library and museum professionals working on the Windows to the Universe project have.
December 17, 2009stacey (age 10, london) How do you know so much about science? We are a large group of scientists and educators interested in Science education. You can find information about us in our web page The Windows to the Universe Team .
October 16, 2009dewayne (age 14, florida) what was evelyn granville childhood like. You can see here a biography of this wonderful woman.
September 16, 2009Crystal (age 28, Virginia/ USA) How would you go about getting a rock identified? I would take it to the closes Museum of Natural Sciences or University. They can find a specialist to identify the rock.
August 12, 2009Jasmine (age 11, Australia, SA) what is an example of Archimedes theory? Archimedes theory explains why big and heavy ships can float!
August 7, 2009AHMED (age 12, Canada) what is the authors name of windows to the universe? You can find all the information you want in our web page The Windows to the Universe Team .
July 24, 2009bella (age 76, hillside) Why you can't see Neptune with a telescope? Galileo was capable to observe Neptune with his rustic telescope! His drawings show that he first observed Neptune on December 28, 1612, and again on January 27, 1613.
April 13, 2009Averi (age 11, Texas) What is a scientist that studies weather called? A scientist who studies climate is called a Climatologist, A scientist who studies weather is called a Meteorologist.
March 4, 2009Nathalie (age 12, philipines) how did the scientists measure the earth? Eratosthenes was a Greek astronomer in ancient times. Around 240 B.C. he made the first good measurement of the size of the Earth. Eratosthenes used the lengths of shadows to figure out how high in the sky the Sun was in a certain place on a certain day. He knew of another place where there was no shadow at all on the same day. That meant the Sun was straight overhead. He found out the distance between the two places, then used some geometry to figure out the rest. The full explanation of his method can be found in our web page Eratosthenes' Calculation of Earth's Circumference.
October 16, 2008frank (age 14, new jersey) What is your contribution to the field of science? Our website goal is to build an internet site that includes a rich array of documents, including images, movies, animations, and data sets, that explore the Earth and Space sciences and the historical and cultural ties between science, exploration, and the human experience. Visit our section Windows People if you want to know the specifics of each member of our team.
September 30, 2008sandra (age 19, usa) why is christian huygens work important Huygens work was ample and profound. He touched many different areas of science and technology, from the construction of improved telescopes and clocks, to the discussion of the conservation of momentum and the ondulatory nature of light. This article describes his work in detail.
September 30, 2008sandra (age 19, usa) why is christian huygens work important Huygens work was ample and profound. He touched many different areas if science and technology, from the construction of improved telescopes and clocks, to the discussion of the conservation of momentum and the ondulatory nature of light. This article describes his work in detail.
September 3, 2008noreen (age 13, india) about isac newton Isaac Newton was an English scientist and mathematician who lived between 1642-1727. He had one of the most brilliant minds the world has ever known. Legend has it that seeing an apple fall gave Newton the idea that gravity, the force which keeps us bound to the Earth, also controls the motion of planets and stars. Newton's contributions to science include the universal law of gravitation, the development of a whole new field in mathematics called calculus, and his famous three laws of motion.
August 19, 2008Ronald (age 12, worcester,Ma) Is it really true that the end of the world is going to be on December 21,2012 and will there be any chance that you scientists could destroy that asteroid? Or safe the earth from this horrible thing ? Please try to safe earth. and are there going to be life on earth or will there be a place to stay until the air clears out? or can you guys tell us exactly where the comet is going to land? is there any chance that you guys can safe like a couple of people? and please choose me first and my family please1 This article should answer your question. Ask your parents to read it and discuss it with you. Anyway, let me quote the last three paragraphs: "But scholars doubt the ancient Maya extrapolated great meaning from anticipating the alignment — if they were even aware of what the configuration would be. Astronomers generally agree that "it would be impossible the Maya themselves would have known that," says Susan Milbrath, a Maya archaeoastronomer and a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History. What's more, she says, "we have no record or knowledge that they would think the world would come to an end at that point." University of Florida anthropologist Susan Gillespie says the 2012 phenomenon comes "from media and from other people making use of the Maya past to fulfill agendas that are really their own."
June 19, 2008jay (age , ) In the middle of wide discussions about quantum mechanics, Schrödinger proposed the example of a living entity to illustrate how bizarre it was. This was not a real experiment. This is what Schrödinger wrote: "One can even set up quite ridiculous cases. A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small, that perhaps in the course of the hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges and through a relay releases a hammer which shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The psi-function of the entire system would express this by having in it the living and dead cat (pardon the expression) mixed or smeared out in equal parts. It is typical of these cases that an indeterminacy originally restricted to the atomic domain becomes transformed into macroscopic indeterminacy, which can then be resolved by direct observation. That prevents us from so naively accepting as valid a "blurred model" for representing reality. In itself it would not embody anything unclear or contradictory. There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks."
March 14, 2008francis (age , ) what is the 1543 cannon that made the light dawn in the center? It was Copernicus who figured out that the Sun was in the center of the solar system (light dawned in the center) and not the Earth.
January 15, 2008Caleb (age 13, United States of America) how old was Niels Bohr when he died in 1963 Niels Henrik David Bohr lived to be 77 years old, from October 7, 1885 to November 18, 1962.
October 18, 2007celeste (age 11, california) can you tell me important facts about galileo Among many other things, Galileo studied the motion of uniformly accelerated objects (now taught in nearly all high school and introductory college physics courses), he discovered the four largest satellites of Jupiter (named the Galilean moons), and also dedicated some time to the observation and analysis of sunspots.
July 20, 2007michel(age 14, philippines) place of birth of
albert enstien
Albert Einstein was born March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany.
July 11, 2007Aderonke (age 15, england) how is john dalton's work link into the work of two other scientists? Dalton's ideas influenced many scientists, from Guy-Lussac to Antoine Lavoisier and William Higgins.
May 5, 2007janine (age 14, Cebu, Philippines) Who was the British scientist who “discovered” the seasonal Antarctic ozone hole in
the 1980s?
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists who discovered the Antarctic ozone hole in 1985 were Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin.
April 13, 2007Elizabeth (age 12, Utha) Who is Johannes Kepler? What did he do? Johannes Kepler's primary contributions to astronomy/astrophysics were his three laws of planetary motion, derived by studying the observations of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.
February 8, 2007Hayden (age 11, Canada) what is the solar system theory of Hipparchus? Hipparchus was a Greek astronomer who lived between 190-120 B.C. He created the first accurate star map and kept a catalogue of over 850 stars with their relative brightnesses. He also developed the system of epicycles (where everything in space moved in perfect circles) for the planets that both agreed with observation, and preserved the Earth-centered universe of Aristotle. Perhaps the discovery for which Hipparchus is most famous is the discovery of precession which is due to the slow change in direction of the axis of rotation of the earth. Abundant information about this Greek astronomer can be found at our web page Hipparchus, and in this detail biography.
January 7, 2002 Alice (age 11, California, USA) I need any info on Robert Goddard. Here's a page on Goddard - picture and all!
November 10, 2000 Chris (age 11, Michigan, USA) I need to know the history of Stephen Jay Gould. Here's a short little history on Gould.
October 31, 2000 Kristen (age 14, New Mexico, USA) Who was Ernest Rutherford? What did he do? Where did he die? Here's Ernest Rutherford!
April 20, 2000 Shaina (age 17, Arkansas, USA) Do you know when the nobel prize winners for this year will be announced? The nobel prizes are announced in the fall every year, starting in early October.
December 10, 1999 Nolan (age 15, Canada) Was Sir Ernest Rutherford ever married? Yes. He married Mary Newton in 1900. They had one child, Eileen.
May 25, 1999 Carmen (age 13, Australia) What are sedimentary rocks used for? Sedimentary rocks can be used for a number of things. Sedimentary rocks form layers or stratifications. Each layer is layed down during a certain time period, so sedimentary rocks can be used to tell the geological record of an area. Scientists can tell when an organism lived through which layers its fossils are in. It's almost like looking back in time, pretty neat. Sedimentary rocks can also be quite beautiful. Take a look at this picture .
May 12, 1999 Codi(age 11, Oregon,USA) why isnt there gravity on other planets? Is there life on the other planets besides earth? Are you a real scientist and whats you name? Are you famous? Have you been on any other planet before? How old are you? Are you telling me the truth? Boy oh boy, you sure have a lot of questions! All planets have gravity. Some planets have more than others. Right now, we know that only Earth has life, although we are always look ing for others. Yes, I am a real scientist!(Although I just joined the Windows team recently) No, I'm not famous.... YET. I haven't been on any other planet- that I know of. I'm a lot older than you.... And of course I'm telling you the truth! Scientists don't lie!
April 23, 1999 Jo (age 15, England) Can you please tell me some information on Rutherford or John Dalton who were scientists who discovered the atomic structure. I've looked every where!! on the net but i can't find anything. Here is our page on Ernest Rutherford, and here are several other pages with information on Rutherford and Dalton.
April 8, 1999 Charles (age 22, New Jersey, USA) Did Albert Einstien have anything to do with the building of the atomic bomb. Someone told me that he was involved with the triggering mechanism. Ideas that Einstein came up with led to the creation of the atomic bomb. He theorized that mass could be converted into energy, which is the fundamental thought behind the atomic bomb.
April 5, 1999 Robin (age 11, Florida, USA) I am working on a report about marine biology and I would like to know what a marine biologist does. This page will help you out.
March 30, 1999 Teresa (age 11, New York, USA) I want to know about Leonardo DaVinci. Period of time he lived,country and what made him famous in history. Here is our page about Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance Man.
March 4, 1999 Robin (age 13, Ontario, Canada) Can you please tell me a brief life story of Archimedes? Ok, here goes...
February 16, 1999 Suzanne and Dan We would like to have information about Thomas Stafford's educational background. Here is a biography about General Stafford, astronaut.
February 12, 1999 Melissa (age 13) What is a scientist who studies Earth called? They are called geologists.
February 6, 1999 Ben (age 10, Mexico) Who invented the hydrogen bomb? A number of people contributed to the invention of the hydrogen bomb, but Edward Teller is generally called the "Father of the Hydrogen Bomb", since he lead the research sur rounding it.
January 22, 1999 Suchita (age 14) Have scientists in any way done more harm than good? Science is like any tool, and can be used either way. On the one hand we have things like pollution and the nuclear bomb...but consider all the benefits! Food production has become much more efficient and increased greatly. Advances in medicine sav e millions of lives every year. New materials are developed which are stronger, lighter and cheaper, and which improve the quality of life. And so on and on!
November 30, 1998 Steve (age 14) Who invented the light bulb? Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, as well as the movie projector and the phonograph, among other things.


Last modified April 19, 2002 by Jennifer Bergman.

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA