Believe it or not But It’s True
1 . Clouds Float But They Are Very Heavy
We might think that clouds are floating in the air so they must be pretty light . But it’s not so, on the contrary they are very heavy . They look fluffy and very light because they are swimming with ease in the air .
Researchers have observed that an average cumulus cloud (Heap, here means cloud forming masses heaped together at low altitude ) , which is the very nice fluffy white we see on a sunny day , weighs 500 metric tons . We may wonder about this incredible figure but it is very much true .
Then the question is how clouds can be so heavy . Clouds are made up of billions or even trillions of tiny droplets of water . They must have a huge mass even then they keep floating . A typical cloud has a volume of more than 1 .003kg/ cubic meter while average density of air is more than that of clouds . So air below clouds is heavier than clouds . Being lighter than the surrounding air keeps clouds floating , just like a balloon filled with any light gas ( generally helium ) goes up in air .
2 . Old Vacuum Cleaning Machines were Horse Driven
Household chores are an unavoidable part of everyday life of a house maker . We all use vacuum cleaning machines comfortably in our homes . They are so handy and useful that they have become a necessity in a middle class household at least . Nowadays several models of vacuum cleaners are available for different needs .
But taken for granted, Modern technologies have changed our home cleaning job.for good Even fully automatic robotic vacuum machines are available in the market . You can set a programme and let it go , it will go round your home from one place to other till their battery allows it . However we are here about old vacuum cleaning machines . They were so big and heavy that they used to be carried in a cart then driven by horse . Sounds funny but it is true .
The original vacuum cleaners were brought to the house of the customer seeking service for cleaning of his / her house . The huge machine had to be carried to its destination on a horse driven cart . To conduct a miraculous cleaning the company had to lay a long hose pipe through the window into the house being cleaned. A petrol powered vacuum cleaning machine was started ( later on electrically operated ) and dirt was sucked out through the nozzle connected to the hose. It was a big job and involved big expenses too. The cost of cleaning at that time was almost equal to the annual salary of the maid of the house. In those days vacuum cleaning was considered a luxury .
3 . Bumblebees can fly higher than Mt. Everest
All the bees are capable of flying about 13,000 ft ( 4,000meters) but some bees are capable of flying at an altitude of 30,000 ft ( 9,000 meters ) i.e. even higher than the highest mountain in the world .
Though bumblebees cannot survive the weather conditions at Mt Everest . A team of researchers of the University of California , Berkley have found it .They created a condition of very low oxygen and low density air that is similar to high altitude places to find out the limit of capability of flight of Alpine bumblebees . They found that bumblebees were able to keep afloat even at this inhospitable height . The team went to China and collected six bumblebees at 10,660 ft ( 3,250 meters ) ; such bees are called Alpine bees. They kept these bumblebees in sealed boxes and adjusted the oxygen level and air density ( similar at very high elevations ) with a pump at constant temperature . The bees could survive such conditions in the box which were similar to those at 30, 000 ft except the freezing temperature .
4 . Trivia
( i ) There are five colored rings in the Olympic flag . You will find at least one color in the national flag of any country .
( ii ) Dolphins sleep with one eye open .
( iii ) The electric chair which was used for execution was invented by a dentist Alfred P Southwick in 1881 .
(iv ) Tea Bag was an accidental discovery . In 1908 Thomas Sullivan, a New York businessman, sent samples of tea leaves to some customers in small silk bags. Most of these customers were confused and then put the silk bags in the teapot without emptying the tea leaves . The response was overwhelming . Subsequently he started commercial production of tea bags in sachets of gauze and later paper and then added a string to it for the ease of dipping and removing from the cup .
