In June I received a great deal of help and encouragement from
contributors to Plant Ed about 'The Pub Understanding of Science'
http://www.alegba.demon.co.uk/beermats.html - an attempt to engage members
of the British public in a little scientific speculation by introducing
beer mats (coasters/drip mats) into pubs each with a relevant illustration
on one side and a scientific question on the other. In the end it was
necessary to chose only 15 questions and most finished up (see below) with
a pub/alcohol theme but I trust that they might be of broader interest and
worthy of putting before a student or two. No doubt readers of this
newsgroup will have no need to be provided with the answers but if anyone
feels less than totally confident, or fears that I might have them wrong,
please contact me at david at alegba.demon.co.uk.
1. Put a handful of ice cubes in a pint glass. Add water till the ice
floats. Wait until the ice melts. Will the level of the water (a) rise (b)
fall or (c) stay the same?
2. Alcohol is made by fermenting grapes, barley, malt, sugar etc from
plants. But where do plants get most of their food? (a) out of the soil (b)
out of manure (c) out of chemical fertilisers (d) out of thin air?
3. Time, ladies and gentlemen, please! If you took a grandfather
(pendulum) clock to your favourite pub on the moon ('The Half Earth
Tavern'?) would it (a) gain (b) lose or (c) keep the same time?
4. According to Isaac Walton (`The Complete Angler', 1653) "Hops and
turkeys, carps and beer, Came into England all in a year". Hops are used
(a) to make beer bitter (b) to increase its alcohol content or (c) to
preserve it?
5. In the bar of 'The Jolly Sailor' the patrons know very well that about
75% of our planet's surface is covered by oceans and seas. These produce
vast quantities of seaweed and microscopic plants (phytoplankton). How much
of the world's vegetation do they yield? (a) three quarters (b) one third
or (c) one tenth ?
6. "Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink". It is thought, by some,
but maybe not the Ancient Mariner, that Neptune provided us with more water
than our local water company does. Might they be right? Yes or no?
7. Back in the bar of 'The Jolly Sailor' a cry went up- "Up spirits, hands
of the mess for grog" Like naval rum, all spirits are diluted with water
before they are dispensed or sold. Is 'proof' spirit (a) 100% alcohol (b)
60% or (c) less than 60%?
8. Despite his famous green fingers, the landlord of 'The Jolly Sailor'
hasn't had much luck growing (a) Agave tequilana (b) Oryza sativa (c)
Saccharum officinarum (d) Hordeum vulgare. Which spirits are made from
these plants?
9.If you could join two atoms of carbon together and add six atoms of
hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. What might you get?
10.Champagne is called 'bubbly' because it gives off so many bubbles of
carbon dioxide (CO2) when opened. Would a bubble of CO2 weigh (a) the same
as a bubble of oxygen of equal volume (b) more or (c) less? If you have
drunk a glass or two by now you probably don't care but have a guess anyway!
11. Beer mats, such as these, have six equal angles (i.e. they are
hexagonal). They share this feature with a World Cup football and the Nobel
Prize winning "Bucky Ball" (a form of carbon) both of which are structures
based on a number hexagons and pentagons. How many hexagons?
12. What weighs 10 tonnes, covers 36 acres and has lived for 1,500 years?
(a) roots of a Giant Redwood tree (b) Prickly Pear, an Australian cactus
used to make a drink called 'Southern Cross' (c) a recently studied
'toadstool'.
13. Yeasts have been around much longer than humans and although we are
pleased to have them make alcohol for us, we may not be so pleased to have
others as 'house guests' (along with bacteria, fungi, parasitic worms etc.)
What percentage of your cells are human? (a) 90% (b) 50% (c) 30% or (d) 10%
14. Being a well run house, no-one who frequents 'The Jolly Sailor' has
yet been subjected to genetic finger-printing. The DNA underlying this
process is spiral in shape. What, in this regard, does DNA have in common
with hops and wood screws.
15. In 1847, at the age of 24, Louis Pasteur looked down his microscope at
the crystalline material from the bottom of wine bottles. This lead him
to one of the defining moments in science. What was it (a) pasteurisation
(b) "the germ theory" (c) stereochemistry (d) vaccination?
David Walker
