Founded by the house of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle

Vol. 04 Issue 03
March 2015
44 pages, `75
Ages: 10+

PLAY WITH SCIENCE!

p43

Staff
Room

Comics, stories, do-it-yourself

activities, contests and more

Lesson Plan
Inside

Pyramid Power

p06

History Maker

Happy Birthday Alby

p08

p35

Story of Light

Goa Illuminates

Time Gliders

p32

Season 2 Episode 3

Toy Box

Terrific Tangrams

WARNING!

Brainwave products will make you intelligent. They make science fun, and learning easy. If school textbooks frustrate and
confuse you, Brainwave products are exactly what you need to rekindle your love for science. I find it the best product
available in the education space! - Dr. Nikhil Gunari, Inventor and Science Entrepreneur based in Canada

MEET THE SMARTYS

Beyond the skies, trouble brews.
Danger awaits us, all humans!
Sneaking and lurking in the dark,
Someones plotting to tear humanity apart.

The Smartys rarely punch down

opponents they are peace lovers.
The official BW mascots use not only
brawn, but also brains!

1 2 3 Go! The Smartys move fast.

Before the villains act, our friends arrive
to thwart the attack!

The battle's won, let's meet them now,

They are real heroes - take a bow!

Dr. Dodo, dear friends,

is the only Dodo alive.
The wise elderly
scientist, his ideas save
many a life!

Skree! is mysterious,
a bearded Toda lady.
Up her sleeves,
she has tricks aplenty!

Young Arby was sucked

into Dr. Dodos
time-machine,
Maths is his game,
Grow up to be
Aryabhata, yes, he will fine!

Also sucked in time, young

Alby is none other than
Albert Einstein.
Change the history of
science, he will soon!

Mr. X is the antagonist.

Top IQ of the world is his!
The Smartys and he
don't see eye to eye.
Is he good? Is he bad?
You analyse.

Earth, wind, water and

fire combine to make
Bhoo, an enigma.
She is a superhero every villain's dilemma.

Now that you know them, see their wonders.

A new episode begins, Earth is saved from plunder.
www.bwmag.in/meet-the-smarties

\00
02

March 2015

Dear Readers,
Pyramids are mysterious, aren't they? In this issue, we uncover
some of their scientific secrets (pg. 26). Great civilizations built
these awesome structures to symbolise the knowledge they held
dearly. Accompany us to one of the ancient pyramids and watch
as we uncover some ancient secrets (p11).
Besides explorers (pg. 30), this structure is also interesting to
scientists. The pyramid is one of natures favourite shapes many molecules are pyramid - shaped (pg. 16), so are prisms.
Ecologists arrange animals and plants in different kinds of
pyramids (pg. 40) to make sense of links between them.
Also, join us in wishing Alby a very Happy Birthday!
Did you know that Albert Einstein was born in the month of
March in 1879? Find out what happened after that on page 6.
Aashima Dogra
aashima.dogra@ack-media.com

Cover artwork by Pooja Prabhakaran

Editor
Aashima Dogra
Assistant Editor
Nandita Jayaraj
Art & Design Lead
Ria Rajan
Design & Illustrations
Nafisa Crishna & Pooja Prabhakaran
Resident Geeks
Mahak Katyal
Mukunth Vasudevan
Advisory Board

Credits:
Ankit, Avinash & Ellie
Abbas, Rajesh Pathak & Mithun
Eric D'souza & team
India Book House & team
Jayanthi V & team
Janak F, Yogesh G & team
K.K. Arun & team
Lalit S & team
Mayur S & team
Narayan M, Sagar S & team
Neeti Saxena & team
Sandeep S, Heta D & team

No part of this magazine may be

reproduced without the express
consent of Amar Chitra Katha Private
Limited (ACK). Any reproduction,
modification, distribution,
transmission, republication, display
or exploitation in any way of the
content(s), in whole or in part, of this
magazine is strictly prohibited.
ACK makes no warranties or
guarantees, express or implied,
written or oral, as to the contents
of the magazine, the information,
materials or opinions, included in this
magazine. In no event shall ACK be
liable for damages of any kind arising
as a consequence of using or following
any method or formula as mentioned
in the magazine, including but not
limited to direct, indirect, incidental,
punitive and consequential damages.

Vol. 04 | Issue 03 | March 2015

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Copyright 2015, Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited. All rights reserved.

Dr. Amol Dighe, Professor of Physics,

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Arvind Gupta, Scientific Toymaker
Extraordinaire
AS Manekar, Dy Director General,
National Council of Science Museums
Dr. Balaji Sampath, Science Director,
Ahaguru.com
Dr. Bernardo Pagnoncelli, Assistant
Professor, Universidad Adolfo Ibaez
Dr. Chandrakant Shukre,
Astrophysicist, Raman Research
Institute
Dr. Geetha Narayanan, Director, Srishti
School of Art Design and Technology
Hari Parameswaran, Scientist &
Educator
Dr. Jyoti Vora, Biochem HoD, Ruia
College
Maya Menon, Director, Teacher
Foundation
Dr. Nikhil Gunari, CEO, Syletta Inc.
Dr. Pratima Rao, Scientific Project
Manager, ILSI Europe
Dr. Richard Zare, Marguerite Blake
Wilbur Professor in Natural Science,
Stanford University
Dr. Rohit Kumar, Computer Scientist,
Raytheon BBN Technologies
Siddharth Rao, Scientist, Adavi Trust
Brainwave is Printed and Published by
Vijay Sampath on behalf of Amar Chitra
Katha Private Limited Printed at Indigo
Press (India) Pvt. Ltd., Plot No. 1, C/716,
Opp. Dadoji Konddeo Cross Road,
Byculla (E), Mumbai 400027
Published at Sumer Plaza,
2nd Floor, Marol Maroshi Road,
Marol, Andheri (East),
Mumbai 400059.

March 2015

03

Vol. 04 | Issue 03 | March 2015

CONTENTS

KUKULCAN'S
DESCENT

ACTIVITIES
p.16 Dough & Raisin Molecules
p.22 Cut & Fold - Giza Pyramid

COVER STORY

p.32 Terrific Tangrams

11

Web-only: The Instant Fan

COMICS
p.06 History Maker - Alby
p.18 Mohan Marvell
p.35 Time Gliders

04

March 2015

In which we celebrate
Albys birthday, unveil the
mystery of the Pyramids,
make molecules with
dough, visit the Smartket,
make Tangrams and much
more.

PYRAMID
POWER
p.20 Food Pyramid - Smartket
p.26 Machines That Built Giza
p.40 Ecological Pyramids

BW REPORTS

FUN
FACTS

p.08 The Story of Light, Goa

p.14 Lesser Known Pyramids

p.10 Toon Talk

Web-only: Robots Explore Pyramids

Web-only: The Dancing
Northern Lights

p.30 The Great

Triangular
Escapade

READER
CONTRIBUTION
Web Only - DIY Pot Fridge
p.25 Ask Us Why - Time Travel

MORE
CONTESTS

p.28 Fan Fiction - A Dinosaur Encounter

p.34 Solutions, Winners & Letters

p.24 Treasure Hunt

p.24 Science Quiz
p.29 Student Board
p.44 Puzzle Book

Win a prize!

March 2015

05

HISTORY
MAKER

06

March 2015

March 2015

07

THE STORY
OF LIGHT

Festival Illuminates Goa

by Aashima Dogra

In January, Panjim, the capital of Goa, lit up with

all kinds of lights.
The Story of Light festival that called itself a
magical learning playground brought together
scientists and artists from fourteen countries to
celebrate everything we know about light today.

playing with light always leads to stunning visuals.

You can do many things with light; the outcome
depends on how you manipulate this energy and on
what surface.

Many installations that used light wowed the

festival goers. The artists and scientists were
on-hand to help us play with the installations and
understand the science behind each one.

One of the scientists speaking at the five-day

festival said: "Light has been very helpful to
humans, especially in our recent technological
progress. The new sciences of optics* and
photonics* will very soon bring a huge wave of
advancement to our daily life."

One main aspect of light that makes it so much

fun to play with is: it is energy. Since it is a type
of energy that we can see and detect directly,

The festival was part of UNs* recognition of

2015 as the International Year of Light and Light
Technologies.n

Light is not matter,

hence it is not
made up of atoms.

08

Light helps us in

wPrinting
wRadio communication that guides airplanes
wSending signals from remote controls
wFinding planets outside our solar system
wHeating food in microwave ovens

March 2015

Nothing can travel

faster than light
in vacuum.

* UN: United Nations is an international organisation that helps maintain

cooperation between all countries.

Some of our favourite moments

from the festival:

Pictures by Aashima, Mitwa & Tinka

Light and String: This installation, with its thousand

neon strings connecting one part of the room to
another, made the invisible connections visible. The
internet, the brain and matter in the cosmos are all
proofs that everything is connected.

Rainbow Hut: On Miramar beach,

close to the waves, a thatched hut
stood silently listening to the Sun.
A dozen angled mirrors placed
outside the hut projected a dozen
rainbow flames inside the hut.

Coloured Shadows:
Brainwave's Design
Lead Ria Rajan plays
with the installation
Many Colours.
Light from three
differently coloured
bulbs mixed on the
wall. The resulting
three-coloured
shadows changed
colours as she
moved her hands
around.

Light Painting:
During night
time, a long
exposure camera
painted beautiful
pictures as
participants
moved light
around in many
ways.

Biggest Cyanotype Ever? Participants lie on a large

sheet coated with chemicals. Cyanotyping is a simple
photographic/printing process where the exposure to
sunlight prints the coated surface. They attempted to
break a world record of the biggest cyanotype ever.

Elemental Poets: An artist wrapped up in blinky lights

played the violin as poetry on The Big Bang decorated
the planetarium screen.
* Optics: The science of light
* Photonics: Study of the technical applications of light

Infrared Radiation (IR): Human eyes can't see IR but

phone cameras can. Participants watched the IR emitted
from a remote control. Try this at home.

March 2015

09

TOON
TALK

The honeycomb is a perfect example

of geometry in action.
It is made of hexagonal cells
made of wax.
Why it is shaped so is highly debated
amongst scientists. It is probably because
this shape makes the best use of the space
inside the beehive.

It is able to produce a shock of 500 volts,

which, in humans, can cause very serious
burns and even death. Now that is a
shocker!

What are the other geometric shapes that nature prefers? Send in your
answers to brainwave@ack-media.com to win a cool prize.

10

March 2015

Artwork: Alicia Souza

The electric eel can generate strong

electric currents to shock, maim or kill
its victims.

Kukulcan's descent

COVER
STORY

by Meera Guthi and Aashima Dogra

Artwork: Jeenal Patel

Twice a year, on autumn and spring equinoxes, a snake

creeps slowly down the great pyramid of Kukulcan.
Bhoo and team investigate...

March 2015

11

ick Tock! "Its March 20th! screeched the

Smart clock. Bhoo immediately floated
into the room. Wake up boys. Its spring
equinox!
Huh? grumbled Arby and Alby, rubbing their
eyes sleepily.
Its the day the Sun shines directly on the
equator, making the day and night exactly 12
hours long each. This happens twice a year, once
on March 20th and then again in autumn on
September 22nd, Bhoo explained.
So what, Bhoo? queried Alby, grumpily.
Boys, were going to Mexico! Its a tradition Ive
followed for the last five hundred years.
Minutes later, in Brainwave lab, they strapped
themselves in the time machine, tinkered with the
controls and tumbled through the time tunnel.
The three Smartys found themselves at the foot
of the majestic El Castillo, a step pyramid twenty
four meters high, with a temple on the top, in the

ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza.

Arby began exploring. Four sides, 91 steps
on each side. This makes 364 steps, he murmured,
jotting in his notebook.
And the temple on the top makes it 365, added a
deep voice.
One step for each day of the year! deduced Arby,
as he turned around looking for the source of the
voice.
An elderly Mayan man stood proudly behind
them. Welcome, my friends! I am Ah Kinchil. It
is wonderful to see you again, Bhoo. You did not
forget the day!
Thank you for having us. This time I brought my
little friends to watch the miracle of Kukulkan,
said Bhoo introducing the younger Smartys.
I welcome you all to see the magnificent descent
of Kukulkan, our serpent God, said Ah Kinchil with
pride in his eyes. But first, a grand feast awaits
you.

Artwork: Jeenal Patel

12

March 2015

Artwork: Jeenal Patel

Ah Kinchil was a Mayan high priest. Bhoo had

met him during one of her earlier visits while
unsuccessfully attempting to prevent the fall of
the Mayan kingdom. The Mayans had persisted on
expanding their kingdom, which forced them to
deforest the landsTM . The fall of the great Mayan
civilization soon followed.
While they were relishing the Mayan feast, Ah
Kinchil gave them more food for thought. This
year is special. When Kulkulkan descends from the
heavens, we will please him with human sacrifice
and pray for the rains that will end the drought.
Like us, gods need nourishment too, you see?
Bhoo nodded and looked across at the shocked
gaping faces of Alby and Arby.
When they were finally alone, Alby erupted.
Human sacrifice? Bhoo, where have you brought
us?
Lets leave now, Arby protested.
The Mayans are great people, in touch with the
powers of nature. The time that we come from can
learn a lot from them. Sadly, they are also very
superstitious, Bhoo explained.
More importantly, they are my good friends. So
lets just calm down and be civilised guests while
we are here. Ok?
Just then, Ah Kinchil entered the room and gave
them the sign to rise. Arby checked his watch; it
was few minutes past three noon.

They walked to the northern face of the El Castillo

and watched the serpents slow descent from the
top of the pyramid to the base, where the serpent
god Kukulcans head had been carved out. The
crowd cheered.
The serpent god is crawling down from the
temple! marvelled Ah Kinchil, evidently having a
mystical moment.
It was quite an experience, but the Smartys knew
it was no serpent. As they watched, it was clear
that the Sun casted a series of triangular shadows
on the giant steps of the pyramid, as it set.
Just before the ceremony of human sacrifice
began, Bhoo dragged them back to the time
machine. It was something they couldn't stomach.
When they were back at the lab, Bhoo tried to put
them at ease. Good way to spend the equinox,
wasnt it?
Whats the big deal about these days anyway?
questioned a thoughtful Alby.
Bhoo explained: Like the summer and winter
solstices, equinoxes mark the change of the
seasons, which in turn helps in planning for
crops and harvests.
I see, said Arby, So El Castillo is just a cleverly
constructed calendar!
Yes, but thats not what Ah Kinchil would say,
said Bhoo with a knowing smile.n
March 2015

13

AWESOME
STRUCTURES

Lesser Known Pyramids

by Aditya D Mallya

Giza isnt the only place

with mysterious pyramids.
Have you heard of the
one in Kazakhstan?
Or maybe youd be
interested in seeing
Germanys time pyramid.
The Great Pyramid, Cholula, Mexico

Louvre Pyramid, Paris, France

Crowd control

The hill that isnt

In 1984, it was found that the

entrance to Pariss Louvre Museum
was strained by the large crowd
visiting the famous building every
day. The museum is hugely popular
with tourists, mainly because of
the famous Mona Lisa painting. The
President of France commissioned
a fancy glass pyramid entrance to
impress thousands of visitors.

Its not entirely clear who built this

pyramid, though it is known that it
was built as a temple 2000 years
ago. In the 16th century, the Aztecs
buried the pyramid under mud to
hide it from Spanish invaders. Even
today, it looks like a hill from afar.

Time Pyramid, Wemding, Germany

A long way to go

Construction of the Time Pyramid

began in 1993 to celebrate the
1200th anniversary of the town
of Wemding in Germany. One
block will be laid every 10 years
for another 1200 years until the
pyramid is complete in 3183!
The Palace of Peace and
Reconciliation, Astana, Kazakhstan

One for all

Completed in 2006, this is a

meeting place for religious leaders.
It is multi-coloured and symbolises
the joining of many religions.

14

March 2015

The Bent Pyramid, Dahshur, Egypt

Find three other

pyramids apart from
those covered in this
issue.
Send in your answers to
brainwave@ack-media.com
The most unique answer wins
an exciting prize.

An ancient mistake?
A short distance away from its
famous cousins in Giza, the Bent
Pyramid was built almost 3000
years ago by the ancient king
Sneferu. It is bent because the
architect made the walls too steep,
and corrected his mistake half-way
through!n

www.facebook.com/brainwavemag

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www.bwmag.in

t
e
g
,
Now bang
more your
for ck!
bu

Visit our website for

more content every
month!
With this issue:

The Dancing Northern

Lights
The Instant Fan

THE END.

Visit www.bwmag.in/category/web-only-articles
March 2015

11
15

DO IT
YOURSELF

Twists & Turns with Dough atoms!

By Yumna Hari Singh

Any molecule, right from your DNA to water, has a specific geometric shape.
Sometimes spiral, sometimes bent, and sometimes even pyramidal

When you smash a diamond all the way

down, until its so small that if you smash it
any further, it will no longer be carbon that
last piece is called an atom. Of course, this is
not practically possible because atoms are so
small that special microscopes are needed to
even see them.
There are many different types of atoms.
Each type is called an element. The full list
of all the elements discovered or synthesised
in the world so far is put down in the Periodic
Table of Elements.
Everything in the world is made up of atoms,
even you. When these atoms bond together,
they form molecules.
These atoms may be bonded in a straight line
or they may be bent in various shapes and
geometries. This arrangement can affect its
colour, magnetism, biological activity, state
of matter, polarity and reactivity.

Heres an easy way to create some quick molecular

models using common household material.

You will need:

16

Some dough used to make

chapattis or tortillas
Raisins
Toothpicks
Protractor to measure angles

March 2015

Steps:
1.
2.
3.

Make some dough balls, the

size of marbles.
Leave them out overnight
so that they become hard.
Break the toothpicks in
half for easy use.

4.

Replicate the following

molecular geometries by
using the dough ball as the
central atom and the raisins
as the rest. You can also use
coloured balls of clay.

Shape : Linear
How to build : Link two raisins and a dough ball

Shape : Bent
How to build : Attach two raisins to the dough

Shape : Trigonal Planar

How to build : Keep the dough ball in the center

Shape : Trigonal Pyramidal

How to build : Attach three raisins to the dough

in a straight line (i.e. 180 o).

Example : Carbon dioxide (CO2)

and attach three raisins to it (each angle is about

120 o). This looks sort of like a ceiling fan.
Example : Boron Trifluoride (BF 3)

ball, at an obtuse (i.e. >90 o) angle.

Example : Water (H2O)

ball, each at an angle of around 107, so the dough

ball rests above the raisins, making a pyramid.
Example : Ammonia (NH3)

Shape : Tetrahedral
Shape : Octahedral
How to build : The dough ball is the central atom. How to build : Equally space out six raisins from
One raisin points upward and the other three are
equally spaced out on the bottom.
Example : Methane (CH4)

the dough ball at 90 angle. It should look like the

dough ball has been pierced by three toothpicks
going straight through it on three sides.
Example : Sulphur Hexaflouride (SF6)

Send pictures of your molecular models to brainwave@ack-media.com

You can use other materials like clay and gems, if you like.
Best pictures win exciting prizes.
March 2015

17

PULP
SCIENCE

Mohan MarvelL saves Neo Delhi

by Sunando C

An epidemic had struck NEO DELHI.

Thousands suffered from high fever, and
hospitals were filling beyond capacity.
Hover-ambulances were too few and too
busy to cope with growing demand.

An epidemic occurs when new cases of a

certain disease substantially exceed what is
expected.

Dr Mohan Marvell: The Super Scientist

had been in his lab for days now, trying to
come up with a cure.

After many tests, he concluded that

it was a viral airborne pathogen a
microorganism such as a virus, bacterium
or fungus that causes disease in its host
that had infected Neo Delhis citizens.
To combat this pathogen, Mohan Marvell
would have to create an antigen a
substance that evokes the production of
one or more antibodies.

18

March 2015

An antibody is a large Y-shaped protein

produced by a type of white blood cell
called a plasma cell. The production
of antibodies is the main function of
the immune system. Antigens enable
antibodies to identify and destroy
foreign objects such as bacteria and
viruses.

Finally, a cure developed!

Mohan Marvell flew high above Neo
Delhi. He pumped out large quantities
of this formula into the air to reach the
maximum number of people through
atmospheric dispersion!*

GET WELL SOON,

NEO DELHI!

END

* Atmospheric dispersion: The process of distributing particles over the atmosphere.

March 2015

19

LIFE
SCIENCE

Going to the Smartket

by Nandita Jayaraj

Remember, this is not just any market. Its a Smartket.

Dont even try getting what you dont need

Artwork: Jeenal Patel

Whoa! exclaimed Alby at the magnificent

structure before him.
Dr. Dodo, however, looked unfazed.
Jeez, boys. Its just grocery shopping. Not Disney
World!
Remember, this is not just a market. Its a Smartket.
Dont even try getting what you dont need added
Dr. Dodo, bidding them farewell.
The Smartket was a huge pyramid-shaped building.
This was Albys and Arbys first time shopping there,
and they were amazed.

20

March 2015

Hey, Dr. Dodo hasnt given us a check list! You know

what that means? asked Alby, with mischief in his
eyes. Im going to buy hundred bars of chocolate!
The two wasted no time and ran into the building.

LEVEL 1
Hello. I am Nutrina, your shopping guide. You are
now on floor 1, said a robotic voice at the entrance.
Huh? All I see are tanks of water, said a confused
Arby, looking around the extremely vast room.
Thats because water is the most important part of
your diet, said Nutrina.

Draw out a Food Pyramid based on what you ate in one entire day.
Dont cheat to make it perfect. Send us a picture of your drawing to brainwave@ack-media.com
Most honest pyramids win exciting prizes.

Water makes up more than half of your body weight

No blood No oxygen! Complete system failure
body loseS water as pee, poop and sweat
*
Arby and Alby asked Nutrina to set aside a tank of
water for Brainwave Lab and took the elevator to the
next level.

LEVEL 2
Level 2 was made entirely of glass. Sunlight streamed
through and shone on the plants and trees that grew
all around the room.
Look! Fruits and vegetables all around! shouted
Arby.

Bananas - potassium and full of fibre

Sprouts - vitamins and minerals, no fat

* Proteins - good for muscle and bone

Extra protein damages liver

The boys quickly took all they needed and rushed

out of the refrigerated floor.

LEVEL 5
The last level was a tiny room. And it was filled with
cakes and pastries, and chips and burgers. Arby
noticed a sign in front of them these foods can be addictive.
Increase chances of heart disease.
Make you overweight.
As long as you eat enough from our lower levels,
a little bit of Level 5 wont give you any trouble.
Do you still want hundred bars of chocolate, Alby?
No way! he replied. Ill settle for five.n

Imagine all the yummy fresh salads we can make,

said Alby as they climbed to the next level, along with
trolleys full of fruits and veggies.

LEVEL 3
This floor was about the same size and was populated
by heaps of grain, loaves of bread and pastas.
*

Carbs are made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

Processed carbs not healthy

LEVEL 4
Armed with packets of bread, pastas and rice,
the two moved on to level 4.

Artwork: Jeenal Patel

As soon as the elevator door opened, they were

greeted by a whiff of a fishy smell.
This floor is packed with protein, said Nutrina,
pointing to the rows of fish, meat and pulses.
This floor was much smaller than the ones below it.
Alby and Arby realised they were nearing the top of
the Smartket pyramid.
March 2015

21

Artwork by Parvati Pillai, Compiled by Aashima Dogra

Treasure Hunt!
You must be aware of the grind by now.

The Treasure Hunt leads you to the theme of the next

issue. Take your magnifying glass out and become the
adventurer. Follow the words or phrases marked in
purple and tagged with TH in this issue and use them
as your clues.

.........

Look closer and you will find enough clues to get you
cracking. What are you still waiting for? Get started
and finish fast, to better your chances of a win!
The top entry will win a special pack of cool ACKs
and Tinkles. Email your answers to
brainwave@ack-media.com with Treasure Hunt
as the subject.

Sci-Q Time
Finished reading the magazine?
Answer this quiz to win a mystery gift worth Rs. 500!
Email your answers as soon as possible to

brainwave@ack-media.com

On what days do equinoxes occur in a year?

1.
2.

Name the first pyramid that was ever built. When was it built?

Give two examples of molecules which have Trigonal Pyramidal and Tetrahedral
geometry
3.

How does your body react when a foreign particle enters it?
4.

24

March 2015

Who is the father of Trigonometry?

ASK US
WHY
Answered by Dr. Amol Dighe,
Professor of Physics at
TIFR, Mumbai

Q: Is time time travel possible???"

asks Utkarsh Shinde

ll of us, of course, time-travel forwards at the

rate of one second per second.

The Theory of Relativity* tells us that it is also

possible to time-travel forward at different rates. For
example, time dilation*, a consequence of the Theory
of Relativity (for particles that move almost with the
speed of light) or the fact that time slows down in
the presence of strong gravitational field, are real,
verified facts. Thus, continuous forward time-travel
is perfectly OK. (By continuous, I mean there should
be no gaps in the accounting of time.)
What is problematic is travelling backwards in time,
and this is what usually is meant by `time-travel' in
popular movies and books. This is not allowed by
laws of physics as we know them now, since these
laws have causality built into them.
Causality means that the cause happens before
the effect, and not vice versa. For example, a glass
breaks after it falls down, it does not fall down after
it breaks; the falling comes first. Thus, causality is
tightly woven into the arrow of time that points in
only one direction. All our millions of observations
everyday agree with this. There has not been a single

violation.
Does this mean backward time-travel is
'impossible'? Well, a single verified instance of
backward time travel will force us to change our
theories, but that looks extremely extremely unlikely.
Science fiction is full of backward time-travel.
Good sci-fi ensures that there is no logical
contradiction: nothing that will change the future
is disturbed. While I love these, what all of them
miss is that if something from future were to land
suddenly, the Law of Conservation of Energy* would
be violated. And we have not seen this yet.
The only way to get around this will be saying that all
the backward time-travel has been hidden by some
strange coincidence. And that is not a good excuse.
You might as well have an invisible unicorn in your
house.
So, backward time travel is the stuff of science
fiction; impossible according to all our observations
and laws of physics so far. But suppose laws of
physics have missed something? That's speculation
till we observe a single verified incident.n

"continuous forward time-travel is perfectly OK"

Have a burning science question? Email it to brainwave@ack-media.com with 'Ask Us Why' as the subject.
We will find real scientists to answer it for you. Best questions win exciting prizes and get answered in a future issue.
* Time dilation: Difference of elapsed time between two events for observers moving relative to each other.
* Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy can't be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.
* Theory of Relativity: Laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers.
March 2015

25

THE BASICS

26

Compiled by Nandita Jayaraj Artwork by Jeenal Patel

March 2015

Look around you and find out five objects that work on the principles of simple machines.
Send in your list to brainwave@ack-media.com to win exciting gifts.

March 2015

27

FAN
FICTION

A Dinosaur Encounter
Written by Soumya K, Class 7, New Delhi

am always mesmerized by dinosaurs, their

grand size, and the fact that they actually
existed on Earth. How I wish to travel to the
past just to see them!

Artwork: Jeenal Patel

For now, I
make do with
pouring over
my collection of
books on dinos.
On one of these
dino-obsessed
days, I realised
it was almost
midnight when
I finally put the
book down.

seen this creature before.

It was a Pterosaur!
Before I could comprehend what was happening,
I saw a huge dinosaur moving towards me.
He was coming
closer.
Then something
totally unexpected
happened. The
huge dinosaur
began talking to
the pterosaur, and
in English! Even
more bizarre was
the fact that his
voice resembled
my moms voice.

THUMP! came
a thunderous
noise.

I was perplexed.
Was my mother
inside the
dinosaur?
Or had she
converted into
one?

Wondering if I
was going crazy,
I stood up and
looked around.
THUMP! It was
louder this time.
Whos there? I called out. No one responded.
I gathered all my courage and rushed to my
parents room. My heart sunk when I realised
they were missing.
Whoosh!
I ducked down as a strange looking bird flew
over my head. Wait a minuteI knew...I had

Mom... I called out, tentatively.

Get up! the dinosaur screamed back. It was then
that I opened my eyes and saw my mom standing
over me.
It was all a dream. How disappointing! But wait,
where did that huge paw engraved on my wall
come from?
"What's happening!" I wondered.n

Ever find the real world just not exciting enough?

Invent your own universe with time machines, clones, nuclear reactors or whatever you want, and email your
original sci-fi story in 200 words to brainwave@ack-media.com (with 'Fan Fiction' as the subject of your email).
The best ones will be published in upcoming Brainwave issues and win fun prizes!

28

March 2015

2015 - 20 1 6

Applications Open!

The Perks

Write fifty words on why you

love Brainwave.
In hundred words, explain why
you want to be on the Student
Board.

BW Student Board will work

with the Editorial team on
each issue. They will be invited
to BW offices to be part of
backstage action and be the
first to test BW's Virtual Lab,
Apps and Boardgames.

Send us pictures of yourself

with your collection of
Brainwave Magazines or Posters.
Include Age, Address, School
name, Email and Phone Number

They get free access to all

products, Certificates and a
honorarium of 2500 Rupees.

The August issue will carry an official announcement with

the selected member's names and photos.
March 2015

29

REAL
LIFE

Great
Triangular
The

by Srinath Perur

Escapade

What trigonometry has to do with measuring

the Mount Everest...

ts hard enough drawing

triangles on paper in geometry
class, but imagine tracing
them across the length of India.
And as a result, figuring out the
height of Mount Everest for the
first time! That was exactly what
the Great Trigonometrical Survey
of India accomplished in the first
half of the 19th century.
It all began when British surveyor,
William Lambton, proposed a
scientific project to study the
shape of the planet. Back then, it
was known that Earth was more
curved at the equator than at the
poles, but no one really knew by
how much.

you find the exact distances from

A and B to C. This method is called
triangulation. The newly calculated
distance can become the base of
the next triangle, and so on, letting
you build a chain of triangles.

thermometers to account for

the effect of temperature on the
chains length. It was critical for
the baseline to be accurate or any
further calculations would be off
the mark.

And so the Great Trigonometrical

Survey kicked off from Madras in
1802 its latitude and longitude
had been plotted through
astronomical observations.

Starting from this 12km baseline,

Lambton and his team proceeded
to construct triangles across
southern India, connecting the
coasts on the east and west.
Eventually, the survey planned
to cover the length of India, from
Kanyakumari to the Himalayas.

The first distance the team

measured was a 12km stretch
from St. Thomas Mount to
Perumbakkam Hill. A 100-foot long
chain was used as the measuring
instrument. The group even carried

While the method used was simple

in theory, in practice, there were
complications. Apart from needing

The idea was simple enough. Say

you know the distance from place
A to place B. If you can measure
the angles from A and B to another
place C, then trigonometry* will let
* Latitude: Imaginary lines for reference, extending around Earth parallel to the equator. Each point in the line has its specific number.

* Longitude: Just like latitudes, except these are perpendicular to the equator. They measure how north or south a place is, on the globe.

30

March 2015

Artwork: Anuranjini Singh

It was thought that measuring the

distance covered by one degree of
latitude* at various places, would
give a better idea of the Earths
shape. This project soon turned
into the Great Trigonometrical
Survey meant to find the exact
latitude and longitude* of places
in India and the distances between
them.

to be precise in their calculations,

the surveyors also had to take
into account Earths curved
shape. This meant doing some
complex calculations. (Remember,
calculators and computers hadnt
been invented then.)
To measure angles, the team used
an instrument called a theodolite.
The half-ton (about 450kg!)
device had to be lugged to the
top of houses, hills or towers, so
that a bigger view could be had.
The theodolite alone required a
dozen men to carry it. Once, as
the theodolite was being hoisted
up the gopuram of the Thanjavur
temple, it crashed and got
damaged.
The survey team resembled
an army at times, with horses,
elephants, camels and hundreds
of men. They often had to trek
through jungles, encountering
snakes, scorpions and tigers.
Sometimes kings would not give
permission to the surveyors and
had to be pleaded with. In some
areas, the local people felt insulted
because they appeared upside-

down when seen through the

theodolite!
Kilometres of measurements
had to be repeated when errors
were discovered. When visibility
was poor, surveys were carried
out at night using powerful
lanterns. Many men died along
the way, from malaria and other
illnesses. Lambton himself died
in Maharashtra in 1823 and his
assistant George Everest took over.
By the time Everest retired in
1843, the survey had triangulated
2400km from south to north,
from Kanyakumari to Nepal.
The triangulation had been
extraordinarily accurate, off by less
than an inch per mile.
Everests successor, Andrew
Waugh, took the survey into
the Himalayas. Till then, it was
thought that the Andes in South
America was the highest mountain
range in the world. The survey
established that this title went to
the Himalayas instead.

of a mountain, known as Peak XV,

to be 29,002ft. He named it after
his predecessor. Waughs chain
measurements and handwritten
calculations were not all that far
off. Mount Everest, the highest
peak in the world, is now measured
at 29,029ft. n

That's right!

The Mount Everest

is named after the
Surveyor-General
of British India.

What are five other

applications of
triangulation?
Research and find out.
Send your list to
brainwave@ack-media.com
Best answers win exciting
prizes.

In 1856, Waugh found the height

* Trigonometry: The branch of mathematics involving lengths and angles of triangles and relationships between them.

March 2015

31

TERRIFIC
TANGRAMS

TOY
BOX

he tangram is an ancient Chinese game that became massively fashionable in Europe and
America between the early 19th and 20th centuries. Its popularity has since consumed the
rest of the world too. The tangram consists of a set of seven flat pieces that can be moved
around to form thousands of interesting shapes. In this months Toybox, we teach you how to make
and play with your own set.

You will need: an 8x8 inch square of thick

card paper, a pair of scissors, a ruler, a pencil, and a

protractor to check if your angles are correct.

isosceles
right-angled
triangle

square

rhomboid

If the four corners of your square card paper are

points a, e, j and b (refer to diagram below):

a
i
g

f
j

will call g.
4. Draw a line from point c to the centre of line a-g
(point i).
5. Finally, draw a line from point f to the centre of
line g-b (point h).
Now use your scissors to cut along the lines you
have drawn.

Model: Aparna Kapur

32

1. Draw a line from point a

to point b.
e 2. Draw a line from the
centre of line a-j (point c)
to the centre of line j-b
(point d).
3. Draw a line from point
e to the centre of line c-d
(point f). This line will also
cut through line a-b and
b create a new point that we

March 2015

A tan man
riding a
tan horse

You now have yourself seven pieces of the

tangram puzzle. If you like, you can laminate each
of these pieces to make them last longer.
See if you can recreate the shapes given below
using your tangram. (Remember, you must use all
seven pieces, and you may only place them side
by side: they cannot overlap.) Have fun! n

Five of the seven pieces in the tangram are isosceles right

triangles (can you spot them?). That means two sides are
equal, and one angle is 90. The side opposite the right
angle the longest side of the isosceles right triangle
is called its hypotenuse.

NUMBER THEORY
x
45

The remaining two sides of these triangles are of equal

length.

45

x/2

The ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras first wrote

about how the lengths of the sides of a right-angled
triangle work together. If, for example, a is the length
of the hypotenuse, and the other two sides are b and c
in length, then: a x a = (b x b) + (c x c). Remember, in an
isosceles right triangle, sides b and c are of same length.

y/

y
x

90

45

x/2
90+45=
135

90

x/2

135

In the tangram diagram on the left, if the length of the

hypotenuse (side x) were 64cm, how would you use
the formula to calculate the length of side y? (Hint: You
will end up with an irrational number - a number with a
fraction or a decimal point in it - because isosceles right
triangles can never have sides with integer values like 1,
2, 3, etc..)
The perfect square that can be made from the seven
pieces of a tangram shows how precise and beautiful the
relationships between basic geometric shapes can be.
March 2015

19
33

sOLUTIONS
AND WINNERS
Puzzle Book Solution (January 2015)
Past:
Clay Pot, Hieroglyphics
Present:
Pressure Cooker, Cell Phone, Sneaker, Tablet, Air
Plane, 3D Printer
Future:
Hover shoes, Rolled Up TV, Teleportation

Here are the winners of the contests in the

January 2015 issue. Congratulations! We are
sending you some gifts to celebrate.
Sci-Q: Tanmay Gupta
Golden Gizmo: Roshini Kalliath, 12 years, Mumbai
Toon Talk: Ritvik Upadhyay, Bengaluru
Treasure Hunt: Pragun Padukoli, Class 4,
Bengaluru
Puzzle Book: Basavesh, 9 years, Bidar, Karnataka
Fan Fiction: Soumya K, Class 7, Delhi
Ask Us Why: G Sumita, 10 years, Hyderabad

Letters from
Readers
Hi Brainwave
I am Vitthal Rao, a student studying currently in class
6th. It has been about one and a half years since I started
reading Brainwave. I felt like giving a small suggestion
to your team - why not publish an e-mag! This would
certainly help as it would save paper. Also, children can
read it on the go. As the use of internet broadband is
growing in towns and villages, it is a very useful way to
publish magazines. On the other hand, your team can
keep publishing the hard copy of the magazine as it is a
totally different experience, right? Hope it will help.
Srinivas Vitthal Rao
Dear Srinivas,
You read our mind! We are working on exactly that.
We are brewing ideas for a Brainwave Digital Magazine
where the toons can move about and bounce all over the
pages. You could watch videos and play games inside the
magazine. That will be so cool! We will continue to have
the print version too, of course.
Exciting times ahead!
Team Brainwave

34

March 2015

Hello Sir,
My burning question is - why does it happen that the
Moon seems to follow us when we walk at night? Also, I
want to suggest to you that you should include famous
scientists' short biographies and their inspirational quotes
with every issue of Brainwave. By the way, Brainwave is
the best magazine I have ever read! It inspires little minds
to explore and feel the real importance of science in their
everyday routine.
Thank you.
Sarthak Srivastava, Bal Bahavan Public School
Dear Sarthak,
More than half of us here at Brainwave are ladies, so you
can simply address us as Dear Brainwave. About the
insistent Moon: it is so far away that the relative angle
between you and the Moon remains the same when you
walk away. If you walked really fast to really far distances,
things would be different. Thanks for the compliment and
suggestion, we are so happy you like it. You will soon see
famous scientists talking in Brainwave. Keep reading.
Team Brainwave

GRAPHIC
NOVEL

Season 2 Episode 3

by Cobus Prinsloo
Seal the
entrance
downstairs. The
raiders are back!

After a total energy

collapse in New York,
the Time Gliders are
staying to help the
remaining inhabitants.
But now there is a new
threat from gangsters
and looters...

Is there no police
left in the city?
Sadly, the police
department was
overwhelmed by looting
mobs after the energy and
comms breakdown.

The officers not killed by the

mobs fled with the city councillors
hopefully to get help. Were
waiting for the army.
But, I guess they have
their hands full trying to
establish law and order in
other areas.

Visual confirmed, sir.

Quasar...those
are hostiles, and
they are indeed on
their way to us. I
will uplink my visor
imagery to your
HUD to see what
I see.
We may need
your help.
Ross, we know
youre all in there!

You know that sharing is caring!

This time you're

hopelessly outnumbered
and outgunned. I give you
ten minutes to bring us
our dues, or well come in
blasting our way through.

March 2015

35

We did! Look, were utilizing an old,

reliable energy source for transport
again - like in the old days. The only fuel
it uses is grass and water.

Listen guys
if you come back
tomorrow, therell be
plenty for everyone.

You know theres

not enough for
everybody. Make a plan
like we did.

Were
expecting a
relief effort.
Teeheehee! Hahaha!

I wasnt born yesterday,

fool! Whats with that Hubble
space telescope in your eye,
anyway, old man?

Ive never been so

insulted in my life...

I may be
cool. I may
even be a
pirate...

Holy...!

But I
didnt think
this would work
anyway.

Hmm ... now

theres a cool babe
for a pirate.

36

March 2015

...but Im not a...

...babe!!

Deon, are you ok?

Phew!
Correction...shes a
hot babe!
Argh...I think she
should have rather
shot you!

I should
have my gun
back, Lerato!
Were
coming in to
smoke you out
of your nests
now!

Hold it, mister! A

trigger-happy mouth
indicates a triggerhappy finger!

Three minutes
and counting!

Quasar initiate
protocol 911. You know
the situation.

Soon...

You are hopelessly and utterly

outgunned. Go back to where
you came from!

What is
that noise?
What the...?

March 2015

37

Whatever
you are, you
wont stand in
our way.
Heres
a warm
reception
for you!

Armor piercing
ammo and grenade
launchers... fire!

Soon they realize that their own

deflected ammo becomes a hazard.
Its got
some kind
of deflector
capability!

This is your final

warning: remove
yourselves or be
removed.

We may just as
well be shooting at
ourselves!

Lets get
outta here!

Well be back
another day.

Now theres a spectacle you dont see

everyday - a space craft chasing cowboys!

38

March 2015

To be continued...

Rule 8, Form IV of the Registration of Newspapers (Central) Rules,

1956 Statement about ownership and other particulars of Brainwave (English)

Place of Publication :
Sumer Plaza,2nd Floor,
Marol Maroshi Road,
Marol, Andheri (East)
Mumbai 400059
Periodicity of its Publication :
Monthly
Printer & Publishers Name :
Mr. Vijay Sampath
Nationality : Indian
(a) Whether a citizen of India? Yes
(b) If a foreigner, country of origin : N.A.
Address :
3rd Floor, Krishna House, Raghuvanshi Mills
Compound, Lower Parel (West),
Mumbai - 400013
Editor's Name :
Ms. Aashima Dogra
Nationality : Indian
(a) Whether a citizen of India? Yes
(b) If a foreigner, country of origin : N.A.
Address :
No:828, 2nd floor, 10th 'A' main,
HAL 1st stage, Indiranagar
Bangalore-560038
Date: March 1, 2015

Names and addresses of individuals who own

the newspaper and partners or shareholders
holding more than one per cent of the total
capital.
1. Future Consumer Enterprise Limited:
Knowledge House, Shyam Nagar, Off.
Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road, Jogeshwari
(East), Mumbai 400060.
2.Tusk Investments 1 Limited: 5th Floor, Ebene
Esplanade, 24 Cybercity, Ebene, Mauritius.
3. Elephant India Finance Private Limited:
C-60, 1st Floor, South Extension,
Part-I New Delhi - 110049
4. Windy Investments Private Limited: 4th
Floor, Punjabi Bhawan, 10, Rouse Avenue, New
Delhi - 110002

I, Vijay Sampath, hereby declare that

the particulars given above are true to the
best of my knowledge and belief.

Signatureof publisher

March 2015

39

PLANET
NINJA

Lets get ecological

by Radha HS

Let's try fitting all living things into Ecological Pyramids.

In a jungle, we can see a lot of plants, some plant-eating-animals like deer, rabbits,
and fewer meat-eating-animals like tigers and wolves. Have you ever wondered why?

Plants, the producers, get their energy

from sunlight. Plant-eating herbivores
are the level-1 consumers. They have
to gobble up many plants to get energy.
Meat-eating carnivores stand at the
top of this food chain. These level-2
consumers e at approximately one
deer a week.

Artwork: Kaveri Gopalakrishnan

Every feeding level is a trophic

level and the whole structure
is called an ecological
pyramid. There are many ways
to arrange these pyramids.

We could try arranging the Pyramid putting in the

number of organisms in each level. If we build the
pyramid based on the population of each trophic
level - we get a number pyramid.
But the number pyramid can have exceptions.
For example, one large tree, which is a
producer, has thousands of insects
feeding on it.

40

March 2015

Suppose we dry the tree, weigh it, and use this weight
to base our pyramid on, we get a biomass pyramid.
The biomass of a tree, a producer, would be more
than the biomass of the insects, giving us a true
pyramid. But even a biomass pyramid has exceptions.

EXCEPTION

Think about an aquatic ecosystem.

Naturally, the biomass of the
microscopic phytoplankton (producer
of the aquatic world) is less than the
zooplankton (herbivore
of the aquatic world) and fish
(carnivore of the aquatic world),
giving us an inverted pyramid.

Can we come up with a better representation

?!

'YEs, we Can!'
Food is consumed to get energy.
Plants use a fraction of sunlight that
reaches the earth, a part of that
energy is also wasted on respiration.
Herbivores that eat plants, lose some
more energy by way of waste and heat.
There is an energy loss at every
trophic level. Pyramids which
show energy flows between
trophic levels, are energy
pyramids. These hold good
for the plants-deer-tiger,
tree and the aquatic
ecosystems too.

March 2015

41

Give your child a Brainwave...

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March 2015

Visit: amarchitrakatha.com or bwmag.in

Email: brainwave@ack-media.com
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Staff
Room

Designed with expert advice from Brainwave Advisor,

Ms. Maya Menon, Director of the Teacher Foundation.

By Mahak Katyal

This is our THIRD guide for TeAchers and parents.

Welcome!

Teachers, parents or study groups can use the following lesson plan in the Physics and Biology classrooms.
You will need at least one copy of this issue of Brainwave handy during the session.
Introduce these to your students - Ecology and Simple Machines

PART 1 -Physics classroom

PART 2

Lesson Beginning

Lesson Beginning

Ask students to identify some simple

machines around them.
Discuss with them how these machines
make work easier for us.
Tell students that machines have been
used for work since ancient times.

Lesson Middle

Distribute article The Basics on page 26

for class reading
Introduce each simple machine that was
used to build the Giza Pyramid.
Demonstrate pulleys and wheels to
show how the Pyramids could have
been constructed faster if these simple
machines had been invented then.

Lesson End

Divide the class into groups and task each

group to make working models of each
simple machine covered in The Basics
article. Invite each group to take turns
to present the mechanics behind their
machines.

Biology classroom

Distribute Planet Ninja article on page 40

for class reading.
Divide the class into groups and have
timer based competition to solve Puzzle
Book on back cover.

Lesson Middle

Ask students to write down on a piece

of paper, the name of a animal character
form their favourite book or movie. For
example: Bagheera from Jungle Book
Fold the pieces of paper, jumble them
up and distribute one to each student.
Each of them now has to read out his/
her animal out loud and identify it as a
omnivore/carnivore/herbivore.
According to their answers arrange the
class in several 'food chains'. Some of the
students can be 'Producers'.

Lesson End

Discuss the different kinds of ecological

pyramids - number, biomass and energy.
Which is best?

LeARNING OBJECTIVES

Geometry, Angles and Triangles in articles Real Life on Page 30 and Toybox on Page 32
Atoms Make Elements and Molecular Structure in DIY article on Page 16
Food Pyramid in article Life Science on Page 20

March 2015

43

Registered with Registrar of Newspapers under RNI No. MAHENG/2012/42382.

Published on the 15th of every previous month.
Postal Registration No. MCN/279/2015-2017.
Posted at Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai 400 001.
Posting date: 21st & 22nd of every previous month.

Puzzle Book

By Radha HS, Artwork - Kaveri Gopalakrishnan

Hint: Algae
CARNIVORE

Hint: Zooplankton

HERBIVORE

PRODUCER

Solve the ecological pyramid crossword by identifying the animals roaming around the page.
Send in your answers to brainwave@ack-media.com to get a cool prize.

44

March 2015

TOY
BOX

The Instant Fan

To make the instant fan, you will need:

by Arvind Gupta
(www.arvindguptatoys.com)

A pencil with an eraser at the base

A knife or cutter
A thumb pin
An empty refill of a ballpoint pen
A piece of chart paper (5x1.5 cm)

Method
1. Using a knife, cut five or six

notches into a pencil at regular

distances from each other.

2. Fix the piece of chart paper on

the eraser at the end of the
pencil with a pin.

3. Now drag an empty refill along

the pencil notches repeatedly.

What do you notice?

The flap of paper at the end of the

pencil starts to rotate like a fan! n

How does this happen?

Artwork: Adarsh Achari

The exact mechanism that

makes the paper flutter is
pretty complex, and several
researchers have tried to figure
it out. Quite simply put, the fan
rotates because of vibrations
caused in the pencil.

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HERE'S
HOW

T he Dancing Northern
Lights
by Sujata C

Natures very own light show plays out near the

poles of the Earth. Every now and then, the night
sky near the Arctic and the Antarctic regions erupts
in a dazzling display of dancing lights in colours
ranging from golden, green and blue to purple
and red. Appearing splendid and eerie all at once,
the scientific term for this natural light display is
aurora a name put forth by a 17th century French
scientist named Pierre Gassendi.
These lights are known as the Northern Lights or the
Aurora Borealis around the North Pole, and can be
seen across Greenland, Norway, Canada and Alaska.
In the Southern Hemisphere, these lights are called
the Aurora Australis or the Southern Lights and are
visible in Antarctica, Australasia and South America.

The science of auroras

the equinoxes, i.e. on March 20 and September 22,

auroras occur when solar particles and atmospheric
particles run into each other. Solar flares taking place
on the surface of the Sun result in the forceful emission

Aurora Myths

Auroras appear like abstract light paintings

in the sky and people have interpreted
them in many ways:
Natives of Scotland used auroras to predict
weather. If the lights moved quickly,
unsettling weather was expected. But if
the lights moved slowly and gracefully,
favourable weather was predicted.
For the Fox Indian tribes, the lights are
a bad omen, but in parts of Canada and
Siberia, the aurora is a good sign.

Solar Particles

Aurora

Atmospheric
Particles

Auroras form near the poles due to the concentration

of the magnetic field in these parts. They can be seen
during the night and up until dawn. Common around

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March 2015

of solar particles. These particles travel towards

the Earth at a speed of millions of kilometres per
hour. When they collide with particles in the Earths
atmosphere, light is produced.
The magnetic and electric forces interact in shifting
combinations, giving the impression of dancing lights,
while the colour of the lights depends on the altitude
at which the collision takes place. High sunspot activity
is likely to create favourable conditions for auroras in
the year 2011-12. Auroras are not exclusive to Earth
alone and can be seen on other planets as well. n

CUTTING
EDGE

Tomb Raider meets iRobot

by Sahana Shankar

The insides of many ancient pyramids are still unexplored.

If not for our robotic friends, these secrets may be lost forever.
Vincent, an archaeologist, saw his son Dan crying in
his tent. Dad, I lost my precious ring while hiking in
the woods and its too dark to go looking for it now!
Vincent smiled. Is that it, Dan? Well, youve come to
the right person. This is exactly what I do at work all
day.
Seeing his son look puzzled, Vincent explained, "You
know Dan, I often go into the dark recesses of history
to find things left behind thousands of years ago."
How, dad?
"We use a robot fitted with a camera and a
mechanical arm to explore the insides of a Pyramid
and the tombs beneath. Though the tunnels inside
most pyramids are narrow, these robots can make
their way in.

Image Credit: The Djedi Team/Dassault Systmes

The Djedi Project, in 2012, was one such mission to

explore the Great Pyramid of Giza. It used a robot

with a pinhole camera and LED lights. It could drill
through closed doors to help understand the pyramid
design. It sent back images of the walls decorated
with ancient art. It also helped us get a detailed
layout of the architectural wonder and even figure out
what construction materials were used.
In 2014, Mexican scientists used Tlaloc, a robot
named after the Aztec rain god, to check the terrain
underneath the Sun Temple. It had a camera on tracks
and a mechanical arm to navigate through obstacles,
and discovered images of undiscovered rooms. It
helped discover an ancient civilization. Scientists are
working on improving the designs of these robots
with better lighting and lesser damage to the precious
tunnels.
Hearing this, Dan got an idea. He brought out his
remote-controlled car, fitted it with a torch light and
tiny camera. Atta boy! said Vincent.n

Robot exploring the Queens Chamber

and its mysterious shafts.

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