Contempary Science Research





Since we were first introduced to the bunsen burner in term 1, I was actually wondering how hot was the flame of the bunsen burner, since the bunsen burner took quite long to boil a beaker of tap water. Was it 500 degrees celsius? Or was it a little more? I made a rough guess that the temperature is around there. I decided to do a mini-research on the temperatures of different types of flame that we see in our daily life.But after doing my research, I found out that my estimate was way out.
     Bunsen burner->
                      Matchstick flame->
                         
 Stove flame->


Fluorescent Light->


Incandescent Light->

Electrical Spark->

Lightning->

Candle Flame->
Butane Flame->

Propane flame->
Above is the flames that I have research on about
Basically this is a rough guide that I made after researching for a while

Fluorescent light- 65-85(degrees Celsius)
Incandescent light-100-280(degrees Celsius)
Stove flame-450-550(degrees Celsius)
Match flame-550-770(degrees Celsius)
Candle flame-685-1250(degrees Celsius)
Electrical spark-1300-1400(degrees Celsius)
Bunsen burner-1500-1625(degrees Celsius)
Butane flame/propane flame-1900-2055(degrees Celsius)
Lightning-<30000(degrees Celsius)

Conclusion
The bunsen burner is actually very hot although it seems very small. One reason why it took so long to boil a beaker of water might be because the beaker is not a good conductor of heat. If burnt by the bunsen burner for more than 15 seconds, you might even get a 3rd degree burn! Imagine getting burn by hot water(around 80 degrees Celsius) and you are already bawling in pain, what about 1600(degrees Celsius)?? Therefore no matter what you do, DO NOT GET BURNED BY THE BUNSEN BURNER!

Term 2
For term 2, we were doing measurements. But then, we only focused on the measurements of length and mass, and not other types of measurement. Furthermore, I was rather interested in the measurements of light. I found out that many people used lux to measure how much light something emit, therefore I decided to do a research on lux.

Firstly, lux is not the SI unit for light, it is actually cd=candela. But then, many people use lux instead of cd to measure the intensity of light. It is like how many people use celsius to measure temperature instead of kelvin, which is the SI unit for temperature. In actual fact lux is the measurement for illuminance.

Overcast Sky- 0.0001 lux
Full moon on a clear night-0.3lux
Family living room-50 lux
Hallway-80 lux
Office lighting-320-500 lux
Sunrise on clear day-400 lux
Table lamp-1200-1300 lux
Tv studio lighting-1000 lux
Under tree with full daylight--600-700 lux
Full daylight-10000-250000 lux(depending on how much clouds)
Direct sunlight-32000-120000 lux


Conclusion
There is actually a difference between illuminance and light intensity. Illuminance is a measure of how much luminous flux is spread over a given area while light intensity is how much light is shone on an area. It sounds the same but actually is different. That is why both need different units to measure it.


Term 3
I came across an article on the web a few weeks ago. It was talking about genetically modified food, whether it is good or bad. Suddenly, I realised that many of my favourite food were actually sort of genetically modified eg. Cheese,Yakult etc. Cheese is definitely one of my top favourite food, whether in noodles, bread, snacks etc., I would have it. Therefore I was rather curious what was actually inside cheese. Based on prior knowledge, I knew that cheese was definitely made up of milk. But then there had to be some sort of modification that made the cheese a little sour and have a unique taste too! Below are some pics of tantalising cheese and my mini-research on it!

Firstly, milk has to go through 3 elaborate process before forming cheese, which is 

Curdling-> It is the first step of making cheese from milk. The milk would be acidified by adding some acid(vinegar,bacteria etc.). This is done to separate milk into solid curds and liquid whey.  The bacteria converts milk sugar into lactic acid. After this process is complete, the cheese has set into a very moist gel.

Curd processing->In this process, the cheese will be made into its targeted texture and flavour. The cheese would probably be heated at a temperature of around 37.8-54.6(degrees celsius) to harden the cheese.Some cheese(Mozzarella,Provolone), would be stretched and kneaded in hot water, making it more spongy. Other cheese like cheddar cheese would be mixed for a long time to remove sharp edges to create its final texture.At the end of this process, the cheese would be quite rubbery and hard, although it would be quite bland in flavour.

Ripening-> This is the last process, and probably the longest one. It is when cheese is left to rest under controlled conditions. As it "rest", the enzymes transforms its texture and intensifies its flavour. Some cheese requires years to finish this process.


Conclusion
After researching on cheese, I found out that it is indeed a genetically modified food, where it requires bacteria to make it. The truth is, after reading on how the bacteria remains on the cheese even as we eat it, it really scares me. I doubt cheese will ever be my favourite food again...