Brain Teaser Challenge - October*

by Butch Shadwell

Once upon a time there lived a great green ogre in the woods at the end of the dale. From birth the children of the village were told stories of this horrible creature and what happens to those who venture too close. Because everyone in the village had been so indoctrinated from birth, no one still living in the village had been into the woods to see if the ogre was still there. The stories that had been passed down made such a journey unthinkable.
One day the people of the village were threatened with destruction as the sun was getting cooler and the winter was colder than any they could recall in over a hundred years. To get fuel to heat their homes folks had to chop trees closer and closer to the dreaded ogre’s lair. One day the inevitable confrontation occurred. As one woodcutter ventured further into the woods than anyone had before he came upon a small house. The woodcutter screwed up his courage and knocked on the door. To his relief, it was not an ogre who answered, but an average built older man with circular spectacles. Upon entering the home the woodcutter was amazed how comfortable the temperature felt, and at the array of unusual gadgets about the room.
It turns out that this wood was home to an engineer. The rumors of an ogre were started over the fact that many of the village people were afraid of math and science. It was difficult and better kept at a distance. After hearing of the village’s problems with the weather, the engineer decided to help. He told them about insulation and how to store heat in water during the day so they could use it at night. If a villager was able to heat 10000 liters of water during the day using his solar panels to a temperature of 60 degrees C, how many BTUs would be released as heat as the water cooled to 20 degrees C? It’s funny sometimes how things we fear can be worth getting to know better.
Reply to Butch Shadwell at b.shadwell@ieee.org (email)
904-223-4510 (fax)
904-223-4465 (v)
3308 Queen Palm Dr.
Jacksonville, FL 32250-2328.
www.shadtechserv.com

The names of correct respondents may be mentioned in the solution column.

* We seemed to have gotten behind on the challenges and answers. As of November, the October edition was the last one that Butch had sent out. Figure that one out:) - Webmaster.

September Minutes

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Brain Teaser Challenge - September*

by Butch Shadwell

Certain times of year you can see many small meteors falling to earth, streaking to the surface from somewhere out in space. There is a theory that in fact life on this planet may have been seeded through DNA from space. The first microbes would have been based on these biological codes and then more complicated organisms evolved as different genes were expressed.
The thing about DNA is that most of it is not used in the life span of most organisms. Different genes only express themselves in the physiology of the organism when they are activated by chemicals in the vicinity. Your genome may include genes for a hairy body and arms that reach your knees, but these do not express themselves in most of us (rotten luck Fred).
Electrophoresis is a technology developed many years ago to sort protein molecules based on their mass. It involves straightening and coating each molecule with a negatively charged chemical, then placing the samples into a gel. Then an electric field is applied. The smaller molecules are more mobile in the viscous gel and so migrate more quickly toward the positive electrode. The result is that you get bands made up of molecules of the same mass at various distances from the starting point.
Your chemistry question today is: what does it mean if some of these molecules are isomers?
Reply to Butch Shadwell at b.shadwell@ieee.org (email)
904-223-4510 (fax)
904-223-4465 (v)
3308 Queen Palm Dr.
Jacksonville, FL 32250-2328.
www.shadtechserv.com

The names of correct respondents may be mentioned in the solution column.

* We seemed to have gotten behind on the challenges and answers, so here is the last few. As of October, the September edition was the last one that Butch had sent out. Figure that one out:) - Webmaster.