Scientific Tips | a guide to the discoveries in Flying Over the Storm
Introduction to ideas
Reading is a gradual process from quantitative change to qualitative change. The same book, read by different people, have different perceptions. Even if the same book, the same person, different periods of reading, the feeling is not the same.
"Flying Over the Storm" is not only a coming-of-age novel, but also an adventure novel, but also an exploration novel. So, in addition to Larousse's mention in the book, "Why is there a sea?" "Why does the wind blow?" "What secrets are hidden in the hearts of seagulls?" "Are there any other secrets in the book besides the questions?" What are the other secrets?
A group of children read a book together, from different perspectives, looking for different secrets.
The secret of light sources and shadows
When Larousse knew that the blackbird, who had always followed him and was inseparable from himself, was his own shadow, he began to observe it carefully.
p12: He found that sometimes the shadow was beneath him, sometimes on the left or right, and sometimes he would run in front of it, as if to run away, and provoke him to catch it. So Larouss tried to catch up with it, but the faster he flew, the faster Shadow ran, and he could never catch up.
So why can't Larousse catch up with the shadows? What does this have to do with? How is the shadow formed? What did humans make based on this principle?
The children came to the following conclusions by experimenting with their hands and searching the Internet for relevant information.
Yang Zi'an: In the process of light propagation, when encountering opaque objects, behind the backlight surface, a dark area without light reaching is formed, becoming the shadow of an opaque object. For example, if the sun is in the east, the shadow will be in the west of the object. The sun is in the south, and the shadow is definitely in the north of the object. By analogy, the shadow is on the opposite side of the light source.
The secret of the owl
P21: Seagulls have no owl eyes, they are blind in the dark.
As we all know, owls are nocturnal animals. Owls can move at night, mainly relying on those bright eyes. So, what's the secret of an owl's eye? What did humanity invent based on its secrets?
Children searched for relevant books or on the Internet and found a basis.
Peng Xixuan: On the retina of the owl's eye, there are extremely rich columnar cells. Columnar cells can sense light signals from the outside world, so the owl's eyes should be able to detect very faint light. Therefore, people invented telescopes through the characteristics of owls.
Yang Qihe: Owls are nocturnal animals that can see things in the dark. Once it has determined the orientation of its prey, it quickly strikes. People invented night vision goggles based on the specific function of owl night vision.
Meng Xichang: Owls can fly, can see things at night, can catch mice and small animals, and their heads and eyes are fixed in the orbits and cannot move. Fluffy color blindness of feathers. The ancient Greeks revered the owl as a symbol of Athena and wisdom. According to its characteristics, human beings have developed telescopes and night vision goggles.
The Secret of the Bat
In order to develop owl-like eyes, Larouss chose to practice the skill of flying in the dark in the abandoned mine tunnel. That's how it's described in the book.
p24: "He stopped again to listen carefully, and a creak came from somewhere. ”
"The thing in front of him began to blur, and then there was a creak in his ear again."
Why, in the dark, first hear the cries of bats, and then see their figures? What secrets are hidden in bats? What did humans invent out of this?
Children continue to look for relevant books or look for information online.
Peng Xixuan: Because bats use echo localization, they find prey. So people used this skill to make radar.
Yang Qihe: Bats use ultrasonic waves to navigate at night, and their throats emit high-frequency sound waves that exceed what the human ear can hear, and this sound wave travels along a straight line and quickly returns as soon as it touches an object. They received this returning ultrasound with their ears, allowing them to quickly make accurate judgments and guide them to fly.
Meng Xichang: The echo positioning of bats is very sensitive. Rely on sonar to identify locations. Callback positioning is achieved by making sounds through wings. Ability to quickly change the shape of the ear. to apply different sensing tasks. Positioning with ultrasonic waves. Radar was invented based on bat echolocation. Conduct radio positioning and ranging devices.
Peng Jiameng: Bats are the only mammals that have evolved to truly fly. Most of them also have a keen auditory orientation (or echolocation) system. Their size varies greatly, and their nocturnal habits make them more conducive to catching prey. Some bats can fly at speeds of more than 50 kilometers per hour. Some bats can fish, mexican rabbit lip bats, can catch 30 small fish in one night. The bat's above skills are beneficial, and it has a unique echo positioning system. Radar was invented based on bat echolocation.
It seems that science is everywhere. Reading allows us to discover more secrets.