Science and fun

Why do we cry when we chop onions?

 

When you cut an onion, it releases a gas called, ready for this, Propanethiol S-oxide. When mixed with certain enzymes in the onion, it creates a sulfur gas. These gases then get to your eyes and create a mild acid which irritates the eyes.
Normally, your body would signal you to close your eyes. This, of course, is not a good idea if you are cutting an onion. The next best thing your eyes can do is to make tears to protect the eyes. Rubbing your eyes is a bad idea, since your hands are likely full of the tear making onion juice. So how do you keep from tearing up? There are many theories out there. I've heard some have had luck burning a candle near the chopping site. (Don't try that without an adult.) Wearing safety goggles, however, should reduce the tears every time.
 

What are the steps to the Scientific Method?
The Scientific Method is an organized way of answering a science question. There are usually six parts to it:
1. Purpose- What do you want to learn?

2. Research- Find out as much as you can.

3. Hypothesis- Try to predict the answer to the problem. Another term for hypothesis is 'educated guess'.

This is usually stated like " If I...(do something) then...(this will occur)

4. Experiment- The fun part! Design a test or procedure to confirm or disprove your hypothesis.

5. Analysis- Record what happened during the experiment. Also known as 'data'.

6. Conclusion- Review the data and check to see if your hypothesis was correct.

The scientific method is used al over the world every day to make new discoveries.