extrait de la publication - storage.googleapis.com€¦ · scrapbook takes you on a trip through...

WHEN DID NUMBERS FIRST APPEAR?

WHAT IS GRAVITY?

WHO WERE ARCHIMEDES, NEWTON, GALILEO?

WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE MOON AND THE TIDES?

DOES ANTIMATTER EXIST?

Professor Genius invites us to discover his brand new scrapbook about the sciences. This cultured scholar shares with young readers his knowledge of mathematics, chemistry, and physics, telling the story of these scientific domains, describing their applications in daily life, and presenting the scientists behind the breakthroughs.

Through a lively assortment of personal thoughts, stories, explanations of historic and scientific facts, newspaper clippings, and illustrations, Professor Genius unveils to children ages 10 and over

the most bewildering secrets of our world.

My scrapbook of S

CIEN

CES

Pro

fessor G

enius

In the same collection:

My scrapbook of

SCIENCESProfessor Genius

My scrapbook of


Extrait de la publication

My Scrapbook of Science

by Professor Genius


As you open this scrapbook...

The earliest clues about the existence of science are some small bones, several thousand years old, with notches cut into them. The scientists who found them during excavations confirm that the notches were used for counting. Interesting, isn't it? Since then, people who are fascinated by nature have never stopped trying to understand how our world works. They have developed a number of theories as well as increasingly sophisticated instruments for measuring and observing—all to help them answer questions that continue to probe deeper.

I have always been fascinated by the world of science. Over the years, I've col lected newspaper clippings, excerpts from books, magazines and photographs that are witnesses to the curiosity, imagination and determination that scientists around the world have in common. I present al l this information in "My Scrapbook of Science." Besides revealing the incredible secrets of the world around us, this scrapbook takes you on a trip through history, introducing you to the geniuses who have helped science progress and the ways they have found to solve scientific riddles.

As you already know, science is a vast universe that brings together many different fields. They include physics, mathematics, chemistry, geology and biology, as well as the sciences that study humans and their behavior (the "human sciences," as they are called). Unfortunately, it is impossible to present them all in a single scrapbook. So this time, I've chosen to take you on a tour of mathematics, chemistry and physics.

Happy reading! And don't forget: imagination and curiosity are the most important qualities of the scientific mind!

Professor Genius


My friend Jean-Marie De Koninck is a professor of mathematics at Université Laval in Quebec City.. He likes nothing better than to share his love of numbers with the general public. His talents as a popularizer earned him the title of "Scientist of the Year" for 2005 by the French-language broadcaster Radio-Canada!

Quebec City, April 2, 2007

Dear Genius,

What a superb scrapbook—and what an original and entertaining way to introduce us to the world of mathematics, physics and chemistry! You’ve chosen striking images that really bring to life a world that’s often thought of as a dry, barren place. All through the scrapbook, the reader is invited to see the important role that mathematics plays in the development of all the sciences, and indeed the arts. What is more, the reader becomes conscious of how mathematics is present in everyday life. You’ve set yourself quite a challenge!

In other respects, the consideration you show by highlighting the people who are at the origin of scientific discoveries makes your book both endearing and captivating.

While encouraging us to discover the useful qualities of science, you also demonstrate that learning science can be an endless source of pleasure. Thank you for giving us a taste of the sciences… that will have us coming back for more!

Cordially,

Jean-Marie De Koninck

CANADA


QA Kidsan imprint of QA International329 De la Commune West3rd FloorMontreal, Quebec H2Y 2E1 Canada

T 514.499.3000 F 514.499.3010

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

Professor Genius

My Scrapbook of Science

For ages 10 and over.

ISBN: 978-2-7644-0906-0

My Scrapbook of Science by Professor Genius was designed and created by:

You can write to

Professor Genius and send

your letter to the following

address:

Professor Genius

329 De la Commune West

3rd Floor

Montreal, Quebec H2Y 2E1

Canada

The characters in Professor Genius’s universe, except for Jean-Marie De Koninck and those mentioned in the Acknowledgements, are pure fantasy. Any resemblance to actual living persons is entirely coincidental. Although the facts they contain are accurate, the newspaper articles, old letters, books, and magazines drawn from the Professor’s personal collection are all products of the imagination of the creators of this scrapbook.

www.qa-international.com © QA International, 2007. All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing by QA International.

Printed and bound in Singapore.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 11 10 09 08 07

CANADA

Contents

SCIENCE 6

History, main areas, scientific method

MATHEMATICS 8

History, numbers, mathematical forms and logic

CHEMISTRY 26

History, the elements of matter, physical and chemical transformations

PHYSICS 42

History, the forces of the universe, different forms of energy,

the infinitely great and the infinitesimal

CONCLUSION 60

The future of science

5 2 4

1 2 4

1 3 2

1 3

2 4 1 3


Discovering the world’s mysteries…

Why do objects fal l? How does water turn to ice? Where do colors come from? People have been trying to explain the phenomena that surround them for a very long time by watching, listening, touching, feeling and tasting. That’s how science was invented! Science tries to understand how our world works and to know exactly what it is made of. It’s a fine quest that is both ambitious and fascinating!

In order for their theories to be known by the rest of the scientific community, every scientist must fol low a very strict set of procedures. Read this comic strip that I found in a science magazine for young readers. It presents the different stages of scientific research in an amusing way..

SCIENCE (from the Latin scientia [to know]): Set

of disciplines in which observation, experimentation

and demonstration play a part. Mathematics, physics,

chemistry, biology and geology are sciences.

6

A researcher makes an observation.

Oh! All these fish are dead! What

happened?

To explain it, he tries to understand the cause of this fact: the researcher establishes a theory.

Maybe the waste that this factory is

spilling into the river is toxic to fish?

The researcher then needs to check this theory. To do so, he observes, measures and calculates.

I will test the water and this fish’s blood.

After analyzing the results, the researcher makes a conclusion.

My theory is right! The water is polluted. The same

toxic elements are in the fish’s blood!

My theory is wrong! The water is polluted, but

there is no toxic element in the fish’s blood. The fish did not die because of the

factory’s waste.

The researcher must then find a new theory to explain the fact he observed.

Once his theory is proven, the researcher publishes his results in a scientific journal.


CHEMISTRY studies the elements that make

up matter. It tries to understand how elements

combine and react together. Thanks to chemistry,

we can make perfumes and understand why a

boat can rust (pages 26 to 41).

Don’t worry, the great geniuses throughout the history of science have been people just like you and me! You would probably be surprised to learn that some of them were even poor students. That was the case with the celebrated physicist Albert Einstein and the famous chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur. It was their great curiosity, their thirst to understand and also their determination that made them bril liant. Who knows? Even you may be one of the scientific geniuses of tomorrow! All you need is to be curious, attentive to what’s going on around you and, most of al l, perseverant.

Studying the world is an important job, my friend! To be more efficient, scientists have divided science into several

different areas. There are too many for me to describe in detail in this scrapbook, so I’l l just explain three of the most important ones here:

Ready to join me in exploring the secrets of science? Turn the page! We’l l start

with mathematics.

Dear Professor,

When I’m older, I would like to invent a vaccine

against cancer. But I’m not the top student in

my class. Could I still become a scientist?

Thank you for your reply,

Vincent, age 10

MATHEMATICS works with numbers. Math helps us solve problems and put the theories that rule the universe into an equation. Thanks to math, we can predict tomorrow’s weather, for example, or calculate a planet’s path (pages 8 to 25).

PHYSICS deals with the nature of matter. It studies the forces, movement and different forms of energy that rule the universe. Thanks to it, we can make an airplane fly and understand why a pebble fal ls when we let go of it (pages 42 to 59).

7

I had so much fun imagining excerpts from a newspaper in a world without numbers. Interesting, isn’t it? In this way, I hope I have succeeded in proving to you how important numbers are in our everyday life! Everything we do has a connection to numbers. We use them for counting, buying, measuring, making predictions, constructing buildings and machines, and so many other things…

People throughout history have needed mathematics. Prehistoric men and women, for example, kept track of their

possessions by cutting notches into bones. Much later, when trade was flourishing, more sophisticated mathematical tools were needed. That’s how basic operations like addition and subtraction appeared. Each time day-to-day living showed the

limits of a mathematical tool, a new tool was created. That’s

how mathematics was perfected over time.

What would the world be without numbers?Price: As much as these stars ****Date: End of fall but not yet winter

All the hockey scoresby Ann Aichell

Last night, the Montreal Captains set the

rink on fire! Once again, they’ve taken

the golden cup after beating the Toronto

Gorillas. Steve Slyde was noticed after

scoring a goal, and then another, and yet

another still during the starting period.

The other goal was scored during the

middle period by Patrick Puck, the new

young player on the team. The public,

who filled the arena to capacity, cheered

him for a long time. Great game, guys!

Television listing on the page following the one in the middle.

Weather around the world by I.C. Blizzard

Montreal Sunny; hat and gloves a must

Paris Some clearing; cool but not too bad

London Rainy but not too cold

Rio de Janeiro Hot; bring your bathing suit

New Delhi Humid and hotter than Rio; drink a lot

Vanishing point

The latest results

Vancouver many points

Regina less than Vancouver

Ottawa a certain number of points

Edmonton no points

Montreal even more points than Vancouver

8

Mathematics is present in every field of science. Physicists, for example, use math to measure the thickness that a submarine wall must have so that it wil l resist the pressure of the water. Chemists calculate the composition of sugar, fat and minerals in a piece of chocolate. Mathematics is also present in a field you would think was far removed from the sciences. Any idea which area that is? The arts!

Get ready to travel into a very varied world! In the pages that fol low, you’l l see that mathematics is closely related to the FORMS that make up our universe (pages 18 to 21)! You’l l also see that it is a matter of LOGIC (pages 22 to 25), an essential dimension for solving the problems that mathematicians face. First and foremost, as you have probably guessed, mathematics is a world of NUMBERS (pages 10 to 17). I invite you to visit it now!

MATHEMATICS (from the Greek mathêmaticos,

which comes from mathêma [that which is

learned]): Field of science that studies numbers,

sizes and geometric shapes by means of the

deductive method.

The Artist’s corner Home | Music | Arts | Letters | Info

Mathematics and the arts

The arts are greatly inspired by mathematics. In paintings, for example, we find

perspective, a notion that comes from geometry, which gives the impression

that the painted image is three-dimensional. In music, the length of the strings

in string instruments is calculated according to the note must play:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B... An architect measures lengths, heights and angles to draw

the plan of a building.

I used perspective to draw this landscape. It’s a technique

that consists of drawing lines from a spot that we call the

“vanishing point.” Artists fol low these lines to construct their

drawings. Perspective gives drawings a sense of depth.

9Extrait de la publication

Do you know the difference between numbers and

numerals? Numerals are symbols. They are our 0, 1, 2,

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Numbers represent

quantities. And so, the number 215 is made

up of the numerals 2, 1 and 5. Numbers are

composed of numerals—the way words are

composed of letters!

Numbers and numerals

Subject: Numbers and numeral

s

Date: January 15, 2007

To: Professor Genius

Dear friend,

Many archaeological discover

ies have made it possible to

confirm that

people have been counting fo

r a very long time. Everythi

ng started in

prehistoric times, when hunt

ers carved notches into bone

s or wood to

keep track of how many anima

ls they had killed. About 6,

000 years ago,

the Sumerians counted with s

mall clay tokens of varying

shapes and

sizes (I’ve attached an illu

stration on the subject). Yo

u should know

that the Egyptians, the Maya

(who lived on the plains of

Mexico), the

Greeks, the Romans, the Chin

ese and other ancient civili

zations all

had their own system of nume

ration. By the way, the nume

rals we use

today are originally from In

dia.

Best regards,

Your friend Ea Ping

Some civilizations used letters of the alphabet for numbers. Roman numerals, for example, were adopted throughout Europe under the Roman Empire. Here are a few numbers in this ancient system:

I = 1

II = 2

III = 3

IV = 4

V = 5

VI = 6

VII = 7

VIII = 8

IX = 9

X = 10

L = 50

C = 100

D = 500

M = 1,000

These numerals weren’t very practical. The number 2,338, for example, counted no fewer than 12 symbols! MMCCCXXXVIII

This rhyme helped me to learn numbers. Have you noticed how these little signs are everywhere? On the TV remote control, in newspapers, on road signs… We live in a world of numbers! But do you know where they come from? I asked my friend Ea Ping Kor (my neighborhood librarian) to find me some information on the first numbers in history.. Here’s her reply:

1, 2, Buckle my shoe,

3, 4, Knock at the door,

5, 6, Pick up sticks, 7, 8, Lay them straight...

9, 10,A big fat hen!

Once there was mathematics…

1 10 60 600 3,600 36,000

10 Extrait de la publication

As Ea Ping explains, our

10 numerals were invented by

the Indians around 200 BC.

Over time, they improved

their number system. In

the 4th century, the

Indians invented two

ingenious concepts:

place-value notation

and zero. These two

excerpts wil l give you a

brief explanation.

a place that counts…

Have you noticed that the position of digits in a number is very

important? The numbers 25 and 52, for example, are made up of the

same digits. Nevertheless, they do not at all indicate the same amount.

According to their position, digits have values of units, tens, hundreds,

etc. That’s what we call the place-value notation.

We count using our 10 numerals. For this reason, our counting system is based on the number 10. Why 10 and not 8 or 14? Probably because when human beings started counting, they used their 10 fingers. It’s possible, you see, to write numbers differently from the base 10 way.. The base 2 system, for example, only uses two digits: 0 and 1. It’s used a lot in computer programs. Here is a table that shows numbers in the base 10 and base 2 systems. Have fun re-inventing your telephone number using base 2—but don’t forget to give this table to your friends, or you may find yourself waiting a long time for them to cal l you back!

Base 10 Base 2

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

0

1

10

11

100

101110

1111000100110101011110011011110

When the Arabs settled in the West starting in

the year 632, they adopted Indian numeration

system and improved on it. Thanks to the Arabs,

Europe learned about this system of numeration in

the 12th century. (before that, Europeans counted

using Roman numerals).

Before zero was invented, it was represented by a space. At that time, it was very easy to confuse “5 1” (501) with “51”! Starting

in the 4th century, the Indians marked these spaces with a

dot, and a little later on, with a circle. Watch out! Zero does not always stand for nothing: if we place it to the right of a number, it is then multiplied by 10!

Science for Kids, March 2007

Amazing

M

athematics, p

. 59

11

Counting

Did you know ? The word “calculation” comes from the Latin

calculus, which means “small stone.” This comes

from the fact that for a long time, people counted

using little pebbles. Once upon a time, shepherds

were given a pouch filled with pebbles, one for

each animal they had to watch. Come evening, when

they brought back their flock, they took a pebble

out of the pouch each time an animal went into the

stable. If every pebble was removed from the bag,

it meant that none of the animals were missing.

As you can see by reading the “Did you know?” column, calculation was born long before numerals appeared! The earliest basic operations, like addition and subtraction, appeared 10,000 years ago. By the way, do you know the story behind the symbols that identify these operations? Here is an article and a few notes that explain the origin of +, -, x and ÷.

The x multiplication sign was suggested by Englishman William Oughtred in

1631. In Latin, it was written as “in.” And so, 3 x 2 was written as 3 in 2.

The equal sign = was invented by

Welshman Robert Recorde in 1557.

Before then, it was written as

“aequalis,” which means “equal ” in Latin.

Other mathematical operations appeared over time. Often ingenious, they were used to simplify calculations that were becoming increasingly complex. Here’s a little example:

The division sign ÷ was the work of Swiss mathematician Johannes Heinrich Rahn in 1659. Before then, it was written with a horizontal bar separatingthe two numbers ( 3

4).

The powers of 10 are real ly practical because they make it possible to write very large or very small numbers. Notice how much space is saved when we use powers! (Here, 1090 means that 10 is multiplied 90 times by itself!)

The story of + and – The ancient Egyptians drew a pair of legs turned to the left to show an addition and another turned to the right to indicate a subtraction. Until the 15th century, mathematicians wrote �� (for “I add”) and �� (for “I subtract”). These words were replaced by the letters p and m at the end of the 15th century. The + and – signs made their first appearance in 1489 in a book by German mathematician Johannes Widmann, but it was only during the 16th century that they came into general use.

POWER is a shortcut to signify that a number is multiplied by itself several

times. Thus, 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16 is also written as 24 (it is said as “2 to the power

of 4”). The inverse operation of power is called “root.” It is symbolized by the

√ sign. For example, the root of 9 is 3 (√9 = 3) for 32 = 9.

Amazing Mathematics, p. 32

Sciences, p. 63

Know It All, May 2006

1 0 90 = 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 0

12

Numbers have always been at the heart of our

measuring systems. The excerpt below is an

interesting example!

Feet, inches... Scientists were often inspired by the human body to create the earliest units of measurement. The Egyptians, for example, measured distances with their palms, thumbs, hair, etc.

HAIR (the smallest unit)

THUMB

PALM

CUBIT

FOOT

Mathematics are divided into

several areas. The one concerned

with calculation, numbers

and their properties is cal led

ARITHMETIC.

12, the “star” in measurement!

Many systems of measurement, inherited from ancient times,

are based on the number 12. Why 12? Simply because it is a

number that can be divided by 2, 3 and 4. It’s very practical

for making calculations! Feet and inches, for example, are

Anglo-Saxon linear units that are based on the number 12:

12 inches = 1 foot

The number 12 is also king in the measurement of time. See for

yourself! There are 24 (2 × 12) hours in a day, 60 (5 × 12) minutes

in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute.

All these measurements varied from one country to another—and even according to the nature of the object being measured. You can imagine that this could create a lot of confusion. More than 200 years ago, a commission from the Academy of Sciences in France, made up of well-known mathematicians, had the ingenious idea of creating a universal system. That’s how the metric system, based on the number 10, was born.

1 meter (m) = 10 decimeters (dm)1 dm = 10 centimeters (cm)1 cm = 10 mil limeters (mm)1,000 m = 1 kilometer (km)

Measuring


Since this was invented, the foot and inch have almost disappeared. Only people with Anglo-Saxon roots stil l use this system of measurement.

000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

FINGER

13

There is another number that especial ly fascinates me! Mathematicians cal l it PHI

(represented by the Greek letter ), but it’s more commonly cal led “the golden number.” This

number has been known since ancient times. It was only during the Renaissance, however, around the 16th century, that phi was nicknamed “golden number.” Why? Because artists thought that the forms in which it played a part in measurement were the most elegant ones. Oh, I almost forgot: Phi, as a matter of fact, corresponds to 1.61803… This rascal has some strange properties.Take out your calculator and see for yourself!

1 ÷ = - 1 x = + 1

2, 3, 5, 7 or 22,091… These numbers are al l PRIME

NUMBERS. What makes them special? They can only be

divided by 1 and by themselves without having any amount

left over. Prime numbers fascinate mathematicians because

they represent nothing less than the basic building blocks

in the universe of numbers. That’s right, any other whole

number is a product of prime numbers! Observe careful ly:

4 = 2 × 2; 6 = 3 × 2 or 249 = 83 x 3. The largest prime

number we know today is 232, 582, 657 - 1, which contains

9,808,358 digits!

It was a sly Greek mathematician,

Eratosthenes, who found this ingenious

way to identify the prime numbers

between 1 and 100.

To find the prime numbers, write the

numbers 1 to 100 in a grid with

10 numbers per line. Note that 1 is not a

prime number. Because a prime number

only divides by 1 and by itself, color the 2

and run a line through all its multiples (in

green). Do the same with the numbers 3 (in

pink), 5 (in orange) and 7 (in yellow). The

multiples of 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10 disappeared

when you eliminated the multiples of 2 and

3. All the remaining numbers are prime

numbers (here, they are colored blue!).

Mathematical quirks…

The study of numbers and their properties is fascinating, isn’t it? It reveals numbers to us that are unusual, mysterious and sometimes simply bizarre! Here’s a look at the most famous ones...

You’l l notice sometimes that digits after the point in some numbers are fol lowed by “…”. It simply means that the number has an infinite amount of digits after the point!

Eratosthenes

(from about 276 to

194 BC).

$100,000 REWARD!

The Electronic Frontier Foundation

(EFF) is offering a $100,000

reward to the first person who

can find a prime number with 10

million digits! Take note: you can

install a computer program that

will carry out this research. For

more information, contact the EFF.

Everyone to their computer!


The Sunday Journal, February 18, 2007


Like phi, PI (represented by the Greek

letter π) is certainly remarkable. First, it is

closely linked to the circle. When we divide

the circumference of a circle by its diameter,

we always find pi! Check this yourself by measuring

cups, plates or anything round that you find at home!

(Use a string to take your measurements.)

pi = circumference ÷ diameter

Circumference Diameter

Some numbers, like 13, seem to have a curse on them! Of course, who hasn’t heard about the bad reputation of Friday the 13th or a meal for 13 guests? I asked my mathematician friend, Cal Cughlater, where these beliefs might have come from. Here’s his reply:

Dear friend,

The number 13 does indeed have a reputation for bringing bad luck... It seems to belong to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Let me explain: shortly before his death, Jesus shared a meal with his companions. They numbered 12. With Jesus, they were 13 at the table. On that evening, Jesus was betrayed by one of his 12 friends, the apostle Judas, thus threatening him with death. Ever since then, 13 has been the sign of bad luck to some people. This superstition is so powerful that in some hotels, there is no 13th floor and no room number 13. And so, some sports teams don’t have number “13” shirts and airline companies never have a flight No. 13!

It’s been a long time since we had dinner together. Shall we choose a date? Why not next Friday the 13th, if you’re not superstitious!

Regards,Cal

Just like phi, pi has an infinite number of decimals! Mathematicians have fun continuing to find more digits after its decimal point. They look for a formula likely to find these decimals and introduce it into powerful computers that wil l make the calculations for them. Today, they have managed to calculate more than 1,240,000,000 digits after the decimal point! Here is a fun trick for helping you to remember the first 20 digits. (The number of letters in each word corresponds to a digit of pi. All you have to do is memorize these few sentences and amaze your friends!)

π = 3.141 592 653 589 793 238 46…

Sir(3), I(1) send(4) a(1) rhyme(5) excel ling(9)

In(2) sacred(6) truth(5) and(3) rigid(5) spel ling(8)

Numerical(9) sprites(7) elucidate(9)

For(3) me(2) the(3) lexicon’s(8) dul l(4) weight(6).

Elevator panel without a 13th floor


Calculating chance…

I enjoy shivering at the sound of thunder and admiring the lightning that streaks

the sky on a stormy night. Lots of people are afraid of lightning. Are you? Don’t worry, the chances being struck by lightning are very small. There could be more danger from a single banana peel! You’l l understand once you take a look at this excerpt on the right. It shows a few estimates calculated according to what mathematicians cal l “PROBABILITY THEORY.”

Unlike the history of numbers and

calculation, the history of probabilities

is very recent. Here’s an article that

explains how it al l began.

Blaise Pascal

(1623–1662)

Pierre de Fermat

(1601–1665)

Probability calculations are often used in games

of chance. A casino, for example, never loses

money.. Don’t worry, it’s not cheating! It’s

just putting the laws of probability on its own side! Let’s play a game to give you a better idea of this.

Imagine I’m holding the 13 cards in the suit of hearts,

and that I ask you to choose a card at random. If you pul l

the ace, I’l l give you... 10 chips! If the card you pul led is not the ace,

you’l l have to give me one chip! So, if we play this game often, I

guarantee you I wil l always be the winner. Why?

Did you know? Before it was developed by scientists in the

18th and 19th centuries, probability theory was

thought of by two French mathematicians, Blaise

Pascal and Pierre de Fermat. In 1654, they amused

themselves looking for the answer to a problem

that had fascinated gentlemen dice players: how

to fairly divide the winnings when a dice game is

suddenly interrupted? Together they tested all

the combinations that could have been rolled if the

game had continued. Their results were the starting

point of probability theory.

Know It All, May 2007

What are your chances?You have…

1 in 300 chances of dying of a heart attack

1 in 4,000 chances of being killed

in a road accident

1 in 16,000 chances of dying from a fall

1 in 100,000 chances of being

a murder victim

1 in 10 million chances of being struck

by lightning

1 in 1 billion chancesof seeing a meteorite

fall to Earth

Mad Math, March 2006


Probabililty is essential in another branch of mathematics: statistics. This branch col lects and analyzes the data about a group, such as people, animals, plants or planets. It brings out their important characteristics to then make predictions, notably by calculating probability.. Statistics tel l us, for example, how many blue whales are in the world, from one year to the next. In this way, we can figure out if they are or are not on the road to extinction.

Statistics have existed since ancient times. Long

ago, certain civilizations carried out censuses in

order to find out how much power they held.

This reminds me that, last year, I took part in

a census. The government had sent everybody

a manual explaining the benefits of this kind of

exercise. I’ve pasted an excerpt from it below.

2006It’s Census Year! What is it for?

If you correctly fill in the information that has

been asked of you, the government will be able

to calculate statistics on the average age of the

population, the division of the sexes, the different

professions exercised, the kind of housing being

lived in and the mode of transportation being

used. What are these statistics used for? Using

them, we will be able to define what projects

are needed for a better quality of life, like the

construction of schools, daycare centers and

apartments or public transit. They will also make

it possible to distribute subsidies to the areas that

need them the most.

By correctly answering all the questions, you help

the government improve your everyday life!

Let me explain: With each try, you have 1 chance in

13 of pul ling the ace. As for me, I have 12 chances

in 13 that you wil l not. Are you fol lowing this? In 13 tries, you wil l probably win 10

chips one time, but as for me, I wil l win 12 chips in total (12 x 1 chip),

or 2 chips more than you! The casino simply uses the same strategy to

ensure they never lose money.. In fact, if I had offered you 12 chips each time you pul led the ace, both of us would have had the chance to pocket the same amount!

You Me

On 1 try 1 chance in 13

of winning

12 chances in 13

of winning

On 13 tries Probability of

winning 1 try

1 x 10 chips

Probability of

winning 12 tries

12 x 1 chip


63

Photo creditsp. 3 br: Jean-Marie De Koninck © Matilde Matkovic / p. 11 c: Laboratory © 2007 Jupiter Corporation / p. 11 bc: Border © 2007 Jupiter Corporation /

p. 15 bl: Elevator © Oleksandr Gumerov/iStockPhoto.com / p. 18 tr: Landscape © Dan Cooper/iStockPhoto.com / p. 19 c: Nile © Todd Bingham/

iStockPhoto.com / p. 21 tl: Tiger © Stephen Meese/iStockPhoto.com / p. 21 br: Fern © Matthew Scherf/iStockPhoto.com / p. 22 br: Magnifying glass © 2007

Jupiter Corporation / p. 27 tr: Antoine de Lavoisier © The Hundred Greatest Men. New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1885 / p. 29 br: IBM initials © IBM

Research, Almaden Research Center/ p. 34 cl: Bottle and glass © 2007 Jupiter Corporation / p. 36 br: Salt shaker © 2007 Jupiter Corporation /

p. 39 tr: Acid rain, Copyright free / p. 40 bl: Shoelaces © Josée Noiseux / p. 41 tr: Nylon © 2007 Jupiter Corporation / p. 42 bc: Archimedes © Archimedes

by Domenico Fetti, 1620 / p. 43 tr: Tower of Pisa © Lawrence Sawyer/iStockPhoto.com / p. 44 bl: Astronaut © NASA / p. 45 tl: Hopewell Rocks at low tide ©

New Brunswick Department of Tourism and Parks / p. 45 tl: Hopewell Rocks at high tide © New Brunswick Department of Tourism and Parks / p. 45 bc: Isaac

Newton © Shuster, Arthur and Arthur E. Shipley. Britain's Heritage of Science. London: Constable & Co. Ltd., 1917 / p. 47 br: Electric hair © Josée Noiseux /

p. 52 bl: Explosion © Björn Kindler/iStockPhoto.com / p. 56 c: Very Large Telescope © European Southern Observatory / p. 57 tr: Spiral galaxy © NASA/JPL-

Caltech/K. Gordon (University of Arizona) & S. Willner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) / p. 57 cr: Elliptical galaxy © NASA, ESA, and The Hubble

Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)/ p. 57 cl: Lenticular galaxy © Dr. Elinor Gates, courtesy of University of California / p. 57 c: Irregular galaxy © NASA, ESA, and

The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) / p. 57 br: Crab pulsar © NASA/CXC/HST/ASU/J. Hester et al. / p. 59 tr: Border © 2007 Jupiter Corporation /

p. 59 bl: Collision of particles © CERN.

In the absence of supplementary information, the photographs are situated as follows : t top b bottom c center r right l left

reaction, chemical 27, 29, 34, 39, 40, 49reaction, physical 34, 38Recorde, Robert 12rectangle 18reflection (of a wave) 51, 53refraction 51repulsion 48resonance 53root 12ruler 20rust 38

STU salt 32, 35, 37, 39, 40soap 39sodium hydroxyde 39solid 34, 35, 36, 37, 52, 54solidification 35sound 43, 46, 52, 53space probe 56, 57speed of light 50, 53square 18, 19, 20star 34, 50, 56, 57statistics 17straight plane 18sublimation 35subtraction 8, 12, 24Sun 34, 35, 44, 55, 57symmetry 21telescope 51, 56, 57temperature 35, 55tetrahedron 19Thales 22

thermometer 55thunder 47, 53tide 45transformation, chemical 27, 38transformation, physical 27, 34, 35, 36trapezoid 18triangle 18, 19, 20, 21triangle, rectangular 20ultrasound 53ultraviolet 56

VWXYZ vaporization 35volume 20, 42water 32, 35, 38wave 50, 52, 53, 55, 56wave, sound 53wavelength 50, 52waves, radio 56weight 42, 44Widmann, Johannes, 12wind turbine 49X-rays 56, 57zero 11

Latin square:

SOLUTIONS TO GAMES ON PAGES 24 AND 25

Logic grid:

Riddles:

- MIX = 1009 in Roman numerals- All the months have 28 days.- The age of the captain is the same as the age of the person

who reads the problem!- The missing dollar: the calculation given is wrong! In the amount

of $27, the $2 tip is already included ($25 for the room and $2 for the tip). To find the $30, all you have to do is add the $3 the friends collected. Try it with $1 bills or coins and you'll see that there is no money missing!

F C I

A H B

E D G

3 5 2 4 1

1 3 5 2 4

4 1 3 5 2

2 4 1 3 5

5 2 4 1 3


AcknowledgementsMany thanks to everyone who helped put together this scrapbook that is so dear to me…To Martine Podesto, for her confidence, support and dedicated work, as always.

To Claire de Guil lebon, for her choice of words that expressed my thoughts so well.

To Josée Noiseux, for suggesting an appealing and original layout and for her precious artistic advice.

To Alain Lemire, Pascale Dupré and Daniel Games, for their skil l and grace with a drawing pencil. To Jean Morin, for his wonderful cartoon drawings.

To Émilie Bellemare, for her creativity and her assistance to Josée. To Mathieu Douvil le, for his precious help.

To Anne Tremblay, for her sharp eye.

To Gil les Vézina, for gathering al l the photos I needed.

To Nathalie Fréchette, for her magnificent management of the production of this scrapbook.

To Donna Vekteris, for translating my text into English.

To Veronica Schami and Jo Howard, for proofreading the English text.

To Michel Lyons, co-founder of the "Défi mathématique" manuals, for his enlightened advice and for validating this scrapbook's mathematics content.

To Vincent-Xavier Saint-Laurent, mathematics, science and music teacher at École Secondaire Monseigneur-Richard, for his help and for validating the chemistry content.

To André de Bellefeuil le, physics professor at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, for validating the physics content.

I would also especially like to thank the people who shared their sensible advice with me on how to present these fields of science in an attractive way: Patrice Baril, pedagogical counsel lor at the Commission scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs in Granby.; and Louis Tail lefer, director of the Regroupement québécois sur les matériaux de pointe and the Quantum Materials Program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

To my friend, Jean-Marie De Koninck, who did me the great honor of writing the preface to this scrapbook.

To my friends, Jacques Fortin, François Fortin and Caroline Fortin, who have given me their constant support from the very beginning.

Final ly, many thanks to al l the kids at École Les Marguerite in Varennes for their marvelous masterpieces.

Let's meet again on the next scrapbook!


WHEN DID NUMBERS FIRST APPEAR?

WHAT IS GRAVITY?

WHO WERE ARCHIMEDES, NEWTON, GALILEO?

WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE MOON AND THE TIDES?

DOES ANTIMATTER EXIST?

Professor Genius invites us to discover his brand new scrapbook about the sciences. This cultured scholar shares with young readers his knowledge of mathematics, chemistry, and physics, telling the story of these scientific domains, describing their applications in daily life, and presenting the scientists behind the breakthroughs.

Through a lively assortment of personal thoughts, stories, explanations of historic and scientific facts, newspaper clippings, and illustrations, Professor Genius unveils to children ages 10 and over

the most bewildering secrets of our world.

My scrapbook of S

CIEN

CES

Pro

fessor G

enius

In the same collection:

My scrapbook of


My scrapbook of



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