…and this time, it’s the mathematical branch determining the formula to the calculate the most aesthetically pleasing Christmas tree.
A couple of students from the UK Sheffield University set upon the challenge of determining the ideal number of baubles, length of tinsel and lights necessary to decorate the picture perfect tree. The magical formulas are:
- Number of Baubles = ( √17 / 20 ) x h
- Tinsel length = { (13 x pi) / 8 } x h
- Length of lights = pi x h
- Height of star/angel = h / 10
Where: h is the height of your tree in cm.
If you don’t believe me, check out the Uni site for full details, including a cool on line calculator.
Taking on the challenges ordinary people wouldn’t dare, a team of scientists wanted to find out exactly what lives in your belly button?
Not surprisingly, a whole heap of bacteria. From a measly 60 volunteers, they managed to:
- collect 2,368 bacteria species
- of that, over 50% may not yet be known to science
- the average person had 67 species, the ‘cleanest’ had 29 and the ‘dirtiest’ 107
…and what about the cartoon? Well, one of the volunteers was found to have bacteria only found in the soils of Japan (they had never visited Japan before). Another volunteer had bacteria typically only found in ice caps (must have a cold innie).
Gosh, I love scientists….Must be why I ‘married’ one.
Planet WASP 12-b (named so, as it was discovered by the UK SuperWASP team – cool, I want to be in a team with a funky name like that too) is believed to be the closest orbiting planet to its star.
So close, it’s being devoured by it. A gas planet about 1.4 times the size of Jupiter, it has a mean surface temperature of 2,200°C and completes its orbit in just 1.1 days (just the thought make me dizzy). Due to its proximity, scientists believe that WASP 12-b is being boiled off and blown into space and creating a cloud of super heated gas around the planet. Estimates assume it will be ‘consumed’ in the next billion years.
To celebrate Christmas, Friday Freebies and the launching of Doug the Dung Beetle’s new website (what you missed that post! Well click here to see it…and then subscribe!), here are some Christmas crackers to make for that special family dinner…and if you look really closely, you might just figure out what the Christmas pudding is made of.
I do mean it, when I say ‘click here for a word from our sponsor’. Go on, give it a go.
OK, I admit I’m playing with your minds – just a bit – but I would really appreciate it, if you not only visit my new site Doug the Dung Beetle, but also subscribe. I’ll reward the first three to subscribe with a Doug Dung Beetle cartoon of your choice – hand signed and posted by snail mail to your very door. Oh, and if you subscribe, I promise not to inundate you with posts. I plan to post every fortnight or so.