Fog Buster
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Question Sheet: Fog Buster

SCIENCE

Before reading:

1. What are some objects that can get fogged up?
2. What causes glare?

During reading:

1. Why does fog form on a mirror?
2. How is the surface of a lotus leaf different from that of a mirror?
3. What is silica? How are Rubner and his team of researchers using it?
4. What is a nanosponge?
5. What are some problems with Rubner's special coating?
6. What is XeroCoat?

After reading:

1. Why does Rubner's coating work for both glare and fog?
2. What does a materials scientist do? See www.crc4mse.org/ (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society).
3. Why do scientists sometimes turn to nature for help in solving problems?
4. Name three products that could benefit from Rubner's coating research.
5. In what ways is Rubner's new coating like the surface of a lotus leaf ? In what ways does it differ from a lotus leaf surface? For information about lotus leaves, see www.iop.org/news/910 (Institute of Physics) or www.fy.chalmers.se/projects/biocompatiblematerials/
   project_survey/exploratory/lotus/index.xml (Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research).

SOCIAL STUDIES

1. Where in the world would an antiglare coating be especially important or useful? Why?
2. Where in the world would an anti-fog coating be especially important or useful? Why?

LANGUAGE ARTS

1. Write a commercial for television promoting Rubner's new anti-fog coating.
2. When scientists or engineers invent something that might have commercial value, they have to patent it. How does a researcher go about doing this? What do applications for patents look like? What kind of information does the researcher need to provide? See www.uspto.gov/go/kids/ and www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/index.html (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)

MATHEMATICS

Three friends have a container that holds 24 ounces of water. They have three empty jars, one that could hold 5 ounces, another that could hold 11 ounces, and a third that could hold 13 ounces. Using the available containers, how could the three friends divide up the water so that each one gets the same amount?

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