More Learning!
         

Hot Air Balloons
The Professor adores hot air balloons so much he has one in his house! (Well, it was an accident...you'll see when you visit the Imagination Workshop).

Since Temecula is known for its love of hot air balloons, it's only natural that Professor Pennypickle would become fascinated by the colors, the whooshing sound of propane through the burner, the feeling of weightlessness, the unpredictability of the landing... ok, ok, we're getting a little caught up in the excitement of it all.

But how do they work, you say? Simply put, hot air balloons are based on a very basic scientific principle: warmer air rises in cooler air. The hot air is lighter than the cold air, so the balloon (being filled with hot air) rises. To keep the balloon rising, you need a way to reheat the air. Hot air balloons do this with a burner positioned under an open balloon envelope. As the air in the balloon cools, the pilot can reheat it by firing the burner.

Hot air balloons heat the air by burning propane, the same substance commonly used in outdoor cooking grills. The propane is stored in compressed liquid form, in lightweight cylinders positioned in the balloon basket. The intake hose runs down to the bottom of the cylinder, so it can draw the liquid out.

The burner flame heats the air in the balloon envelope.

Because the propane is highly compressed in the cylinders, it flows quickly through the hoses to the heating coil. The heating coil is a length of steel tubing arranged in a coil around the burner. When the balloonist starts up the burner, the propane flows out in liquid form and is ignited by a pilot light. As the flame burns, it heats up the metal in the surrounding tubing. When the tubing becomes hot, it heats the propane flowing through it. This changes the propane from a liquid to a gas, before it is ignited. This gas makes for a more powerful flame and more efficient fuel consumption.

In most modern hot air balloons, the envelope is constructed from long nylon gores, reinforced with sewn-in webbing. The gores, which extend from the base of the envelope to the crown, are made up of a number of smaller panels. Nylon works very well in balloons because it is lightweight, but it is also fairly sturdy and has a high melting temperature. The skirt, the nylon at the base of the envelope, is coated with special fire-resistant material, to keep the flame from igniting the balloon.

The hot air won't escape from the hole at the bottom of the envelope because buoyancy keeps it moving up. If the pilot continually fires the fuel jets, the balloon will continue to rise. There is an upper altitude limit, however, since eventually the air becomes so thin that the buoyant force is too weak to lift the balloon. The buoyant force is equal to the weight of air displaced by the balloon, so a larger balloon envelope will generally have a higher upper altitude limit than a smaller balloon. See more at How Stuff Works

Pennypickles gift shop has a hot air balloon kit that launches an 8 by 6 foot balloon using a hair dryer! You might want to check it out.

Weather
As much as he tries, the Professor can't seem to change it. The wind, rain, and snow will continue to be controlled by a higher power...but we can at least learn about it!

Lightning...Benjamin Franklin and Professor Pennypickle tried some little experiments with it (with nearly disastrous results). Fortunately, that led to the discovery of electricity, and electricity is what it's all about! (See Ben's poor fried kite at the Imagination Workshop)

Some storms produce clouds that become charged like a capacitor. The upper portion of the cloud is positive and the lower portion is negative. The negative electrons in the cloud force more and more positive ions onto the earth's surface. (In an electrical storm, there are lots and lots of little ions and electrons all over the place!)

So what happens is this:
Electrical charges develop inside a storm cloud.

Positively charged atoms go to the top of the cloud. Negatively charged atoms go to the bottom.

If the negatively charged atoms become too crowded, they "jump" to another part of the cloud, to a different cloud, or to the ground.

This jump causes a huge spark of static electricity called LIGHTNING!

Now you know that electricity is very dangerous, don't you? So is the electricity in a lightning bolt, so during a lightning storm, get away from water, wire fences, clotheslines, & metal pipes. Stay low to the ground or in a car, if you're in one.
Let go of anything you're carrying that's made of metal. Don't fly kites or model planes (a stupid, stupid idea!), and don't be the tallest object around. (Remember, stay low to the ground!)

Electricity
Speaking of electricity...
in case you've ever wondered how those little lights (like Xmas lights) work, here's a good explanation...

Actually, electricity isn't something you want to be playing with, but the gift shop has some cool kits that let you mess around with circuits. You'll also find black and rainbow light bulbs, black light strips for your room, and lots of other neat light-up things that the Professor uses on the Electrolight-o-later in his Dining Room at the Imagination Workshop. (The black lights will remind you of Phineas' mysterious Maze Room...)

Water
This is something everyone knows about. If you haven't experienced water, well, maybe you're from another planet. If so, the Professor would love to talk to you

But did you know that water can create power? Hydro (water) power has been used since primitive days. Harnessing the power of rivers and streams using the combination of wheels plus water revolutionized many daily tasks.  Read more about how wheels can help to generate power.

The Professor was so interested in wheels and water that he had the great idea to transform his toilet into a hydroelectric generator! His favorite little rubber ducks are sold in the gift shop...