Many of us remember our parents and grandparents running to the television to watch the weather forecast after the evening news. Now our smart phones have weather forecast services. But an important issue is the accuracy of such weather forecasting.
Authors of the Phanerozoic community: biologist and ecologist Evgeniy Budko, as well as the head of the Phanerozoic project, biologist Efimov Samir
Doesn't fit the theme of the hub! Low technical stuff!
We ask all people who believe that Habr is only for programmers, such as the person in the screenshot, please read the administration’s opinion on this matter in the comments under our article about horseflies. If this does not satisfy you, then please do not waste your time reading this article!
This article is absolutely consistent with the theme of all the hubs in which it is located (including the commercial blog). Without risking surprising the ever-indignant and unknown critic who is nostalgic for the past in the comments, I will add that we can write about anything if the material is of high quality and is interesting to the majority of computer scientists. And this is understandable! Therefore, you can call us paid authors as much as you like, but then discussing with paid authors (only in your opinion), as well as with commercial blogs and the administration the problem of any publications on Habré, is fighting windmills. Chivalry is, of course, good, but only when it makes sense. But there is none, because an attempt to reach us in the comments will drown in this spoiler and devalue your comment.
In addition to the fact that this article corresponds to all the hubs in which it is located, I will also note that it also corresponds to the complexity of the technical material that these hubs require from the article. It’s better to move straight to reading other materials that match your consumer preferences. I’ll tell you the captain’s truth: Habr’s feed can be configured the way you want! If you don’t like our articles, read those articles that write exclusively about IT! Don’t spoil your mood, respect the opinions of others and have a nice day! Live together!
Improving the accuracy of forecasting weather phenomena, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions is one of the main tasks in the work of scientists and practitioners. This is due to the fact that droughts and floods, devastating storms and sea storms can bring considerable trouble to humanity. The science of bionics offers a look at living organisms. Thus, since ancient times, hundreds if not thousands of years before the invention of the barometer, people have noted changes in the weather using certain empirical “omens.” For example, so-called "folk meteorology" was based on the observations of villagers who were among nature, plants and animals and were accustomed to recognizing their behavior. Such forecasting is based on the extremely subtle sense of some animals, which anticipate changes in the atmosphere sometimes 15-20 hours before they begin.
Let's plunge into the world of living barometers and seismographs and find out how living organisms manage to predict natural phenomena with such accuracy.
digital electronics computing embedded systems
DIY seismic sensor on Arduino and ADXL335
Sometimes they say: “Prevention is better than cure.” This statement is great for events whose probability is quite high. Earthquake especially in some earthquake prone areas of the globe is one such disaster that comes like an ill fate and sweeps away precious human lives and infrastructure, it is an unpredictable destructive phenomenon but at least we can take measures to minimize the adverse impact of its consequences . In this regard, the latest technologies play a vital role.
This material presents a project for a seismic activity monitoring device that can report an earthquake some time before it starts. To achieve our goals, we use an Arduino board and a highly sensitive ADXL335 accelerometer.
The ADXL335 accelerometer in this case works as a sensor to detect vibrations and allows you to predict the occurrence of an earthquake. The device is capable of recording vibrations along three axes of space (X, Y and Z), which makes it more sensitive. The ADXL335 generates an analog voltage equivalent to the acceleration imposed on it by vibration. The X, Y and Z axes pins are connected to the ADC pins of the Arduino Uno board.
Arduino Uno compares voltage levels. In earthquake cases where the rock movement is excessive, sufficiently large signals are detected and the Arduino activates warning and preventative actions. Firstly, the LED lights up and the piezo buzzer sounds to alert people around, and the relay is activated. A relay is needed to connect a more powerful load, for example, speakers or sirens, since the LED and buzzer are only suitable for home use. An LCD display is also used for informational purposes. The connection diagram for implementing a seismograph on Arduino is shown below.
The ratings of the circuit elements are as follows: R1, R2 = 10 KOhm; R3, R6 = 1 KOhm; R4, R5 = 330 Ohm; VR1 = 10 KOhm. Transistors T1 and T2 are BC548 NPN bipolar transistors.
Below is the Arduino code (sketch) for the operation of the seismic activity monitoring device. It should be noted that in this case, the microcontroller of the Arduino board receives accelerometer readings from the ADC and then stores them in EEPROM. The read threshold value is also stored in the same place, i.e., in the EEPROM, making it easier to retrieve data for comparison. In this example, the default threshold value is set to 25.
Source
How to make a volcano craft erupt
It will be very interesting for children to watch how the craft they made with their own hands comes to life. Making a volcano erupt is quite simple, but only adults should do it. The child’s task is to look and be surprised.
There are several ways to “start” the flow of lava from the crater of an artificial hill. The simplest is to mix water with soda and vinegar in a “crater” from a plastic bottle. Almost immediately a light smoke will begin to emerge from the vent.
Dishwashing detergent and regular food coloring will help enhance the effect. For a “vent” volume of 2 liters you will need:
- 1 tbsp. a spoon of any dish soap;
- the same amount of soda;
- 5 to 10 drops of liquid food coloring.
Place the mixture in the crater and begin pouring in the vinegar. Vinegar should be 6 or 9 percent, but not essence. Pour it in carefully until foam begins to appear. As a rule, a volume of ¾ of a 250 ml glass is sufficient.
It is best not to consider recommendations to use liquid nitrogen indoors to simulate a volcanic eruption. This is dangerous, the experiment can only be carried out in the fresh air and only if it is done by a professional. And it’s better to make small crafts “work” using improvised means.
Imagine, create with children and for children. This will not only diversify your life, but will also help you get closer to your child.
Seismic activity monitoring device
This project will allow you to connect a seismic sensor to your router and post earthquake information on your web page and microSD card. All data from seismic sensors is stored on the server and then displayed on your web page.
You will need: - Arduino - Preferably an Arduino with more memory, I used an Arduino Mega 2560 - You can use an Arduino with less memory, but you will have to remove some features. — Network board for Arduino — MicroSD memory card — Space on the server — Piezoelectric sensor — Development board — Resistors, capacitors, diodes (see diagram)
Seismic sensor
I used a Piezo Film Vibra Tab Mass sensor (PDF) to measure seismic vibrations.
After tuning the sensor to the desired frequency, place it on the breadboard and secure it securely. This is necessary for measurement accuracy. The sensor leads are flexible and any movement of the board can cause false readings if it is not fixed.
Signal amplifier
Since the signal from the piezoelectric sensor is insufficient, it must be amplified without much loss of accuracy. For this I used LM324N - 4 op-amps in one package. If you do everything correctly, you will have up to 2.5V AC output from a 5V supply.
Signal conditioner
Connecting the circuit to Arduino
— Connect Vcc(+5V) of the breadboard to Vcc(+5V) of the Arduino. — Connect the GND of the breadboard to the GND of the Arduino. — The signal after the diode must be fed to one of the analog inputs of the Arduino.
Program for Arduino
Programming is probably the most difficult and important part of this project. The program is commented in detail and should be understandable. You must enter information about your server into the program.
Required libraries: # include # include # include # include # include
They can be easily found on Google
HTML code
The most important HTML file is “index.htm”, the rest are secondary. In the attached file you will find my website and the HTML code for it.
To make a button you just need to enter into your site:
This button will request information from the Arduino.
"GET /? Cmd=GetTime HTTP1.1/0"
As you can see, the NAME value is on the right next to “?”, the VALUE value is after “=” The third line shows us how the button will react to pressing.
Source
▍ A little physiology
For successful survival, living organisms need to constantly receive information about the state of their environment and adequately respond to its changes. This allows organisms to maintain a constant internal environment, homeostasis, and thereby survive. Obtaining information about the environment is facilitated by one of the basic properties of living organisms - irritability.
Irritability is the property of an organism or an individual cell to respond to changes in the environment (external and internal). This is a property that allows the body to optimally adapt its vital functions to various conditions. Cells are able to perceive various physical and chemical signals and convert them into electrical impulses. The strength of the signal perceived by the cell is known as the threshold.
The interaction of the animal body with the external environment is carried out by sensory organs, or analyzers. For example, in humans and other vertebrates, each analyzer consists of three parts. The first is the peripheral part
, which receives energy from external stimuli and converts it into nerve impulses (receptor cells).
The second part is the pathways
along which the nerve impulse follows to the nerve center.
The third part is the cortical end of the analyzer (sensory center)
, which is located in the corresponding areas of the cerebral cortex [].
A seismograph is not a toy!
Good afternoon, brainwashers ! Today I’ll tell you about an interesting homemade product - a seismograph, which is quite possible to make at home .
The photo shows an image of a seismograph “drum” that shows four earthquakes recorded on the same day at my station in Denver; two in Mexico and two on the opposite side of the world, in Sumatra.
There are seismic apps on ubiquitous smartphones that use a built-in accelerometer to detect tremors in the Earth's crust, but they can only detect very rough, powerful tremors. The seismograph proposed in this guide can record ground motion of less than 50 µm/sec (a human hair is about 100 µm), meaning it records what cannot be felt.
The sensitivity of this homemade device allows you to register tremors of more than 6.5 magnitude all over the world, and smaller magnitudes in a specific area. But, of course, mechanical and electronic filtration in this device limits the sensitivity of the homemade product.
Step 1: Comparison with industrial analogues
If this seismograph is placed in a fairly quiet, stable place, such as a basement, then you can collect data in the background through the USB port of your computer using free software and not load the processor. And the quality of the data allows it to compete with industrial seismographs. Please note in the photo that a homemade seismograph, just like a professional one, distinguishes well between primary and secondary waves, as well as surface waves, which allows you to determine the distance to the epicenter with sufficient accuracy.
Step 2: Components
Step 3: Mechanical Components
The mechanics of this seismograph are made in a vertical short-period version, which is tuned to a wave frequency of about 1.5-2 seconds, which gives a strong response to the P and S waves of an earthquake. There is room to change the width, but arm size, spring angle, and spring tension are critical.
Wooden appliances are acceptable in conditions of stable humidity, but only if they are treated with several layers of paint. Aluminum can be used as a base, but there are questions about its thermal expansion. If you do use metal, it should be non-magnetic.
Step 4: Mechanical Sensor
Step 5: Lever Blade
The blade of the utility knife is used as a "hinge" for the lever with point contact. The blade itself is secured to the aluminum arm in a V-shaped slot, allowing the arm to move freely up and down. The lever is made of aluminum, 3.2cm wide and 0.3cm thick, specifically aluminum so that it does not generate a magnetic field when interacting with a magnetic horseshoe.
The wooden stand is glued to the base with wood glue, and reinforced on the bottom side with a self-tapping screw so that the self-tapping screw does not interfere with the adjustment bolts, with the help of which the seismograph is leveled horizontally.
Step 6: Spring
The characteristics of the spring are decisive. If it is too rigid, the magnetic horseshoe mounted on the lever will have difficulty moving vertically. The parameters of my springs are as follows: 6.35x82.55x0.63 - 3 pieces.
Install the springs, controlling the level of the horizontal lever, and secure them to the support. And to attach the lever and the third spring, use a non-magnetic mount.
Step 7: Coil
I used a magnetic horseshoe with an attractive force of 13.6 kg. Secure the magnet to the arm using non-magnetic brass or aluminum bolts and nuts.
The coil is limited on the sides by two 7cm disks made of 3mm fiberboard, since it is a dielectric. The coil itself is wound on a wooden core with a diameter of 2.54 cm and a thickness of 1 cm. In general, the dimensions of the coil depend on the horseshoe magnet. We add wooden washers to the side disks for easy fastening. A hole is drilled throughout the coil base for a non-magnetic bolt.
To wind the coil we use wire No. 26, or even better, No. 30. We drill a small hole in the side disk of the coil, thread a wire through it and leave the outer end about 30cm. And then we wind the coil. We also leave the second end about 30cm. I automated this process a little: I put the base of the coil on a bolt, inserted the bolt into a drill, and at low speeds, carefully wound the wire.
Step 8: Magnetic Damper
If the seismograph arm is not damped, it will oscillate up and down due to inertia for several seconds or minutes. And the reaction of the lever to the first push can hide the incoming waves in the range from 1 to 25 seconds, so it must be quickly returned to its resting state. You can use oil for this, but this method is messy and temperature dependent.
The magnetic damper consists of a copper wedge that passes through a strong magnetic field created by 4 very powerful neodymium magnets. The blade and brass bolt do not have magnetic properties, but the body is magnetic, so neodymium magnets are simply stuck to it, and so that everything does not stick together, spacer bolts are installed.
Since the damper body is not mounted on a wooden base, it must be quite heavy to prevent it from moving. For this purpose, I made triple damper plates 5x7cm.
Step 9: Magnetic Damper - Side View
I drilled 3 holes with a diameter of 6.5mm in each plate. I placed magnets 2.5x2x0.6 in opposite polarity, 2 per side: S | NN | S
The wedge 4.5x3.2cm is made of copper sheet No. 24. You can use a heavier sheet, but not lighter. A wedge can be soldered into the mounting bolt, and the gap between it and the magnets can be set to about 3mm.
Step 10: Amplifier
Having tried several signal amplifier options, I chose the one presented. This is a stable amplifier with auto-nulling and low-frequency noise protection.
The output for the time signal is optional and not needed when outputting to a PC. But the circuit section: 100k resistor - TL082 - 68k resistor is required.
Step 11: Outline
I soldered my amplifier to a circuit board and plugged it into a plastic case. I added connectors to the case and a 100k trim resistor to the front panel.
Step 12: Power Supply
The amplifier requires power supply of +12/-12V. Note how the positive and negative wires fit into the voltage regulator.
Step 13: Analog to Digital Converter
I'm using a Dataq DI-158U Analog/Digital converter, but it's an older model with 12-bit resolution. Dataq DI-145 and Dataq DI-149 have 10-bit resolution, but they can introduce unwanted noise into the signal. The DI-155 is an expensive model, but it is 13 bit and programmable. So at +/- 5V you can get 1.2 MV resolution, which is 16 times better than less expensive models, and it will also produce less noise in the signal.
Step 14: Software
You can use the software that comes with the converter, but there is more suitable software that is already specialized for our purposes. For example, I use a free program called AmaSeis A-1.
Step 15: Insulating Box
All seismograph mechanics must be placed in a tightly closed, airtight box to avoid interference caused by air currents. I made a box from polystyrene foam and covered it with a piece of chipboard, thereby giving it stability.
Step 16: Damper Adjustment
Step 17: Moment of Truth
After adjusting the homemade damping, you are ready to catch an earthquake. Be patient, this process can take anywhere from a few days to a week or more. Depending on where you live, you can expect the aftershock to last anywhere from 3 to 10 days on average. The closer to the tectonic fault, the more often.
Maybe you will be lucky and you will record a large earthquake, as I did with the magnitude 9 earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami. I recorded the waves from this earthquake for over four hours. The earth rang like a bell.
Good luck and good brain hunting !
(Especially for MozgoChins #This-Seismometer-is-no-toy
Source
▍ Conclusions
- High accuracy of weather forecasting today also remains an important task for researchers and practicing meteorologists. The science of bionics offers a look at living organisms.
- Animals are relatively unprotected from the elements. Therefore, during the course of evolution, they developed special sense organs that respond to weather changes.
- Plants can also respond sensitively to environmental changes.
- Despite the fact that living organisms have learned to sense with high accuracy the onset of unfavorable weather conditions, people have not yet learned to read this data from their behavior with the same accuracy.
- Despite the unsuccessful experience, which at one time cast doubt on the use of animals as living seismographs, biophysicists still make optimistic forecasts that, based on the study of living organisms, it will be possible to create more accurate instruments for weather forecasting. This will help predict the weather early, which can be vital for many people.
I would like to believe that the experience in Haicheng was not an accident, but how close our faith is to the truth will only be shown by scientific experience, knowledge and time. Biologists of the Phanerozoic community were with you: Evgeniy Budko and Samir Efimov. We wish you happiness, success and health in the New Year! Take care of yourself and your loved ones. See you again!
Sources
1. Zinchuk V.V., Balbatun O.A., Emelyanchik Yu.M. Normal physiology. Short course. Textbook allowance. — Minsk: Vysh. school, 2010. - 431 pp.: ill. ISBN 978-985-06-1804-7. 2. Evidence of Cnidarians sensitivity to sound after exposure to low frequency noise underwater sources Statocysts of medusae and evolution of stereocilia 3. Oprish T. Entertaining bionics 4. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0039368118301419?casa_token=P_9piJ-6k7AAAAAA 5. This elusive fish believed to be a predictor of earthquakes keeps washing up on Japanese shores
Journey into the world of chemistry
There are many seismic stations (named after the Greek word seismos, meaning "earthquake") scattered around the world.
It only takes a few minutes for scientists to begin analyzing the readings from their seismographs. They then compare the data with those obtained by their colleagues in other countries. The operation of seismographs is based on one principle. The light frame touches the ground, and a spring-suspended weight is connected to it. A load is more inertial, meaning it is more difficult to set in motion, than a light object. When the ground shakes, the frame also vibrates, but the load remains in place due to its gravity. The movement of a relatively stable load is recorded by a recorder - it draws a wavy line on a roll of paper. It is the principle of inertia that is used to record earth tremors in a seismograph. Sensing Earth's Vibrations The Chinese invented the seismoscope, a type of seismograph, in 132 AD. e. If tremors occurred somewhere, a ball would fly out of the mouth of one of the dragons and fall straight into the frog’s mouth, demonstrating not only the fact itself, but also the direction of the vibrations. This device detected “ground tremors” at a distance of up to 500 km.
Cardboard box; awl; ribbon; plasticine; pencil; felt-tip pen; twine or strong thread; a piece of thin cardboard.
The frame for your seismograph will be a cardboard box. It needs to be made of a fairly rigid material. Its open side will be the front part of your device.
Use an awl to make a hole in the top cover of the future seismograph. If there is not enough rigidity for the “frame,” cover the corners and edges of the box with tape, strengthening it, as shown in the photo.
Roll a ball of plasticine and make a hole in it with a pencil. Push the felt-tip pen into the hole so that its tip protrudes slightly from the opposite side of the plasticine ball.
This is the pointer on your seismograph, designed to draw lines of earth vibrations.
Pass the end of the thread through the hole at the top of the box. Place the box on the bottom side and tighten the thread so that the felt-tip pen hangs freely.
Tie the top end of the thread to a pencil and rotate the pencil around its axis until you take out the slack in the thread. Once the marker is hanging at the desired height (that is, just touching the bottom of the box), secure the pencil in place with tape.
Slide a piece of cardboard under the tip of the marker into the bottom of the box. Adjust everything so that the tip of the felt-tip pen easily touches the cardboard and can leave lines.
Your seismograph is ready for use. It uses the same operating principle as the real equipment. A weighted suspension, or pendulum, will be more inertial to shaking than a frame.
There is no need to wait for an earthquake to test the device in action. Just shake the frame. The pendant will remain in place, but will begin to draw lines on the cardboard, just like a real one.
Source
Homemade seismograph. Project “creating a seismograph with your own hands.” Expert assessment results
Both metal and iron bases are suitable for the construction of the seismograph. It should be heavy and tough. The place where the readings will be recorded should consist of paper and a drum; a clock mechanism is perfect. When oscillations begin, the base shifts and the pendulum, using levers, forces the feathers to move. The result is a zigzag record. The height and pitch show the nature of the vibrations.
The photo shows an image of a seismograph “drum” that shows four earthquakes recorded on the same day at my station in Denver; two in Mexico and two on the opposite side of the world, in Sumatra.
There are seismic apps on ubiquitous smartphones that use a built-in accelerometer to detect tremors in the Earth's crust, but they can only detect very rough, powerful tremors. The seismograph proposed in this guide can record ground motion of less than 50 µm/sec (a human hair is about 100 µm), meaning it records what cannot be felt.
The sensitivity of this homemade device allows you to register tremors of more than 6.5 magnitude all over the world, and smaller magnitudes in a specific area. But, of course, mechanical and electronic filtration in this device limits the sensitivity of the homemade product.
Step 1: Comparison with industrial analogues
If this seismograph is placed in a fairly quiet, stable place, such as a basement, then you can collect data in the background through the USB port of your computer using free software and not load the processor. And the quality of the data allows it to compete with industrial seismographs. Please note in the photo that a homemade seismograph, just like a professional one, distinguishes well between primary and secondary waves, as well as surface waves, which allows you to determine the distance to the epicenter with sufficient accuracy.
Step 2: Components
Step 3: Mechanical Components
The mechanics of this seismograph are made in a vertical short-period version, which is tuned to a wave frequency of about 1.5-2 seconds, which gives a strong response to the P and S waves of an earthquake. There is room to change the width, but arm size, spring angle, and spring tension are critical.
Wooden appliances are acceptable in conditions of stable humidity, but only if they are treated with several layers of paint. Aluminum can be used as a base, but there are questions about its thermal expansion. If you do use metal, it should be non-magnetic.
Step 4: Mechanical Sensor
Step 5: Lever Blade
The blade of the utility knife is used as a "hinge" for the lever with point contact. The blade itself is secured to the aluminum arm in a V-shaped slot, allowing the arm to move freely up and down. The lever is made of aluminum, 3.2cm wide and 0.3cm thick, specifically aluminum so that it does not generate a magnetic field when interacting with a magnetic horseshoe.
The wooden stand is glued to the base with wood glue, and reinforced on the bottom side with a self-tapping screw so that the self-tapping screw does not interfere with the adjustment bolts, with the help of which the seismograph is leveled horizontally.
Step 6: Spring
The characteristics of the spring are decisive. If it is too rigid, the magnetic horseshoe mounted on the lever will have difficulty moving vertically. The parameters of my springs are as follows: 6.35x82.55x0.63 - 3 pieces.
Install the springs, controlling the level of the horizontal lever, and secure them to the support. And to attach the lever and the third spring, use a non-magnetic mount.
Step 7: Coil
I used a magnetic horseshoe with an attractive force of 13.6 kg. Secure the magnet to the arm using non-magnetic brass or aluminum bolts and nuts.
The coil is limited on the sides by two 7cm disks made of 3mm fiberboard, since it is a dielectric. The coil itself is wound on a wooden core with a diameter of 2.54 cm and a thickness of 1 cm. In general, the dimensions of the coil depend on the horseshoe magnet. We add wooden washers to the side disks for easy fastening. A hole is drilled throughout the coil base for a non-magnetic bolt.
To wind the coil we use wire No. 26, or even better, No. 30. We drill a small hole in the side disk of the coil, thread a wire through it and leave the outer end about 30cm. And then we wind the coil. We also leave the second end about 30cm. I automated this process a little: I put the base of the coil on a bolt, inserted the bolt into a drill, and at low speeds, carefully wound the wire.
Step 8: Magnetic Damper
If the seismograph arm is not damped, it will oscillate up and down due to inertia for several seconds or minutes. And the reaction of the lever to the first push can hide the incoming waves in the range from 1 to 25 seconds, so it must be quickly returned to its resting state. You can use oil for this, but this method is messy and temperature dependent.
The magnetic damper consists of a copper wedge that passes through a strong magnetic field created by 4 very powerful neodymium magnets. The blade and brass bolt do not have magnetic properties, but the body is magnetic, so neodymium magnets are simply stuck to it, and so that everything does not stick together, spacer bolts are installed.
Since the damper body is not mounted on a wooden base, it must be quite heavy to prevent it from moving. For this purpose, I made triple damper plates 5x7cm.
Step 9: Magnetic Damper - Side View
I drilled 3 holes with a diameter of 6.5mm in each plate. I placed magnets 2.5x2x0.6 in opposite polarity, 2 per side: S | NN | S
The wedge 4.5x3.2cm is made of copper sheet No. 24. You can use a heavier sheet, but not lighter. A wedge can be soldered into the mounting bolt, and the gap between it and the magnets can be set to about 3mm.
Step 10: Amplifier
Having tried several signal amplifier options, I chose the one presented. This is a stable amplifier with auto-nulling and low-frequency noise protection.
The output for the time signal is optional and not needed when outputting to a PC. But the circuit section: 100k resistor - TL082 - 68k resistor is required.
Step 11: Outline
I soldered my amplifier to a circuit board and plugged it into a plastic case. I added connectors to the case and a 100k trim resistor to the front panel.
Step 12: Power Supply
The amplifier requires power supply of +12/-12V. Note how the positive and negative wires fit into the voltage regulator.
Step 13: Analog to Digital Converter
I'm using a Dataq DI-158U Analog/Digital converter, but it's an older model with 12-bit resolution. Dataq DI-145 and Dataq DI-149 have 10-bit resolution, but they can introduce unwanted noise into the signal. The DI-155 is an expensive model, but it is 13 bit and programmable. So at +/- 5V you can get 1.2 MV resolution, which is 16 times better than less expensive models, and it will also produce less noise in the signal.
Step 14: Software
You can use the software that comes with the converter, but there is more suitable software that is already specialized for our purposes. For example, I use a free program called AmaSeis A-1.
Step 15: Insulating Box
All seismograph mechanics must be placed in a tightly closed, airtight box to avoid interference caused by air currents. I made a box from polystyrene foam and covered it with a piece of chipboard, thereby giving it stability.
Step 16: Damper Adjustment
Step 17: Moment of Truth
After adjusting the homemade product
damping you are ready to catch an earthquake. Be patient, this process can take anywhere from a few days to a week or more. Depending on where you live, you can expect the aftershock to last anywhere from 3 to 10 days on average. The closer to the tectonic fault, the more often.
Maybe you will be lucky and you will record a large earthquake, as I did with the magnitude 9 earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami. I recorded the waves from this earthquake for over four hours. The earth rang like a bell.
Creating a seismograph at home and its use for studying mechanical vibrations The work explored the possibility of creating a seismograph at home to detect and record mechanical vibrations of various origins. Research methods: search and analysis of information on this topic in various sources; visit to the Geological Museum named after. Vernadsky in Moscow and studying the operation of a seismograph; design; conducting experiments. Based on the literature studied, a model of a mechanical seismograph was selected as the simplest to implement and a diagram of its assembly was developed. The assembled vertical mechanical seismograph has been tested. With its help, vibrations of a tabletop above a washing machine, vibrations of the floor in an elevator, the floor in a room when jumping rope, and vibrations of flights of stairs in a lyceum building were recorded. The seismograms obtained during the experiment can be used to study mechanical vibrations of various origins. Conclusion: a home-assembled seismograph is cheap and easy to use. Scope of application: the seismograph is applicable for recording mechanical vibrations of various natures. Possible consumers: teachers and students. The seismograph is suitable for use in a school physics classroom for conducting research, laboratory work and demonstration experiments when studying the topic “Mechanical Vibrations” in grades 9 and 10.
Files:
▍ Medusa and her “infra-ear”
For people on land, an unexpected storm may not necessarily pose a threat to life. However, at sea things are different. Here a person is completely at the mercy of the elements. Sea hurricanes and cyclones arise unexpectedly within 10-15 minutes (the time during which the barometer can determine the decrease in atmospheric pressure and thereby the approach of a storm), during which time boats and ships have practically no opportunity to shelter from approaching adversity, but knowing the approach of a dangerous event , the crew has the opportunity to at least prepare to face the danger head-on and try to minimize the damage [3]
The barometer is an amazing thing invented by man, but what a surprise it was for bionicists and biologists when they discovered something similar in a jellyfish, which looks like a transparent gelatinous umbrella. Even with a fairly simple structure, these animals can perceive infrasonic vibrations (8-13 vibrations per minute), which arise when waves move in contact with atmospheric air. The jellyfish has a bladder filled with liquid, in which pebbles float, supported by nerve filaments. The “infraear” of a jellyfish is its organ of balance. Such vesicles - statocysts, or as they are also called, “auditory cones”, usually hang on a stalk [].
The oscillating waves exert pressure on the pebbles, which transmit impulses to the nerves. When fluctuations exceed a certain threshold, known as the storm threshold, the jellyfish takes protective measures: it moves away from the shore, where it can be thrown out and crushed by waves, to depths where there is no such stimulation as in the sea or on the surface of the ocean [].
