The Investigation Issue by HIP 2B2

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ION IGAT

T NVES T H E Iber 2008/Issue Septe

ISSUE

INTELLIGENT ENTERTAINMENT

Be there - B2: the five events you don’t want to miss • Exposed: sci-fi movies more fiction than science covers1.indd 1

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200 cm

THE

USUAL

CTS SUSPE

CON T ENTS

150 cm

YOUR INVESTIGATION

100 cm 50 cm

Desireé ‘Crusher’ Kriel

Anton ‘Slicka’ Pietersen

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PHOTOGRAPH: DENVER HENDRICKS • COVER PHOTOGRAPH: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM

‘Slicka’ nst him: The case agai ct all kinds of likes to colle working on art. Last seen ore he’d get the logo. Sw hen told he his revenge w a logo made ve couldn’t ha on the cover. of ice cream ngerous. Armed and da

Smart technology

SMART READS

How maths and science solve crime How much evidence do you shed in an hour? Investigative careers Medical mysteries Monopoly: the game of life The science of sleeping

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17 20 24 25 26 32 34

Ed’s Note Community of HIP: your news, your views Brand Ambassadors: meet James and Simone

Deconstruction: microscope Sci DIY: how to fake a ﬁngerprint Smart maths: inﬁnity and pi Sport science: ready to save a life? Think tank: puzzle over these Simply science: how a bulletproof vest works

‘Hitwoman ’

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2 4 6 10

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INTELLIGENT ENTERTAINMENT

Be there – B2: what’s hot

REGULARS

contentsA.indd 1

‘Five Bob’

‘Shorty’

Can you solve it?

What’s new in science?

Helena ‘Hitwoman’ Gavera

: The case against him The ca c nia se aga this known kleptoma inst he crimin r: a l era The case against sev d al mas has been spotte her: t e rmind t o all kin w the ith ties a career criminal und aro ds of u times lurking with a ndergro networ at e record as long as lat u e nd k crim s, no jo scene of the her arm b is to or too o nd bra h and expensive ta b wit s ig ed m ess all for night. Obs stes. Her her. Sh e likes ord any. to toy with in sudden desire to hit the road names, but can’t aff vestiga – s t tors e a uld li makes her a susp wo o n log g the g t alin h Ste e logo ect – maybe the kin is just s she wants someth d of hig be as easy as pi for thi ing to h-proﬁ crime s le remember the ga h e thriv shady character. ng by? es on.

‘Crusher’

The case agains t her: known for Hulk-like sm ashing abilities, specialises in sm ash-and-grabs. With a baby cri minal on the way, she could be looking for any and all ways to get together money for university fees. And what better way than to kidnap the HI P2B2 logo?

Nicklaus ‘Five Bob’ Kruger

Who stole the HIP2B2 logo? Read the case reports and solve the case. There’s a clue hidden in the Ed’s letter. The answer can be found at <www.hip2b2.com>.

Music: Prime Circle gives us the low-down Movies: silly movie physics in space Games lab: we do the Wii Books: Focus Mathematical Literacy Study Guide

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CHAT ROOM

f as the result o e v a s d e ir u q c ta ‘Wisdom is no VESTIGATIONS.’ARA TEASDALE (POET) IN

PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF BSQUARE COMMUNICATIONS Communications Manager Kate Evans HIP2B2 PIONEERED BY MARK SHUTTLEWORTH <www.hip2b2.com> Published by New Media Publishing (Pty) Ltd Tel: 021 417 1111 • Fax: 021 417 1112 <www.newmediapub.co.za> Managing Director Bridget McCarney Business Development Director John Psillos Editorial Director Irna van Zyl

CRACK THE CASE - AND WIN

Are you a Sherlock Holmes or a CSI Horatio in the making? Test your crime-solving skills on page 17.

All rights reserved. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information, the editor, publisher and New Media Publishing cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies, injury or damages that may arise. Printed by Paarl Print ABC 124 687

PHOTOGRAPH: DENVER HENDRICKS

Staying curious is one of our mandates in the HIP2B2 community. In this issue we take our curiosity to the underground world of investigation. Sniff out crime-scene investigators found right in your textbook (page 20). Sadly, this is my last issue as editor of the smartest youth magazine on the planet. I’m going away to pursue another dream of mine (see my blog at <www.hip2b2.com> if you’d like to know more). In addition to all the great memories I have of my time here, I’ve made sure that I’ll always have a piece of HIP2B2 with me wherever I go. Next issue you’ll meet your new editor and, trust me, the journey in smart curiosity will continue. My ﬁnal words to you HIP stars? Cling to thoughts that are smart, true and praiseworthy, hold onto people who are not afraid to allow you to achieve, and pursue ideals with everlasting value. See you on the smart side.

Editor Nevelia Heilbron Art Director Anton Pietersen Managing Editor Desireé Kriel Editorial Assistant Nicklaus Kruger Copy Editor Sally Rutherford Proofreader Fred Pheiffer Publisher Helena Gavera Creative Director Crispian Brown Executive Editor Ami Kapilevich Production Manager Shirley Quinlan Reproduction New Media Repro Advertising Director Aileen O’ Brien • Tel: 021 417 1228 Advertising Executives Nick Armstrong • Tel: 021 417 1188 Michael Daly (JHB) • Tel: 011 263 4804 New Business Enquiries (NMP) Martha Dimitriou • Tel: 021 417 1276 Editorial Contributors Nikki Benatar, Ellen Cameron, Paul Carter, Erin Classen, Ami Kapilevich, Jacqui Lund, Michelle Minnaar, Linda Pretorius, Anthony Samboer, Mark van Dijk, Mandy J Watson Syndication Manager Glynis Fobb Educational Consultants Wordwise

NEVELIA Winner: 2007 AdMag Custom Publisher of the Year

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• Write to: HIP2B2, PO Box 440, Green Point 8051 • Email: <talk2us@hip2b2.com> or <win@hip2b2.com>. WISH YOU WERE THERE THE EVENT The GLE (GLOBE Learning Expedition). WHEN 22 to 27 June, University of Cape Town.

ANIEK LINSSEN

LUCSAME GRUNECK

Grade 8, Sint-Maartenscollege, Netherlands Our GLOBE project was on health and environment in our home town, Maastricht. If I were a spy, I’d check out Nelson Mandela, so I can share his world view.

Grade 12, Dara Academy, Thailand Our GLOBE project was about the effect of soil erosion on water quality. Favourite random fact: marine biology is the most exciting career in the world.

CAMILLA SOENDROL

Grade 11, Bodo Videregaende Skole, Norway Our GLOBE project was about the effects of global warming on Coastal Cod in Salten in northern Norway. If I were a spy, I’d spy on NASA – I have a feeling they’re spending way too much money. Favourite random fact: horses can’t see straight ahead. SIHLE MPILA

Grade 10, Indwe Secondary School, Mossel Bay Our GLOBE project was about indigenous knowledge and medicines. Favourite random fact: Cape Town is the best city in the world. Fact.

GRANT LOTTERING

Grade 7, Hibernia Primary School, George Our GLOBE project was on the Adopta-River programme and biomonitoring. If I were a spy, I’d travel around to see how to make the world a better place. Favourite random fact: caring for nature is cooler than playing PS2, or even PS3, all day. ANNA NGUFOR

Grade 8, Government Bilingual Practising School, Cameroon Our GLOBE project was about water storage in Cameroon. If I were a spy, I’d keep a close eye on the World Bank and see if I could get money from them to fund research.

INTERVIEWS BY NICKLAUS KRUGER • PHOTOGRAPHS: JOANNE MARKLAND, GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM, iSTOCK PHOTOS

WHAT WENT DOWN Scientists, researchers and budding young Newtons gathered to swop smart spots at this conference, held for the ﬁrst time in Africa. The theme was Research for Sustainable Communities. Apart from the hard work, there were also cultural displays and trips to tourist hot spots. Click to <www.hip2b2.com> for more pics.

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COMMUNITY OF HIP

YOU WROTE ...

ON THE SMS CHAT LINE

Thanx for the most gr8 mag eva! It’s a gr8 inspiration to me. – JOLENE VD MERWE

HIP2B2 is da magazine dat gives our science club a sense of direction. It’s informative, educational & entertaining. Keep it up guys. – MOGANEDI SYDNEY

U ROCK! – UR BIGGEST FAN

… to Leonie Joubert, one of South Africa’s sassiest young science writers. Her bestselling (and Alan Paton Non-Fiction Honorary Award-winning) book Scorched explores how climate change affects South Africa’s ﬂora and fauna. She’s won the SAB Environmental Journalist merit award two years running and wants to help curb climate change and combat pseudoscience (science without the scientiﬁc method).

d why? 2 adge of respect, an b B 2 IP H e th for o do you nominate

Wh T A L K

T O

U S

Send us your thoughts, photos or stories about interesting events you’ve attended. SMS ‘HIPCOM’ followed by your thoughts to 34978. Each SMS costs R2. WRITE TO HIP2B2, PO Box 440, Green Point 8051. EMAIL <talk2us@hip2b2.com> or <hip2b2@newmediapub.co.za>. CHAT Click to the Forum section at <www.hip2b2.com>.

H I P

B Y

N U M B E R S

1900 was the year South

93% of identiﬁcations of

Africa’s first fingerprint department was established in Pietermaritzburg – a year before Scotland Yard set up its own office in London.

victims of major disasters, such as fires and plane crashes, are made using dental records. Only about 30% of these identifications are helped along by fingerprints.

1941 was the

5 super-vision powers are

year Wonder Woman made her ﬁrst appearance, wielding her signature Lasso of Truth. Her lasso was based on the lie detector (polygraph), which her creator, William Moulton Marston, played a signiﬁcant part in creating.

commonly employed by Superman, not including heat vision: telescopic and microscopic vision, infrared and ultraviolet vision, and something called X-ray vision, which doesn’t work using X-rays at all.

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BRAND AMBASSADORS

Spotlight on JAMES and SIMONE We introduce you to two HIP2B2 Brand Ambassadors, and tell you more about their projects.

St George’s Grammar School, Grade 11 JAMES’ PROJECT I’m investigating

computer-assisted learning facilities for students and how they can be made more attractive. AIM I believe education levels can be improved by introducing technology into the learning environment, and improving the productivity of online learning can help this. What I love about computers is the amazing prospects they offer. A familiarity with technological advances is the key to accessing greater productivity, communication facilities and the array of resources that they present. I’d like to do something in the engineering field, either as an electronic engineer or computer engineer. And as for what I want to be – happy. I’ve been trading shares on the JSE, but (sadly for me) it hasn’t yet started spewing out money. Yet. Golf is fun, but I can only wish for a birdie. I’m still remarkably happy when it doesn’t land in the water. The development I hope to see soon is an improvement in the efficiency of green energy sources – solar and wind-powered generators that are plausible power sources. One of the most fun things I’ve done is fly a small airplane. By ‘fly’ I mean I just steered it around for a few minutes. Geeks are important. Most of the great improvements in modern technology and its infrastructure have had someone rather intellectual behind them. The more intellectuals there are around, the more things improve and advance. If I could change one thing, I’d make the world bigger! More space would help alleviate most major societal problems.

SIMONE ABRAMSON Herzlia High School, Grade 11 SIMONE’S PROJECT I plan to turn

invasive alien vegetation from a liability to an asset by developing an item that can be produced by disadvantaged communities. AIM To minimise the impact of invasive aliens – a great threat to ecosystems – and create much-needed economic opportunities. I’d like to become a civil engineer. I want to build up South Africa’s infrastructure and make a positive contribution. My favourite part of inventing is the planning. It’s the most exhilirating part of creating something. My favourite invention is the cellphone. I sometimes wonder how different it would be if I had to make an exact meeting place and time for my parents to pick me up from a shopping mall. Cellphones allow us to communicate with each other, and have tons of functions packed into an object the size of my hand. Amazing, isn’t it? Geeks deﬁnitely have the ability to change the world, because they’re not scared to say what they believe in. They are opinionated people who are not afraid to be smart and to do things others would regard as ‘uncool’. Geeks strive to achieve the best in life, and that means solutions to global problems. The quote that inspires me: ‘Most great men and women are not perfectly rounded in their personalities, but are instead people whose one driving enthusiasm is so great it makes their faults seem insigniﬁcant.’ (Charles A. Cerami) Scary fact: If all South Africa’s invasive alien vegetation was left alone, it would double in size in 15 years.

BY NICKLAUS KRUGER ∙ PHOTOGRAPHS: DENVER HENDRICKS

JAMES GOWANS

For more on the HIP2B2 Brand Ambassadors, their project ideas and activities, check out <www.hip2b2.com>.

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BRAND AMBASSADORS

ARE YOU HIP ENOUGH? PHOTOGRAPH: DENVER HENDRICKS

Smart. Young. Hip. The search is on for HIP2B2 Brand Ambassadors. You may have heard about or seen the DO YOU HAVE HIP2B2 Brand Ambassadors WHAT IT TAKES? Good grades and accomplishments – in magazines, on the Web, the in these ﬁelds are an advantage, • A passion for science, maths, invention, radio or on TV. They’ve met with Mark Shuttleworth, learnt new skills, but a larger-than-life personality entrepreneurship or computers; is vitally important. Only learners spearheaded outreach initiatives • a commitment to challenge and showing in grades 8, 9 and 10 may apply. and are working with mentors your peers just how cool and crucial these Come on Limpopo, Mpumalanga, on their individual Free State and Northern Cape – we subjects are; projects. need hip stars from your provinces. • excellent people and communication skills; • imagination and a positive attitude; and • strong leadership qualities.

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If you have what it takes to represent HIP2B2 click to <www.hip2b2.com> to download the application form. Applications close on Friday, 31 October.

8/11/08 8:13:39 AM

SCI NEWS

WHAT’S NEW IN SCIENCE?

Vikings were fond of playing riddle games. One popular riddle was: ‘On the way a miracle: water became bone. What is it?’

RIDDLE ME THIS FAST FACT

Ants can lift more than 20 times their own body weight.

(Answer: ice.)

When teens are in the same clique, everybody gets on well. But if they come across someone from a rival clique, there can be aggression. Similarly, ants from the same colony tend to accept one another but show deﬁnite signs of aggression towards ants from other colonies. Argentine ants (the little brown ones that form ‘streets’ in your house) were probably introduced to SA during the Anglo-Boer war. They form large interconnected colonies called supercolonies. Within a supercolony, ants show very low levels of aggression. There are billions of these ants in the Western Cape. Researchers investigated: do they all belong to the same colony? HOW’D THEY DO THAT? Researchers pitted Argentine ants collected from eight sites stretching from Porterville to Elim (over 200 km away) against each other. THE VERDICT Only those ants from Elim showed high levels of aggression towards all other ants. This tells us there are two supercolonies in the Western Cape, which means that these ants were probably introduced twice ... sneaky. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Are cliques valuable or destructive? SMS ‘HIPCOM’ and your comments to 34978. Each SMS costs R2.

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VIKING MICE RAID MARION ISLAND

The Vikings were famous explorers. They were also famous raiders, who plundered many lands. Some house mice on Marion Island are keeping the destructive traditions alive … even down to eating albatross chicks. No way? Way! This house mouse is the only terrestrial mammal on the island whose origins have been unknown – until now. Dr Van Vuuren and Prof. Chown of Stellenbosch University set out to investigate this mystery. HOW’D THEY DO THAT? They used molecular genetic techniques, sequencing fragments of mitochondrial DNA. These sequences were compared with those for housemouse species on GenBank*. THE VERDICT The mice on Marion Island are most closely related to those in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and northern Germany. So they were actually brought to the island from these Scandinavian countries. Not only do they cause chaos like the Vikings, they could be the last Vikings around. *GenBank is a library of DNA sequences from research conducted around the world on a large number of different species.

BY THE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR INVASION BIOLOGY (CIB) • PHOTOGRAPHS: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM, iSTOCK PHOTOS

ADOLESCENT ANTS

CIB The Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology conducts research, development and training in biodiversity science. To find out more about the CIB, or about the research presented here, click to <http://www.sun.ac.za/cib>.

8/11/08 8:14:09 AM

SMART TECHNOLOGY

BY MANDY J WATSON • PHOTOGRAPHS: BAUHAUS UNIVERSITY, MEDIA FACULTY; JEONGSUN OH, JOSHUA WHITE, GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM

smart, innovative or wacky

COUNTING TIME

WHOSE IDEA WAS IT ANYWAY? Wii GRAFFITI

Japanese company Tokyoﬂash makes the S-Mode Oberon SS, a watch that shows the time without using any numbers. The outer ring of LEDs indicates the hour, the middle ring indicates single minutes and the ring on the inside indicates the minutes in groups of ten – so here the watch shows a time of 10:36.

NEW BRICKS ON THE BLOCK Tired of living in a house made of standard bricks? A recent American exhibition showcased the Blobwall Pavilion, a wall made out of irregular recyclable-plastic bricks created by Greg Lynn, a professor with a ﬂair for biomorphism*. The shape of the blobs allows for interesting curves. The blobs were designed using CAD (computer aided design) software, and then each brick was cut out, one by one, using a robotic arm. *Biomorphism is a type of art that focuses on organic shapes, but the style can also be used in architecture.

Two students from the Media faculty at Bauhaus University in Germany, Martin Lihs and Frank Matuse, are working on a wirelessremote prototype that’s shaped like a spray can and uses parts from the Wii Remote. It’s called the WiiSpray. It may mean that developers could make grafﬁti console games, or you could become a pro digitalgrafﬁti artist by using the remote spray can together with software such as Photoshop. Click to <www.wiispray.com>.

SMASH, BOOM, BIG BANG Scientists at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland have been experimenting to ﬁgure out where mass comes from and what the universe is made of. They’ve been using a particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to smash particles (either protons or lead ions) together at high speeds, simulating the Big Bang and the behaviour of matter immediately afterwards. Lying in a tunnel 100 m underground and 27 km long, it will become the largest of its kind. Click to <www.cern.ch/LHC/> for more.

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8/11/08 8:17:33 AM

We interview Dr Dirk Lang of UCT’s Advanced Imaging Facility, and Dr Adrian Tiplady, South African SKA Project scientist.

How impressive is a confocal microscope? It’s a modiﬁed ﬂuorescence microscope that uses laser scanning and digital-imaging technology to get images, showing cellular or tissue details at very high resolution. These images can be used to create computer-aided reconstructions and models of the three-dimensional structure of cells and tissues.

The MeerKAT (left), a local superscope, will allow us to view sites such as radio galaxy NGC 2146.

A NEW KIND OF CAT What is the MeerKAT? It’s a South African project that aims to construct a next-generation radio-astronomy facility that will be the premier facility of its kind in the world. It is also seen as a pathﬁnder for the even more impressive Square Kilometre Array (SKA). UCT’s confocal microscope.

Other exciting uses? The confocal microscope can also be used to monitor the movement and migration of live cells over time, which can then be shown as time-lapse movies. What makes the LSM confocal so special? It’s the ﬁrst confocal system in the country (if not the whole of Africa) that can perform two-photon imaging – so we can get detailed microscopic images from deep within living tissues like the brain. What hidden mysteries can it help uncover? We’ve produced data for international research articles, and now we’re looking forward to showing how immune cells eliminate pathogens; how nerve cells form connections in the developing and regenerating nervous system; and how the growth of cancer cells can be kept in check – to name but a few. Neurons seen through the confocal microscope.

Tell us more about the SKA and South Africa? The SKA is an international project involving about 21 countries. The goal is to design and construct a radio-astronomy facility that is 100 times more sensitive than any existing radioastronomy telescope. South Africa was short-listed to host this project because of our superb location – we have areas with very low population density and levels of radio-frequency interference. The telescope should be commissioned in 2021. What do we hope to discover? We’ll stretch the realms of our understanding of the universe and the laws of nature. The SKA will allow us to probe extreme environments, and even help us look for other Earth-like planets. The most exciting thing about this project? South African scientists and engineers would be at the forefront of an international project, developing next-generation technologies.

BY NICKLAUS KRUGER • PHOTOGRAPHS: CJ GUERIN, PHD, MRC TOXICOLOGY UNIT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY; NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY/COLOURED BY SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

INVESTIGATORY TECHNOLOGY hot local techno display

3-D INSPECTION

TWINKLE, TWINKLE

See more impressive images at <www.ska.ac.za>.

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DECONSTRUCTION Eyepiece (ocular) with magnifying glass lenses (2). Deviation prism splits the optical axis of the microscope, tilting it to a comfortable viewing angle for the observer.

Eyepiece tube (3).

Limb (arm). The number marked on the objective (1) tells us how many times the organism we have on the slide is being magniﬁed.

Stage opening (8) admits light from the condenser.

Stage (5). Abbe condenser (9).

Aperture iris diaphragm (10). Light bulb illuminates the specimen.

Base houses the electrical components and wiring.

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Rubber feet.

THE INNER WORKINGS

A compound microscope – a type of light microscope – consists of a series of lenses, which allow you to enlarge your chosen specimen. The lens closest to the object or specimen is called the objective lens (1). The one closest to your eye is called the eyepiece or ocular lens (2) and is used to view the specimen. The objective lens forms an enlarged image of the specimen, while the lens in the eyepiece magnifies this image. The eyepiece is connected to the eyepiece tube (3), which holds the eyepiece at the correct distance and blocks out any stray light. Compound microscopes typically have three or four objectives, each with a different magnifying power, screwed into a rotating nosepiece (4), allowing you to select the desired magnification simply by rotating the dial. The specimen is mounted onto a glass slide and placed on the stage (5), where it is secured with spring-loaded clips (6). To bring the specimen into focus a coarse adjustment knob (7) moves the stage up and down via a rack-and-pinion gear system. An opening in the stage (8) allows light to be projected onto the specimen and up the objective lens. The Abbe condenser (9) in turn focuses the light from the lamp onto the specimen and can be adjusted to deliver crisper images. Before the light reaches the condenser it passes through a diaphragm or iris (10). Adjusting this varies the intensity and size of the cone of light that is projected upward into the slide to improve the contrast of the specimen. A coloured filter (11) to further enhance contrast can be fitted below the diaphragm.

TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS: ANTHONY SAMBOER AND BRUCE FARTHING

we take it apart

8/11/08 8:20:01 AM

THE COMPOUND MICROSCOPE

Spring-loaded stage clips (6). Stage stop adjustment prevents damage to the slide and objective when the microscope is accidentally overfocused.

Rotating nosepiece (4) allows user to select required objective lens. Objectives (1).

Condenser focus knob. Aperture stop. Filter holder (carrier) (11).

Coarse adjusment knob (7).

Collector lens increases illuminating power. Light shield with ventilation holes.

Fine adjustment knob.

Power cord.

On/Off switch.

OUR FAVOURITE BIT

The Abbe condenser is responsible for focusing light on the specimen and greatly improves the quality of the image. It is typically used with an adjustable iris, and allows the user to change the diameter and focal point of the light entering the slide. By moving the condenser up and down and changing the aperture (opening) on the iris, the contrast and detail in the specimen can be precisely set for the best image quality.

SHOCK HORROR DID YOU KNOW?

Microscopes were ﬁrst used exclusively in wealthier homes as a form of recreation – only later were they used for more serious purposes, like the study of microbes and bacteria. See page 12 for a superscope.

By using a specialised microscope, scientists at Rockefeller University have recorded the birth of a single particle of HIV inside a living cell. This is the ﬁrst time anyone has seen a virus particle being born. It took ﬁve to six minutes for the HIV particle to form.

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8/11/08 8:20:12 AM

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PHOTOGRAPH: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM

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SUBSCRIBE ... AND For only R130, you will receive 8 issues of HIP2B2 delivered to you. SMS ‘SUBSCRIBE HIP’ to 32510 (each SMS costs R1) or email John Pienaar at <jpienaar@newmediapub.co.za>.

July 2008/Issue 23

The ﬁrst 5 subscribers will each win a HIP2B2 Bass on Tap.

think. what you can be

WHAT BELONGS HERE? See competition details on page 2.

ATTENTION

ALL THESE PICTURES HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON ...

WHAT IS IT?

INTELLIGENT ENTERTAINMENT

Jody Williams tells us about her idol life • Can a hero outrun an explosion? We expose silly movie physics

think. what you can be

subs page_HIP 1

8/11/08 8:22:03 AM

WHODUNNIT

Can you solve it? You are the city’s finest investigative detective. Solve the crime and an investigator’s reward could be yours.

BY ELLEN CAMERON-WILLIGER • PHOTOGRAPHS: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM

The crime scene

whodunnit 1

It’s 19:30 on a public holiday. You’ve been called to investigate a murder that has occurred under strange circumstances. You arrive at the scene: a back alley behind a restaurant with tall run-down buildings on the right (above the restaurant) and the left. Both buildings have fire escapes leading down to the alley. The scene, filled with overflowing garbage bins, is a mess. The body of a middle-aged male is inside one of the open dumpsters but it seems really out of place because of the man’s expensive, clean clothes. And access to this dumpster is difficult as there is a mountain of rubbish in front of it. The victim has a small bullet hole in his right temple. He’s been dead for only four hours. CRACK THIS CASE Solve the puzzles on the following pages in order to crack the case. If the puzzles are too cryptic, use the clues for help. Once you’ve solved it, send your report to the auditing team at <www.hip2b2.com>.

8/11/08 8:24:15 AM

Who is the

victim?

ises the lookers recogn ntly on of d ow cr re the aurant – appa Someone in lar at the rest the gu at re th a rs as be im em vict . He rem ad ro e the th t n ec w You insp he works do ts with a ‘G’. ar st edit e cr e am th rn on all victim’s su t. The name le al ers in w tt a le e nd th fi body and e you put nc O . s’ n o ag name. eW cards is ‘Rhyn e victim’s real th nd fi u yo der, e the correct or is found in th ’s first name e, im ur ct vi at e fe ’ Th CLUE lve Crimes d Science So an hs 6. at ge M ‘How d on pa ame is locate while his surn pping with o find a newspaper cli als u yo et, ck po his In icle is about y, 9 August. The art today’s date, Saturda althier in one of Joburg’s we a string of burglaries t of the suspect. includes an identiki neighbourhoods; it

What type of gun was used? s like the work The entry hole is quite small – look by calculating of a ______ Z88. Find the solution of the circle ce eren the length of BC. The circumf plus the ber num a is is 28,26 mm. The answer t. men correct unit of measure

less than the CLUE The numerical answer is two nology’ appears. page number on which ‘Smart Tech pon. Strange That’s a standard-issue police wea … was a cop was involved?

Where did he

come from?

Clearly the victim didn’t climb into the bin on his ow and by the look n ... of his clothes, he was murdered el and dumped here sewhere . Find the prepos ition hidden in th headline from th is ad e back of the ne wspaper clipping on the victim to found answer the ques tion:

‘WILLOW & BAOBAB OV

ENWARE SALE ENDS

CLUE On the co ntents page, whe re is ‘Smart Technology’ in relation to ‘Sci DIY’?

THURSDAY’

What, he just dropped from the sky? This ma kes no sense, unless it mean s … hmm … there are a few dodgy apartments overlookin g the alley. Cops get called out here all the time – for pro blems with drugs, pro stitution, stolen goods, you name it – but the tenants alway s stick together with their stories. Co uld one of them be the killer?

Who has a dodgy

alibi?

n’t hold up. meone’s story does So s. nt na te e th You interview and why? Whose alibi is fake all day, looking ed: ‘I was just here oy pl em un – d lan use-hunting. A: Lilah Ro ile she was out ho wh s kid r’s te sis after my ect – you know but didn’t dare insp t, ho ns gu e th d ar I he rhood’s all about.’ was what this neighbou al street vendor: ‘I p’ Johnson – inform hi d oc an icr h ‘M nc y lu nn de Da B: fe ma r in Hillbrow. His wi pm.’ 7 at re he ck visiting my brothe ba . I only got ds ar rw te af D DV a wa urant: ‘I s we watched waiter at the resta – y sk ov nk Pa ’ rn g to renew my C: Jake ‘Unico all afternoon, tryin t en rtm pa de c fﬁ at the tra s wasting time eue for three hour qu a in od sto I . licence for the day!’ before they closed gangster: ‘I spent randt – suspected Du ’ ke ys. Du e ‘Th my D: Jim d dice with the bo n playing cards an the whole afternoo hot or nothin’.’ Didn’t hear a guns of the suspect is at hints at the name CLUE A keyword th l Mysteries’ article. given in the ‘Medica

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pect and the guy a similarity between the sus is re the it, ut abo nk thi g. It says that the Now that you k at that newspaper clippin loo r the ano e tak You kit. in the identi suspected that the gun s armed in each case. It is wa ries gla bur se hou the in suspect ourhood in July. n on patrol in this neighb was stolen from a policema

How did the murder happen? The landlord recalls a man with an expensive-looking coat entering the building at about 15:00. No coat was found on or with the body – so if he was the murder victim, his coat should still be around somewhere … and your money’s on the suspect’s flat. Break the coded message to see what was found upstairs: ‘The 16021407 was found in the suspect’s 1608031502140517. There is a small 1525020217 0603251407071805 on the wall above the TV, but everything else looks 1625181401. On closer inspection, there is a faint 062608172018 on the top bars of the 19220518-180616140318 060714220506. Looks like 1525020217. This means that the 092216072226 was 06210207 in here, and the 15021712 was 072105021001 over the railings and 251401171817 in the 152201 1518250210.” CODEBREAKER Every two digits (between 01 and 26) represent a letter, but A does not start at 01. The letters and numbers are consecutive, so you just need to find the starting point and you can then fill in an alphanumeric table to figure out the other letter/number combinations (01 follows on from 26).

WHODUNNIT

What was the motiv e? Pick out the 10 correct words and put them in the right place to make sense of the paragraph below: • Break • identikit • call • ring • garag e • thank • worn • confront • trouble • promise • gun • restaurant • police • sold • knife • we dding • Johannesburg The victim recognised the suspect from the __ ________________ after he saw the ______ ____________ and cam e to ___________ him to get the ______ _________ ________ ______ back, or else he’d ______________ _ the ______________ _. The killer, having _____________ it alread y, knew he was in ____ ________ and reached for his ______ ______ …

Wrapping it up

ling a __________. ect confessed after fai sp su the en wh d lve so s writings’). The case was amination of numerou ‘ex an me uld co m ter (The missing 22. m is found on page CLUE The missing ter

PHOTOGRAPHS: iSTOCK PHOTOS

CLUE A’s number is the same as the page number on which you’ll ﬁnd ‘Deconstruction’.

Crack the case … and report, answering Once you’ve solved the case, write up your log it at the all of the questions on the right, and then >. The three Competition section on <www.hip2b2.com 2 Bass on Tap speaker winning entries will each win a HIP2B and then listed cally set. Winners will be notiﬁed telephoni er 2008. emb Sept 29 on the site. Competition closes on ber. Octo in later ite Answers will appear on the webs

1. WHO IS THE VICTIM? 2. WHAT TYPE OF GUN WAS USED? 3. WHERE DID HE COME FROM? 4. WHO HAS A DODGY ALIBI? 5. HOW DID THE MURDER HAPPEN? 6. WHAT WAS THE MOTIVE? 7. HOW DID YOU WRAP IT UP?

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HOW

M aTh S Sc & e iE n C SOLVE CRIMES Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all heard of the Scorpions and senior superintendents, but the chief investigating officers are right in your textbook.

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CRIME-SCENE INVESTIGATION

2m 1m

Solving the crime Running the numbers at the crime scene.

FOLLOW THAT BULLET

TRACKING BULLET TIME

BY MARK VAN DIJK • PHOTOGRAPH: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM, iSTOCK PHOTOS

SUPERINTENDENTS: Mathematics & Physics Investigating officers: Trigonometry, algebra & mechanics (motion and gravity) In crimes involving gunfire, mathematics and physics can determine the trajectory of the bullet – telling investigators exactly where the shooter was standing when the shot was fired. The easiest way to describe trajectory is by using the x and z axes of a graph (z will, of course, be affected by gravity). In zero air resistance, the trajectory of the bullet is described as follows: BULLET TRAJECTORY

x = v0 t cosO z = v0 t sinO – gt²

Point of entry

Firing horizon

v0 is the initial velocity O is the initial angle on the x axis t is the elapsed time g is gravitational acceleration The bullet’s velocity is determined using the formulae: vx = v0 cosO vz = v0 sinO – gt Sure, it’s tricky. But now you know why it helps to pay attention in class. Click to <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/ hbase/traj.html> for more detailed information.

CRIME INVESTIGATION.indd 3

1. When the bullet hits the ground, z = 0 m: z = 400t sin45° – (10) t2 ∴ 0 = 400t ( ) – 5t2 (∵sin45° = ) ∴ 0 = t ( – 5t) ∴ 0 = – 5t ∴ 5t = ∴ t = seconds substitute t =

∴ ∴ ∴

z v0

If you ﬁre a bullet at an angle of 45° from ground level, and it travels at 400 m.s-1 (assuming g = 10): 1. How far will it travel horizontally before it hits the ground? 2. What’s the maximum height it will reach?

into the x equation for horizontal distance: x = 400t cos45° x = 400 ( ) (∵cos45° = ) x = x = 16 000 metres (or 16 km)

That’s the length of 160 rugby ﬁelds in under a minute! 2. Because the path of the bullet is a parabolic arc, the greatest height is reached halfway before the bullet hits the ground (i.e. at t = max) ∴ t = ( ) ∴ t = Substitute t = into z equation to ﬁnd the maximum height:

∴ ∴ ∴

z z z z

= 400 ( ) sin45° – (10) ( )2 = ( )–5( ) = 8 000 – 4 000 = 4 000 metres above the ground

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CRIME-SCENE INVESTIGATION

2m 1m

Catching the crook

IT’S IN THE GENES SUPERINTENTENT: Biology Investigating officer: Genetics On shows like CSI, you’ll see investigators gathering DNA samples from hair, fingernails, bones or bodily fluids left at a crime scene. (Want to know how much evidence you shed in one hour? See page 24.) DNA is the molecule that carries your genetic information – it’s basically the recipe for everything in your body. A DNA molecule looks like a complicated twisting chain, but it’s actually made up of just four nucleotides (adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine), which line up together in base pairs like rungs on a ladder. Most human DNA is the same, but 3 million base pairs differ from person to person … making your DNA unique to you – and so useful in criminal investigations.

The science of the chase.

HOW TO SPOT A FAKE SUPERINTENDENTS: Biology & Psychology Investigating ofﬁcers: Physiology & Forensic Psychology Your body reveals when you’re not telling the truth. Biology helps to sniff out a lie. BREATHING When you tell a lie, your body undergoes emotional stress. The polygraph test detects this stress by measuring the effects on your sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Your respiratory system is part of your SNS. When you tell a lie, you’ll start breathing heavily and the pitch of your voice will change. BLOOD PRESSURE Under stress, your SNS can speed up your heart rate, constrict your blood vessels and raise your blood pressure. This affects your pulse, which can be measured by the polygraph. SWEATING Emotions like fear and anger (and, strangely, love) will make you sweat, leading to what physiologists call the galvanic skin response – a condition where your body is able to conduct electricity. BRAND AMBASSADOR

Brand Ambassador Simone Abramson has come up with a biometric detection system that’s harder to beat than a ﬁngerprint scanner. For more on her fundus test, go to <www.hip2b2.com>.

THE BIOLOGY OF LYING

The best way of detecting a lie is to use your ears rather than your eyes – liars say less, provide fewer details and use references to their own feelings and ideas less often than people telling the truth.

Fake smiles only employ the zygomatic major muscles, pulling up the edges of the mouth. Genuine smiles also make use of the orbicularis oculi muscles around the eyes, causing the skin around the eyes to crinkle. Since these muscles aren’t under voluntary control, it’s an almost unbeatable way of telling when someone’s really happy.

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2m 1m

Getting a verdict Counting the cost of crime.

LOGIC & DEDUCTION

GREAT INVESTIGATORS

Meet some of the world’s great real crime busters …

PHOTOGRAPH: © TONY KORODY/SYGMA/CORBIS

SUPERINTENDENT: Mathematics Investigating ofﬁcer: Statistics The famous detective Sherlock Holmes said it best, ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’ This kind of thinking – deductive reasoning – falls under the science of logic. Sometimes logic doesn’t add up, then you get The Prosecutor’s Fallacy. In 1996, Sally Clark’s newborn baby died suddenly. Two years later, the second baby of this UK mother died in similar circumstances and she was tried for the murder of both children. An expert witness testiﬁed that the odds of two babies from the same family dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome were 1 in 73 million, and – based on those odds – Sally Clark was found guilty. But here’s the catch: the odds of two children from the same family being murdered are an even less likely 1 in 2 billion. Instead of looking at the odds, the jury should rather have looked at the evidence … which revealed, after Clark had already spent two years in prison, that the second baby had died of a respiratory infection. For a full report, click to <http://news. bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6460669.stm>.

ALLAN PINKERTON (1819–1884) SHARING THE LOOT Even if they pull off a heist, a gang of robbers could still get caught out by mathematics when dividing up their loot. Let’s say ﬁve robbers (A, B, C, D and E) have to share R100 between themselves. Trouble is, the robbers have an order of seniority (A’s the most powerful, E’s the least), and the most senior robber (A) decides how the money is shared – but the others get to vote on whether or not to accept his decision. If they vote ‘yes’, his decision stands. If the vote’s a tie, the senior robber gets the deciding vote. But if they vote ‘no’, the senior robber is shot dead and the next robber (B) gets to propose a new system. Knowing that each of the robbers want as much money as possible, that none of them wants to die, but that none would mind killing somebody else, what should A do? WHAT’S YOUR VERDICT?

What should Robber A do? Click to the Competitions section at <www.hip2b2.com> to check your powers of deduction.

A police detective, he set up America’s ﬁrst detective agency. The Pinkerton Agency perfected the investigative arts of surveillance and undercover work.

DR HENRY LEE, (1938– ) One of the world’s top forensic scientists, his work includes an investigation into the September 11 terror attacks. According to his website (<www.drhenrylee.com>), he once solved a murder where there wasn’t a body!

JAY J ARMES (1938– ) A private investigator from Texas, he specialises in high-risk cases. Armes is like a comic-book hero: he lost both arms as a child, and now has two steel claws which let him reach into ﬁre, cut through metal and execute a killer karate chop. Investigators don’t get cooler than this …

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TRY THIS AT SCHOOL

LET THE EVIDENCE SHOW How much forensic evidence do you shed in one hour?

08:00 – FINGERED You open the door and your ﬁngerprints remain behind. There are three types of prints that can be found. Latent prints are visible or invisible marks formed by natural secretions and left behind by chance. Patent prints are formed by the transfer of a foreign material onto the ﬁnger and then onto an object, and can be seen by the naked eye. Plastic prints are formed by leaving the impression in a soft material such as wax, soap or grease. These prints are also visible.

08:12 – SHOE PRINT The mud on your shoe leaves a trail on the floor. Shoes leave distinct footprints and the size is also easily identified. Mud and any dirt captured on the sole can find its way onto the scene, giving an indication of where the wearer was prior to entering the scene.

08:28 – FIBRE FACTS Your jersey is snagged on the edge of the desk, leaving a few fibres. Fibres from clothing, carpets or interiors can be transferred from one person to another or from person to object and vice versa. Once the fibre is identified, it can be traced all the way back to its point of origin. To learn more about forensics and see students examining the evidence to solve the crimes, visit <www.trutv.com/forensics_curriculum>.

evidence show 1

08:37 – BODY OF EVIDENCE The paper cut on your palm is bleeding and a drop of blood dries on the desktop. Blood, saliva or any other bodily fluids are extremely useful evidence. Special chemicals that change the colour of these fluids are used to find traces of biological evidence.

08:43 – TRACKING DEVICE You check your cellphone when the teacher isn’t watching and reply to an SMS. Whenever you use a digital device, it records the binary code for that function so, even if you delete something, there are ways to recover the deleted data. Digital forensic scientists specialise in this ﬁeld and work with computers, cellphones, MP3 players and even digital cameras to recover evidence. Want to see how digital info is shared? Watch the HIP2B2 TV show on Monday, 22 September, on SABC 2 at 16:30.

08:55 – HAIR TRAIL You scratch your head and a few strands of hair are left at your desk. Hair is like the body’s archive – whatever the body endures is revealed in the condition of the hair. Because hair follicles at the root contain DNA, it’s evidence investigators love. Are you shocked at the clues you leave behind in 60 minutes? Actions do speak louder than words – especially when there’s evidence. BY ERIN CLASSEN • PHOTOGRAPHS: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM, iSTOCK PHOTOS

8/11/08 8:35:07 AM

CAREERS

Analyse these

BY NICKLAUS KRUGER • PHOTOGRAPHS: PHILIPPE PSAILA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, iSTOCKPHOTO

If life were a murder mystery, would you be the detective? Catch the bad guys with these code-cracking careers.

Forensic entomologist We’ve all seen a dead animal with ﬂies

Digital forensics expert These guys are professional hackers who use

buzzing over it and creepy-crawlies around. But did you know scientists can use these bugs to solve a mystery? Entomology, the study of insects, is an ancient scientific discipline. Forensic entomology uses this science in criminal and legal situations. A forensic entomologist is useful in a homicide investigation because different insects occupy a body at different times (flies usually get there first). Because these scientists understand insect habits and cycles, a peek at the kinds and number of insects can help determine time of death and even extent of injury. Next time you look at a beetle, just think – that critter might hold the key to a crime.

scientiﬁc techniques to recover data from electronic and digital devices like computers and USB drives. And it’s not just a matter of breaking codes and overriding passwords. In order to present their conclusions in court, specialists must be sure not to tamper with the evidence. This usually involves cloning entire sources so they can handle the data as little as possible. Digital forensics experts use a variety of tools, including hardware devices and software designed to make forensically sound copies of disks and drives, hardware locks that can help prevent accidental spoliation (this legal term means materially altering a document so as to render it invalid), and software tools for network imaging. Interviews with users or suspects may reveal details about system conﬁgurations, encryption keys and so on. And, of course, it helps to have passwords. But then where’s the fun in that?

CEREAL KILLERS

Stored-products entomology analyses insects found in food. So if your cereal box contains a creepy surprise, the grocery store would be well-advised to ask a forensic entomologist to trace the problem.

FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST

DEIRDRE ABRAHAMS What is forensic pathology? It’s a branch of medicine that applies medical principles to legal problems. Forensic pathologists perform autopsies to determine the cause, manner and mechanism of death in people who have died of (mostly) unnatural causes. How is real-life forensic pathology different to what we see on TV? TV sensationalises most of what happens. They use lots of techno gadgets we don’t have, and they tend to portray autopsy findings in a more glamorous, quick-fix way than they actually occur. Why did you specialise in this field? I previously worked in family medicine, and found the spectrum of healthcare interesting. However, the administrative side was a bit less interesting … forensic pathology has the importance of medicine with a lot less boredom. Advice for aspiring forensic pathologists? A passion for technology and, of course, good results in mathematics and science.

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FILE 1: MAN WITH GREEN BLOOD

DATE October 2005. PLACE Emergency room in Canadian hospital. SYMPTOMS 42-year-old male with sudden severe swelling in lower legs. TREATMENT Had to undergo emergency surgery. Dark green blood oozed out when doctors inserted drip. INVESTIGATOR’S REPORT Patient took large dose of migraine medicine daily for several months before coming to hospital. High levels of sulfhaemoglobin* found in blood. Haemoglobin is a blood protein. The blood protein’s normal four oxygen-carrying iron atoms replaced by sulphur groups. As the speciﬁc migraine medicine contained sulphur groups, condition likely a side effect of excessive intake. STATUS Case closed. *sulfhaemoglobin (noun) a greenish derivate of haemoglobin.

MEDICAL

Green blood and people turning into statues … there are things that make medical professionals go, ‘Huh?’ .

DATE Late 1830s. PLACE Paris. SYMPTOMS 74-year-old French female with horn growing from forehead. Disguised under head scarf. Known as ‘Mother Horn’ by locals. Horn was about 25 cm long and 5 cm wide at base. TREATMENT Horn surgically removed six years after initial appearance. No regrowth, even after several years. INVESTIGATOR’S REPORT Biopsy showed growth consisted of densely packed and hardened skin, shaped in the form of a horn. Unlike animal horn, no central bone present. Harmless growth that usually develops after serious burns or exposure to harsh sunlight. STATUS Case closed. TALK TO US

Medical mysteries 2

Know of any more medical mysteries? SMS ‘HIPCOM’ followed by your diagnosis to 34978. Each SMS costs R2.

BY LINDA PRETORIUS • ILLUSTRATIONS: SIMON CRUNDWELL

FILE 2: HUMAN UNICORN

8/11/08 8:39:46 AM

BODY SCIENCE FILE 3: PEOPLE WHO WALK ON ALL FOURS

DATE First reported in 2005. PLACE Remote village in Turkey. SYMPTOMS Five adult siblings walk on hands and feet. Three have never walked upright; others can walk upright for short distances. HISTORY All born with brain abnormality affecting cerebellum. Cerebellum controls balance and gait. Parents are closely related. INVESTIGATOR’S REPORT Possible genetic defect – abnormal gene found on chromosomes. Affected genes are likely to control production of a protein receptor involved in normal cerebellar development. Possible that both parents carry suppressed copy of abnormal gene. Trait is unlikely to have persisted were parents not related. STATUS Ongoing investigation. COLD CASE: WAS BEETHOVEN POISONED?

Ludwig van Beethoven was a pretty interesting guy – even after his death. Scientists recently reported that Beethoven may have died from lead poisoning. After examining hair and bone samples with a spectrometer, they found evidence that high levels of lead collected in his body over many years. ‘Bone takes very long to decompose. It often holds clues to a person’s life, even after his or her death,’ says Ildi Fenyvesi, chemist at the Wits Forensic Chemistry Laboratory. Beethoven’s symptoms – like irritability, bouts of depression and terrible abdominal swelling and pain – all tie in with possible lead poisoning. Its source, though, remains a mystery.

CLOVER FACT

In 1796, Edward Jenner developed the vaccination for smallpox after observing milkmaids: those with cowpox seemed immune to smallpox. He jabbed a young boy with pus from a cowpox blister on a milkmaid’s hands. When he later injected the boy with smallpox, the boy was immune.

FILE 4: PEOPLE TURNING INTO STATUES

DATE 1920s. PLACE Worldwide. SYMPTOMS First reported soon after Spanish Flu pandemic of previous century. Illness developed suddenly. Some patients became like statues – unable to move or speak. Early symptoms included sore throat and headaches. INVESTIGATOR’S REPORT Encephalitis lethargica – brain inﬂammation that makes you sleepy and causes immobility in some victims. No traces of viral infection found during re-analysis of 1920s brain tissue. Spanish Flu link ruled out. Recent cases show infection caused by dangerous streptococcus strain that causes sore throat and in some cases triggers excessive immune reaction that causes body to attack its own cells. STATUS Case closed. NOW THAT’S ODD

Click to <http://www.newsweek.com/id/77018> for more medical oddities.

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SCI DIY

FAKE YOUR PRINT

Make phony fingerprints with jelly – then eat the evidence.

YOU’LL NEED

• modelling clay (note: it takes 24 hours to harden) • jelly powder • container ALTERNATIVES

WHAT TO DO

1 Press a friend’s finger or thumb down into a block of modelling clay to create a fingerprint impression that’s about fingernail deep. 2 Carefully lift the finger and leave the clay mould to harden (this should take about 24 hours, but you can speed this up by baking it at low temperatures for a few minutes). 3 Mix up some jelly at double strength (one box of jelly powder to half a cup of boiling water and half a cup of cold water). 4 Pour the jelly into the clay mould of the fingertip, then place it in the fridge to set. 5 When set, place your finger on the surface of the jelly and peel it out by carefully loosening the edges with a knife and turning the whole thing upside down. That’s it. You now have a fake fingerprint capable of fooling most fingerprint scanners. Use it wisely.

FAST FACT

Animals – at least those with fingers – can have unique fingerprints, too. The fingerprints of koala bears are so similar to human ones that they can be very difficult to tell apart even under an electron microscope.

RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED BY NICKLAUS KRUGER • PHOTOGRAPHS: DENVER HENDRICKS, iSTOCK PHOTOS

You could use Plasticine instead of modelling clay, and plaster of Paris instead of jelly. As long as you have one substance that can form a good mould, and another that starts out liquid and forms a solid, you should be able to get away with it. But if you use jelly, you can at least eat the evidence after you use it.

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ADVERTORIAL

Reaching new frontiers Sasol is more than a fuel company – it uses science and technology to create magic and improve lives. Did you know that this innovative company was founded out of the wacky idea of turning coal into petrol? Today it is an established market leader in the energy industry.

Choose a great career in science BIOTECHNOLOGY

Use new technology to study living organisms and systems, then modify and manipulate these systems. A career in biotechnology fuses aspects of genetics, ecology, molecular biology and other fields, including chemistry and pharmacology. You could work in a laboratory finding new ways to ‘play’ with bacteria or cures for diseases, or get out there in the field for cutting-edge research. This career will suit you if you have a great interest in life and technology, enjoy puzzling work and have an aptitude for mathematics. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO STUDY THIS?

JOBS FOR AFRICA Are mathematics and science your favourite subjects? The Sasol bursary scheme is especially aimed at learners with a passion for these disciplines. ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS Sasol offers exceptional opportunities to talented people – your curiosity and enthusiasm can help you achieve your dreams and reach new frontiers.

BRILLIANT BURSARIES

Sasol offers bursaries for full-time university studies in BSc Engineering, BSc and BCom. Click to <www.sasolbursaries.com> or call 0860 106 235 to ﬁnd out more.

You need to write an admission exam to study biotechnology at a tertiary institution, and you’ll also need to score at least a 4 in Mathematics and Biology to register in 2009. Many universities offer three-year BSc degrees in biotechnology, including UCT, Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch, and CPUT offers a three-year biotechnology diploma. You can study for a fourth year to earn a BSc Honours degree or a Masters in Technology, necessary to register as a natural scientist.

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SMART MATHS

MYSTER ES OF MATHS

Mathematicians have the answers to some age-old puzzles.

MYSTERY 2: INFINITY

* π is the Greek letter for ‘p’. * You can use your own computer to calculate pi correct to over 33 million decimal places. Visit <http://www.geocities. com/hjsmithh/Pi/Super_Pi.html>.

MYSTERY 1: PI The mysterious properties of pi have bafﬂed mathematicians for centuries – the latest record for calculating pi is held by the University of Tokyo where it was calculated in 2005 correct to 4 294 960 000 decimal places! Pi is deﬁned as the number obtained when you divide a circle’s circumference by its diameter. In maths we use the Greek letter π to represent pi. So we can write this as:

WORK IT OUT QUESTION 1

Use your calculator to help you arrange these estimations of pi from most to least accurate: ; 10 ; . Use the π button on your calculator to give you the most accurate value. QUESTION 2

The radius of the Earth at the equator is 6 400 km. Supposing it is perfectly circular, how long is the equator (to the nearest kilometre)?

π=

QUESTION 2

= 3,142857 = 3,125 10 = 3,16227766017… QUESTION 1

SOLUTIONS

1 On a piece of paper, trace around a round object (a plate or glass). 2 Use string to measure around the circle you have drawn – this is the circumference, C. 3 Measure the widest part of the circle – this is the diameter, d. 4 Divide C by d and write down your answer. 5 Repeat this process with bigger and smaller round objects and compare your answers. What do you notice?

If the radius is 6 400 km, the diameter is 2 × 6 400 = 12 800 km. π= C=π×d = π × 12 800 = 40 212,38… = 40 212 km to the nearest kilometre

TRY IT FOR YOURSELF

What is the largest number you can think of? The biggest named number is a googolplex, which is 10 to the power of a googol (1 followed by one hundred zeros). But even a googolplex is not the largest number because we could still add 1 to it. Whatever number you can think of we can always add 1 to it to make a bigger number. This means that the biggest number is not actually a number. We use the word infinity to describe this ‘biggest number’. The symbol for infinity is ∞. Even though infinity is not a number, we use it to describe how many numbers there are. AN INFINITE SHAPE

Inﬁnity can also be shown via an interesting shape called the Möbius strip. For more information, click to <www.wtsmith.com/rt/magic.html>.

FAST FACT

The word inﬁnity comes from the Latin inﬁnitas, which means ‘unboundedness’. Smart Maths sponsored by

BY PAUL CARTER • PHOTOGRAPHS: iSTOCK PHOTOS

DID YOU KNOW?

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1. THE NAME OF THE GAME IS THE AIM OF THE GAME In economics, a monopoly is what happens when a single person or company has so much control over a certain product or service, and so little competition, that they can control that market. In South Africa, for example, Telkom has a monopoly over landline telephone communication, because nobody else offers that service.

2. THE WESTERN CAPE IS THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE At least, according to the most recent South African Monopoly board. It ranks its property prices in the following order (from cheapest, starting at Begin): KwaZulu-Natal, southeastern Cape, Garden Route, Johannesburg and Western Cape. This is a pretty realistic reﬂection of real-life property prices. On the Monopoly board, Clifton is the most expensive block (it costs R40 000). In real life, a 270m² plot on Clifton beach sold for a whopping R13-million in 2007.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pascal made many contributions to science and mathematics, and today his name has been given to a programming language, the SI unit of pressure, Pascal’s Law (an important principle of hydrostatics), Pascal’s Triangle (a triangle of numbers that helps calculate probabilities) and Pascal’s Wager (an argument for why we should believe in God, based on game theory).

3. FAST CARS ARE MOST POPULAR Although a dog is man’s best friend, what a man really wants is a fast car. In 1998 American board game manufacturers Hasbro ran a survey to identify the most popular Monopoly pieces, and the race car came ﬁrst (18%) and the Scotty dog second (16%), proving a couple of old stereotypes. The rest of the pieces ranked as follows: the cannon came third (14%), followed by the top hat (10%), battleship (9%), racehorse (8%), shoe (8%), thimble (7%) and iron (7%). The wheelbarrow (3%) trundled in last.

GAME

Everything you need to know about economics,

4. LOCATION IS EVERYTHING There are three important things when it comes to property: location, location, location. This is certainly true in Monopoly, where some of the spaces on the board have a strategically useful position. According to probability statistics, a double-dice roll is most likely to give you a score of 7 (the chances are 1 in 6 – go on, try it). So the Monopoly board properties that you’re most likely to land on after leaving Jail are the two cheaper orange properties (Wilderness and Knysna). Then one of the Chance cards tells you to ‘go back three spaces’, and the same probability theory holds that the most-landed-on Chance block is the one in the red properties. Go back three spaces from that, and you’re on the most expensive orange property (Plett). So buy orange – the location’s great.

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8/12/08 7:45:50 AM

LIFE SKILLS

5. BANKS DON’T JUST KEEP MONEY, THEY ALSO MAKE MONEY In Monopoly, the Bank is one of the most important players, and it makes money by helping players mortgage their properties. In real life, banks make money by making loans. People deposit their money into the bank, and the bank then lends that money out to a borrower. The interest rate the bank charges the borrower is higher than the interest rate it pays on deposits – and the difference is where the bank makes its money.

OF LIFE BY MARK VAN DIJK • PHOTOGRAPHS: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM,

you’ll learn on the Monopoly board.

8. ALWAYS CONSIDER THE ODDS According to the theory of uniform distribution (plus some dice-rolling work by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal), your odds of rolling a double six (or a double one, for that matter) are 1 in 36.

6. REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING One of the most important skills in Monopoly is knowing how to strike a good bargain. You’ll soon ﬁnd that the best deal doesn’t necessarily involve the most expensive property – if you own, say, one of the blue properties and somebody else owns the other two, they’ll be willing to pay you more than the price of your property so that they can have the full set of blues. Understanding that difference between price and value is the key to making loads of money. But pushing it too far and ripping off the other player by forcing them to pay an unfair price will give you a bad reputation and make you the type of person nobody wants to do deals with. And then nobody will want to buy anything from you.

7. IF YOU WIN, WE LOSE The aim of the game is to make yourself rich and all the other players poor. In game theory (a type of advanced mathematics) this is called a zero-sum game. If your victory is represented as +1 (because you’ve won one game) and our defeat is represented as -1 (because we’ve lost one game), then the sum of +1 and -1 is zero. Any situation in mathematics or economics where one person’s gain is equal to another person’s loss, it’s a zero-sum game. Of course, life isn’t a zero-sum game, and we don’t have to succeed at the expense of others. Things are often much better for all concerned if we just try to get along – and cooperative game theory helps to explain how and why this works.

To win one of ﬁve SA Monopoly sets, write to: Hip2b2 Giveaway, PO Box 440, Green Point, 8051 or email <win@hip2b2.com>. Please include the name of the giveaway, your name, contact details, school and grade. Closing date: 30 September. Winners will be notiﬁed and their names will appear on the website.

Prizes sponsored by

life skills_monopoly 3

8/12/08 8:01:01 AM

orning despite lt groggy this m

u fe Wonder why yo And did that cheese sarmie rea lly

rly?

going to bed ea

give you spooky dreams?

‘JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES …’ If you’re very short of sleep, one night may not be enough to catch up. But that groggy feeling may also depend on what stage of the sleep cycle you were at when your alarm went off.

body science.indd 2

8/11/08 3:44:01 PM

BY MADELEINE BAILEY/HEALTHY/PLANET SYNDICATION • PHOTOGRAPH: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM

BODY SCIENCE

THE FIVE STAGES OF THE SLEEP CYCLE

NIGHTMARE ON CHEESE STREET

IN YOUR DREAMS, BUDDY

A sleep cycle lasts for 110 minutes and repeats itself several times a night. STAGE 1: light sleep NREM* (you’ve lost count of sheep) STAGE 2: light sleep NREM (you’re just dozing off) STAGE 3: deep sleep NREM (you and your bed become one) STAGE 4: deep sleep NREM (the world fades away) STAGE 5: REM** sleep (dream a little dream) *nonrapid eye movement **rapid eye movement

‘If you eat a heavy meal late at night, your body will be busy digesting food instead of resting, so you won’t wake up refreshed,’ according to sleep expert Professor Gaby Badre of The London Clinic. ‘Spicy food is stimulating, as are caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, delaying sleep.’ Sleep boosters: dairy products, bananas and turkey, which all contain tryptophan, an amino acid that has a sedating effect. But choose cheese carefully – granny may have been right about it giving you nightmares. ‘Mild cheese before bed is ﬁne but stay away from fermented cheeses – they’re hard to digest and the discomfort could give you unpleasant dreams,’ warns Professor Badre.

Some experts believe that the function of REM sleep is to consolidate memories. ‘During REM sleep, we process all the information we’ve accumulated during the day – it’s like a ﬁling clerk, slotting events into the correct bits of the brain so we can retrieve memories when we need to,’ explains Dr Nerina Ramlakhan of the Capio Nightingale hospital in London. Our dreams in this phase will be about events that have happened during the day. However, it’s in deep sleep that we’re likely to have bizarre dreams. ‘This is the brain’s way of helping us to deal with trauma,’ she says. ‘If you don’t have enough breaks in the day, you may need to spend longer in REM sleep to process the day’s events and may miss out on deep sleep.’

‘It’s difﬁcult to rouse people in deep or REM sleep, so if you’re in one of these stages when your alarm goes off, you’ll feel groggy, regardless of how long you’ve slept,’ says Dr Chris Idzikowski of The Edinburgh Sleep Centre. ‘However, once you’re exposed to daylight, the sleep hormone melatonin will switch off and you’ll feel more alert.’

COUNTING SLEEP Children’s brains and bodies are developing so they need more sleep than adults – babies sleep between 10 and 18 hours a day, while those aged ﬁve to 12 need around 10 hours’ sleep. Teens need a good nine hours’ sleep, but are programmed to stay up and get up later than adults because the sleepinducing hormone melatonin is produced later in the evening. By adulthood the internal body clock resets, so we become tired earlier and need around eight hours’ kip. ‘Older people tend to get sleepier earlier but also wake in the early hours and need a nap in the afternoon,’ says Dr Idzikowski.

CLOVER FACT

A glass of warm milk before bed could help you sleep better. Milk contains traces of tryptophan and the sleep hormone melatonin. Final Clover competition question: What is the habit of collecting cheese labels called? (Answer found on pullout centrefold.)

INJURED BY INSOMNIA A lack of sleep • increases irritability; • reduces memory and concentration; • doubles risk of heart disease; • increased risk of Type II diabetes; • reduces immunity; • increases stress hormones; and • reduces the release of growth hormones.

SLEEPER’S JOURNEY ‘Sleepwalking is most common in young people when the brain is still developing,’ says Prof. Badre. ‘It most often occurs in the deep-sleep stage.’ However, REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), which involves all sorts of odd acts during sleep, tends to happen during REM sleep. ‘During this phase, the body’s muscles are normally paralysed, but in people with RBD this doesn’t happen and as a result they act out their dreams,’ says Prof. Badre. TRY THIS AT HOME

Conduct your own sleeping and dreaming experiment. Click to <http://faculty. washington.edu/chudler/chsleep.html> to begin your nocturnal analysis.

body science.indd 3

8/11/08 8:48:33 AM

SPORT SCIENCE

Ready to save a life? CAN YOU DO THIS WITHOUT PUKING?

THE SCIENCE OF SAVING LIVES

• Swim 400 m in a pool in under 9 minutes (if you’re older than 16, do it in 8 minutes); • sprint on the beach for 200 m; and then • swim for 200 m in the surf – in under 10 minutes.

We’re heading for the time of year when life is all about surf and sun.

If you haven’t yet puked, you then need to: • pass an oral and written exam; • learn 40 signals, including hand, flag, whistle, siren and helicopter signals; and • show your abilities in cardiac massage techniques, resuscitation, emergency care and radio communications. Oh, and you also need extensive knowledge of physiology, anatomy and first aid. (Click to <www.lifesaving.co.za>.) You must be fit, energetic, have good reflexes and keen intuition. Heavy! How did the Baywatch babes and hunks make it look so easy?

DID YOU KNOW?

Drowning is the second highest cause of accidental death in most parts of the world, including South Africa.

The ﬁrst thing lifeguards must do is stay calm. Drowning victims are usually in panic mode and in their struggles they may harm their rescuer. Firmly tell the victim to stop ﬁghting the water. Then: 1 approach him from behind and roll him onto his back. This will allow the water to buoy him up, making it easier for you to pull him to safety; 2 hook your arm over his chest and use a sidestroke method of swimming to get back to shore; 3 once you are both safely on shore, start treating the victim; 4 perform CPR if the victim has stopped breathing. Then phone for help.

BY MICHELLE MINNAAR • PHOTOGRAPHS: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM, iSTOCK PHOTOS

Being a lifeguard is about far more than parading around in a sexy red swimsuit.

FAST FACT

If the brain is starved of oxygen for more than four minutes, permanent brain damage may result. Every second counts.

Sport science 2

8/11/08 8:49:34 AM

SWIM CITY

ADVERTORIAL

Hang Ten is the ideal partner for surfing and lifesaving.

LIFESAVING SA AND HANG TEN Since 1933 when the Lifesaving HANG TEN SPONSORSHIPS Association was established in • Hang Ten sponsors the Juniors Competition South Africa, lifeguards have of the South African Lifesaving Championships. treated more than 5 420 ﬁrst• On-duty club kits have been distributed to aid cases and carried out more all coastal lifesaving clubs nationally. than 88 400 rescues. Hang Ten, • Hang Ten provides additional funding and a leading surﬁng brand, has support to 10 coastal lifesaving clubs. been instrumental in developing these real-life heroes.

DEVELOPING NEW TALENT Hang Ten supports Lifesaving South Africa’s development programme, assisting talented individuals with training and skills development. Training offered includes Lifesaving Sports Skills, Sports Administration, Ofﬁcials Training, Team Management Training, Coaches and Presenters.

HANGING TEN TOES In 1960 a young Californian surfer, Duke Boyd, asked seamstress Doris Boeck to stitch a pair of durable boardshorts he had designed. She asked him what the surﬁng ideal was. When Duke told her that it was to ‘hang’ ten toes over the edge of a surfboard, she created the distinctive and enduring Hang Ten footprint. Today this brand is completely aligned with lifesaving.

Sport science 3

8/11/08 8:49:59 AM

INTELLIGENT ENTERTAINMENT

top 5 events 1

to life at inner thespian ur yo g in Br m. • When? ARTY in Potchefstroo ARTY SM al iv st Fe ts Ar tional o.za>. the Aardklop Na October. • <www.aardklop.c 4 to r be 30 Septem

GET EXPERIMENTAL Bunsen burners, Van de Graaff generators and man-made rockets are in the house. Get to INSITE, the International Science, Innovation and Technology Exhibition, Sandton Convention Centre. • When? 15 to 17 September. • <www.insitex.co.za>.

GAME ON rAge brings the best of the gaming and technology worlds to the Coca-Cola Dome in Northgate, Jozi. • When? 3 to 5 October. • <www.rageexpo.co.za>.

4 KNOW YOUR HERITAGE Celebrate Heritag e Day on 24 September with a braai as it’s also National Braai Day.

rough your

nd th ITE Feel the wi at GO FLY A K ional Kite Festival

wn Internat hair at the Cape To 26 October. erg. • When? 25 to Zandvlei in Muizenb alhealth.co.za>. • <www.capement

BY ERIN CLASSEN • PPHOTOGRAPHS: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM,

BE THERE –

BE THERE – B2 • Arbour Week 01–07/09/’08 • Casual Day 05/09/’08, in aid of the disabled

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8/11/08 8:51:29 AM

MUSIC

Prime Circle’s frontman,

Ross Learmonth, on their new album and why he thinks Madonna is smart.

‘Our new CD All or Nothing is just that. In addition to bagging Theo Crous (Springbok Nude Girls’ legendary guitarist) to produce the album, we’ve introduced new styles on drums and guitars. My musical inspirations are diverse. Among my favourites are [US metal band] Pantera for their pulse and power and Silver Chair for their genius arrangements. I’m a fan of Radiohead’s lyrics and I respect that they’re not afraid to push their own boundaries. The smartest person on the planet is Madonna. She uses a positive mindset and the laws of attraction, as outlined in The Secret, as a way of achieving great things. The ﬁrst album I bought was a cassette, So Far So Good by Bryan Adams, featuring the song “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You”.’ Download ‘All I Need’ in the Downloads section at <www.hip2b2.com>.

ROSS REVIEWS ...

BY NIKKI BENATAR • PHOTOGRAPHS: EMI MUSIC

MADONNA, ROSS & ROCK ’N’ ROLL

THE RACONTEURS

Consolers of the Lonely ‘Singer Jack White mixes up fresh vocal lines with old-school guitar tones to create a unique brand of alternative rock with a blues ﬂavour. Jack White’s lyrics are catchy and dynamic. Like this? Try The White Stripes. COLDPLAY

Viva La Vida ‘The songwriting deserves admiration. Producer Brian Eno has introduced fresh sounds (worldmusic tinges and U2-style bass lines), and there’s a stronger emphasis on guitars and drums.’ Like this? Try Keane and My Morning Jacket.

B2 • ‘I don’t mind not being cool.’ – chris martin, coldplay

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8/11/08 8:53:01 AM

MOVIES

Silly Movie Physics Part 2: Silliness in Space Science-fiction movies make up some of the top-grossing movies of all time. Unfortunately, the fiction usually outweighs the science.

Sci-fi space battles would be a whole lot shorter if they didn’t feature incredible physics-defying shield technology.

FLAW: LASERS LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE

Lasers are beams of focused light that can be used for detection, precision surgery or just to cause general mayhem. In sci-ﬁ movies (Star Wars, Star Trek, War of the Worlds, The Matrix, etc), lasers are the weapons of choice. Any halfway decent battle will feature lasers of different colours zipping back and forth. SEE THE LIGHT

To see light, it has to actually reach your eyes. Lasers, unlike torches, are focused

pp movies.indd 2

beams. If you can see it, the beam is hitting your retina. On Earth, it’s possible to see laser beams when you’re not their target. We’ve all seen how the cunning thief sprays his aerosol and the laser alarm system suddenly becomes visible. This is an exaggeration, but it does resemble reality: a fraction of each laser beam is scattered off the particles of aerosol in the air and so can be seen – by the thief (and the audience). But in space, there aren’t enough particles for the laser beams to reﬂect

off (there’s a reason it’s called a vacuum after all). And that’s just as well, because you really wouldn’t want to be hit by the scattered light from a laser cannon designed to blow up a planet. LARGEST LASER

The most powerful laser in the world ﬁred up this year in Austin, Texas. The Texas Petawatt Laser ﬁres over one petawatt of laser power – that’s more than one quadrillion (1015) watts, or more than 10 000 times the output of all power plants in South Africa.

B2 • Fanboys is a riotous road-trip movie about friends who take their love of

8/11/08 8:54:43 AM

FLAW: SHIELDS SAVE LIVES

Shields are a standard feature of sci-fi spaceships. There’s no known way of generating these shields with our current knowledge of physics, but sci-fi is about speculation after all. Without shields, space battles would be pretty quick and passing through those dense asteroid fields would be pretty hazardous, if not fatal. THE UNPROTECTED TRUTH

Shields don’t really help much. That’s because of the law of conservation of mass-energy. Probably the most rock-solid bit of all physics, the energy of the laser or missile or meteor hitting the shields doesn’t disappear, it just gets changed into another form. The only feasible form is heat, and that really doesn’t make matters any better. GET THIS

A tiny car-sized meteor hitting a spaceship at about one-tenth the speed of light would have the kinetic energy equivalent to about 750 megatons of dynamite – that’s about 750 times as much energy as the biggest nuclear weapon ever built. Whoa. That would mean a lot of heat followed by a giant EMP (electromagnetic pulse) containing all kinds of high-energy radiation. At the very least, this would render the ship’s sensors useless, but it’s far more likely to wipe out all the electronic equipment on board and fry the crew with gamma radiation. Toast, anyone? Seeing is believing – or is it? In Star Trek V, the USS Enterprise narrowly misses a hit from a truly enormous laser beam.

Man or beast? An El-Aurian and a Klingon, both from planets light years from Earth, have a little difference of opinion in Star Trek Generations.

HUMANOID ALIENS: WALK LIKE A MAN

Nearly every sentient alien race encountered in space in sci-ﬁ movies is more human than any species on Earth (except humans, of course). In fact, if you take away the funny foreheads or tentacles for hair, they are human. When you consider that the evolution of human beings was selected for in a very speciﬁc environment and with various frozen accidents of history, and that by far the majority of lifeforms we know are almost nothing like us, it’s rather unlikely that evolution on other planets would lead to beings so very human.

Learn more about the conservation of mass and energy. Visit <http://encyclopedia.kids.net. au/page/co/Conservation_law>.

Star Wars to a hilarious new level.

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NEXT ISSUE Superheroes and robots breaking the laws of thermodynamics. 45 41

8/11/08 8:55:02 AM

OPINION: GAMES

Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii, reviewed by Camps Bay High learners.

the Grand Observatory Science-fiction movies make up some ofInyouthe top-grossing movies of all time. can access the various galaxiesoutweighs you’ve unlocked. the science. Unfortunately, the fiction usually

Mario earns his first star. These pickups are very important in the rest of the game.

SUPER Wii

WII SPORTS

In Super Mario Galaxy your job, as with most of the Mario games, is to rescue Princess from the evil Bowser. To do this you have to travel all over various galaxies solving puzzles, gathering pickups and ﬁghting strange enemies. The galaxies are one of the coolest parts of the game. You unlock them as you play, and each has its own collection of weird planets to conquer. The planets are not all round and they have different surfaces, such as lava or grass.

To control Mario you use both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk. The remote is wireless so you can stand anywhere and you have to learn how to control Mario carefully if you want to succeed – quite difﬁcult in the beginning when you often end up upside down. It’s weird at ﬁrst but after a while you get used to it and can concentrate on the enemies in the area.

In the Game Lab we also played Wii Sports. It’s great for two-player action to compete against your friends. We tried golf, doubles tennis and baseball (you also get boxing and ten-pin bowling). Peter: ‘Wii Sports was my favourite.’ Christiaan: ‘The baseball should appeal to younger gamers. You hit and then it ﬁelds automatically.’

TSEVI ROSENTHAL, G9

CHRISTIAAN ELS, G11

ALON LIPMAN, G11

PETER KAUTWIMA, G12

‘At ﬁrst it was hard to get my head around the game because it’s a bit weird and I was uncomfortable with the remotes, but after a while you get used to it. It was a fun game to play.’

‘The game is fun but complicated because of the weird angles and running upside down but it would keep me playing for longer.’

‘This is a lot of fun. The camera angles are very confusing but you learn to adapt to them. It keeps you more interested in the game objectives and the tasks to complete.’

‘I tested the two-player game: instead of two guys running around, you help the guy playing Mario. It would have been nicer to have a bit more control, but apart from that it was cool.’

pp games.indd 1

BY MANDY J WATSON • PHOTOGRAPHS: DENVER HENDRICKS

LOWER

B2 • the lower-case s in W represent two people gaming side by side.

8/11/08 8:57:39 AM

OPINION: BOOKS

It’s exam time. We review a Mathematical Literacy

study guide DOMINIQUE VAN DER WESTHUIZEN

Grade 12, Springfield Convent School, Cape Town

I found this guide very easy to read and understand. I often ﬁnd when I’m reading through a text book, it feels as if I have no idea what’s going on. This book doesn’t do that; it clearly explains and challenges you to understand each section of work. Every section goes into great detail and depth, giving you a full understanding of the subject matter.

NEVELIA HEILBRON

HIP2B2 Editor

Since Mathematical Literacy became a compulsory subject in FET in all schools, everyone needs to know how to handle numbers and work with statistics, measurements and other mathematical data successfully. This learner’s book will give you the conﬁdence to apply your skills to a wide range of everyday situations. It covers the curriculum thoroughly, with enough interesting and motivating activities to make sure you’re well-prepared for the exams. Useful features ‘word checks’ with each activity explaining key terms, and ‘fact boxes’ containing interesting applications and supporting knowledge. Cool extra MyMobi: tutorial lessons are available via mobile or internet subscription. Register your phone at <www.mymobi.co.za/download> or <www.mymobi.co.za> from your PC.

pp books.indd 1

FOCUS ON MATHEMATICAL LITERACY GRADE 11

By L. Bowie, V. Frith, R. Prince

It’s that time of year again, when Study Guides are your best friends. Also available in this series are Focus Study Guides Grade 10-12 in Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Business Studies, Geography, History, Economics, Accounting and English First Additional Language. Plus, there are Grade 10-12 Study Guides for Afrikaans First and Second Additional Language and Home Language for Xitsonga, Sepedi, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Tshivenda, Setswana, Sesotho and Siswati. To get a copy, call (021) 532 6000, email <customerservices@mml.co.za>, or click to <www.mml.co.za>.

It’s important to remember that the study guide is exactly that. You need to have a standard knowledge of your work before you start using this book. It contains all the work that maths literacy students have covered from grades 10 to 12. This guide is perfect for exam revision, especially for matric learners. It covers all the work we’ve done over the years, in a challenging, testing way. It prepares us to do well in our ﬁnal examinations.

Would you like to review a book for us? Write to: HIP2B2 book reviews, PO Box 440, Green Point 8051 or email: <talk2us@hip2b2.com>. Please include your name, contact details, address, school and grade.

8/12/08 7:53:45 AM

BRAIN BUSTERS INVESTIGATIVE GRID

DIMENSION DISSECTION

What are the dimensions of a rectangle if the value of its area is equal to that of its perimeter? Hint: the x- and y-dimensions have values smaller than 10. Figure it out by trial and error.

Fit all of these synonyms of ‘investigate’ into the grid. The words are grouped according to the number of letters in each of them. Once you have all the words in their right place, you’ll have enough clues to establish what the mystery word (in red) is. 10

Analyse Question Anatomise Scrutinise Dissect Research Examine Explore Inquire Inspect

Fill in the grid so that each column and each row contains the numbers 1 to 6. The small numbers indicate the sum total of all the blocks of that same colour. The two clues in large type are there to get you started. 8

E E X P L O R E E A R C H M D 3 I N S P E C T O N I L E F V 15 T E C H E V I E W C ANSWERS K

2 11

5 10 14

1 2

5 3

4 1

11 6 3 2 5 10 6 4

6 3

SIX-BY-SIX

3 6

1 cherry _ _ _ _t_ sauce 2 tooth _ _a_ _ _ paint 3 trafﬁc _i_ _ _ _ graph 4 jack _ _m_ _ _ head 5 deeds _f_ _ _ _ space

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

Find the six-letter word that ﬁts between the two given words so that the ﬁrst and middle words form a common phrase, and the middle and last words also form such a phrase. Your clue is the single letter provided. For example: ‘team _p_ _ _ _ level’. The answer is ‘spirit’ as both ‘team spirit’ and ‘spirit level’ are common phrases.

BY ELLEN CAMERON • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANTON PIETERSEN

A S T U D Y D A I S A N A T O M I Z E D A N I R L Q U E S T I S U R V E Y U S O S C R U T I N I Z E E B E R C E R E S E A R C T R

SIX-BY-SIX

INVESTIGA TIVE GRID

Review Search

The mystery word is ‘survey’.

Audit Check Delve Probe Study

DIMENSION DISSECTION

Sift

The dimensions are 3 and 6 (so that the value of the area and that of the perimeter is 18).

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

1 tomato 2 enamel 3 circle 4 hammer 5 ofﬁce

brainbuster.indd 1

8/11/08 8:58:48 AM

SIMPLY SCIENCE

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS WHEN ...

YOU GET SHOT WEARING A BULLETPROOF VEST? BANG, BANG!

Actually, there’s no such thing as a bulletproof vest because no armour is impervious to every kind of bullet. The average type of body armour can stop most bullets, though, and that’s good enough.

HARD TARGET

Plate armour works in much the same way as soft armour, spreading the energy of the bullet over a larger area. But hard plate can also deﬂect bullets, instead of just stopping them.

SUPERWOMAN SAVING LIVES

Stephanie Louise Kwolek’s research into high-performance chemical compounds led to the development of the synthetic material called Kevlar*, patented in 1966. Her work has saved thousands of lives over the years.

BY NICKLAUS KRUGER • PHOTOGRAPH: GALLO/GETTYIMAGES.COM

THE SOFT TOUCH

The aim of these vests is to slow down and deform the bullet. And, of course, the energy of the impact may be spread out, but it’s still going to hurt. Soft body armour is formed from advanced woven fibres that can be sewn into vests and other soft clothing. The fibres are usually twisted individually, and the material covered by a double coat of resin and plastic. Bullets are so devastating because they concentrate impact on a small area, increasing the penetration rate. The bodyarmour fibres form a tight, interlaced net that disperses the energy of the bullet over a larger surface area, reducing the bullet’s speed and finally bringing it to a complete halt. This works in much the same way a soccer net slows and stops a ball. Because the weave is interlaced, when a bullet pushes against any fibre it also pulls on every linked fibre, further dispersing the bullet’s kinetic energy. The most popular soft body-armour material, Kevlar* fibre, is as light as cloth but five times stronger than a piece of steel of the same weight.

simply science.indd 1

8/11/08 8:59:41 AM