Whizz Pop Bang Science Magazine for Kids! Issue 108: Olympic Games by Whizz Pop Bang

ISSN 2399 -2840

THE AWESOME SCIENCE MAGAZINE FOR KIDS!

C G I A P M M E Y L O Science Special S Craft a twirling gymnast

Interview with Olympic athletes

Make an archery toy

SI LLY SP ORT S CH A LL EN GE WHIZZPOPBANG.COM ISSUE 108

EXPERIMENTS PUZZLES AMAZING FACTS SCIENCE NEWS

WELCOME!

Bonjour! We’ve been limbering up, ready for the Paris Olympics!

WHIZZ POP BANG is made by:

Do you dream of winning an Olympic medal? In this spor ty edition of Whizz Pop Bang, you’ll ex plore the science be hind the Olympics. Mak e your own medals, disco ve r the hidde n te ch be hind the star ting blocks, enginee r a sp inning gymnast and me et the spor t scientists who he lp to turn at hle te s’ dreams into re ality. You can also me asure your re action tim e, try some silly spor ts chall enge s and discove r the animals th at de se rve their own Olympic medals… let the game s be gin!

Editor-in-Chief: Jenny Inglis Editor: Tammy Osborne Assistant Editor: Tara Pardo Designer: Rachael Fisher Illustrator: Clive Goodyer Staff writer: Joanna Tubbs Contributors: Sarah Bearchell, Anna Claybourne, Joe Inglis and Owen Inglis

EXPERT SCIENCE ADVISERS

As well as our writers, we also have a team of science advisers who help to ensure that our content is accurate, up-to-date and relevant. Our advisers include: palaeontologist Steve Brusatte; molecular microbiologist Matt Hutchings; robotics engineer Abbie Hutty; mechanical engineer Aimee Morgans; GP Dr Cathy Scott; astronomer Mark Thompson; physicist Dr Jess Wade; child psychologist Dr Naira Wilson. To find out more, go to whizzpopbang.com/about

I’ve made homemade medals for our fun family games! Where you see this symbol, use a QR code reader on a phone or tablet to visit a relevant web page.

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Welcome to WHIZZ POP BANG – the magazine bursting with enticing articles, mind-boggling facts and hands-on experiments to get your child hooked on science! Whizz Pop Bang is a gender-neutral magazine with plenty of inspirational male and female scientists and content that appeals to all children.

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CONTENTS

Read about the aurora borealis, a camera inspired by flies’ eyes, a hidden ancient river, and more.

AT THE OLYMPICS!

Get set for some super sporty science – make an archery toy, test your reactions and design a javelin!

We catch up with the world’s fastest land animal, the speedy cheetah!

SILLY SCIENCE

On your marks… for some silly sports challenges!

EMMI’S ECO CLUB

Upcycle some waste materials to make your own magnificent medals.

PULLOUT

Craft a twirling gymnast and solve a sporty sudoku puzzle.

INTERVIEW WITH SCIENCE HEROES

na sti cs

We talk to an elite team preparing for the Paris Olympics.

HOW STUFF WORKS

Find out about the clever technology that is key to detecting false starts.

TEN AWESOMELY AMAZING…

Gy m

…animal Olympians, from deep-diving whales to cartwheeling spiders!

SENSATIONAL SCIENTISTS

Sir Roger Bannister used science to help him become the first to run a mile in under four minutes.

/ 3.0 o I ng c Re

en be rg

I’d love to see pictures of your experiments! Send them to Y@whizzpopbang.com and ask an adult to tag us on social media @whizzpopbangmag

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Atom

Y’S WONDER CLUB

Ask our robot, Y, your burning science questions and share all of your adventures in science with the club.

32 34

com ck.

o rst te

ANIMAL ANTICS

12 14

Sh ut

AWESOME NEWS AND AMAZING FACTS

QUIZ POP BANG AND COMPETITION

Test your knowledge with our super-duper science quiz and win an interactive globe!

JOKES AND ANSWERS

Laugh out loud at some awesome jokes and find the answers to all of our quizzes, puzzles and riddles.

SPECTACULAR SCIENCE

See a super-fast Paralympian take off with the help of a racing running blade.

FIND THE SCIENCE EQUIPMENT Hidden on each double page is a piece of science equipment. Tick each one to find the complete kit!

s Awesome New cts and Amazing Fa PYRAMID

MYSTERY SOLVED © Michael Otis / Shutterstock.com

Pyramids of Giza, Cairo, Egypt A long-lost branch of the river Nile in Egypt has been discovered near the pyramids of Giza, solving the mystery of how they were built. More than 30 pyramids currently stand in a line in the desert, miles away from the river Nile. Archaeologists weren’t sure why they were there or how the ancient Egyptians transported the huge stone building blocks over land. But now scientists have found traces of an ancient riverbed, long buried under the sand, which would have run right past the pyramids thousands of years ago, making it possible for the stone blocks to be delivered by boat.

Taylor Swift fans have been making waves – seismic waves! While dancing at a Taylor Swift concert, 70,000 fans shook the ground hard enough for nearby earthquake detectors to pick up. Earthquake scientists measuring vibrations in the ground recorded seismic waves that matched the beat of each song during the concert. They could even identify which song she’d been singing by looking at the frequency and duration of vibrations. Earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates – sections of the Earth’s crust shifting position. Earthquakes can cause lots of damage when huge amounts of energy are released in a few seconds, but the energy released by the fans dancing was spread over a longer time, so no damage was done.

The team used radar satellite imagery to map the dried-up river then examined soil samples for evidence of a buried gravel riverbed.

SHAKE IT OFF

Giza Pyramids Abusir Pyramids Saqqara Pyramids Dahshur Pyramids

Ancient River Branch

Modern Nile River

Lisht Pyramids

AURORA

We’d love to see your aurora photos! And don’t worry if you missed it. Scientists say there may be more opportunities to see it later this year!

LIGHTS UP UK Did you spot a glimpse of coloured light in the night sky in May? Many parts of the UK were treated to a spectacular light show caused by the biggest solar storm in 20 years. The aurora borealis, or northern lights, is visible when bursts of charged particles from the Sun’s surface hit gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. When these charged particles hit oxygen we see green and red light and when they hit nitrogen we see blue, pink and purple light. The Sun’s activity goes through an 11-year cycle. At the moment, it’s in its most active phase in the cycle, called the solar maximum, which is why the aurora borealis has been visible further south than usual (it’s usually only seen near the North Pole). These solar storms aren’t dangerous, but they can disrupt technology on Earth, like GPS.

This photo was taken by Whizz Pop Bang reader Alba Dickinson in Kendal, Cumbria © Alba Dickinson

An orangutan called Rakus has been spotted in Indonesia making a ‘natural plaster’ to treat a wound on his face. Animals have never been seen using healing plants to treat injuries before. Rakus found a type of liana vine used in traditional medicine for its pain-relieving and antibacterial properties. He chewed the leaves and repeatedly applied sap from the plant to his injury, then he used the chewed-up leaves to make a medicinal dressing for the wound. Five days later the wound had closed without getting infected. © Armas / Suaq Project

Rakus was probably injured in a fight with another male

Scientists in Hong Kong have made a camera inspired by insects’ eyes. Insects like flies have compound eyes made up of thousands of tiny independent lenses that work together so that the insect can see in almost all directions at once. This helps them to escape from predators. Previous attempts at copying compound eyes have used many tiny lenses, but these are expensive. This new camera is lens-free and works by combining a 3D-printed structure with lots of tiny light sensors. The researchers hope their new cameras will be useful for building cool new robots with all-around vision! © Yu Zhou et al. Sci. Robot. 9, e adi8666 (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adi8666

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‘BUG-EYE’ CAMERA

DR ORANGUTAN

OLYMPICS!

At the

By Anna Claybourne

The Olympic Games is the world’s biggest sporting event – so big it’s only held once every four years! It’s also one of the oldest, with a history stretching back almost 3,000 years.

HOW IT ALL STARTED…

The games began in ancient Greece and are named after Olympia, the Greek town they were held in. Ancient descriptions suggest they began in 776 BC. They were banned by the Romans in 393 AD after they conquered Greece.

100-metre sprint Running speed

You can still visit the

stadium where the ancient games took place. Shot put

All photos © Shutterstock.com

Strength, speed and accuracy

In the ancient Greek Olympics, athletes competed naked! Answer on page 34

An ancient statue of a discus thrower

LET’S BRING THEM BACK!

In the 1600s, people began holding Olympic-themed sports festivals. And in 1896, the Olympic Games were officially restarted. Cities around the world take turns to host them.

This year it’s Paris!

The Olympic Games date back to around 776 BC – nearly 3,000 years ago! 6 whizzpopbang.com

Skateboarding

Balance, accuracy and bravery

EVERY KIND OF SPORT!

One of the things that makes the Olympics so exciting is all the different sports – 45 of them, with over 300 events in total! They require a wide range of different skills, abilities, body types and personalities, so there’s something for everyone – whether you’re taking part or cheering on the competitors.

Check out all these Olympic sports! Which would you choose?

Lightning-fast reactions

Reaction speed is very import ant in some sports. Find a friend or family member to help you tes t your own reaction time!

Yo u will need

Plus...

Table tennis and badminton

TEST YOUR REACTION TIME

Archery

The testing strips from the pullout A strip of card or a ruler of a similar size Glue or sticky tack

Accuracy, strength and concentration

Weightlifting Strength

Canoe slalom

Upper arm strength and split-second timing

Pole vault

What you do

1. Cut out the reaction tester strips from the pullout and stick them to either side of a strip of card or a ruler. 2. Ask your helper to hold the top of the reaction tester while you hold your hand open at the bottom, like this.

Strength, timing and courage

Artistic swimming Creativity, rhythm and teamwork

What’s a sheep’s favourite sport? Baa-dminton!

Breaking (or breakdancing) Creativity and style, plus strength! ...and loads more!

LOTS MORE OLYMPICS! And that’s just the Summer Olympics! The Winter Olympics are also held every four years, two years after the summer games. They feature skiing, ice skating, bobsleigh and other winter sports. And there’s the Youth Olympics for 15-18-year-olds, the Paralympics for physically disabled people and the Special Olympics for people with learning disabilities.

3. The other person should drop the tester, without warning you. As soon as you see it fall, grab it with your fingers! 4. Check where your fingers are on the tester and record your result in the table below. 5. Repeat four more times, recording your results. Super Speedy

Very Speedy

Speedy

Good try

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5

You could investigate whether you’re quicker with your right hand or left hand.

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SPORTY SCIENCE Did you know that top sports stars often work with scientists? Not just any scientists – sports scientists! They study the body and mind to help athletes do their very best.

Muscle science

Exercise science

Sports scientists study how muscles work. For example, weightlifting helps muscles grow, but can make them sore too, so it’s not a good idea to do it just before running in a race.

Different types of exercise train different muscles and body parts.

Weights to build muscles

Sports nutrition Sports nutritionists help athletes to eat the right foods to help them train and compete. Protein is important for building muscles

Carbohydrates provide energy

Yoga to improve balance

Running for stamina

Healthy fat helps your brain work fast

You need water too

But don’t compete on a full stomach! Stick to snacks before the event.

Which animal is best at table tennis? A bat!

WHAT MAKES A CHAMPION?

MAKE AN ARCHERY BOW

As well as being awesome at their chosen sport, Olympic athletes also need to be resilient – when they lose, they pick themselves up and try again, without giving up.

Archery is a sport that req uires focus and a calm head. Try it at home with this mini bow and arrow.

Exercise makes us feel happier and healthier, and also gives us lots of energy. The best thing about exercise is there are so many different ways to do it – it doesn’t matter what you do! It could be walking, running, swimming or dancing. Everyone likes to move their body differently, so why not have a think about how you’d best like to exercise. There is something out there for everyone!

Yo u will need

Coach

Lolly or craft stick Elastic band Plastic carton lid (e.g. from milk) Pointy scissors Glue Paper straw, cut to about 3 cm long Cotton wool buds

Target practice Emmi and Riley have fired two arrows each at the Olympic archery target. Each ring on the target has a different number of points. What did they score, and who is winning? Check your answers on page 34. Emmi’s green arrows:

Riley’s orange arrows:

Joe Wic

ks Fitness coac h, TV celebrity and author

What you do 1. Ask an adult to make a hole through the middle of both the stick and the lid, using sharp scissors. The holes should be just big enough for the straw to fit through. 2. Glue the lid to the stick, with the holes lined up, and put the straw through, as in the picture below. 3. Cut notches in the ends of the stick and loop the elastic band between them, lining it up with the straw. 4. Cut one end off a cotton bud to make an arrow and put the cut end into the straw. Pull the elastic band and arrow back a little – and fire!

Practise your aim by shooting at corks or towers of toy bricks. Never fire near people or animals.

Bows work because as you pull back the elastic, it stretches, storing energy. When you let go, it’s released, shooting the arrow.

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GAME-CHANGING TECH Since the Olympics began, we’ve invented new materials and machines that make the games a lot more hi-tech!

SPLIT-SECOND FINISH

The difference between winning an Olympic gold, silver or bronze medal can be a fraction of a second. So race tracks use electronic starting blocks and infrared light beam finish lines, linked to a timer. Find out how these work on page 24!

THE BEST VIEW

As camera technology improves, we can take more accurate photos of finish lines and super-slow-mo videos that used to be impossible, giving us new views of these thrilling moments.

HI-TECH EQUIPMENT

New high-tech materials and designs can give athletes an advantage. Strict rules make sure everyone is using matching gear to make it fair!

• Robotic cameras are fixed to sports equipment or stadium roofs.

Canoes and tennis rackets are made from super-lightweight

• Drone cameras can capture sports like surfing from the air.

carbon-fibre plastics.

• Bodycams can capture a player’s-eye view of an event.

Drone camera view Long ago, pole-vaulting poles were made of wood or bamboo. Now they’re made of super-flexible

fibreglass or carbon fibre.

An Olympic gold medal is solid gold. Answer on page 34

Why can’t tomatoes win races? Because they’re always trying to ketchup!

JAVELIN DESIGN TEST

Olympic javelins used to be wooden, but they’ve been redesigned several times.

Try throwing card or paper javelins and test different designs. Use cardboard tubes from kitchen roll or foil, or make a tube by rolling up a large piece of paper or thin card and fixing it with sticky tape. Somewhere outdoors with plenty of space, mark a starting point on the ground and throw your javelin as far as you can.

Robots can

collect and return a javelin or discus, instead of a human having to do it.

Measure how far it went with a tape measure, or count in footsteps.

I’ve got it!

Now see if you can improve the javelin to make it fly further!

Which of these do you think is the men's javelin world record throw? Check your answer on page 34.

Add weight using sticky tape or paperclips. ry closing the T ends with tape or paperclips. Do longer or shorter javelins work best?

48 m Javelins are based on

spears used in battle long ago. They can still be dangerous, so everyone has to stay out of the way!

98 m 170 m

You could make a

scoreboard too!

Javelin type

Distance

30 cm tube 30 cm tube with tip 40 cm tube 40 cm tube with tip

whizzpopbang.com 11

Cheetahs

AL ANIM S TIC

Our vet Joe Inglis has got his running shoes on to try to catch up with the fastest land animal on the planet.

Cat cousins Cheetahs are large cats that live in Africa and Iran. They are related to other wild cats, such as pumas and lynxes, as well as our very own domestic moggies.

Lean, keen, speed machines Unlike big cats, such as lions and tigers, cheetahs are lightweight, slender animals built for speed rather than power. At around 50 kg (the weight of a very large dog), a typical adult male cheetah is only about a quarter as heavy as a lion.

Day prey Cheetahs are carnivores, hunting other animals, such as antelope, gazelle and springbok. They usually hunt in daylight, unlike most other large cats, which are active at night.

The distinctive black ‘tear lines’ on cheetahs’ faces evolved to scare away rivals from their territory. The number of species of earthworms around the world. Answer on page 34

12 whizzpopbang.com

These worms burrow in the ground, eating dead leaves as well as earth, and they are vital for keeping the soil fertile. Most earthworms are quite small, but some species like the Mekong giant earthworm from Southeast Asia can grow up to three metres in length!

Fast blast See you later, I’ve got to run!

From a standing start, cheetahs can reach 60 mph in around three seconds, which means that they can accelerate faster than most sports cars! Although they can run faster than any other land animal – up to 70 mph – they can’t keep it up for long and have to give up if they don’t catch their prey within about 20 seconds.

5.95 seconds

The time it took for an 11-year-old cheetah from Cincinnati Zoo, named Sarah, to run 100 metres in 2012. That’s 3.5 seconds quicker than Usain Bolt!

Nowhere left to run Sadly, despite their awesome skills, cheetahs are threatened with extinction, mainly because of farmland taking over their hunting grounds. It’s thought that there are only around 7,000 cheetahs left in the world.

Seeing spots Work out what comes next in these sequences. Draw in the dots and check your answers on page 34.

2 © Shutterstock

WE LIKE , T I E V O M O T Compete with ! … T I E V your friends and O M family in these ridiculous races!

n or in mes against one perso You can play these ga lf against even play by yourse n ca u Yo . lay re a as teams t like an athlete er or stopwatch, jus the clock using a tim out 10 m e and a finish line ab lin rt sta a k ar M ! ng in traini r sporty events. u like, for these supe apart, or longer if yo

… s k r a m r u On yo r should Each competito of step. It could choose a ty pe g, lloping, hoppin be sk ipping, ga tepping, giant ju mping, side-s wal k! ade-up fu n ny strides or a m e fin ish line. If Now race to th teams, each you’re racing in am must person in the te ent step. choose a differ

Which do you think was the fastest? You could use a stopwatch to time how long each one takes.

The fastest step for humans is running – Usain Bolt’s world record for running 100 metres is 9.58 seconds. How far can you run in that amount of time?!

/Agência Brasil /

14 whizzpopbang.com

Tiny changes in gait (way of moving) can mean the difference between winning and not winning a race. Athletes and trainers use lots of technologies to assess gait, including pressure sensors in shoes and high-speed cameras. It helps athletes work out how to go faster and can also prevent injuries.

! d l i w d n Wet a

sh ing-up bowl Fill a large tub (a wa x) w ith water at or plastic storage bo e star t line, place the fin ish line. At th box per competitor one bowl or plastic ing sure they're (or relay team), mak ch player has to all the same size. Ea ter w ith a plastic ru n to the tub of wa l it w ith water, then plate or frisbee, fil they can and pour ru n back as fast as ep ru nn ing it into their bowl. Ke r, or tag the back for more wate team. next person in your am te The first player or s! w ith a full bowl w in

Frisbee fun

Place a lau nd ry basket at the fin ish line. Competitors m ust stand at the st art line and th row a frisbee into th e basket. If th ey miss, they have to fetch the frisbe e and ru n back to the st art line to try a gain. The first one to th row it into th e basket three times, co llect it and ra ce back to the start is the w in ner. If you’re playing in tea ms, throw it in to the basket on ce, bring it back and pass it on to a team-mate.

! E L C A T S B O N A D D A Hockey spoons Place an object at the fin ish line. Starting from the start line, use a woo den spoon to h it a ping pong ball along the grou nd. Race to the en d, arou nd the object and then back to the start line. Th e first one over the line is the w in ner.

Why shouldn’t you take a nap during a race? ! If you snooze, you lose

FEEL THE BEAT!

When athletes are training, they monitor their heart rates. Can you feel your heart pumping – thump, thump?!! It is sending blood around your whole body, making your arteries bulge a little bit. You can feel this bulging with your fingertips! Rest one or two fingers gently on the inside of your wrist – not in the centre, but just below your thumb.

Can you count the number of beats?

more fun with some Make your races even extra challenges. Lay a skipping rope on the ground in an ‘S’ shape and walk along it with your feet touching heel to toe every time you pass.

Place two upside-down buckets either side of your race route and tape a bamboo stick between them. Every time you run up and down your course, you have to wriggle under the bamboo cane. Add a hula hoop to the course. Step into it, pick it up and pull it over your head every time you pass. For extra difficulty, add all of the challenges to your course!

It can be hard to count heartbeats while looking at a ticking clock. Try setting a timer for 15 seconds. Count the beats you feel, then multiply by four to find the number of beats per minute. Or you could check your pulse using a smartwatch.

b... clu O C E

Emmi’s

Use foil food packaging to create textured winners’ medals!

FOIL MEDALS

craps of cardboard S (e.g. cardboard box) Mug or beaker Pencil Scissors Glue (glue stick, PVA or homemade)

Yo u will need

How to make your own glue:

bit.ly/3WQgeO6

Draw two circles onto cardboard using the mug or beaker as a template. Cut out the circles, then cut one of them into quarters.

16 whizzpopbang.com

Cut a piece of foil so that it’s at least 2 cm larger than your circle. Lay it over your cardboard design. Place it onto a flat surface and use your fingers to push the foil into all the corners of your design and make it as smooth as you can. Wrap the edges around the back of the medal.

Scraps of clean, dry foil Marker pens (optional) Scrap of card (e.g. cereal box) Ruler Paper clip Stick y tape 60 cm of ribbon per medal

Cut two of the quarters into narrow triangles. Arrange the triangles on the other piece of cardboard as shown. Glue the pieces in place and leave them to dry.

4 If you like, you can add colour and detail using marker pens (we used shades of yellow and orange to make a gold medal), then leave it to dry. Otherwise, you could leave it as its original colour.

Continued on page 21 ➜

TWIRLING PULL OUT pages 17-20 and get making! GYMNAST Yo u will need

The templates over the page Scissors Cardboard Glue Sharp skewer, cocktail stick or awl Split pins (paper fasteners) Two pieces of string, about 20 cm long Find a printable version of the pullout here: bit.ly/3WGMOny

Templates 2A and 2B

Templates 3A and 3B

We’d love to see a photo or video of your gymnast! Send it to Y@whizzpopbang.com and ask an adult to tag us on social media @whizzpopbangmag

What is a gymnast’s favourite pudding? Jam roly-poly!

whizzpopbang.com 17

What yo u do

Yo u should find

1. Cut out the templates. Place template 1A on the cardboard, draw around it and cut it out. Glue 1A and 1B to each side of the cardboard.

Your gymnast swings and somersaults, just like in an asymmetric bars event at the Olympics! When you pull the strings taut, they become straighter and begin to untwist. This movement causes the acrobat’s arms to spin upwards. Since the arms are connected to the body, the body is forced up too, along with the legs, enabling your acrobat to swing right over the top!

2. Repeat step 1 with templates 2, 3, 4 and 5. 3. Use the skewer to make holes through the dots in the arms, legs and body pieces. (You may need an adult to help you.) Attach the arms and legs to the body with split pins. Make sure they can move easily.

The reason people can swing around while holding onto a bar is because of the ball and socket joints at our shoulders. This type of joint allows backward, forward, sideways and rotating movements. We also have them at our hips.

Templates 2A and 2B

4. Thread the first piece of string through the red dot on one arm, then through the blue dot on the other arm. You could use an embroidery needle or push the string through the holes with a skewer.

5. Take the second piece of string and thread it through the blue dot on the first arm and then the red dot on the second arm. The strings should cross in the middle like this: 6. Tie the ends of the strings together about 5 cm away from the arms. Hold the knots you’ve tied and turn them half a turn towards you so that the strings cross. 7. Push your thumbs down through these gaps. Hold up your acrobat and pull outwards with your thumbs.

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Templates 3A and 3B

5 cm

5 cm 3B

Reaction tester strips for activity on page 7

Templates 1A and 1B

Speedy

15 cm

Very speedy

10 cm

Super speedy

BRON ZE

Good try

SILVER

20 cm

Super speedy

GOLD

20 cm

Very speedy

Use these to make the DIY medals on page 16

Templates 5A and 5B

25 cm

Speedy

Templates 4A and 4B

25 cm

Good try

Draw the balls in the spaces below so there is only ONE of each type in a column, row and coloured box. Check your answer on page 34.

5 cm

0 cm

whizzpopbang.com 19

Reaction tester strips for activity on page 7

Riddles

Check your answers on page 34.

1. A woman can predict the score of any football match before it starts. How?

Templates 1A and 1B

tennis. 2. Two men were playing table th They played five points and bo is won three points. How can th be possible?

3. Take a look at these sports – judo, rugby, diving, cycling, canoeing, badminton. Which one of the following should come next? Archery, fencing, gymnastics or swimming? Templates 5A and 5B

Templates 4A and 4B

Use these to make the DIY medals on page 16

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Cut out the medal centres from page 19. Glue one to the middle of your medal and leave it to dry.

Tape one side of the paper clip to the back of your medal. Thread the ribbon through the paper clip and tie it around your neck.

I’d love to see your medals! Take a photo and ask an adult to tag us on social media @whizzpopbangmag and email it to Y@whizzpopbang.com

You could make a set of gold, silver and bronze medals!

ECO

ideas...

The Paris 2024 Olympics have been carefully planned to be environmentally responsible and they aim to halve the carbon footprint compared to previous games. Here are some of the things they are doing to achieve this: Holding events in buildings that already exist, or can be used after the Games are over, instead of building wasteful temporary facilities. Serving twice as many plant-based meals using half as much single-use plastic.

Continued from page 16

We can all help to save the planet. Lots of small actions can make a BIG difference! Planning in advance the future life of all objects and materials (like signs, podiums and sports equipment), whether they're reused, sold or recycled. Using wind and solar power.

whizzpopbang.com 21

➜

Interview with a SCIENCE HERO

In our jobs we get to... go to the Olympics! It takes a whole team of people working together to get athletes ready for the Olympics. Here are some of them!

Gary Short

Head National Coach of

“

Trampoline

As it is the Olympics this summer, my role is preparing the athletes.

”

I was an athlete on th e national senior team and now I draw on my experience in my coac hing career. I help the gymn asts gain experience at other major competitio ns in the run-up to th e Olympics and help th em maximise the diffic ult y of their moves so that they’re in the best po sition possible heading into Paris. I work with me dical staff, physios, sports scientists and nutritio nis ts to ensure the gymnas ts get the right suppor t. The sport can require a str ong mindset, so we wo rk with sports psycholog ists to help the gymn asts with their mentality, lifestyle and wellbein g.

Bryony Page Trampolinist

“

I was a really energetic kid and just needed a place to go crazy...

”

That’s why I first started in gymnastics. From there, I took to the trampoline and I love the feeling of flying! Competing at the Olympics has been the biggest and proudest moment of my career. To do that e again in Paris would be very special. We’r our use to constantly working on how energy to push us high into the air and complete our skills. Every day you can learn new things and develop. It’s exciting to have a new challenge!

Interview with a SCIENCE HERO

Maimee Titmuss-Morris Performance lifestyle advisor

“

I help athletes find the best, happiest and most fulfilling way of living their lives.

”

…so that they can train and perform at their best. I provide support, guidance and development opportunities to the athletes in all aspects of their life inside and outside of their sport. I help them to be planned and ready for the Olympics and Paralympics, and have plans in place for different outcomes and for after such a big event, too. We remind them (and help them discover) that they are more than athletes, they are incredible humans both in and out of their sport!

Louise Lee

Physiotherapist

“

We provide hands-on treatment.

”

py, and These include massage or electrothera list of a – s tion crip we often give exercise pres joint or cle exercises that are specific to a mus we n pain to help rehabilitate an injury. Whe able to are away at competitions, everyone is around ’s that so , come and see the physio team ut abo with 45 athletes. I usually work closely any 15, depending on who needs support with I pain they are experiencing. I always knew GB a n bee ing hav , wanted to work with athletes . gymnast myself as a child

“

It is important to have the energy to train.

Mhairi Keil Nutritionist

”

What we eat and drink affects both our health and physical and menta l performance. This is even more so the case for athletes. We focus on good-quality carbohydra tes to fuel the muscles, such as oats, wholewhea t pasta, brown rice and sweet potatoes. In training, sometimes a quick energy source is ne eded, and many of the gymnasts like to snack on dried fruit such as dri ed mango or bananas. Athle tes need to stay healthy , so they focus on eating the rainbow, with lots of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, as well as oily fish like salmon, an d nuts and seeds. All Photographs © British Gymnastics

whizzpopbang.com 23

HOW STUFF

WORKS

Electronic Starting Blocks In super-competitive Olympic sprint races, every hundredth of a second counts, and getting off to a good start can win or lose a race for an athlete. High-tech starting blocks are used to get everyone away at exactly the same time. Then, as the athletes cross the finish line, some more amazing tech makes sure the right person is named the winner.

The race official tells the athletes to get ‘on your marks’, which means to get in position with their feet on the starting blocks.

At exactly the same time, an electronic signal is sent to the starting blocks which have loudspeakers in them that make the noise of a gun being fired. Because all of the starting blocks have speakers that make the same noise at the same time, all of the runners hear it at exactly the same time as they see the flash.

24 whizzpopbang.com

Next, the official says, ‘get set’, and the runners raise themselves up into the starting position.

As the runners push away from the starting blocks, in-built electronic pressure sensors record how quickly they start to move – and whether they started before the starting signal, in which case it is a false start and the race is re-set and started again.

The official pulls the trigger on the starter gun, which is an electronic device linked to the starting blocks and timing system.

When the trigger is pulled, there is a

bright flash of light

from the starter gun to indicate that the race has started.

9 7

As soon as the race is under way, a super-accurate

electronic clock starts measuring the time since the start.

At the end of the racetrack, two

infrared light beams are fired

across the finish line to photoelectric cells on the other side. When the athletes’ bodies cross the line, the beams of light are broken and the photoelectric cell sends a signal to stop the clock and record the time.

Olympic sprint races also use a special

high-speed camera

aligned with the finish line. The camera takes up to 10,000 one-pixel-wide images a second. These are combined together to give a super-accurate timeline of the athletes running past the line.

g.. in z a m A ly e m o s e w A 0 1

M Y L O L A ANIM let’s meet the Enough about humans, e animal world! spor ting champions of th

It’s tricky to measure swimming speeds in the ocean, but two fish likely to be going for gold in the speediest swimmer contest are the sailfish and the bluefin tuna.

Olympic cyclists often group together in the same way that birds fly in a V-shaped flock. The one at the front uses more energy to cut through the air, while those behind it use less energy by tucking in behind them. Top teamwork!

While some birds can travel unbelievable distances (the sooty shearwater flies 64,000 km every year), the marathon land mammal medal goes to the grey wolf. One individual travelled 7,000 km in a single year!

The Cuvier’s beaked whale deserves a medal for being the deepest diver. This extraordinary creature can reach depths of 2,992 m and stay deep underwater for up to 222 minutes!

Cartwheelin spider

Wheel spider Wheel spiders and the cartwheeling spider can escape from predators by cartwheeling and backflipping around the desert at super speeds. They’d both be in with a chance at winning gymnastics gold!

S N A I P YM

8 9

Rüppell’s vulture wins the highest flyer medal. It soars up to 11,300 m above sea level, as high as commercial aeroplanes, while it scans the ground for carcasses to eat.

The tiny froghopper insect is a high jump champion that can jump up to 70 cm high, which is the equivalent of a human jumping over a tower block!

Similar to wrestling in the Olympics, some animals go head-to-head in battle! Male deer use their antlers to fight over territory, hoping to win an area that contains lots of female deer.

We are the champions!

A strong contender for the weightlifting medal is the mighty dung beetle. It’s just 10 mm long but can pull up to 1,141 times its own body weight!

Kangaroos have super-stretchy tendons in their legs which catapult them through the air. These recordbreaking long jumpers deserve a place on the Olympic podium!

© 1. Shutterstock.com, 2. Myotis / Shutterstock.com, 3. photomaster / Shutterstock.com, 4. CC BY-SA 4.0 / Laurent Bouveret, 5. Ondrej Prosicky / Shutterstock.com and CC BY-SA 3.0 / Ingo Rechenberg, 6. ANDRES MENA PHOTOS / Shutterstock.com, 7. Sandra Standbridge / Shutterstock.com, 8. Emin Kulyev / Shutterstock.com, 9. Rich Carey / Shutterstock.com, 10. Anan Kaewkhammul / Shutterstock.com.

whizzpopbang.com 27

Sensational Scientists

By Tammy Osborne

SIR ROGER BANNISTER People said it was impossible to run a mile in less than four minutes, but Roger did it – with determination and the help of science.

SA 3.0 & GFDL

dia Commons / CC BY-

R RO GE R BA NN IS TE IN 29 19 IN RN BO WA S D. HA RROW, ENGL AN

However ordinary each of us may seem, we are all in some way special and can do things that are extraordinary.

Roger loved to run. As a child, he ran everywhere he went. Wh en he got to secondary sc hool he start ed running in races, wh ich he alway s won. Roger wante d to be a d octor when he gre w up and w orked hard at sch ool to get th e marks he needed to g o to univers ity.

Even while he was stud ying medicine, R oger kept o n ru nning. He loved to challenge h imself.

In 1952, R oger comp eted in the the 1500 m Olympic G etres race ames whe . After tha the first hu re he cam t, he set him man to ru e fourth in self a new n a mile in had been g oal: he wo u nder four trying to d uld becom minutes. R o this for m Some doc e unners aro any years tors and s u n d the worl , b ut no one cientists th d had ever s ought it w ucceeded as imposs . ible.

28 whizzpopbang.com

As a full-time medical student, Roger didn’t have much free time to train. Instead, he focused on making his running as efficient as possible. He came up with his own system, using his knowledge of how the body worked. Thinking like a scientist, he took his running shoes into a lab at his hospital and filed the spikes down to make them shorter and sharper. He rubbed graphite on them to stop them picking up ash from the running track, which made them heavy.

On a cold day in May 1954, Roger left the hospital and got a train to Oxford for the big race. In the final lap, he overtook the other runners and broke through the finish line with a record-breaking time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds.

Roger’s record only lasted 46 days – another runner soon ran a mile a second and a half faster. Since then, more than a thousand other runners have broken the four-minute barrier. Roger had shown them all it was possible, so they believed they could do it.

After finishing his medical training, Roger gave up racing and became a successful neurologist. He was interested in how the nervous system controls the body’s automatic functions, like digestion and the heartbeat – and what happens when it doesn’t work properly.

During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Roger returned to the racing track where he ran his historic race, carrying the Olympic flame.

Although he is best known for running the first sub-four-minute mile, Roger always said he was most proud of his achievements in neurology, understanding and treating illnesses.

Roger died in 2018 at the age of 88. In 2021, a plaque was unveiled in Westminster Abbey celebrating his contributions to science and athletics.

whizzpopbang.com 29

Email me at Y@whizzpopbang.com

der Club!

Welcome to Y’s Won to share your This page is for you with our robot, adventures in science p Bang readers! Y, and other Whizz Po ce question Everyone whose scien is page gets answered on th ng wins a Whizz Pop Ba Science Joke Book, ome available in our awes at online science shop

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F oR

Does anything orbit the Moon?

CURIoUS K I DS

Holly, aged 7

We loved seeing all your swimming megalodons from our Prehistoric Monsters edition (Issue 104), bobbing up and down… Caissa, aged 9

The Moon’s gravity is not smooth like Earth’s – it’s lumpy! Some parts of the Moon have a stronger pull, while others have a weaker pull. These differences can affect the path that objects orbiting the Moon take, so it’s tricky for anything natural to orbit the Moon without wobbling off course. In 2001, scientists discovered four paths around the Moon called frozen orbits, where objects can stay for longer. Since then, several human-made satellites have been put into lunar orbit. There are actually no ‘moon moons’ in the solar system, although two moons of Saturn do have sidekicks called ‘companion objects’ that accompany the moons on their journeys around Saturn.

Wojciech, aged 6

Wren, aged 8 Ellis

Hugo, aged 6

enamel badges Y’s Wonder Club Badges Collectable for you to earn! Help local wildlife to earn your Wildlife Watcher badge.

Investigate scientific questions to earn your Super Scientist badge.

Help save the planet to earn your Eco Hero badge.

Dear Y, When you fill up a cup with water, and you put too much in, some of it will form a dome without spilling. Why is that?

It looks like you’ve had fun playing your leap frog games from Emmi’s Eco Club in the Time Quest edition (Issue 103).

Iona, aged 9 Water molecules like to stick to other water molecules. At the surface of a cup, where water meets air, the water molecules cannot stick to other water molecules on all sides. This makes them form stronger bonds with the ones which they do touch, pulling them closer to form a kind of skin on the water’s surface. This surface tension is so strong you can keep adding water droplets until they form a dome. If you keep on adding water, the surface tension will eventually be overcome by gravity (which is pulling the water downwards), and the water will spill over the edge.

Tex, aged 6, enjoyed making and playing the leap frog game. Erin, aged 5

Jackson, aged 8, with his Whizz Pop Bang magazines!

Surface tension is also how we pond skaters can move on water without falling in.

How thick is a cloud and would you get wet if you fell through one?

d 9, Salomé, age sh fi y ll with her je m o fr t bracele ric to is h re the P ion. it Monsters ed

Nadia, aged 9, made this jellyfish bracelet with leftover threads from her mum’s crochet.

Get problem solving to earn your Epic Engineer badge.

From Sam, aged 11

Poppy, aged 7, was inspired by other Whizz Pop Bang readers’ toadstools that she saw in Y’s Wonder Club, so she made her own!

Write a report or a review to earn your Science Reporter badge.

Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets, like thick mist. Generally, the thicker the cloud, the more water it contains and the more intense precipitation (rain, snow, hail) it makes. The thickest clouds are cumulonimbus – thunder clouds. They form about 200 m above the ground and usually reach 12,000 m thick, but they can become over 20 km thick! If you fell through one of those, you’d get pretty wet! Cirrus are the thinnest, wispiest clouds. They are made from ice crystals and may be as little as 100 m thick. If you fell through one of those, it would be very cold, but you probably wouldn’t get very wet. Remember: when falling through clouds, always use a parachute! Send your experiments, ideas, photos, reviews and questions to Y@whizzpopbang.com or Y, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Don’t forget to include your name, age and address. We can’t return any post, sorry.

To find out how to earn your badges, go to whizzpopbang.com/wonder-club. Schools can get involved too! Find out how here: bit.ly/39xNQ Q qV

whizzpopbang.com 31

Test your mum/ dad/PE tea cher to

see what they know !

1 3 5

How much can you remember from this issue? Test your knowledge with our super-duper quiz. Just tick the answers you think are correct, mark them using the answers on page 34 and then add up your score. If you need some help, check out the hints at the bottom of the page.

How do wheel spiders escape predators?

a) They hide underwater

2 4

The Olympics began almost 3,000 years ago in… a) Paris in France b) Olympia in Greece

b) T hey jump long distances c) T hey cartwheel away

ome in Italy c) R

What is a running blade? a) A food blender

Where do you find ball and socket joints? lders a) Heads and shou

b) A prosthetic

b) Knees and toes

c) The bottom

houlders and c) S

What is the fastest land mammal? a) The cheetah

b) The red kangaroo c) Usain Bolt

lower limb

6 8 hips

What was Sir Roger Bannister the first person to do? a) Compete naked at the Olympics

un a mile in less than b) R four minutes in a gold medal for c) W skateboarding

I used to have a fear of the vaulting horse, but I got over it!

part of a ski

What did dancing fans at a Taylor Swift concert create? a) Seismic waves b) A sonic boom c) A tornado © Raph_PH/ Wikimedia Commons

What did pole vault poles used to be made of?

I scored...

a) Bamboo or bone b) R ubber or steel

c) W ood or bamboo

Need a hint? Find the answers by reading these pages… 1) Page 26 2) Page 6 3) Page 18 4) Page 35 5) Page 12 6) Page 4 7) Page 28 8) Page 10

1-3: Brilliant bronze! 4-6: Super silver! 7-8: Glittering gold!

Find these Olympic events in the grid, then write down the leftover letters to find the answer to this joke: Why did the swimming judge jump into the pool? Send in your answer to be in with a chance of winning a fantastic interactive globe.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _

_ _ _ _

W Y

N A N A

C H

R O W

N G

E W N U G D T

_ _ _

! IN

Sport search! G N

ARCHERY

KARATE

BADMINTON

ROWING

CYCLING

SAILING

DECATHLON

SKATEBOARDING

A H N N T

DIVING

SHOT PUT

FENCING

SURFING

GYMNASTICS

SWIMMING

HOCKEY

TRIATHLON

JAVELIN

TRIPLE JUMP

JUDO

WEIGHTLIFTING

_ _ _ _ _!

M M

W S

D Y

E B

A H D

D C O M C

D T

N G N A O

M E

H R

N A

T W A

U M P

O A N

H O

C N N

N K G N

R G

Orboot Earth Augmented Reality Globe Go on an exciting journey around the world with this augmented reality globe from character-online.com. Download the Orboot Earth app to a smartphone or tablet and scan the globe to bring it to life. You can marvel at wildlife, landmarks, inventions, cultures, cuisines, maps and more. Send your entry to win@whizzpopbang.com with ‘Olympics competition’ as the subject of your email. Alternatively, post it to Olympics competition, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Please don’t forget to include your name, age and address. Deadline: August 8th 2024. UK residents only. Full terms and conditions available at whizzpopbang.com.

WINNERS

Issue 106 competition winners Thank you to everyone who sent in entries to our Food competition. We loved your fantastic food pictures! These four lucky winners each receive an Illusion Lab science kit:

Isaac Lewis, 9

Henry Wheatley, 7 Mei, 7, and Elias, 12

Elowen, 7

whizzpopbang.com 33

JOKES What do you get when you run behind a car? Exhausted!

Why did the neighbours complain about the tennis? Because of the racquet!

Page 6 – True/Untrue

Page 13 – Seeing spots puzzle

TRUE: It helped them keep cool!

Page 9 – Target practice puzzle Emmi is winning and has scored 12 points and Riley has scored 7 points.

Page 11 – record puzzle The men’s javelin world record is 98 m. Page 12 – True/Untrue UNTRUE: Although no one is 100% sure, most scientists think that cheetahs’ tear lines, which run from the corner of the eyes to the mouth, help to protect them from the glare of the Sun by reducing reflections.

What did the marathon runner say when he lost the race? “The agony of de -feet !”

Why did the barber win the marathon? Because of the short c all uts!

Answers Page 20 – Riddles 1) She says the score is 0-0 which is correct because, before a game starts, the score is always 0-0.

Page 11 – True/Untrue UNTRUE: They’re made of silver with gold plating. Solid gold would be expensive and very heavy. But before 1912 they were solid gold.

What is a gymn favourite time ast’s of year? Summer-sault!

Page 19 – Balls sudoku

2) They were partners on the same side playing doubles. 3) Gymnastics, because it has ten letters and the names of the sports are increasing by one letter each time. Page 32 – Quiz 1) c 2) b 3) c 4) b 5) a 6) a 7) b 8) c

This athlete is using a prosthetic lower limb known as a running blade. It is made of carbon fibre, which is light, strong and springy. The blade stores energy as it bears the runner’s weight and then releases it as he pushes off the ground, in a similar way to a leg’s calf muscles and Achilles tendon. Sport for athletes with an impairment became popular after World War II due to the large number of people with injuries. The first Paralympic Games happened in 1960 and they now take place in the same cities and venues as the Olympics.

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