This Week in 5 Minutes

IN MINUTES

News and events — visually

How fast can you go?

CentralJapan Railway Co.has unveiled a prototype for a new Maglev train that will run betweenTokyo and Nagoya.

The train will carry passengers at speeds of up to 500km/h — the fastest land-based commercial speed.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

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Maglev trains operate via magnetic levitation (hence the name). Powerful electromagnets are used to propel the train along its track.

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Attraction Repulsion

Unlike conventional trains, it is not in contact with the rails, which minimizes friction and achieves higher speeds.

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?

? ??

GROWING FAST Liverpool & Manchester railway, U.K.

60 km/h

1830

Sources: Japan Times; Physics World; About.com

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Coils attached to each side of the road

Stator Magnet levitation

AND THE ENGINE?

Since the train is propelled due to the interaction between the train and the track, there is no need for an engine.

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Magnetic

LEVITATION

The magnetized co track, called a gu il running along the id large magnets on eway, repels the riage, allowing th the train’s undercare between 0.39 an train to levitate d 3.93 inches (1 to 10 cm) above the gu ideway.

N PROPULSIOlev d to the coils to itated, power is supplie

Once the train is pull and of magnetic fields that create a unique system guideway. push the train along the tly lied to the coils is constan The electric current supp larity of the magnetized coils. e po alternating to change th ld in front of causes the magnetic fie This change in polarity gnetic ma e le forward, while th the train to pull the vehic st. ds more forward thru field behind the train ad

TGV, France

260 km/h

1981

force

Shanghai Maglev, China

430 km/h

2004

Maglev MLX01, Japan

500 km/h

2027 ?

RESEARCH AND INFOGRAPHIC BY

IN MINUTES

News and events — visually

Elegant Earth Now that we’ve dodged another apocalypse, we take a look at some facts you may not know about the planet we call home.

The Earth is approximately 150 million km from the sun. At this distance,

ALASKA EXPERIENCES A MAGNITUDE 7 EARTHQUAKE ALMOST EVERY YEAR,

IT TAKES ABOUT 8 MINUTES AND 19 SECONDS FOR SUNLIGHT TO REACH OUR PLANET.

and a magnitude 8 or greater quake on average every 14 years.

THE EARTH IS GETTING MORE MASSIVE.

THE NAME “EARTH” COMES FROM OLD ENGLISH

You may feel like you're standing still, but you're actually moving —

and Old High Germanic words (eorthe and erda, respectively) for “ground” or “soil.”

It is the only name for a planet of the solar system that does not come from Greco-Roman mythology.

fast. DEPENDING ON

WHERE YOU ARE ON THE GLOBE, YOU COULD BE SPINNING THROUGH SPACE AT JUST OVER 1,000 M.P.H.

As we plow through space, we accumulate on average 20-40 tons of organic debris per day.

Most of it is in the form of teeny dust particles which burn up in our atmosphere. These eventually fall to the ground and pile up or wash into streams and oceans.

AT THE EQUATOR, THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE GLOBE IS 40,075 KM.

MT. EVEREST ISN’T THE BIGGEST MOUNTAIN

THE CITY OF MANILA, PHILIPPINES, IS THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED IN THE WORLD.

if you measure it from its base to the apex.

Mt. Everest stretches 8,850 m above sea level, but it has a head start due to the general uplift from the Himalayas.

The Hawaiian volcano Mauna Kea (right) is 10,314 m, so even though it only reaches to 4,205 m above sea level, it’s bigger than Everest.

As of the 2007 census, 1,660, 714 people lived in 38.55 km².

The Antarctic Ice Sheet holds nearly 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of its fresh water. IF THE ENTIRE ICE SHEET WERE TO

MELT, SEA LEVEL WOULD RISE BY NEARLY 220 FEET. That’s the height of a 20-STOREY BUILIDING

THE WORLD’S LARGEST DESERT IS ANTARCTICA. That’s right, an

area doesn’t have to be hot to qualify — it just needs to lose more moisture than it gains.

ANTARCTICA IS THE ONLY CONTINENT TO HAVE NO ANTS. Sources: facts.randomhistory.com; Discover Magazine; listverse.com; livescience.com

95% OF THE PLANET’S VAST SEAS HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN. The oceans cover some 70% of Earth’s surface, yet humans have only explored about 5%.

IF YOU COULD EVAPORATE ALL THE WATER OUT OF ALL THE OCEANS AND SPREAD THE RESULTING SALT OVER ALL THE LAND ON EARTH, YOU WOULD HAVE A 500FOOT LAYER COATING EVERYTHING. SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPHIC BY TARA CORRAN/QMI AGENCY

IN MINUTES

Stuffed?

News and events — visually

Christmas is a time when many overindulge, and with two or three helpings of turkey dinner, your waistline just might get a little bigger. Here’s a look at how many calories may be in your feast.

(Does not include cookies, candy canes, chocolates, Christmas cake, eggnog or anything else you might be snacking on!)

Apple pie Serving size:

1/8th

Wine

Serving size:

5 oz.

(9 inch pie)

Calories:

Grams of fat:

Calories:

Grams of fat:

120 120

Cranberry sauce Serving size:

Serving size:

0

Calories:

Grams of fat:

Calories:

Grams of fat:

2 tbsp. 45

Stuffing

4

½ cup 190

Turkey

0

9

(white meat and skin) Grams of fat: Serving size: Calories:

1 cup 276 12 (309 in dark meat) (16 in dark meat) Mashed potatoes Serving size:

Calories:

Grams of fat:

Calories:

Grams of fat:

Calories:

Grams of fat:

Calories:

Grams of fat:

1 cup 237

Gravy

Serving size:

2 tbsp. 16

Butter

Serving size:

1 tbsp. 100

Corn

Serving size:

½ cup 66

White dinner roll Serving size:

1

Calories:

120

9 1

11 1

Grams of fat:

4

The grand total (assuming you were good and only had one serving)

1,580

calories

(1,613 if you had dark meat)

67g

of fat

Generally, average-sized women should eat no more than 1,800 calories a day; men no more than 2,000.

SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPHIC BY MEGAN DINNER/QMI AGENCY

Canadians love their smartphones Highlights from the latest Rogers Innovation Report

55%

65%

85%

80%

of Canadians check their mobile before brushing their teeth in the morning

say they feel naked without their smartphone and Internet access

have used their smartphone in the bathroom

believe more people will connect to the web on a mobile device in 2013 than on desktop computers

67%

51%

44%

think that within the next two years, most of us will use mobile devices to pay for purchases and use coupons

sleep with their smartphones in bed or on the nightstand

believe within the next five years babies will use technology before they can walk or talk

10% fell a bit in love with Siri

MEGAN DINNER/QMI AGENCY

Happy financial New Year!

A new CIBC poll conducted by Harris/Decima shows that as Canadians approach the New Year they are generally positive about their current financial situation

Canadians feeling positive about their current financial situation

BY REGION

BY AGE Canada

70%

B.C.

Up from 54% in 2011

18-24 25-34

Up from 64%

65% 69% Alberta Down from 72%

Ontario

35-44

Up from 66%

75%

74%

Man./Sask.

68%

65%

Atlantic Up from 61%

Quebec

Up from 64%

Up from 70%

45-54 55-64

69% 67% 71% 70%

No change from 2011

Up from 58%

69%

65+

Up from 69% Up from 63%

Up from 65%

73%

Up from 66%

Canadians who are confident they will reach their future financial goals in 2013

BY REGION

BY AGE Canada 18-24

74%

B.C.

Up from 70% in 2011

25-34

Up from 72%

72%

82%

Alberta Down from 85%

Ontario Up from 76%

84%

Man./Sask.

Up from 78%

35-44

64% 74%

78% Quebec

Up from 60%

45-54

Atlantic Down from 78%

55-64 65+

Data was gathered from 2,009 Canadians between Oct. 25th and Nov. 4, 2012. A sample of this size has a margin of error of +/-2.2%, 19 times out of 20.

73% 74% 75% 74%

Down from 78%

75% 74%

Down from 78% Up from 74% Up from 70% Up from 68% Up from 70%

MEGAN DINNER/QMI AGENCY

What happens in

Zero Zero gravity?

Facial ‘puffiness’

• Gravity forces bodily fluids into the lower half of the body.

• When released from the pull of gravity, fluids return to the upper half of the body. This is the cause of the round-faced ‘puffiness’ seen in astronauts.

• Redistributing fluids around the body itself causes balance disorders, distorted vision and a loss of taste and smell.

Cardiovascular system

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is beginning a five-month expedition aboard the International Space Station. That’s a full five months of your body freely floating around in space. While going weightless may look easy, it takes Space adaptation a heavy toll on syndrome (SAS) Similar to motion sickness your body.

SOURCES: ABC; RIA.RU; WIKIPEDIA; NSBRI.ORG SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPHIC BY TARA CORRAN/QMI AGENCY

Symptoms include: • Nausea • Vomiting • Vertigo • Headaches • Lethargy

• Reduces work capacity.

• Blood rushes to head.

• Reduces blood circulation volumes.

• Induces dehydration.

On Earth

In orbit

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Spinal stress

• Vertebrae stretch, sometimes painfully.

• Can cause the human body to be about 2 ½ inches taller in orbit.

Blood flow

• On Earth, hearts are constantly fighting gravity to pump blood upwards.

• In zero-gravity, blood rushes unhindered to the top of the body, creating puffy faces and eyes that sometimes bulge.

Muscle atrophy

• Decrease in mass of the muscle.

• Leads to muscle weakness.

• Muscles will lose 30-40% of their strength.

• Strength won't come back for several weeks.

Immune system

• Weakens in zero-G. • Some drugs lose potency in a weightless environment.

• Astronauts have been known to experience recurrences of childhood bouts of chickenpox in orbit.