TÜVtel 3.14 - Children's Magazine

The Children‘s Magazine by TĂœV Rheinland

2014 | Edition 3

Posters

Silent Hunters and Falling Leaves

ts: Astronau Space n i s s e l Weight

a

by Help o R d n a Tess gehog d e H y b Ba

Ra g in g S to r m s

Contents

In this issue, you’ll find ...

Fast Facts 4 Storms 6 Elements 10 Astronauts 12 Think Twice 14 Guess 15 Tess and Roby 16 Behind the Scenes 20 Try it Out 22 Fan Page 23

Tr y it o ut an build a How you c ge out of stable brid t of paper. a thin shee

22

nee

Engi

ri n g

TÜVtel

2

Monster Stor ms an d Giant Gales

6

rms Time and time again, wild sto land. have destroyed vast areas of they Can Where do they come from? also rage be predicted? And do they on far-off planets?

10 CYhouermistry

Chemical elem ents are everyw here. They are fundamental bu the ilding blocks of our universe. reveals just ho TÜ Vtel w much chem istry you have inside you.

20

ou What are y re? testing the

hts: Deep insig ecial Using a sp e, microscop cht can Doris Schu close take a very el and look at ste metal.

Tess an d Roby

Hey, TÜV kids!

Where do es a hedg ehog pre simple pil fer to live e of leave : in a s , or in the hedgeho latest sup g-house erwith plen gadgets? ty of tech Tess and n ic al Roby find out.

Make sure you dress warmly - there‘s a storm brewing! At no other time of the year does the wind bluster as fiercely in our part of the world as in the fall and winter. With enormous strength, it tears the withered leaves from the trees, merrily blows umbrellas inside out and steals the hats off people‘s heads. On the coast, it creates raging storm tides.

16

When the wind blows faster than 74 kilometers per hour, it is considered a storm. And there are quite a few of those around the globe. They are called hurricanes, tornadoes and winter gales.

In our cover story, we explain what the difference is and how they develop.

12 Lots of Space

Take care out there and enjoy reading TÜVtel!

Alexander Gerst trained long and hard for the chance to go on a space mission.

Po

st

s r e

Tess and Roby

Yo ung Owls an d a Leaves f o t o L le o h W

ees lose In the fall, the tr leaves. huge volumes of help you This poster will e fall is identify them. Th for young an exciting time start to owls, too: They s and go leave their nest their own. out hunting on

Owls

Deciduous Trees

Become a

Tree expert Night Creatures of the up and go down, owls wake When the sun goes and the to their soft plumage hunting. Thanks feathers, they their outer pinion indentations on c turbulence during any atmospheri generate barely to fly silently the birds of prey flight. That enables victims by surprise. and catch their through the air menu also mice best, but their Owls like eating small birds. insects, frogs and includes worms,

Map

le

The serrate d leaves of the maple turn glorious shades of red, orange or yellow in the fall. A good way to identify the tree is by its fruits.

They have two wings that they use like a propeller to fly to the ground.

and keeps protects the chicks While the female for the whole male goes hunting them warm, the are needed to 25 mice per night family. Around owls owlets. Most young feed three growing they can fly. nest long before already leave the among the in trees and sit They hop around also known as is why they are branches, which to feed them parents continue Their . branchlings and have learned can fly properly there until they the fall, themselves. In to catch their prey to go their separate it is time for them disperse and the ways. The families away to find young owls move grounds. their own hunting

Coppe r beech The copper

beech grows up to 45 meters tall. Its green leaves turn bright red in the fall, and that is where it gets its name from.

Its fruits are called beechnuts.

Cox (2), M. Varesvuo/

Jim Vallee/fotolia; WILDLIFE; Saddako/Thinkstock; Roberto Freire Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/ Gerg/Comic-Agentur llustration by Franz

The jaybird loves to eat acorns and builds up a huge store of them for the winter.

Birch The birch

Hazel usually

grows as a dense bush or a tree with many branche s. In the late summe r, the hazelnu ts ripen. They are extrem ely healthy both for us and for squirrels.

oak You can tell

is easily identified by its white and black trunk. There are more than 40 differen t varieties.

Its wood is good for building furniture and its branche s are used to bind twig brooms.

Hazel

Know Wh at’s Growin g

As a rule, leaves grow high on the them closely trees. It is when they really only the best sail down possible time to from the to examin branches colorful leaves. go on a discovery e in the fall. tour. The But with So now is sidewalks confusing. the sheer and parks volume of are full of them, things can get pretty Which leaf belongs to which tree? plant you are looking With a bit of practice at by the nearby, as shape of , you can well as the the leaf, tell which bark on the this poster the fruits tree. Give that you and then find it a try: Read go on a leaf hunt. the tree facts on

the oak by its deep green ridged leaves, its cracked bark, and of course, its acorns.

They look like nuts but sadly they are inedible for human s.

Oaks can live to more than 1,000 years old.

The may beetle loves green leaves and regular ly nibbles entire hedges bare.

Hornbeam The hornbe

am with its leaves and smooth bark doesn‘t only grow in the forest. You can also see it planted in rows in many gardens as a thick hedge. Its wood is conside red the hardest in all of Europe. serrated

Chestnu

t

With its large,

palmate leaves and magnifi cent flowers, the chestnu t is a real eye-catcher.

For that reason, you often also find them in the city, lining country roads, and in parks.

As an early bloomer, the willow is a welcom e source of food for busy honeybees.

Willow

Squirrels use their sharp teeth to gnaw through t

Depending on the variety, the willow grows as a bush or a tree.

The flexible b

TÜVtel

3

Fast Facts

und o s s e I how veg carrot flutes

ms, in dru mig ht Pumpk ns - it i l o i v ek and le ut the razy, b c ro m d n u so es tra f h c r O f resh ble es use o Vegeta d y l l d the rea sic. An u m Aus tria e k t they to ma ell tha w o s veg ies t i s and ans do oncert c musici g n i ow. v en g i years n y n a m have be r own CDs fo l their l a selling d l i h the lso bu n watc a c They a u 0 le ents. Y egetab ins trum d lis ten to v s e tra's an e orch h t n vi deos o lf k: yo urse his lin t c i r s e t u n m y e . Simpl a.org website rches tr o e l b a t ge www.ve

W hen th e ins trum ents are finishe d , all the lefto ver s a made in re to so up .

All gon e: Eddy the dac hshund lo ves hi s certifie d dog fo o d.

Healthy snacks t o keep you fit Sweets mig ht

TĂœVtel

4

taste great, but they can also affect yo ur ab ility to concen trate properly at scho o l. W he n yo u eat them , they only give yo u a very short burs t of energy before quick ly making yo u feel tire d.

That is why choco late, gum mi bears and sw eet yoghurts have no place in yo ur lunch box. TĂœV Rheinland has a go o d tip: ch o ose fresh who lewhe at bread topped w ith lowfat cheese or sa usage, Sweets s choppe d fruit low yo u and down, s vegetables, nut o keep s or them o u dried fruit. The t of y taste yo ur lu go o d, keep yo nch box u full ! for longer and supply yo ur brain w it h important nutrients.

Woof, T taste hat s grr reat

!

For m a that t ny dog o w heir f o ur -l ners, it is great e impo fo o d gge d rtant they i f n r i e t h n tell i f dog eir bowls. d s have But h f ow ca quali o o d cont n ains ty ing h ig hre d ie For e n ts? xamp le, for t he TÜ by lo okin g V Rh tes t m ark w einland h shopp ing. I en they g o f the the m fo o d ark, it m e h it has ans t as been h a t a lab analy orato r y by ze d in and e they can f xperts it to e ed th confi eir dog w denc it h e.

TÜVtel Goes global

The Children's Magazine by TÜV Rheinland

agazine co mes This TÜVtel m own y but it is kn fro m Ger man rld. l o ver the wo and lo ved al d in ly be publishe It used to on ur yo now yo u and Ger man but joy it friend s can en o. Since in Eng lish, to n, the last ed itio an there has been Posters n Eng lish versio yo u especially for er th and all the o ing Eng lish-speak w ide. d children worl 2014 | Edition 2

Waterfalls and Big Ears

Co ol: Staying icksters er mo Tr

The Th

sting e Yo u Te What ar ater Sli des W There? eck-Up Get a Ch

A lwa ys o n the B all

Ver y co o l!

N ow yo u can r ead TÜVtel in Eng l ish and Ge r man!

ean Fun l g Day. C d o washin d n a Go H ashing that w Global

th. eople r 15 is ir heal mind p e Octobe e h r t r o t o m is rtant f ur The ai s impo i s s of yo ing d p n i t a h e r h thei een t war m ea betw r elbows is s r w h i ch a e h T me of yo u o s d , n a i a ms bacter fingers all ger t s ons of i o l l m i l m A and s w it h yo ur h u sick. o g y n i e h k s a y wa can m o ve d b m e r e can b g hly. ple thoro u this sim h t i w " th a nd s w i bacteri a e h y b r u e e o becaus Say "by shing y y a l l w u f r e e Aft live ra car trick: d they em ext n h t a y n r i mp sk soap, d o ve da l a i r e bact there. longer

rget to Don't fo s ur hand wash yo d n meals a before to ilet! ng the i s u r e t af TÜVtel

5

Storms

Monste and Gian Hurricanes, tornadoes and cyclones - wild storms rage here on earth, but they are nothing compared to the giant superstorms on far-off planets.

A re there hu rr ica nes in Eu rope, too?

TÜVtel

6

d. She works at TÜV Rheinlan Dr. Dorle Nörenberg pe ex rt on logy, so she is a true has studied meteoro s possible for hurricane swer: "It is genuinely an e th s ow kn d e an , sh ca d rth Ameri storms, an lantic after striking No At rth No e th er ov to veer off course ey become weaker on -pressure systems. Th low as pe ro Eu in us is lost. That is to come to the eye of the storm d an , gh ou th n ea oc their way over the storm cannot gather rm anymore and the wa as t no is ter wa e y of wind, rain because th rricane still has plent -hu ex an at, th ite sp as much energy. De am standing in an ex photo on the right, I e th In . ard bo on s and wave that's pretty stormy!" the North Sea. Now on at th e lik ne ca rri hu

r Storms nt Gales

Thunderclouds

Hot air

When we gaze into the starry sky at night, everything seems quiet and peaceful. Wrong! There's a whole lot going on in outer space. Especially on planet HD209458b, which is also known as Osiris. It is 150 light years away from us and is made of extremely hot gas. Using a special telescope, scientists have observed incredible storms raging there.

They sweep over Osiris at speeds of 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers Gusts per hour. Here on earth, the of wind storm record is only about 400 kilometers per hour.

Gusts of wind

The god of the wind

Read more on page 8 →

When wind blows faster than 74 kilometers per hour, it is considered a storm.

Funnel cloud

lops e v e d o d a n r o t a w o H

Compared with the superstorms on Osiris, the storms on our planet seem pretty pathetic. However, they still terrify people and animals time and time again. The hurricane is especially frightening, with its incredible capacity for destruction. It takes its name from a Native American Indian word that roughly means "god of the wind". Hurricanes are cyclones that form over the ocean. And that happens when there are two things in abundance: heat and moisture. That is why they mostly develop above the sea in the tropics in late summer.

On their way over the water, the cyclones gain a great deal of strength and drive a huge flood wave in front of them. If they strike the coast, they destroy everything in their path.

t e world's fastes Tornadoes are th in on m e especially com storms. They ar e USA. e Midwest of th th in e im gt rin sp present: t conditions are There, the perfec m the r flows north fro Warm, humid ai At e Gulf of Mexico. bay known as th st from cold air blows ea e, tim e m sa e th cky nge called the Ro the mountain ra t, re the two mee Mountains. Whe cend AIR starts to as the humid, HOT n and up, it cools dow rapidly. Higher Then UNDERCLOUDS. forms mighty TH move D make the air GUSTS OF WIN s the ion. That create in a circular mot wn to that extends do FUNNEL CLOUD the ground.

TĂœVtel

7

Storms

In the eye of the storm Hurricanes are the biggest storms on earth.

They are so huge that astronauts can watch them from space. From above, they look like adorable, fluffy spinning tops. But what might appear beautiful is actually a scene of pure chaos: palm trees snap like matches, houses are reduced to rubble, and cars are swept from the streets as if by an invisible hand. The eye of the hurricane is in the center. There is barely a breeze blowing there. The eye is many

kilometers wide and has often tricked people into thinking the storm is over. Instead, they are right in the middle of it and are surprised by it again later on.

Technology can save lives For a long time, people didn't know very much about how giant cyclones develop. Thanks to modern technology, at least we can now predict a cyclone's approximate strength and the route it will take. Using satellite images and elaborate

t r e s e d e h t m o r f r e Fer t il iz

blows When the wind e red the right way, th s in Sahara sand land o. to , Europe

TĂœVtel

8

ows A sandstorm bl ra across the Saha in Africa and a short time later, ut giant trees spro in on in the Amaz That happens South America. sed is a perfect st that is disper because the du diatoms - a consists of dead y nl ai m It r. ze fertili d-up sections m the huge drie type of algae - fro Africa. of Lake Chad in sand 5,000 Winds carry the tward across kilometers wes at is how vast the Atlantic. Th e tiny algae quantities of th inforest, where end up in the ra e e plants with th they provide th s ou rs of phosphor natural fertilize and iron.

nd 40 Each year, arou st million tons of du the ss are carried acro wind.

Atlantic by the

Sahara Amazon

programs, scientists can tell when a storm is brewing early on, and can issue a warning. Then the people in the affected areas can be brought to safety in time.

we might be able to protect people but we can do little to minimize the storm damage. Every year, vast areas of destruction remind us of how mighty and unpredictable the forces of nature can be.

Despite this, the forecast still remains a gamble.

Some rising winds quickly lose their strength, while others grow into dangerous monster storms. In addition, the places where a storm will hit cannot always be predicted accurately.

And even when the early warning system works,

se are s: The e l a g r s over Winte storm e c r e ern the fi North d n a l a ve at Centr at mo h t e p t 117 Euro t leas a f o s our. speed s an h r e t e kilom strong are so y e h T easily y can e h t t tha s. t tree uproo

Jupiter's storm: On the gas planet Jupiter, the biggest known storm in our solar system has been raging for centuries: the Great Red Spot. Scientists believe that it keeps engulfing smaller storms, and that is how it stays in motion.

The end

Hurricanes , typhoons and cyclon es: These are all trop ical whirlwind s. They rotate in a clockwise direction in the Southe rn Hemisphere , and anticlockw ise in the Northern H emisphere .

What types of storm are there?

Sandstorm: This mainly occur in deserts and are also known as dust storms. Very dry, hot winds raise huge clouds of dust and carry them over long distances.

Tornad o: Now here else on earth d o the winds reach s u ch high sp eeds a s in a torna do. Ra tes of around 400 kil omete per ho rs ur hav e a lready been m easure d. This tempo can on ly just be reache d by th e world's fastest sports cars.

TĂœVtel

9

Elements

Chemical e elements are th ing most basic build iverse. blocks of o ur un if yo u t a h t s n a e m t a h T ial down break any mater l parts, to its fun damenta emains. only chemistr y r un, The earth, the s lants, animals, rocks, p ans an d even we hu m of are all ma de o ut these elements.

All this Chemis oxygen is a gaseous element that is essential for life, and especially for the brain.

65 Percent

Phosphorous

2 Percent

is in our DNA. It is found in our cells and resembles a twisted rope ladder. Our genetic information is stored in the DNA. That includes what you look like: your hair color, eye color, height and so on.

1 Percent: these elements combined

Sulphur builds hair, skin and fingernails.

TĂœVtel

10

Calcium and Magnesium strengthen your bones.

Iron binds and transports oxygen in the blood.

try is inside you Carbon

19 Percent

is present in large quantities in all living things. You could make 10,000 pencil leads with all the carbon that is in one person.

10

no life water without and hydrogen r, e th e g man To water. Hu e k a m n e oxyg ore than nsist of m o c s g in e b out ater. With w t n e rc 70 pe survive. ould not w y e th , it und water is fo e th f o t Mos the od and in lo b e th in helps l cells. It individua es in e process th ll a p e e k perly. orking pro w y d o b the

Percent

Hydrogen

has been around the longest of all the elements that is, since the formation of our universe. The gas is the most common chemical element in the cosmos. For example, the sun and the stars are made of hydrogen - and so are you.

nitrogen 3 Percent

helps your body create proteins, which are the building blocks of your cells and the materials used to repair them.

Chemical elements are found in everybody and everything.

Sodium And Chlorine bind together salt, which you need for your cells.

Iodine

Potassium

is a component of many important hormones.

is needed for the muscles and nerves.

TĂœVtel

11

Astronaut

In the w ater, Ale xander G prepare erst s himse lf for zer o gravit y.

space and back again Until mid-November, Alexander Gerst will be flying through space. He spent four years training for the mission.

3 – 2 – 1: Liftoff!

Tess and Roby are sending their homemade rocket skywards.

The centrifuge teaches you to withstand very high pressure.

TÜVtel

12

A quick spin: The ISS takes 90 minutes to orbit the globe.

space The mouse in

ation, too. d the space st ar o b n o is " r completed "The Mouse sion characte vi le te an m Ger en given its The popular g and was ev in n ai tr t au n e what The all the astro ff. You can se to lif re o ef b it e by own spacesu up to in spac er Gerst get d n xa le A s. d au de.

Mouse an te www.wdrm si eb w an m er visiting the G

The Mouse is accompany ing the astronaut in space.

Climb on board a rocket, shoot through space at 20 times the speed of sound, have a few adventures on the way, and then return to earth as a hero. It all sounds pretty easy in your imagination. In reality, it mainly means hard work. Astronaut Alexander Gerst had to train for four years before his childhood dream of going on a space mission came true. Until mid-November, the 38-year-old is orbiting the earth on the International Space Station (ISS).

To prepare for his journey through the universe, Gerst studied Russian, which is the second important language for astronauts after English.

He exercised every day to become fit for the tough conditions in space. Especially moving around in the 160-kilogram spacesuit took a lot of practice.

Gerst ander x e l A it. rk: acesu rd wo p a s h o l s i i k ged e 160g chan nto th i g n Gettin i mb ces cli practi

Gerst mentioned in a television interview that each hand movement in the suit takes as much strength as squeezing a tennis ball. Diving was also on the training program because it can be used to simulate weightlessness. Alexander Gerst completed a range of tasks underwater in his spacesuit, sometimes over the course of several hours. Afterwards, he had to be hoisted out of the water with a crane. By now at the latest, the training has all become worthwhile. In space, Gerst is responsible for repairs to the ISS. That means he sometimes has to leave the station and go on a space walk. He also has 162 experiments to complete in space. And he has already trained for the landing as well - in ice-cold water in Siberia, just in case the space capsule ends up somewhere unexpected on its return to earth.

Protectio n for the b lue dot A

lexander Ge rst is part o f the "Blue its name be Dot" missio cause the e n, which go a rth resemble t outer space s a tiny blue - a dot that d o t fr w o m e h umans shou The Europe ld take goo an Astronau d care of. t Centre in operating w C o lo g n e is commit ith particula ted to r care for th TĂœV Rheinla e environm nd is helpin e n t. g the Astro and is also naut Centre ensuring th do that, a t everyone co environmen mplies with tal rules. the strict TĂœVtel

13

Think Twice

m a k e i t h o t

How does corn become popcorn?

Kernels of corn contain a lot of water.

When they are heated up, the liquid water turns into steam. The steam expands under enormous pressure until the outer shell can no longer withstand it: the kernel explodes and the water blows out. In the process, white, dried starch foam is flung out, often adhering to the golden-yellow remains of the exploded shell.

See

ing

Dou

On TÜV e heading Rhein land , two st .W o cou nter hy? TÜV ries: a t tel eddy -clo a dif ckwise explains bear g , . fere e nt p you'll s And if yo ts real ersp l ee t his h u turn y hot at ecti th o ve. G ive it t topic e magaz ine from a tr y!

ble

make it Hot Why is the teddy bear burning?

During this safety assessment, the experts from TÜV Rheinland test how long a teddy bear can withstand fire by exposing it to an open flame. A lab worker checks how much time it takes for the fire to spread on the bear's fur.

It should be as long as possible so that a child has enough time to throw the cuddly toy further away before it hurts them. Many toys are tested for flammability, including playhouses and dress-ups.

TÜVtel

14

Guess

Balancing act ly balanced.

The top three seesaws are perfect be added to the How many yellow balls need to ce the purple ball? bottom seesaw to counterbalan

diced fruit

each cube t letter from ec rr co e th three If you take ght, you get ri to ft le m o fr and then read are they? of fruit. What es p different ty

A

G

n

A

A

P

Bo r A P n a A n Y A E

match This See if you can create eight triangles by moving three of the house's matches.

TĂœVtel

15

You can find the answers on the back page of TĂœVtel.

?!

Tess and Roby

The Prickly Guest

Roby designs a very special hedgehog house.

Can he convince a little hedgehog to spend the winter with him and Tess?

Finally, the rain has eased up and the autumn sun is slowly emerging from behind the gray clouds. Where its rays touch the ground, the fallen leaves gleam in shades of yellow, red and orange. Tess and Roby use the break from the rain to gather chestnuts, which they want to make into funny little people. Suddenly, the robot stops: Wow, a giant chestnut! With his fingertips, he reaches for the big, spiky fruit, and examines it carefully from all angles. He has never seen anything like it before. Yikes, now it is even moving! A tiny sliver opens up, but no smooth, brown kernel appears. Instead, the face of a hedgehog is staring inquisitively at Roby through gleaming, black beady eyes.

Help for hedgehog s In Germany, it is illega l to remove hedgehogs from the wild. However, there are exceptions: You are allowed to assist sick and inj ured animals.

Orphaned baby hedg ehogs also need help if they are found outside the nest during the day, still ha ve their eyes and ears closed, and feel cool to the touch.

You can read about ho w you should handle found hedgehogs on the Internet, for ex ample in the English section of the website www.pro-igel.de. A local vet can also give you advice.

TÜVtel

16

16

"What’s that you’ve got there?" asks Tess, glancing curiously over her shoulder at her friend. Roby carefully holds the little hedgehog out to her. "Look! A baby hedgehog! Surely it won't survive out here. We'd better take it inside and build it a home for the winter," decides Roby spontaneously. Without any hesitation, he races back into the house with his spiky new friend. Tess is not so sure. Is it really alright to just take a hedgehog home like that? She decides to do some Internet research first, and sits down at the computer.

Roby lays out some newspaper in an empty cardboard box and gently places the hedgehog inside. A thousand ideas are rattling through his robot head. He grabs a pencil. With rapid strokes, he draws a sketch on a piece of paper.

Some quick rubbing out and improving here, an extension there, and he's all done - this is how the hedgehog house should look. Satisfied, he starts looking for his building materials.

Keep reading on page 18 →

When helping a hedgehog, the goal is always to heal it and then release it back into the wild as quickly as possible.

Yuck!

Edible chestnuts are also known as sweet chestnuts.

Many pe ople lov e eating But care chestnu ful: Nev ts in the er eat th a lot of fall and e horse ch parks an winter. estnuts d garde but they that gro n s! Not o w in also con nly do t tain sub h bad stom e y t a s s t t ances th e bitter, achache at can g . From a chestnu ive you botanica ts belon a l viewpo g to ent their sim int, the irely diffe ilarity: T t wo r ent fam he horse ilies, de soapber chestnu s ry plant p it e t is the fr , while t from the uit of a he edible beech fa c hestnut mily. comes

Horse chestnuts taste terrible but they are great for craft projects.

TĂœVtel

17

Tess and Roby

Roby busily saws, glues, drills, connects cables, and paints. He uses thin particle board to build three stories, all connected by a tiny elevator that whirrs up and down. Through large windows on the first floor, you can see the living room with a cosy sofa corner and even electric lighting. On the roof, Roby installs blue solar panels to provide power for the underfloor heating in the sleeping area. A huge antenna on the roof receives satellite television. After all, he

TĂœVtel

18

doesn't want the hedgehog to get bored.

Tess comes clattering down the stairs, shouting: "Roby, I looked on the Internet and I found out that it is really bad to take a hedgehog home.

In Germany, it is even illegal! You should only help sick or very young hedgehogs. We have to..." She stops still as she enters the living room and sees Roby's creation. "What on earth is that?" she asks in amazement. Roby proudly shows her his hedgehog house, which is now

ready for occupation. "When you consider that a hedgehog normally sleeps under a boring pile of leaves, then this is pure luxury. Or what do you think, little hedgehog?" asks Roby, turning towards the cardboard box. But the box has toppled over and the animal has disappeared.

at one another. "He has found his family again!" says Tess with delight. Roby is disappointed though. He put so much effort into the house, but now he has to accept that hedgehogs are wild animals who are much happier in their natural environment.

Roby is devastated. How could that happen?

Tess guesses that the hedgehog has probably run back into the garden. "We have to find him!" begs Roby. Tess doesn't take much asking.

She pulls on her gumboots, grabs the big umbrella, and strides outside. It has started to rain again. Roby huddles close to her to avoid getting wet. They don't have to search long before discovering their little friend in a big pile of leaves. A whole family of hedgehogs is frolicking there. Happily, the little animals sniff

"Come on, let's go inside and turn the hedgehog's home into a playhouse for little Lea next door’s dolls," suggests Tess.

Somewhat reluctantly, Roby agrees. At least then somebody will get some use out of his masterpiece. On his way indoors, he glances back at the pile of leaves that the hedgehog is busily crawling into. "Oh well, goodnight little hibernator," he thinks, feeling quite glad after all that his prickly guest is in such good company.

The end

Keep dry Umbrellas have already been pr otecting people from the rain for more th an 1,200 years. They used to weigh around five kilos because th eir frames were made of whalebone an d heavy woode n slats.

Nowadays, they are very light an d easy to use. You can buy them in many different colors and sizes for a ra nge of different prices .

In the laboratory , TĂœV Rheinland tests whether umbrellas can w ithstand strong gusts of wind, ar e break-proof, let any rain thro ugh, and can easily be opened or closed.

Umbrellas that pass the inspec tion receive a GS m ark for tested sa fety.

www.tuv. com ID 1000 0000 00

TĂœVtel

19

?

Behind the Scenes

u o y e r What a e? r e h t testing

Sanding, polishing and treating with acid: Doris Schucht's colleague, Dieter Biskup, prepares the bolt.

steel and Met al Detective work in the materials lab Doris Schucht might not be a detective but it is part of her job to solve fascinating cases. Her task for today: A bolt that was used to fasten some scaffolding at a building site has broken. The scaffolding collapsed and a construction worker was badly injured.

Now she wants to find out how it could have happened. To do that, she examines the surface of the bolt using a scanning electron microscope in the TĂœV Rheinland materials laboratory.

In a special chamber, the bolt is irradiated with electron beams.

This process creates an image with many tiny details that are barely visible to the eye. The image is displayed on a monitor and magnified up to 10,000 times. Schucht can clearly see that the bolt has numerous fine cracks.

However, the materials expert is not only interested in the surface; she also wants to look inside the bolt. To enable that, a section of the bolt is cut out, sanded, polished, and treated with acid to create a surface that is as smooth as glass.

doris Schucht Takes a close look at steel and metal.

TĂœVtel

20

Without this elaborate polishing, only a hilly landscape would be visible under the next microscope - a light microscope.

This way, Schucht can tell that the bolt was not forged seamlessly.

Mistakes were already made during the production process, so it is hardly surprising that it developed cracks and ended up causing an accident.

Schucht is glad that she has solved the case of the broken bolt.

The accident was the bolt manufacturer's fault. They will have to produce more stable bolts in the future to make sure accidents like that never happen again.

Micro-Quiz Can you tell what's under the microscope?

2

3

1 Answers : 1 part o f a green 2 the ey e le o a f f a w w it h asp, 3 th breathin e g b ri c s ells, tl es on a toothbru sh

How a light microscope works

This is how the broken bolt looks.

In a light microscope, there are many glass lenses working together. They direct the light to your eye as it is reflected from or shines through an object. That makes a leaf seem up to 1,000 times bigger to you than it really is.

The eyepiece contains lenses that make the already magnified image even bigger.

The object under the lens is fixed between two transparent plates.

The objectives are lenses that can enlarge the object considerably.

On the microscope stage, the object - such as a leaf is held firmly in place.

A bright light illuminates the leaf from below through a hole in the microscope stage.

The coarse adjustment knob is a wheel that helps focus the image by altering the distance between the microscope stage and the objective.

TĂœVtel

21

Try It Out Scienc

e

stem Spells

Techno

STEM is the abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics - all fields that involve exciting experiments.

logy

Today: E For Engineering

nee

Engi

ri n g

r e p a p A

Mathem atics

You ne ed: • a she et of A4 paper • two p iles of b o oks of equa l heigh t • a weig ht such as an ap ple

e g d i r B 3

2

1 Balance the she et of paper b etween t he books a nd put t he apple o n top. T h e bridge doesn't hold.

per e pa a h t Fold ncertin co lace in a nd p a n er oks patt e bo h t it on n. agai

Why does the folded bridge hold more weight?

By folding the sheet up, you divide it into many small lengths of paper. Each fold makes the paper more stable. That is because the weight of the apple no longer rests on just one area. Instead, it is spread evenly over the whole sheet of paper.

Design engineers call this physical principle "stiffening". It is also employed in the construction of real bridges - but of course they use folded steel there, and not paper.

Bridge inspectors at TÜV Rheinland Jürgen Nolden tests tunnels, retaining walls on roads, and around 200 bridges a year.

He is a trained civil engineer. When he inspects bridges, the TÜV Rheinland expert makes sure they are standing firmly, can be safely driven over, and that all parts are in good shape. To do that, he sometimes has to abseil off a bridge or go TÜVtel diving to examine pillars under the water.

22

Put the apple back on the bridge. It holds!

Fan Page

g n i h s i r u o l F

Jo in in!

Jannik TÜVtel fans wed and Andre so eds the flower se e th from one of and last editions rld a o made the w hter. little bit brig

elf with a otos of yours h p e av h u Do yo to tel? Send them copy of TÜV e‘ll print w d com an v. tu e. d l@ te TUEV e. next magazin them in the

A Big Hello!

The third-grade students at Bramste dt primary school say a big hello to all the ot her TÜVtel fans. They alw ays really look forward to the next edition of TÜVt el.

Right now, they‘re ha ving a ball with the balls from the last edition.

A Well-Earned Break

TÜVtel in China le in t just availab TÜVtel is no also e magazine is Germany. Th ies. other countr read in many ts from de the studen Its fans inclu e Taipei Section of th an m er G e th a ool. Taipei is European Sch part the northern megacity in of Taiwan.

Estella Felicia and Mei Hui have just bee rescuing tad n poles from a muddy water To do that, th w ay. ey had to mak e a little poo meadow. Th l in the ey have also built a butter and planted fl y house some flower s. It was a lo work, so now t of hard it‘s time to re lax with a co of TÜVtel. py TÜVtel

23

THE PUMPKIN – A FASCINATING FRUIT Ancient

kin pump 0,000 d e z i Fossil s old as 1 a see ds ave been h years re d. e discov

International

It comes fro m South Ameri ca. The explorer Chri stopher Columbus bro ught it back from his travels.

Varied

Berry Goodis a

There are more than 850 different sorts.

kin The pump s it belong o berr y, s t o uits - n to the fr ables. the veget

Watery

Like cucumb ers an d melons, pump kins are more than 9 0% water.

Massive

Creepy

in est pumpkin is The world‘s bigg It ok of Records. the Guinness Bo at Th s. lo an 821 ki weighed more th y as a cow. is about as heav

In the night before 1 November, the pumpkin ser ves as a death mask for an old C eltic custom calle d Hallow een.

TE S S and ROBY The Lodger Roby, your stomach is rumbling.

What is that noise?

I know!

I have a lodger for the fall and winter.

Au Ja, total gerne!

TÜVtel – Who Made It?

Publisher: TÜV Rheinland Aktiengesellschaft,

Communications, Am Grauen Stein, D-51105 Cologne Responsible: Aud Feller, v. i. S. d. P. (responsible according to the German press law) Editing: S+L Partners GmbH, Cologne Printing: Druckhaus Ley + Wiegandt, Wuppertal

lutions o S e l z z Pu ge 15 fro m Pa s llow ball g

Balancin Act

his

Match T

Five ye as s much weigh a e. n o le rp one pu : Make The trick gles, n ia tr two p of to one on r. e th o the

uit Diced FrA

n

G

A

A E a A n Y n P a.

Bo r A d papay range an A

P

Photos: All Roby and Tess illustrations by Franz Gerg/Comic-Agentur Roberto Freire; German Aerospace Center (DLR)/ESA (cover, 13); DLR/NASA (pp. 3, 12); DLR/GCTC (p. 12); TÜV Rheinland (pp. 2, 6, 14, 20-21); LEGO® (pp. 2, 15); The Vegetable Orchestra/Heidrun Henke (p. 4); WDR/Klaus Görgen (p. 13); WDR/Schmitt-Menzel/Streich/WWF (p. 13); Lothar Wels (p. 20); Lisa Landwehrjohann (p. 22); private source (p. 23); 123RF: Andrii IURLOV (cover), Pavlo Vakhrushev (p. 2), iimages (pp. 2, 10), Kasia Bialasiewicz, stfotograf (p. 4), Prakaymas Vitchitchalao (p. 5), Galyna Andrushko, tristan3d (p. 8), Mariano Ruiz, MichaÅ‚ BaraÅ„ski (p. 10), Aleksandr Levchenko, designua, Andrey Shupilo (p. 11), gemenacom, tovovan, Orlando Rosu (p. 15), lookstore (p. 19), PAN XUNBIN (p. 21), Denys Prokofyev, Krzysztof Slusarczyk (p. 24); fotolia: Joachim Neumann (cover, p. 16), Willee Cole (p. 4), tovovan, arturaliev, Aleksandr Bryliaev, Dirk Schumann, eyewave (pp. 4-5), valdis torms (pp. 4-5, 22), grafikplusfoto (p. 6), Natis (p. 7), lamax (pp. 8-9), klz (p. 9), Denis Tabler (pp. 12-13), baibaz (p. 14), djama, eyetronic (p. 17), Rafal Olechowski (pp. 20-21), crimson, Jacek Chabraszewski (p. 21); iStockphoto: RealRedHair (cover), PeteDraper (pp. 2, 9), Minerva Studio (pp. 6-7), yafa80 (p. 9), skynesher (pp. 10-11), CraigRJD, dem10 (p. 11), mtr (p. 21); shutterstock: razlomov (p. 9), Fablok, Levent Konuk (p. 10), Coprid, Imageman (p. 11)

How

Robotercute!

Eissorten!

nana, o

s are ba

The fruit

s e e r T s u Deci duo

a e m o t Bec r pe

Know What’s Growing

x e e e r T

The jaybird loves to eat acorns and builds up a huge store of them for the winter.

Maple The serrated leaves of the maple turn glorious shades of red, orange or yellow in the fall. A good way to identify the tree is by its fruits. They have two wings that they use like a propeller to fly to the ground.

Copper beech

h c r Bi The birch is easily identified by its white and black trunk. There are more than 40 different varieties. Its wood is good for building furniture and its branches are used to bind twig brooms.

l e z Ha

Hazel usually grows as a dense bush or a tree with many branches. In the late summer, the hazelnuts ripen. They are extremely healthy - both for us and for squirrels.

As a rule, leaves grow high on the trees. It is really only possible to examine them closely when they sail down from the branches in the fall. So now is the best time to go on a discovery tour. The sidewalks and parks are full of colorful leaves. But with the sheer volume of them, things can get pretty confusing.

Which leaf belongs to which tree? With a bit of practice, you can tell which plant you are looking at by the shape of the leaf, the fruits that you find nearby, as well as the bark on the tree. Give it a try: Read the tree facts on this poster and then go on a leaf hunt.

oak You can tell the oak by its deep green ridged leaves, its cracked bark, and of course, its acorns.

They look like nuts but sadly they are inedible for humans.

Oaks can live to more than 1,000 years old.

The hornbeam with its serrated leaves and smooth bark doesn‘t only grow in the forest. You can also see it planted in rows in many gardens as a thick hedge. Its wood is considered the hardest in all of Europe.

As an early bloomer, the willow is a welcome source of food for busy honeybees.

With its large, palmate leaves and magnificent flowers, the chestnut is a real eye-catcher. For that reason, you often also find them in the city, lining country roads, and in parks.

For several years now, killer bacteria have been attacking chestnut trees in Germany and making them rot.

m a e b n r o

H

Chestnut

The copper beech grows up to 45 meters tall. Its green leaves turn bright red in the fall, and that is where it gets its name from. Its fruits are called beechnuts.

Squirrels use their sharp teeth to gnaw through the shell and get to the nut.

The may beetle loves green leaves and regularly nibbles entire hedges bare.

w o l Wil

Depending on the variety, the willow grows as a bush or a tree. The flexible branches are good for weaving baskets with.

In the spring, you can identify the willow by its silky yellow flowers, or pussy willows. In the fall, you‘ll know it by its slender leaves that are turning yellow.

Photos: Le Do, photka, tilltibet, OLEKSANDR YEROMIN, Baloncici, lianem, Alexandr Pakhnyushchyy, Wu Ruiyun, Sergii Figurnyi, Eric Isselee, konzeptm, Maksym Bondarchuk, Ying Feng Johansson, Valentyn Volkov Volkov, Marilyn Barbone, Stefan Balk/123RF; Schlierner, Dionisvera, eyetronic, doris oberfrank-list, spyder24, natureimmortal, Edler von Rabenstein, Fotoschlick, zagart, Elenarts/fotolia; Roby and Tess illustration by Franz Gerg/Comic-Agentur Roberto Freire

Owls

Creatures of the Night When the sun goes down, owls wake up and go hunting. Thanks to their soft plumage and the indentations on their outer pinion feathers, they generate barely any atmospheric turbulence during flight. That enables the birds of prey to fly silently through the air and catch their victims by surprise.

Owls like eating mice best, but their menu also includes worms, insects, frogs and small birds.

While the female protects the chicks and keeps them warm, the male goes hunting for the whole family. Around 25 mice per night are needed to feed three growing owlets. Most young owls already leave the nest long before they can fly.

They hop around in trees and sit among the branches, which is why they are also known as branchlings. Their parents continue to feed them there until they can fly properly and have learned to catch their prey themselves. In the fall, it is time for them to go their separate ways. The families disperse and the young owls move away to find their own hunting grounds.

Photos: D.J. Cox (2), M. Varesvuo/ Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/ WILDLIFE; Saddako/Thinkstock; Jim Vallee/fotolia; IPGGutenbergUKLtd/iStockphoto; Roby and Tess illustration by Franz Gerg/Comic-Agentur Roberto Freire