What is Chromite

Chromite is an oxide mineral. The main composition of Chromite is chromium along with iron and oxygen. It is the only ore of Chromium. The color of chromite varies from grey to black  and has a sub-metallic lustre with a high specific gravity. Chromite is relatively hard and metallic. It is found in basic and ultra-basic igneous rocks or metamorphic rocks and even sedimentary rocks. Their occurrence is a result of altering of these rocks by heat or weathering.

Being the only ore of chromium, chromite is highly used in the production of stainless steel, nichrome and chrome plating. Given it's high heat stability, it is also used as a refractory material. 

Expansion of Idea - Say No To Plastic

The usage of plastic has been one of the major cause of concern. Recently government came up with severe resolutions towards ban of plastic bags. It is high time that government take such step towards the use of plastic. We use plastic bags because their use is convenient for us. We can go empty handed for shopping and come loaded with plastic bags. We rarely think how our action can harm the environment. Plastic doesn't cost much, in fact at times they are even free. We have been using plastic for such a long time that we hardly ever realized that by doing so we have been abusing the planet.

Our carelessness has costed the planet. The planet suffers for our deeds which can have severe repercussions on our existence. Most we could do to save our Mother Earth is stop polluting it. And plastic is one such major pollutant. Use of plastic is harmful to nature. Though plastic can be advantageous to us, they also are a disadvantage to our existence. One disadvantage of plastic is that it is non-biodegradable. This means that plastic cannot be decomposed and hence the discarded plastic will keep piling up on the earth's surface. This is a major cause of concern for the environment upkeep. Many animals swallow plastic bags and suffer severe health threats. Plastic bags often get stuck in the sewage openings and cause problems. Plastic bags indirectly contribute to problems during floods. The quality of soil is also deteriorated due to plastic bags.

Government has definitely taken major steps towards ban of plastic bags. But that is not enough! Every individual needs to take firm step towards ban of plastic bags. Everyone has to contribute their bit to ban it. This can only be done when each one of us, stop using plastic bags for shopping or stop accepting plastic bags from vendors. One can carry their own bags made from cloth or jute. Our environment would become a better place to live only if we say no to plastic.

How To Make A Water Filter

This is a simple activity for kids, that help them learn about water purification process and how it is carried out. This could work as one of the best summer engaging activity for kids, as they not only make the water filter right from scratch, but understand and learn science. The making of water filter with this activity is easy and the kids will have lot of fun making it. The wonders of science can be learned through such simple techniques. The technique is pretty simple and kids can carry on themselves, with adult supervision.

Materials Required For Making a Water Filter

Pet bottle - 1(2 liter capacity)
Gravel
Activated charcoal
Cotton ball
Dirty water

Method for Making a Water Filter

1

With the help of an adult, cut the bottle in half.  Put the bottle upside down resembling a funnel inside the bottom half. This is what the use is - the bottom half would work as the collector of the filtered water and the top half will be where we build the filter.

2

Place a thick layer of cotton ball inside the filter, i.e. the top half of the bottle. Now continue to add one layer of thick crust of activated charcoal on the cotton ball.

3

Place the third layer of gravel on the sand. Lightly shake the filter, so that all the layers are fixed firmly in their place. Your filter is ready.

4

Pour the dirty water through this filter. You can make your own dirty water by adding bits of paper, small leaves, little mud or dirt in the water. Once you pour this dirty water in the filter, wait for the filtration process to happen. Do not pour all the dirty water, but keep some as a specimen which you can compare later with the filtered water.

5

You will soon see that once the water starts moving through all the layers, it gets much cleaner than before.

6

Gather all the filtered water and compare it with the dirty water you have kept. You will notice the difference in both the water.

How it Works

Activated charcoal is often used in the water purification process, mostly in commercial water filters. As the water travels through each layer of the filter, the dirt gets stuck in each layer. The bigger pieces of dirt like paper bits, get stuck on the first layer. The small pieces pass through the first layer but get stuck in the charcoal layer. The cotton ball layer gets rid of the fine dirt and the result you get is the filtered water.

Tip

If you do not have activated charcoal, make use of sand. Add a thick crust of sand instead of charcoal on the cotton ball layer. 

What Are Sinuses

If you are suffering from cold and headache for more than 10 to 14 days, then maybe you have an infection of sinus, also know as Sinusitis. Sinus headaches can be too irritating and keep recurring frequently, unless sinusitis is not treated. Sinuses are air-filled spaces within the bones of the head and face that contribute to the upper tract of your respiratory tract from the nose to your throat. The sinuses develop even before one is born. There are four parts of sinuses - one located in the cheeks on either side of your nose, one located in the forehead, one located behind and between our eyes and one located at the back of one's nasal cavity.

What is Sinusitis

Sinusitis is a medical condition in which one suffers from the infection of sinus. The cold virus damages the delicate cilia of one's nose and causes the mucous lining of the nose to swell. Due to this swelling, the narrow opening from the sinuses are blocked causing more and more mucous to produce; which could be harder and stickier, thus making it difficult to flow out of the sinuses. It results in an infection of the sinuses and this condition is referred as Sinusitis.

Sinusitis symptoms include headaches, severe cold, runny nose, blocked nose, congestion, sore throat and facial pain. Sinus headaches can be painful and discomforting. Causes of sinusitis could be anything from pollution, infection, allergy to certain substances such as dust, pollen etc. Individuals suffering from asthma, chronic cold or allergies are more prone to sinusitis.

Acute sinusitis is a short term condition which responds well to antibiotic treatment or recovers on it's own in a matter of few days. But chronic sinusitis on the other hand, could last for many days, even weeks or may keep recurring. Medication course for the same is advisable. Sinusitis is a matter of concern and could cause unnecessary pain and discomfort.

Sinus Surgery

Sinus surgery is a boon to patients suffering from chronic sinusitis.  Mucus is developed by the body and acts as a lubricant that moves across the sinus cavities. Sinusitis swells the mucous membrane thus blocking the mucous movements. When in the cases of sinusitis, antibiotics and other prescribed medical treatment don't work, sinus surgeries are suggested to correct the problem. Endoscopic Sinus Surgery is considered to be safe and perfect solution for the problem of sinusitis. 

What are UV Rays

UV Rays or Ultraviolet rays are invisible rays which are part of the solar energy. UV rays help our body to make Vitamin D and hence we are suppose to walk in morning sun. Vitamin D is essential for the strengthening of our bones and teeth. It helps us to build strong immunity against body disorders like Rickets or even colon cancer. UV rays are also used to slow down the growth of skin cells and treat diseases like psoriasis.

Commercial uses of UV rays include disinfection and sterilization. Few animals perceive in ultraviolet and can see things. Animals such as birds, bees and even some fishes can see in ultraviolet. For example by perceiving ultraviolet, bees can collect pollen from flowers. Human eyes can however detect wavelengths only in visual spectrum.

How Harmful is UV Rays?

 UV rays are useful for the ecosystem.  But too much UV rays can be a threat to our existence. UV light is a type of a electromagnetic radiation which is responsible for sun tans and sun burns. The ultraviolet rays have the potential to burn eyes, skin as well as hair if these human parts are not properly protected. Too much exposure to sun affects our skin. Too much UV rays can damage the skin cells and also cause cancer. And hence one should always use a sunscreen when opting to be out in hot sun. Also wearing a hat helps.

The ozone layer in the upper part(Stratosphere) of the atmosphere absorbs UV radiation and thus prevents most of the harmful rays to reach the earth's surface. And hence ozone layer is very important. The depletion of ozone layer is a great matter of concern. 

Expansion of Ideas - Power of One's Imagination

A person's imagination can extend up to great lengths. The power of imagination can be unlimited. God has gifted us the divine power to imagine our wishes, our fantasies and our desires. A dream can be considered as a figment of our own imagination. A dream may consist of our desires or sometimes coincidentally our future.

Basically a person who imagines a world of his own, in their own mind is called a dreamer. A dreamer may consider his imagination as his hobby and may utilize it in his life. For example, let us take the example of the famous author, J. K. Rowling. She can be considered as a 'Professional Dreamer', because it is really difficult to imagine an entire 'Wizardry World'   and then place certain characters and beautiful features in it. J. K. Rowling successfully managed to convert her imagination into a series of book which was an adventure in itself. The world in our imagination is entirely different from reality. The people residing in our imaginary world may look different or may behave different. This is because there are no rules or boundaries in one's imagination.

The philosophical aspect of our imagination is that it totally helps us to identify our wants or the way we wish our world to transform. It is possible for the imaginary world to be total contrast to the laws of nature. Because our imagination doe not obey laws of physics or biology. It obeys the laws of our mind and it's methodology. As a result, people should truly be motivated to imagine and gain a clear understanding of the way our mind works.

Why Do We Feel Itchy

Our skin is the largest organ that we have, and we put it through several potential irritants knowingly or rather unknowingly. It just happens! With so many pollutants, toxins and irritants in the air, our skin comes in contact with daily. No wonder we are bound to itch. Itch is also known as Pruritus. Itching is a built-in mechanism of our body which alerts us about a potential threat that is bothering us or being harmful to us.

 At times, itching could be nothing much severe, but this won't be the case most of the times. Some type of external stimuli which could include a bug, dust, a clothing fiber or even a hair can trigger itching. Moreover an allergy to certain thing or food or smell can trigger itching. So when external objects such as dust, mosquito or bug land on our skin, they bother it somehow and result into itching. It does not have to start immediately, but the rubbing or an allergy could trigger out itching.

And then there is food allergies which can trigger itching and redness of your skin. A person who is allergic to a particular food, or dust particles can experience severe itching. Once the dust layer scratches your skin area the receptors of the skin will become irritated. These receptors send signal through fibers into the skin to your spinal cord and then to your brain - the result you start itching.

Why do we scratch a itch is really a wonder. Scratching the itch makes us feel better, and that is our first response to the itch. Once we scratch the itch with our finger nails we feel much better and get some relief. Very often scratching helps relieving itch by removing the irritant as soon as possible. When the itching is triggered due to an allergy, we need certain medications to help us solve the problem.