Case of the Crooked Carnival

by Michele Torrey

Meanwhile, at the school parking lot where the parade had gathered, the mood was gloomy.

  First of all, it was raining. Second, the wind was picking up. (The clowns had to hold their wigs on their heads with both hands, and the princesses were quite nervous about losing their tiaras.) Third, and perhaps worst of all, the leaders of the parade were, well, … missing.

  The mayor paced this way and that.

  The band played “America the Beautiful” to pass the time.

  Finally, at five minutes past T minus zero (2:05 P.M.), they could wait no longer.

  The mayor said, “The parade must go on!”

  So, following a siren blast from the fire engine truck, the parade began marching down Main Street, flanked by the crowd, who cheered in spite of the rain. The cheerleaders waved soggy pom-poms. The band played the Mossy Lake theme song. Princesses tossed candy from floats.

  Down Main Street they marched, past Barko’s Supermart and Iggy’s Ice Cream Parlor, toward Mossy Lake Bridge (which was, thankfully, empty of people because there was no room for both the parade and the spectators).

  Then, just as the parade reached the bridge, who should come screeching to a halt on their bicycles but Horace Peabody and Polly Plum (otherwise known as Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey in costume), plus Dr. Livingston.

  “Stop the parade!” cried Peabody and Plum.

  Woof! cried Dr. Livingston.

  The parade came to a screeching halt. (The band bumped into the mayor. Oompa! The cheerleaders bumped into the band. Ow! The princess float bumped into the fire engine. Ouooga! The clowns bumped into the princess float. Oof!)

  “Sorry to rain on your parade,” Plum said through her megaphone.

  “But we have a situation,” said Peabody through his megaphone.

  “Hush! Shh!” people were saying. “The town’s founders are speaking!”

  “Riding our bikes on our way to Peabody Park this morning,” said Plum, “we became aware of a great danger.”

  “We were in the middle of the bridge,” said Peabody, “when it moved.”

  “It heaved and sighed,” said Plum. “And our sixth scientific sense kicked into gear. Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.”

  “But what could be wrong?” asked the tuba player. “We just built the bridge. Looks fine to me.”

  Everyone looked at the bridge. And indeed, except for being wet, it looked fine and dandy.

  Just then, the bridge swayed ever so slightly and then did a little shiver.

  The crowd gasped.

  “It’s called resonance,” said Plum. She got off her bicycle and paced in front of the bridge. “You see, every object has a natural vibration.”

  “Quite right, Professor Plum,” remarked Peabody, getting off his bike as well. “Look around you. Everything you see in nature, in the universe, vibrates. From atoms and molecules—”

  “—to bridges, the Eiffel Tower, and trees—” added Plum.

  “—everything moves with its own natural vibration,” continued Peabody. “Hard to believe, I know, but it’s true.”

  “Now,” said Plum, looking quite serious, “you can enhance an object’s natural vibration by adding more vibration at the same frequency. Case in point: sing in the shower, and notice that there is one pitch in particular that sounds especially wonderful. That one pitch is the natural vibration, or frequency, of the room. Adding your voice at the same vibration creates even more vibration. This is called resonance, or sympathetic vibration.”

  Plum indicated the bridge behind her, which, at that very moment, hiccupped. “This bridge has a natural frequency. If the wind matches that natural frequency, like singing in the shower, the vibrations can become more pronounced.”

  Peabody said, “On a windy day in 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, nicknamed ‘Galloping Gertie,’ galloped so hard that the sidewalk on the right lurched up to be 28 feet higher than the sidewalk on the left before it plunged the other way.”

  “Quite astonishing, really,” said Plum. “We saw the video ourselves. There were people on the bridge. They had to get out of their cars and crawl to safety.”

  “Naturally,” said Peabody, “the bridge could only take so much. It broke apart and plunged into the water below.”

  “Look!” A clown pointed at the bridge.

  Just then the wind howled and the bridge swayed again. It moaned. It groaned. And then it began to buck like a mule.

  The crowd gasped. “It’s going bananas!”

  Indeed, the bridge had gone bananas. It galloped. It swayed. It bucked and kicked. It creaked. It moaned and hollered. And while the entire town of Mossy Lake watched, horrified, it broke apart, and disappeared into the gorge below.

  There followed a moment of deep silence. Dr. Peabody and Professor Plum, and everyone in Mossy Lake for that matter, were quite stunned.

  “Well—uh …” began the mayor in a wobbly voice. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that, once again, the founders of Mossy Lake are our heroes. You’ve saved countless lives. Thank you, Professor Plum and Dr. Peabody. Strangely enough, this whole incident has made me hungry for bananas!” And he shook their hands while cameras flashed. The crowd cheered wildly.

  That evening, Drake wrote in his notebook:

  Town SAVED.

  Bridge to be re-engineered.

  Nell and I named town’s

  honorary heroes.

  Given picnic in honor, with banana

  pudding for dessert.

  Thoroughly sick of bananas. Try

  dill pickle perfume?

  Contents

  Your Own Lab

  What? You Mean There’s a Method ?

  Snoop-O-Scope for Spies Like You:

  Sound and Amplification

  Send a Secret Message: Codes and Cyphers

  Your Own Little World: Ecosystems

  Build Your Own Handy-Dandy

  Paper Clip Picker-Upper

  (otherwise known as an electromagnet)

  T Minus 30 Minutes and Counting:

  Resonance

  You have an idea. A brilliant idea. So brilliant that life as we know it will never be the same again! You rush to your lab, anxious to prove your idea, boil solutions, and scribble in your lab notebook, except … you don’t have a lab. Egads! Remember, good scientists are always prepared. So be prepared for all your brilliant ideas by creating your own lab. Here’s how:

  1. Clear a space in your bedroom, in a spare room, or in the attic—wherever your parents say it’s okay. Add a card table, a chair, and—Great Scott!—you have a laboratory!

  2. Begin collecting items that might be useful later. Magnets, clean jars with lids, string, straws, tape, paper clips, measuring cups, plastic utensils—you get the idea. And, of course, all good scientists must have a pair of safety glasses.

  3. No top-notch scientist is complete without a lab coat. You can use a white button-down shirt (ask first!), and write your name on the front with a permanent marker.

  4. Last but not least, you’ll need a lab notebook. Any spiral or bound notebook is good. Jot your name in pen on your notebook, sharpen your pencil, and you’re ready for your next brilliant idea! Observations, calculations, hypotheses, and results—record everything in your lab notebook.

  A good lab notebook contains

  1) Experiment title

  2) Method (what you plan to do)

  3) Hypothesis (what you think will happen)

  4) Procedure (what you did, step by step)

  5) Observations (what you saw)

  6) Results (what actually happened)

  7) Conclusion (based upon the results, was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?)

  That’s right, there’s a method to the madness. It’s called the scientific method, to be precise. In fact, scientists all over the world use the same method.

  First, scientists observe. They examine. They peer. They scribble their observations in their lab notebooks (or type them into their computers, as the case may be).r />
  Second, based on their observations, scientists develop a hypothesis, like Drake and Nell did in trying to determine the identity of the ghosts and ghouls haunting Edgar’s house. Drake and Nell’s hypothesis was simply their best guess as to what was causing the noise. It probably sounded something like this: “We believe the haunting of Edgar’s home is being caused by the amplification of sound through the old pipes. We further believe that Poe is the culprit.”

  Third, scientists test their hypothesis. (After all, maybe the hypothesis is correct, but maybe it isn’t. Maybe there really are ghosts and ghouls! Yikes!) In testing their hypothesis, scientists follow a procedure. In the following experiments and activities, you will also follow a procedure. It is important to read through the instructions and set out all of the needed materials before beginning the experiment. So whip out your lab notebooks, sharpen those pencils, put on those lab coats, and prepare to join the masses of scientists everywhere!

  Good Science Tip

  To avoid mixing things up, all brilliant scientists label what they are working on. Usually masking tape and a pen or marker work fine for labeling. But if an experiment or the equipment gets wet or collects moisture, the ink might smudge or run or disappear entirely. To prevent that from happening, many scientists use a fine-point permanent marker, which won’t wipe off except with alcohol.

  Egads! Your #1 enemy is holding a top secret meeting with your #2 enemy! Unless you listen in and stop their dastardly plot, horrible things are bound to happen. There’s no time to lose! Build a Snoop-O-Scope so you can listen around corners.

  MATERIALS

  • 4-foot section of ¾-inch-diameter PVC pipe

  • large funnel, such as the kind used for draining the oil from a car (make sure it’s clean)

  • duct tape

  • two ¾-inch-diameter PVC elbows

  PROCEDURE

  1. Have an adult cut the pipe into two lengths: 1 foot and 3 foot (doesn’t have to be exact).

  2. Insert the pointed end of the funnel into one end of the 1-foot section of pipe. Secure with tape.

  3. Insert one of the elbows onto the other end of the 1-foot pipe.

  4. Fit the 3-foot section of pipe into the remaining hole of the same elbow and secure with tape. The pipe sections should now form a right angle to each other.

  5. Finally, fit the last elbow onto the open end of the 3-foot pipe. This is for your listening pleasure and comfort. (Spy work should be comfy whenever possible.)

  6. To activate, simply stick the funnel end around a corner, and fit your ear snugly against the open hole of the elbow. Listen carefully and be prepared for action. (Beware: Do not alert archenemies to your presence.)

  More Cool Stuff: Have a friend stand around the corner and whisper softly as you listen without using your Snoop-O-Scope. How well can you hear her? Then, have her whisper the same thing at the same volume, except now use your Snoop-O-Scope. Is there a difference? (If you are sad and lonely and have no friends, try this activity using a radio, stereo, or iPod.)

  Did You Know?

  Before electronic hearing aids were invented, people who were hard-of-hearing used ear trumpets. An ear trumpet was a trumpet-shaped device designed to amplify sound waves by funneling sound into the ear of the listener. Your Snoop-O-Scope works by the same principle.

  You’re taking a pleasant stroll along the wetland path. Suddenly—aliens invade! Send a secret message to warn your partner! Here’s how:

  MATERIALS

  • 3 index cards

  • scissors

  • pencil

  • eraser

  PROCEDURE

  1. Cut out five or six rectangles here and there from an index card. Make a second index card just like it. (These are your master code keys. They should look exactly alike. You keep one; your partner gets the other.)

  2. To write a message, place your master copy over a blank index card. Write your code through the holes onto the blank index card, using one word per rectangle.

  3. Uncover the bottom index card. You should have five or six words on the card. Now fill in the rest of the note by including those words in sentences. (Erase and start over if it doesn’t sound natural.)

  4. Send only the bottom index card to your partner. Keep the master code key.

  5. To read, your partner places his/her master copy over the index card. The code words will show through the rectangles to reveal the secret message: Nature Headquarters, six tonight!

  Have you ever wanted to create your own little world? Be “master of the universe,” so to speak? In this activity, you can create your own little world by building a terrarium. A terrarium is a miniature ecosystem (a place where plants and animals interact with one another and with their environment, including water, light, soil, and climate). It’s fun and easy to do. Here’s how:

  MATERIALS

  • fishbowl or similar clear container—big enough to allow you to easily put your hand through the opening

  • pea-sized gravel, such as the kind used for the bottom of a fish tank

  • large spoon (for scooping charcoal and soil)

  • charcoal, such as the kind used in fish tank filters—find at pet stores

  • potting soil (buy organic sterilized soil as it won’t have fungi and molds)

  • measuring cup

  • mixing bowl

  • two to three slow-growing, water-loving plants that won’t grow too big (such as small ferns, nerve plant, false aralia, pink polka-dot plant, pilea, mini African violet, gloxinias, hepaticus, coleuses)

  • paper towels

  • cool stuff like rocks, ceramic frogs, gnomes, ninja warriors … (optional)

  • plastic wrap

  • rubber band

  • scissors

  PROCEDURE

  1. Wash the fishbowl with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry completely.

  2. Add gravel to the bottom of the fishbowl until it is ½ inch to ¾ inch deep.

  3. With the spoon, scoop ¼ inch of charcoal over the gravel. Level it out in an even layer.

  4. Pour approximately four cups of soil into the mixing bowl (not the fishbowl!) and stir in some water (about cup). The soil should be damp enough so that it remains in a ball after you squeeze it. If it crumbles, add more water. If water drips out, add more soil.

  5. Spoon in enough of the dampened soil to fill up to or ½ of the fishbowl.

  6. Decide where you want your plants. For each plant, dig a small hole (don’t go too deep or you’ll hit the charcoal), and then set the plant in the hole. Cover the roots with soil and pat the soil firmly so the plant stays in place. Repeat with your other plants. Don’t be afraid to add more soil, if needed.

  7. Carefully clean the inside of the glass with paper towels.

  8. Add a few small handfuls of water. (Sprinkle it from your hand rather than pouring it in. This is gentler on the plants’ delicate roots.)

  9. Add your cool stuff if you want. Perhaps a ninja warrior hiding behind a fern? Or a ceramic frog sitting on a rock? Up to you.

  10. Cover the opening with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Trim the plastic wrap with scissors if it’s too big.

  11. Set your terrarium in a warm place where it will receive plenty of “indirect” light (not directly in the sun).

  12. Sit back and watch the plants grow, oh you master of the universe, you.

  Terrariums need just the right amount of moisture, so they are neither too wet nor too dry. So how do you determine the right amount of moisture? Here’s a hot tip: if, after two days, moisture droplets (called condensation) form on the sides of the glass and obstruct your view, your terrarium is too wet. Remove the plastic wrap for a day or two and let it dry out.

  If, after two days, there isn’t any condensation forming on the underside of the plastic top, your terrarium is too dry. Add a little more water and cover it back up.

  The moisture content of your terrarium is perfect when water droplets form on the underside of
the plastic top, while the glass sides of the fishbowl remain clear. A terrarium with just the right amount of water will only need to be watered every 2–3 months. Also, trim any plants that grow too big.

  How Does This Work?

  Regular potted plants must be watered frequently because the water turns into a vapor, like cool steam, and escapes into the air. This process is known as evaporation. But because a terrarium’s environment is enclosed, evaporating water cannot escape. So when vapor touches something, like the underside of the plastic, it forms condensation, or moisture droplets. Eventually the condensation drips on the plants like rain. This is called precipitation. A terrarium is just like a real ecosystem with a cycle of:

  Did You Know?

  An alien species has invaded New Zealand and certain areas of the United States! It’s called purple loosestrife, and it’s a real noxious weed, much like “purple loosegoose.” Although pretty, purple loosestrife is a non-native plant that clogs waterways and marshlands, starving wildlife by choking out other plants. Nicknamed “Marsh Monster,” it has already caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. But, all is not lost! Just like in the Doyle and Fossey episode, there are beetles called Galerucella that find purple loosestrife quite delicious. Scientists have released Galerucella into infested areas where the beetles chomp away. After a year of chomping, the ecosystem is back in balance! Beetles like Galerucella are called biocontrol agents.

  You’ve had a long day. You’re so wiped you don’t have the energy to pick up a few paper clips.

  But wait! Help is on the way! You can build your own Handy-Dandy Paper Clip Picker-Upper, otherwise known as an electromagnet! (But, you ask in confusion, doesn’t building an electromagnet take energy? Well, why, ahem, yes it does, but it’s fun, it’s easy, so what the heck.)

  MATERIALS

  • 3 inch × 3 inch piece of cardboard or card stock (doesn’t have to be exact)