4Kids.org - Week of February 9, 2003

Week of February 9, 2003

Eco Eddy

Experience firsthand the Web’s craziest cartoon canine, Eddy the Eco-Dog, at www.kidswebtv.com/ webcartoon/home.html. Eddy comes from Planet Chachachawowa with a message of conservation. Help him save the Earth with games such as Recycle-It and other activities. You can watch cartoons starring Eddy, join the eco-dog’s fan club or listen to celebrity interviews. You’ll learn about rocket-man Scott MacLean in Ask the Astronaut. Get your paws on articles from Earth-minded kids in Paws for the Planet Daily.

Nominate a cool Web site at
4Kids.org/nominations

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

How old was Eddy when he got his first surfboard?

6 years old
6 months old
16 years old

In which region of Kansas is agate found?

Glaciated Region
Cherokee Lowlands
Red Hills

Where are troglophiles usually found?

Oceans
Caves
Mountains

Kansas Will Rock You

Discover the diversity of Kansas’ geological features with GeoKansas at www.kgs.ku.edu/Extension/home.html. While you visit Kansas, you’ll see plateaus, plains, questas and evidence of formerly glaciated regions. Kansas has a rich mining history and is the home of Big Brutus, one of the world’s largest power shovels. Use the Mineral ID Table to identify certain minerals. Then learn about amazing rocks and fossils throughout the state. Have a rockin’ good time at GeoKansas.

Expanding Your World

From bugs to baseball, Expand the World tells about it all at www.expandtheworld.com. You’ll discover the secret world of insects when you enter a praying mantis lair and a cicada hideout. Kickback with the T-Rex and learn all about dino metabolism. If dinosaurs aren’t your bag, you may enjoy a visit with Sadiki, the veiled chameleon. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime, and it deserves nine innings of your attention. If you love the outdoors, you can learn how to develop your own pond. Everyone will find something to enjoy at this site. (This site is no longer available.)

Should restaurants be required to serve vegetarian dishes?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: Why are plasma displays only a few inches thick?
— Robert, Newcastle, Okla.

Dear Robert: A plasma display is thin because, unlike a traditional TV or computer monitor, it does not require the use of a glass tube to create an image. It has two layers of glass with plasma and two sets of electrodes between them. The plasma is made of positively charged xenon and neon atoms called ions. They are in thousands of tiny, phosphor-lined cells. Phosphors give off light when exposed to other light.

When electricity flows through the electrodes in front of and behind the cells, negatively charged particles called electrons enter the plasma. The electrons and ions attract each other, causing them to collide and release small amounts of ultraviolet light. The UV light causes the phosphors to emit visible light of green, red or blue color. Each pixel in a plasma display is composed of three cells, one each of green, red and blue. The intensity of the colors determines the color of the pixel.

Check out Howstuffworks.com at www.howstuffworks.com/plasma-display.htm for helpful graphics and additional details about plasma displays.

Ask Amy a Question