The Element Quiz winner gets the services of our outstanding/amazing gnomes Clumpy and Kloumpios for the week (they have had their vaccination shots and can follow any covid-19 protocols the winner decides).
The Question:
This element will release hydrogen when exposed to water. If a fine powder of this element is exposed to air, it will burn spontaneously. One of this element's salts burns with a bright red flame making it useful in signal flares and fireworks. This element has been used to make "tracer" ammunition rounds. Global above ground nuclear testing released enough of one of this element's radioactive isotopes, which has a half-life of 29 years, that it was detected in infant teeth in the 1950s. What element is being described?
The Answer:
The element is strontium (Sr)! Strontium-90 was released into the Earth's atmosphere during the above ground nuclear testing period (1945 -1963). The isotope then accumulated in grass/plants which then accumulated in milk cows and ultimately in consumer dairy products. No alternative to strontium's brilliant red color has been found for fireworks and warning flare applications. Strontium-90 has also found some limited applications generating electric current for space craft, remote weather stations and navigational buoys.
The winner of the Quiz is Joyce Koo, IDirect and will get the assistance of the boys for the week. Please let us know what tasks you have for the boys to keep them busy.
Winners:
Week 1: Bhanu Sood, NASA
Week 2: Eddie Hofer, Collins Aerospace
Week 3: John Maxwell
Week 4: Scott Decker, Collins Aerospace
Week 5: Russell Kido, Practical Components
Week 6: James Head, PCB Design Engineer and Bhanu Sood, NASA
Week 7: Denny Fritz, consultant
Week 8: Dean Vinke, Blue Canyon Tech
Week 9: Richard Stadem, GD
Week 10: Scott Decker, Collins Aerospace
Week 11: Eray CANLI, Volocopter GmbH
Week 12: Guy Ramsey
Week 13: Scott Decker, Collins Aerospace
Week 14: Bhanu Sood, NASA
Week 15: Graham Naisbitt, Gen3 Systems
Week 16: Dave Bealer, Watch Fire Signs
Week 17: Torsten Hagge, Tronic One
Week 18: Ben Gumpert, Lockheed Martin
Week 19: Bhanu Sood, NASA
Week 20: Russell Kido, Practical Components
Week 21: Tom Carroll, Boeing
Week 22: Bhanu Sood, NASA and Dick Krug, retired
Week 23: Joyce Koo, IDirect
Week 24: ???
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