Hello
Panditji...
I am very happy to know that you
worried about me. I read your article on solar cookers and would like to know more about
solar cars.
Bye,
Vijay R Tripathi
Via email
Dear Tripathiji,
Simply put, a solar car uses the sun’s energy to power its engine. The car has solar
panels that are composed of photovoltaic cells. Photo means light and voltaic means
electricity. So as the name implies, it converts sunlight directly into electricity, which
powers the engine. This is a very advanced battery technology. The system has power
trackers that maximize the amount of energy needed to run the car according to how much is
required and the level of charge in the batteries. Several cells are connected in series
and parallel to form a module to achieve useful levels of voltage and current. This module
is then put in a sturdy frame with a glass cover for protection.
 Solar cars hold great promise for
the future. They’re non-polluting and unlike oil, there’s no danger of solar
energy ever running out. Right now such cars are doing well in solar races, where hundreds
of funny looking prototypes can be seen. Honda and Toyota are two such majors making
special cars for these races. And almost every car company in the world is doing research
on efficient commercial cars. In fact, another popular concept that is catching up is a
"hybrid car" which uses both solar energy and fuel.
So it might not be long before you’ll be able to buy an eco-friendly solar car
from your local showroom.
Namaskar Panditji
I have always used Weldon's Art
brushes but they are not in the market nowadays. Dealers say the company has stopped
making them because mongoose hair is no more available to them. I want to know what is
original sable hair and which company manufacturers these brushes? Does Weldon have these
brushes? How can we determine which is original sable hair?
Regards,
Anurag Jain
Via email
Dear Anuragji,
The name "sable" was made up by trappers and refers to fur and hair obtained
from any of three related species: Russian fitch (black sable), Kolinsky mink (red sable)
and Chinese weasel. The red sable is of great interest to the artist because the finest
sable brushes are made from its fur. Sable is chosen for its spring (the ability to return
quickly to its original shape) and its point (the ability to return to a fine pointed
shape).
Sable brushes are going out of fashion due to the international campaign against fur.
So it’s better to stick to brushes with artificial bristles and be kind to animals.
Dear Panditji
I am curious to know because of such a heat there would have been more evaporation of
water from the earth. Where has all the water vapour gone which has to return back to
earth as rain? Are we not supposed to get more rain because of more evaporation? But on
the contrary nothing is happening at all. I guess that this enormous water vapour or the
clouds would have gone to areas where there are more trees and poured down a lot and
created a heavy floods. Am I correct, Panditji?
Daniel Kumar
Via Email
 Hello Danielji,
You ask very intelligent questions and and try and answer them too. You are correct that
due to the increase in temperature there is more evaporation and the water vapour travels
(in the hydrological cycle) to form clouds – and finally back as rain. But it is not
necessary that the clouds are formed over the same region where the evaporation has taken
place. Direction of the winds, atmospheric conditions (high or low pressure) and
geographic features (like mountains) of the region and global warming affect cloud
formation and hence rainfall patterns.
Forests act like a sponge. They prevent the runoff of rainwater and hold all it that
pours down. As yet, no studies have yet established conclusively the relationship between
forests and increase in rainfall in the same area. |
