At the end of November, our Military team headed to Alaska to spread the word about Tutor.com for Military Families. While we were there we found a lot of things that were unusual to us cheechakos (an Alaskan word for newcomers). Like why does the sun set at 3:47? Why do we need to carry static clings in our clothes? The list goes on and on! So, when we got back we asked a few of our tutors to help explain the science of it all. Here’s what we found out!
Question #4: What causes the Northern Lights? [7th-8th Grade Science]
Answer: The Northern Lights occur when the sun sends out solar flares which have electrically charged particles. When those particles reach the earth, they are drawn towards the poles where they mix with gases in the earth’s atmosphere, causing them to glow.
Session Note: Session is between a Tutor.com employee and a Tutor.com science tutor and was used with permission. Student sessions are kept private and will not be made public.
At the end of November, our Military team headed to Alaska to spread the word about Tutor.com for Military Families. While we were there we found a lot of things that were unusual to us cheechakos (an Alaskan word for newcomers). Like why does the sun set at 3:47? Why do we need to carry static clings in our clothes? The list goes on and on! So, when we got back we asked a few of our tutors to help explain the science of it all. Here’s what we found out!
Question #3: Why do people need to carry static-cling sheets in their pockets in Alaska? [Chemistry]
Answer: Because it is very cold and dry in Alaska, the dry air causes static electricity to build up on different objects. Static cling sheets, also known as dryer sheets, help prevent differences in static electricity between two objects.
Session Note: Session is between a Tutor.com employee and a Tutor.com science tutor and was used with permission. Student sessions are kept private and will not be made public.
At the end of November, our Military team headed to Alaska to spread the word about Tutor.com for Military Families. While we were there we found a lot of things that were unusual to us cheechakos (an Alaskan word for newcomers). Like why does the sun set at 3:47? Why do we need to carry static clings in our clothes? The list goes on and on! So, when we got back we asked a few of our tutors to help explain the science of it all. Here’s what we found out!
Question #2: Why does Hot Chocolate freeze in the air when thrown in -40 degree weather? [Physics & Chemistry]
Answer: -40 degrees is significantly lower than the freezing temperature of water. At this temperature water molecules freeze very quickly – unless they are close together. When the hot chocolate is in a glass, the molecules are close together and have less contact with freezing temperatures. When it is thrown into the air, however, the molecules separate causing them to be in contact with the cold Alaskan air. When this happens, the molecules freeze quickly – before they even reach the ground!
Session Note: Session is between a Tutor.com employee and a Tutor.com science tutor and was used with permission. Student sessions are kept private and will not be made public.
At the end of November, our Military team headed to Alaska to spread the word about Tutor.com for Military Families. While we were there we found a lot of things that were unusual to us cheechakos (an Alaskan word for newcomers). Like why does the sun set at 3:47? Why do we need to carry static clings in our clothes? The list goes on and on! So, when we got back we asked a few of our tutors to help explain the science of it all. Here’s what we found out!
Question #1: Why are the days so short in Alaska this time of year? [7th-8th Grade Science]
Answer: The days are shorter in Alaska because the tilt of the earth’s axis and its location near the North Pole points it away from the sun during the winter months. Because of this, the light from the sun (which causes it to be day) doesn’t reach Alaska during a longer period of the day.
Session note: Session is between a Tutor.com employee and a Tutor.com science tutor and was used with permission. Student sessions are kept private and will not be made public.
View the full session transcript here. 
Question #3: Why do people need to carry static-cling sheets in their pockets in Alaska? [Chemistry]
