GK

1. At the radio station, the announcer speaks into a microphone. The microphone changes the sound of his voice into an electrical signal. This signal is weak and can’t travel very far, so it’s sent to a transmitter. The 

transmitter mixes the signal with some strong radio signals called carrier waves. These waves are then sent out through a special antenna at the speed of light! They reach the antenna of your radio. Your antenna 

“catches” the signal, and the radio’s amplifier strengthens the signal and sends it to the speakers. The speakers vibrate, and your ears pick up the vibrations and your brain translates them into the voice of the radio announcer back at the station. When you consider all the places the announcer’s voice travels. 

2. Every radio station has its own frequency. When you turn the tuning knob on your radio, you are choosing which frequency you want your antenna to “catch.” 

3. Mountain lions are known by more than 100 names, including panther, catamount, cougar, painter and puma. Its scientific name is Felis concolor, which means “cat of one color.” At one time, mountain lions were very common! 

4. The large cats of the world are divided into two groups- those that roar, like tigers and African lions, and those that purr. Mountain lions purr, hiss, scream, and snarl, but they cannot roar. They can jump a distance of 30 feet, and jump as high as 15 feet. It would take quite a fence to keep a mountain lion out! Their favorite food is deer, but they’ll eat other critters as well. They hunt alone, not in packs like wolves. They sneak up on their prey just like a house cat sneaks up on a bird or toy- one slow step at a time. A lion can eat ten pounds of meat at one time! 

5. Queen ants can live to be 30 years old 

6. Dragonflies can flap their wings 28 times per second and they can fly up to 60 miles per hour

7. As fast as dragonflies can flap their wings, bees are even faster… they can flap their wings 435 times per second 

8. Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete. 

9. You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath 

10. Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day