Q. Why does certain music relax different people?
A. Music is like anything else we enjoy, and can be very relaxing for people. But it has to be a type of music that a person enjoys. For example, if a person dislikes country music, but likes jazz, then country music would probably be irritating. Sometimes we have certain associations with music; for example, a song might remind you of a nice experience you had, and that music will probably also relax you. In general, music catches your attention and distracts you, and that can be very relaxing. Some experts believe that relaxation response has to do with the rhythms of the music, since the body has many rhythms of its own. Lyrics can be important too, as they suggest ideas and memories to us.Q. Why do you get very thirsty when you eat salty foods?
A. When you eat salty foods, the salt level in you blood rises. Then the blood travels through the brain, and special nerves get the message that the salt level is higher. When these nerves are stimulated, you start to feel thirsty.
Q. How did anyone find out that trees gave out oxygen and took in carbon dioxide?
A. Joseph Priestley did a lot of experiments with gases., He studied cardon dioxide and learned how to dissolve it and make soda. Priestley, who was born in England and died in Northumberland, Pa., in 1804, also proved that plants gave off oxygen. Jan Ingenhousz, who lived about the same time as Priestley did, but was born in the Netherlands, did experiments on air, vegetables, sunshine and shade. He was able in his experiments to show that the green parts of plants took in cardon dioxide from the air around them, and gave off oxygen, but only when it was light outside. The process stopped when it turned dark. Ingenhousz wrote all about it and published it in 1779. He called his publication Experiments upon Vegetables, discovering their great power of purifying the common air in the sunshine and "of injuring it in the shade and at night." Long-winded!