Day 277 - Fire Extinguisher Training

Scott decided that we should buy new fire extinguishers for the house since they were 10 years old (at least). And allow the kids to use the 10 year old extinguishers as a hands on training exercise.

We do this at work every year, and I have to say, it is a useful exercise. At work, we actually discharge the fire extinguisher at a real fire.

Taken last year - we are trained never to fight a fire past the "incipient" or small stage. This fire is past the incipient stage, in my opinion!

We won't go this far at home, but the training was enlightening to the kids.

First, we check the pressure gauge on the extinguisher. It needs to be in the green area.

Then you pull the pin. And squeeze the trigger.

[I just noticed that Erica is wearing my scarf! That girl!]

Aim at the base of the fire and sweep side to side.

If you've never operated a fire extinguisher, the first time is always a surprise - the pressure causes the cylinder to "kick back" a bit.


But when you get used to it, it can be fun.


And if you are Brian, you really get into it:



I hope they never have to use those things for real.

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Favorite Equation

Yesterday, I posted some graphs and mathematical equations. I asked if my friends would guess what my favorite equation is.

First, the slope of a line can be determined by "Rise" over "Run" of the line on the graph.


For graph one, to get from the dot on the far right to the dot on the far left, you travel up (rise) on the graph 7 spaces, then travel left (run) 9 spaces. Since we are traveling to the left, that's considered moving in the negative direction. The Slope is Rise over Run, or 7/-9.
Mathematical equation for the line is y=mx+b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept (where the line passes the y axis). So the equation for the line is y=-7/9x.

As for my favorite equation. I should have mentioned that it is an equation I learned in Chemistry, not math. A couple of you guessed a^2 + b^2 = c^2, or Pythagoras's Theorem. A very good equation!

But the most useful (and hence favorite) equation for me is:

PV = nRT

Or the Ideal Gas Law.
P = Pressure
V = Volume
n = moles or molecules of gas
R = a constant
T = Temperature

SO useful where I work! Because if the temperature goes up in a container and you have the same amount of gas in that container, guess what - the Pressure of the container will increase. This law is practically demonstrated if you blow up a balloon and stick it in the freezer - when you take it out, you will see that the balloon has shrunk in size. The volume shrinks because the temperature went down. As the gas heats up, the balloon will expand again.

OK, enough of the geeky stuff tonight! Back to our regular programming!

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276/365 - Math Homework

Who doesn't remember how to determine the slope of a line?



Don't remember?

Hint - You have to Rise before you Run.

And one of my favorite equations is: y=mx+b *

I keep repeating that to Erica. At first she thought I was nuts, but now it's starting to sink in.

* I have another favorite equation - care to guess? I'll post my answer tomorrow.

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275/365 - Drive Home

The view from the back seat, on the way home from dinner. We dropped off the Tahoe to be serviced and went out to dinner at the Red Lobster. Because the kids like the cheesy biscuits. Really, in the land locked mid-west, Red Lobster is half decent.

And I didn't have to wash dishes!

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274/365 - Perfect Autumn Day

Crisp breezes, ample sun, puffy clouds.

OK, maybe it was a little more than "breezy". Here on the prairie, "breezy" equates to "windy", and that north wind can really put a chill into your bones. Brian and I weathered that wind on our neighborhood bike ride. OK, we only rode about one mile before heading back, but we enjoyed the time outside.

I captured the road on the way to picking Erica up from horse riding. I love the sky this time of year.

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273/365 - Rain, Wind, Soccer and a Rainbow

The day started with rain and wind, then just wind, then some sun and wind and finally clouds and wind.



The wind made today's soccer game very chilly and challenging for the girls, but they still managed a 4-1 win.


This is my official P365 picture - I love the group cheer just before the 2nd half.

A big surprise towards the end of the day - a rainbow! With the wind blowing the clouds around, it only lasted about 10 minutes.


Did I mention it was windy today? Oh yeah, that's standard for around here.....

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272/365 - Chocolate Doesn't Last Long Around Here

I bought this six pack of chocolate bars two days ago. So why is there only one bar (plus a smidge of a 2nd bar) left? I guess I live with a bunch of chocolate fiends!



Note - I've only eaten 3 sections, the equivalent of 3/4 of one bar. I expect the remaining chocolate to be gone by the end of the day tomorrow.

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