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Interactive Text

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( Begin the story or start the quiz. )

Espionage Express: text adventure

You toss the travel bag onto the over head rack. It strums the emergency chord above the sliding window. The bag is light; just your business suit and passport. The photo’s current; bright teeth, dark hair. The train compartment is vacant, save for a copy of today’s newspaper. It’s folded to an article on the upcoming peace summit. Picking up the paper, you ease into one of the facing leather seats.

That was my last commute up north,
you sigh with some dismay.
Tension between the lands is high.
It is not safe to stay.

To my compartment comes a man
holding onto his side.
Message… contact… password…, he coughs.
In you I must confide.

He talks of plot at a peace summit,
but then a shout next door.
The paper dropped, he staggers out.
Blood drops upon the floor.

» Pick up paper

The paper the stranger dropped is in the old dialect and says something about northland guards. A plot against one of their own diplomats at the summit. Blame the south. An excuse for civil war. The words blur. You’ve long forgotten the dialect. Still, the old word for pickle pops to mind. Cucumber crunch, something like that. It will have to wait. There is a commotion in the adjoining compartment.

Investigate the commotion? Wait and ask someone at the border stop to translate the document? Check whether the corridor is clear?

» Investigate noise

Might that involve you in an international incident?

Wait and ask someone at the border stop to translate the document? Check whether the corridor is clear?

» Wait to translate

Can those at the border be trusted at a time like this?

Investigate the commotion? Check whether the corridor is clear?

» Check corridor

The stranger, bleeding, left a trail to your compartment and there’s a drop on your shoe. A guard is working his way down the corridor.

Open a window and toss out the document? Toss the document into the corridor and lock the door? Exit the compartment with the document?

» Open window

With no document, might that be a problem at the summit?

Toss the document into the corridor and lock the door? Exit the compartment with the document?

» Lock door

Would that raise questions as to why the document is outside your door?

Open a window and toss out the document? Exit the compartment with the document?

» Exit compartment

Hallway

Halfway down, the captain, in distinctive black leather storm suit, is interrogating a passenger.

Take the initiative and give the note to the captain? Walk to the dining car in hopes of a crowd? Step into the lavatory across the hallway for privacy.

» Give note to captain

Won’t he have questions as to why you have it?

Walk to the dining car in hopes of a crowd? Step into the lavatory across the hallway for privacy.

» Go to dining car

How will you slip past the captain without being noticed, stopped?

Take the initiative and give the note to the captain? Step into the lavatory across the hallway for privacy.

» Go to lavatory

Wash Room

It smells of antiseptic and cigar. Wetting a wad of paper towel in the sink, you see in the mirror that the stall behind is open and unoccupied.

Write a note for help on toilet paper in the stall? Wipe off your shoe with toilet paper. Wipe off your shoe with the wet paper towel?

» Leave note for help

What if the wrong people find your note, then find you?

Wipe off your shoe with toilet paper. Wipe off your shoe with the wet paper towel?

» Wipe shoe with toilet paper

Won’t dry paper smear the blood, making matters worse?

Write a note for help on toilet paper in the stall? Wipe off your shoe with the wet paper towel?

» Wipe shoe with wet paper

The wet wad works. You pocket extra dry paper towel. Opposite the paper towel dispenser is a cabinet containing cleaning supplies.

Take the broom and bar of soap? Take the mop and bucket? Take the bottle of hydrogen peroxide?

» Take broom

To sweep up what?

Take the mop and bucket? Take the bottle of hydrogen peroxide?

» Take mop

Wouldn’t mopping the blood trail make you suspicious to the captain?

Take the broom and bar of soap? Take the bottle of hydrogen peroxide?

» Take hydrogen peroxide

It makes the blood spots disappear. Opening the large window, you toss out the used towel.

Blot the message from the document with the bleach? Toss out the document while the window is open? Photograph the document, then toss it out the window.

» Use peroxide on note

Would that work on ink as well as on blood?

Toss out the document while the window is open? Photograph the document, then toss it out the window.

» Toss out note

With no evidence, might there be no credibility?

Blot the message from the document with the bleach? Photograph the document, then toss it out the window.

» Take photo of note

You take a picture, then slide the document out the window. You pop the black memory chip from your camera. It clinks like a coin against your ring.

Stash the photo chip in your travel bag? Put the chip inside the newspaper? Hide the chip on your person?

» Put note in bag

What if the captain checks your bag when train pauses at the border for baggage checks?

Put the chip inside the newspaper? Hide the chip on your person?

» Put note in newspaper

Wouldn’t a guard likely check your personal belongings?

Stash the photo chip in your travel bag? Hide the chip on your person?

» Put note in hair

The black chip is inconspicuous in your black hair. You doze until the train pulls into the terminal.

On street level, a girl holds up a handful of tulips and an open palm. “Da nebe saltube,” she exclaims with a smile. Give the photo chip to the girl?

Further down a boy with a stack of newspapers barks “cha ipse brineta.” Give the chip to the boy?

Beside her a beggar with a tin can, cries “rejaz mehe cucrunch.” Give the chip to the beggar?

» Give note to girl

Salt tube, was that the Old Speak word for pickle?

Give the chip to the boy or to the beggar?

» Give note to boy

Brine-etta, was that the word?

Give the chip to the girl or to the beggar?

» Give note to mendicant

Cucumber crunch. That was it. Anybody watching might think it’s just a coin making that metallic “ploink” as the photo chip drops into the beggar’s cup. The old fellow rises and vanishes into a nearby alley.

Over the weekend you monitor the news for fear of any foul play at the summit. The ambassador returns safely. The summit ends without incident.
❖
Replay?

Absorption: an interactive quiz

This is a learning by doing activity. Start with basic facts and build from there. First Question (of 15)

An automobile muffler absorbs sound. A sponge absorbs liquids.

❝ A sponge will soak up a spill,
until all its spaces are filled.
Unlike activated charcoal,
it’s surface so powerful,
the bulk of the sponge has skill. ❞

From these examples, absorption seems to be a process of taking in, reducing, or coming together?

» Taking in

✔ The sponge and paper towel take liquid into their bulk. The muffler takes in sound. They do that by trapping, erasing, or cancelling?

» Reducing

Um, no. Not reducing. The elements are still there, not taken away, which sounds more like taking in or coming together?

» Coming together

Maybe not coming together. One element encloses the other. This suggests taking in or reducing?

.

» They absorb by trapping

✔ Water fills spaces between paper fibres. Sound fills chambers (baffles) in the muffler. Water then turns to gas. It evaporates. Sound turns into vapour, heat, or soot?

» Erasing

Not by erasing. The elements are still there, not removed. That suggests trapping or cancelling?

» Cancelling

Not cancelling. One element encloses the other. That suggests trapping or erasing?

» Sound turns into heat

✔ Trapped sound energy turns into heat or kinetic energy (vibration). It dissipates. More spaces make for a better trap. Sound is more reflected back in a room by the hardwood floor, carpet, or ceiling tiles?

» Vapour

Sound doesn’t become vapour. Sounds is a form of energy. That suggests it becomes soot or heat?

» Soot

Soot, nope. Soot is fine particles of carbon. Heat is a form of energy, not matter. So it probably becomes heat or vapour?

» Smooth surfaces bounce sound

✔ Hardwood floors are smooth, which means fewer absorbing spaces to trap sound. Kitchen aluminum foil is also smooth. At least on one side. Dull on the other side. To cook food faster in the oven, on the outside have the smooth side, dull side, or it doesn’t matter?

» Tiles

Not so much the ceiling tiles. They have a rough surface and may have material pores to absorb sound. Better would be the hardwood floor or carpets and rugs?

» Dull side out = faster result

✔︎ Having the dull side out will cause food to cook faster in an oven and cool quicker in a freezer.

Like liquids, gases can also be absorbed. Sometimes even into liquids. Gas absorbed in a liquid is demonstrated by pop can fizz, air making soap bubbles round, or burping?

» Does not matter

It does matter. There is a difference. The more efficient side is the smooth or dull side?

» Fizz it is

✔ Carbon dioxide absorbed in pop gives fizz. Gas absorbs into fluids in parts of our bodies. Gas in a body fluid is demonstrated by farting, cracking knuckles, or sneezing?

» Air in bubbles

Not by air in bubbles. The air isn’t absorbed into the liquid film. What is, is pop fizz or burping?

» Knuckles crack by gas

✔ Knuckle cracking is like pop can fizz. There is fluid between finger joints. Synovial fluid. It absorbs carbon dioxide in your body. Fluid seem like it would muffle sound. Pulling or pressing makes knuckles “crack” by lowering or increasing pressure in the synovial fluid, or by forcing gas into finger bones?

» Passing gas

Urk, no. That won’t do. Gas in a body fluid, not just gas in a body. That suggests cracking knuckles or sneezing?

» Ah choo

Not sneezing. Sneezing expels air, but we’re talking about gas in a body fluid. More like farting or cracking knuckles?

» By lowering pressure

✔ Separating bones will lower pressure in the fluid. That releases the carbon dioxide as bubbles. Collapsing bubbles produces pop. The gas reabsorbs and you can crack again.

Light rays can also be absorbed. Dirt absorbs about 90% of the light that hits it. The least likely to absorb light rays is fresh-fallen snow, a black-top road, or a concrete sidewalk

» Gas in bones?

Not forcing into bones. The gas is in the fluid between the bones. That suggests increasing or lowering pressure in the synovial fluid?

» Snow, yes

✔ Fresh fallen snow reflects back about 90%. Best wear sunglasses when skiing. The term for percentage of energy reflected from an object is albedo. The albedo of dirt (garden soil) is about 10%, 50%, or 90%?

» Sidewalk

Not the sidewalk. The ligher the surface, the higher the reflection. That suggests fresh snow or an asphalt road?

» About ten percent

✔ If dirt absorbs 90%, then it reflects 10%, which is the measure of albedo. Typical albedo of concrete is 22%. Blacktop, 8%.

To prevent floods, airplanes sometimes drop black soot. They drop it on snowed-in mountain sides a few weeks before the beginning of spring. This works because fresh snow has a high albedo, dirty snow has a high albedo, or soot has a low albedo?

» 50%

Not fifty percent. Soil is dark, which tens to absorb. Soil more likely has an albedo of 10% or 90%?

» 90%

Not ninety percent. Ninety percent is a lot of reflection. Dirt doesn’t seem to reflect well, so soil albedo is more likely 10% or 50%?

» Because soot has a low albedo

✔ Sooty snow absorbs more radiant energy from the sun. Warming helps the snow melt before the spring thaw. That may prevent run-offs that can cause floods.

There are reasons few houses painted in dark colours. One reason is temperature. Colour affects albedo, which affects temperature. A white shirt will keep you cooler on a sunny day than a black shirt since white reflects better, absorbs better, or has a lower albedo?

» White reflects better

✔ That helps keep you cool in sunlight. A white shirt also last longer. Light causes fading.

Another way to maintain temperature is with double pane windows. They have a thin layer of air between two panes of glass. Air is an insulator. That means it resists letting heat pass through.

Triple-pane windows are not much better than double since they’re more expensive, two air layers cancel out, or one layer of air will work?

» Low albedo

The shirt doesn’t have a low albedo. Since light colours tend to reflect, the shirt probably reflects better or absorbs better?

» A thin layer of air is enough

✔ Double pane windows hold house heat by an insulating dead air space. The thickness of dead air space is not significant. Triple pane is about equal to double pane.

Suppose the albedo of glass is 90% and a window has more than one pane. The window lets in less than half the light if it has four, eight or a dozen panes?

» Costs too much

Not that it may be more expensive. The question has to do with insulation, not expense. Basically two air layers cancel out or one layer of air will work?

» Eight panes

✔ To let in less than half of the light falling upon the first pane, the window would need eight panes. Pane 1: 90% of the incident light. Pane 2: 81%. Pane 3: 72.9%. Each time, multiply by 0.9. Pane 8 transmits less than half of the light incident upon pane 1.

Last Question

A sponge works by absorption. A gas mask works by adsorption. Not the same. One takes into its bulk. The other collects on its surface. A gas mask contains activated charcoal. Poisonous gas adsorbs to the surface of the charcoal. A similar example of adsorption is silica gel packets in new shoes, light reflecting off a pool of water, or paper filter in a coffee maker?

» Four

Not that few. Pane 1: 90% of the incident light. Pane 2: 81%. Pane 3: 72.9% and so on. So half the light takes eight panes or a dozen panes?

» Twelve

Not so many. Each time, multiply by 0.9 to find half the light requires four panes or eight panes?

» Silica packets

✔ Silica gel packets are a drying agent, a desiccant. The gel removes humidity by adsorption. Moisture sticks to the surface of the gel, but is not absorbed into it.

❖

Replay?

» Filter

Not the coffee filter. Perhaps you are thinking of absorption. This is adsorption and more like silica gel packets in new shoes or light reflecting off a pool of water?