What You Didn’t Know About Food, Numbers, and Nature

• Did you know which Greek letter is found at the end of a river?
At the end of many rivers, where they meet the sea, a triangle-shaped area often forms from sand and mud. This shape is called a "delta" because it looks like the Greek letter Delta (Δ).

• Did you know why some things smell bad?
Bad smells usually come from things that are rotting, dirty, or sick. That’s because bacteria grow quickly there. Some animals, like skunks, even spray bad smells to protect themselves. Hashem made it that way so we’d stay away from things that might be harmful like spoiled food.

• Did you know what ether is?
Ether is a clear liquid that turns into gas quickly. When people breathe it in, it puts them to sleep. It was first made in the 1500s and used in surgeries in the 1800s. But it can catch fire easily and sometimes makes people feel sick, so today we use safer medicines instead.

• Did you know what a prime number is?
A prime number can only be divided by 1 and itself. These numbers are like the “building blocks” of all numbers. For example, 2 is the only even prime number, because all other even numbers can be divided by 2.

• Did you know what the world’s biggest snail is?
It’s called the Giant African Snail. It can grow up to 20 centimeters long! It lives in Africa, eats leaves and small insects, and lays lots of eggs.

• Did you know what turtles like to eat?
Land turtles enjoy a veggie diet! They munch on things like lettuce, spinach, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, and even the roots of carrots.

• Did you know why some things dissolve and others don’t?
When salt goes into water, it disappears because the salt and water mix well together. But if you pour oil into water, it doesn’t mix in. That’s because oil and water molecules don’t connect so the oil floats on top.