Surely, you have noticed the tall poles along the roadside. Do you know what is on top of those poles? Thats right, wires that carry electric current. These wires carry electric current to your home. But what is electric current? Electric current is actually the flow of electrons. You may recall, an electron is the outer-most particle in an atom. They have a negative charge. Electricity is the continuous flow of these particles. Electrons are able to move through wires. Their speed can even be measured. The SI unit for electric current (or speed) is the ampere (A). Ampere is often shortened to amp. Electric current may flow in just one direction, or it may keep reversing direction. Direct current (DC) flows in only one direction. Direct current is what is used in devices like flashlights. Alternating current (AC) flows in two directions. This is the type of current that flows into your home through wires.

Question: "Electric current is a flow of electrons. Do electrons have a negative or positive charge?"

Answer: "Negative Only"

Response: yes

After the 1998 embassy bombings, the U.S. government tried to develop a clearer picture of Bin Laden's finances. A U.S. interagency group traveled to Saudi Arabia twice, in 1999 and 2000, to get information from the Saudis about their understanding of those finances. The group eventually concluded that the oft-repeated assertion that Bin Laden was funding al Qaeda from his personal fortune was in fact not true. The officials developed a new theory: al Qaeda was getting its money elsewhere, and the United States needed to focus on other sources of funding, such as charities, wealthy donors, and financial facilitators. Ultimately, although the intelligence community devoted more resources to the issue and produced somewhat more intelligence, it remained difficult to distinguish al Qaeda's financial transactions among the vast sums moving in the international financial system. The CIA was not able to find or disrupt al Qaeda's money flows. The NSC staff thought that one possible solution to these weaknesses in the intelligence community was to create an all-source terrorist-financing intelligence analysis center. Clarke pushed for the funding of such a center at Treasury, but neither Treasury nor the CIA was willing to commit the resources. Within the United States, various FBI field offices gathered intelligence on organizations suspected of raising funds for al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. By 9/11, FBI agents understood that there were extremist organizations operating within the United States supporting a global jihadist movement and with substantial connections to al Qaeda. The FBI operated a web of informants, conducted electronic surveillance, and had opened significant investigations in a number of field offices, including New York, Chicago, Detroit, San Diego, and Minneapolis. On a national level, however, the FBI never used the information to gain a systematic or strategic understanding of the nature and extent of al Qaeda fundraising. Treasury regulators, as well as U.S. financial institutions, were generally focused on finding and deterring or disrupting the vast flows of U.S. currency generated by drug trafficking and high-level international fraud. Large-scale scandals, such as the use of the Bank of New York by Russian money launderers to move millions of dollars out of Russia, captured the attention of the Department of the Treasury and of Congress. Before 9/11, Treasury did not consider terrorist financing important enough to mention in its national strategy for money laundering.

Question: "What government agencies were involved in tracking financial funding for al Qaeda?"

Answer: "NCS"

Response: yes

Breathing is the process of moving air into and out of the lungs. The process depends on a muscle called the diaphragm. This is a large, sheet-like muscle below the lungs. Inhaling, or breathing in, occurs when the diaphragm muscle tightens. This increases the size of the chest. This too decreases air pressure inside the lungs. This action allows air and gases to enter the lungs. Exhaling, or breathing out, occurs when the diaphragm muscle relaxes. This decreases the size of the chest. This increases air pressure inside the lungs. This action allows for air to leave the lungs. When you inhale, air enters the respiratory system through your nose and ends up in your lungs, where gas exchange with the blood takes place. What happens to the air along the way? In the nose, mucus and hairs trap any dust or other particles in the air. The air is also warmed and moistened. Next, air passes through a passageway that is connected to the windpipe. The air then finds its way to the lungs. In the chest, the windpipe splits so that air enters both the right and left lung.

Question: "When you breathe in, what happens to the size of your chest?"

Answer: "Decreases in size"

Response: no

Sound waves are mechanical waves. They can travel only through matter. They cannot travel through empty space. This was demonstrated in the 1600s by a scientist named Robert Boyle. Boyle placed a ticking clock in a sealed glass jar. The clock could be heard ticking through the air and glass of the jar. Then Boyle pumped the air out of the jar. The clock was still running, but the ticking could not be heard. Thats because the sound couldnt travel without air particles to transfer the sound energy. Is there any other place where sound cannot be heard? Here is a hint: is there any other place that does not have air molecules? Thats right, in space sound cannot be transferred. So can astronauts hear each other? Yes, they can, because they are in enclosed space stations or pressurized suits.In both cases, they are surrounded by air molecules. If they left their space ship and did not use their electronics, they would not be able to hear each other. Next time you watch a science fiction movie, think about this factoid. When spaceships are destroyed by hostile alien beings, there would be no sound heard. Sound waves can travel through many kinds of matter.

Question: "How did Robert Boyle prove the properties of sound waves?"

Answer: "boyle placed a clock in a jar with no air, there was no sound"

Response:
yes