Science Dictionary

Questions, theories and debates about quantum physics can get muddled because of a number of myths and misconceptions. Here are four of them.

By Alessandro Fedrizzi & Mehul Malik

Under the right conditions, hot water can somehow freeze faster than cold water. It's called the Mpemba effect. We'll explain how it happens.

By Dylan Ris

Einstein famously called the phenomenon "spooky action at a distance," and physicists just won the Nobel Prize for their work on it, but what is quantum entanglement?

By Andreas Muller

Nobel prizes offer lots of prestige and big payouts. But how do you become eligible for one? And can you lobby for yourself?

By Dave Roos

Planck's constant, which made an appearance in the Netflix series "Stranger Things," is one of the most important differences between reality at the atomic and subatomic level and what we can see around us.

By Patrick J. Kiger & Austin Henderson

Having one Nobel Prize winner in the family is a huge accomplishment. But the extended Curie family had five winners – and one was even awarded twice. How did they get so smart?

By Jennifer Marquez

Frequency has to do with wave speed and wavelength is a measurement of a wave's span. Learn how frequency and wavelength of light are related in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

The late marine biologist Rachel Carson's groundbreaking book, "Silent Spring," debuted 60 years ago as one of the finest works of nature writing ever.

By Oisin Curran

Scientists are still trying to figure out the essence of dark matter. If they do, will it lead only to greater understanding, or can we develop new technologies?

By Patrick J. Kiger

The number 137, which is significant in multiple applications, has long been an object of fascination for physicists, mathematicians and mystics.

By Patrick J. Kiger & Austin Henderson