Physical Science
Physical science is the study of the physical world around you. Learn about everything from electricity to magnetism in this section.
Why Can You Hear the Ocean When Holding a Seashell to Your Ear?
Can a sound wave kill you?
Can two cans and a string really be used to talk over a distance?
Why Do Bubbles Pop?
It's Elementary: The Periodic Table Quiz
10 Things You Should Never Mix With Alcohol
How Electricity Works
How Faraday Cages Work
How Gasoline Works
What do bugs have to do with forensic science?
5 Things You Didn't Know About Autopsies
Can you explain the diameter measurements used in bullets, wire and nails?
How Alchemy Paved the Way for Chemistry
How did Nikola Tesla change the way we use energy?
Time May Not Exist, Say Some Physicists and Philosophers
Why Does Ice Stick to Your Fingers?
What if I forgot to remove a piercing before an MRI?
A Kid-friendly Introduction to Magnets and Magnetism
We've Got Your Numbers Quiz
HowStuffWorks: Illustrated: Scutoids! Just Like Spheres and Cubes, But Not
11 Basic Math Symbols and How to Use Them
5 Hugely Fun Facts About Mass (Not Weight)
Antarctica's Spooky Cosmic Rays Might Shatter Physics As We Know It
Could Newly Measured W Boson Break the Standard Model?
Could an 'X17 Particle' Hint at a Fifth Force in the Universe?
Where do they get the particles for accelerators?
5 Baffling Subatomic Particles
Why Are School Buses Yellow?
Why Spinning Blades Look Weird on TV
HowStuffWorks: How To Draw An Impossible Shape
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The iconic "school bus yellow" was the invention of an educator named Frank Cyr. But if yellow is so good for visibility, why don't all fire trucks use it too?
By Dave Roos
All bubbles pop — that's a fact of life. But what's the science behind the short life and inevitable pop of a bubble?
The Standard Model of physics provides a framework for the subatomic world of all energies. Could a possible newfound carrier boson expand the definition of that framework?
By Mark Mancini
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Whether you're a math whiz or not, there are some pretty cool number theories, beliefs and coincidences to appreciate. How down with digits are you?
By Alia Hoyt
You've probably had ice stick to your hand when you pull it out of the ice maker. But why is that?
By Alia Hoyt
It’s the ultimate cheat sheet for science class — and it’s right there hanging on the wall. What do you really know about the indispensable periodic table of elements?
The scutoid is kind of like the Higgs boson. Researchers theorized the new shape existed. And then they went looking for it.
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Helicopters, ceiling fans, even tricked-out car tire rims: Sometimes they can even look like they're going backward, or bending.
It’s true: In 6 easy steps, you too can draw an impossible shape.
Juice and soda mix well with alcohol, but a few things don't mix so well. Some may just produce embarrassing moments. Others could cost you your life.
By Beth Brindle
When physicists want accelerator particles, they head to OK Quark, answer questions about what they're looking for, and hope for a match. Nah, wait … that's not it at all.
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Most people probably haven't heard of the inventor T. Galen Hieronymus, but according to his advocates his machines are able capable of everything from remote analysis to remote healing -- so what is eloptic energy? Tune in to learn more.
Batman and particle physicists have a lot in common. While Batman brawls with anarchist clowns and mutated ecoterrorists, CERN scientists chase down their own notable adversaries. Get to know five of them.
By Robert Lamb
All colors that you see fall into the visible light spectrum. Learn about the colors in the visible light spectrum in this article.
By Sascha Bos
Tour the inside of a nuclear power plant with these illustrative diagrams to learn more about how nuclear power plants work.
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When a corpse is found, the presence of insects gets a lot of attention during the investigation. But which bugs show up for the flesh feast? And how much can these bugs reveal about death?
By John Fuller
The magnets found in an MRI machine are incredibly powerful. It can pull a stethoscope right out of a doctor's lab coat. So what would happen if you forgot to take out an earring? Ouch!
The detonation of the world's first nuclear bomb ushered in the atomic age. It also amplified tensions between countries and sparked an era in which nations scrambled for power and seemed headed toward catastrophe.
By John Fuller
Dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War II. How did the most powerful weapon in the world get developed? It started with the Manhattan Project.
By John Fuller
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We first reported on the possibility of an invisibility cloak last year. Now a different invisibility cloak is making the news -- one that uses metamaterials to redirect light away from the wearer.
You know how chocolate sometimes turns gray? Why does that happen and is it still OK to eat?
Do you remember holding a large conch shell up to your ear to hear the ocean? Why does this work even when you're far away from the sea?
Why do newspapers turn yellow over time?
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Imagine wearing a T-shirt with lettering on it while brushing your teeth. Why are the letters on the T-shirt reversed in the mirror, while your head appears right side up?
Here's something to consider: The place you call home likely has walls and glass windows. Both are adept at keeping rain, snow and wind from bothering you in your abode. Only one, though, allows light to enter. Why is that?