Physical Science
Physical science is the study of the physical world around you. Learn about everything from electricity to magnetism in this section.
Brown Noise vs. White Noise: Which Is Best for Quality Sleep?
Can a sound wave kill you?
Can two cans and a string really be used to talk over a distance?
Understanding the Empirical Formula in Chemistry
The Most Expensive Metal in the World Isn't Gold or Platinum
Delta-8 vs. Delta-9: Comparing Types of THC
How Electricity Works
How Faraday Cages Work
How Gasoline Works
What Does Mummification Have to Do With Gene Hackman?
What do bugs have to do with forensic science?
5 Things You Didn't Know About Autopsies
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
Congruent Angles: Definition, Symbol and Key Theorems
Adjacent Angles: Types and Examples
What Is the Associative Property of Mathematics?
5 Hugely Fun Facts About Mass (Not Weight)
Antarctica's Spooky Cosmic Rays Might Shatter Physics As We Know It
Entropy: The Invisible Force That Brings Disorder to the Universe
The Demon Core: A Tale of Atomic Ambition and Tragic Fate
Half-Life Formula: Components and Applications
Could an 'X17 Particle' Hint at a Fifth Force in the Universe?
Why Are School Buses Yellow?
HowStuffWorks: How To Draw An Impossible Shape
What Are the Colors in the Visible Spectrum?
Learn More / Page 11
You probably have a bottle of the stuff at your house. Have you ever seen it come in any color bottle besides brown?
Something very strange is afoot above the frozen landscape of Antarctica.
Light travels pretty rapidly, but when it comes to faraway galaxies, that light takes a while to reach our telescopes. In fact, the light you see might actually be from billions of years ago.
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If you've ever had a half-frozen beer explode on you, you know that yes, alcohol freezes - but not all types freeze at the same rate. We'll let you in on the secrets to frozen alcoholic delights.
A sound wave alone probably won't kill you. Crank the volume on a terrible song, though, and you just might annoy everyone to death.
By Oisin Curran
These small molecules are the foundation for much bigger things, from ordinary household products around us to essential components within our bodies.
Polymers are the basic components in so many of the products we use each day.
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What if there are colors within the visible spectrum that our brains can't perceive? In fact, there are. They're called impossible colors. But some researchers think they've discovered a way to see the impossible.
By Dave Roos
There are so many things in this world that are possible, and shattering glass with sonic force is one of them - but just how probable is it, really?
At the same time scientists discovered that nitrous oxide could numb agonizing pain, they also found it could make you really lightheaded and silly. Yes, huffing parties started in the 1700s.
By Dave Roos
Coroners and medical examiners both help investigate unusual or violent deaths. The two jobs are different, but deeply connected.
By John Donovan
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You don't need to be a fan of chemistry to appreciate isotopes. They affect geology and medicine, too.
By Mark Mancini
Alchemy may seem like a cousin to witchcraft but in reality it was the forerunner of modern chemistry.
Primary colors are the blocks from which all other colors are built. But there's a lot more to know about them than the basic red, yellow and blue we learned about in kindergarten.
Long-banned in the U.S., except for religious purposes, peyote is starting to be decriminalized in some cities. But is that a good thing for this endangered plant?
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Making chemical compounds is a lot like dating. Some ions are naturally compatible; others hook up out of desperation.
Protons and neutrons, the particles that form the nuclei of atoms, are themselves made up of even smaller particles known as quarks.
The Pythagorean theorem, which explains how to calculate the longest side of a right-angled triangle, is an ancient mathematical statement that still buttresses modern-day construction, aviation and even how we navigate through traffic.
Weight is the measurement of gravity's pull on an object. And it varies by location. Mass is a different beast altogether.
By Mark Mancini
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Entropy is the disorder of a system, but that means a lot more than making a mess of a room.
A research team has found that water acts strangely on an air-drying towel, which contributes to its signature stiffness.
Cosmological redshift: sounds like the latest blockbuster coming to a theater near you, doesn't it? In reality, it has to do with how light itself travels -- and understanding how it works is essential to advanced space telescope technology.
When speed is everything and light marks the universe's speed limit, lasers are bound to be the answer. At least, that's what NASA and a bunch of Wall Street types are betting on.
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If you have trouble sleeping you might have been told to get a white noise machine. But white isn't the only color of noise out there.
We'll show you both a quick and dirty way, and a precise, more complicated formula for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit (and vice versa).