HowStuffWorks Newsletter
Physical science is the study of the physical world around you. Learn about everything from electricity to magnetism in this section.
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Although the term might be unfamiliar, you know all about alkali metals. Ever used salt or eaten a banana? So, what special properties do these elements have?
A simple math problem may seem to some of us like an inscrutable pile of numbers and symbols, just waiting to trip us up. PEMDAS to the rescue!
By Mark Mancini
It's an important question, so come with us and we'll show you how to figure it out.
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Two lines that are perpendicular to the same line are parallel to each other and will never intersect.
By Mark Mancini
It's easy to make a Mobius strip with some paper and tape, but your mind will be blown by the mathematical concepts it unlocks.
You might wonder what phosphates do, but they are so intrinsic to our daily lives that the question really is: What don't phosphates do?
Tungsten's hardness and heat resistance make it a must for products like rocket engine nozzles, armor-piercing bullets and even the humble light bulb filament. In fact, pure tungsten boils at 10,030 F, the same as the photosphere of the sun.
By Dave Roos
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Terpenes are the aromatic organic compounds found in nature that give us many of our favorite fragrances. They are also known to have surprising health benefits.
Don't know your fool's gold from the real deal? We'll tell you how to tell what's pyrite (aka fool's gold) and the good ol' 24 karat stuff you want.
By Mark Mancini
There's some serious chemistry behind the flavor in your favorite brew and esters are the compounds responsible for it.
Venn diagrams are an easy way to simplify information and visualize relationships between concepts or sets of data.
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Purified water will 'instantly freeze' under certain conditions, and you can even make it happen at home. Is it magic? No. It's science!
We may think the butterfly effect means that a small change (like the flap of a butterfly's wings) can have huge consequences (a tornado in China). But what if it means the opposite?
Boyle's Law describes the relationship between pressure and the volume of a container with gas in it. As the volume of the container decreases, the pressure inside the container increases.
Corresponding angles are what you get when two parallel lines are crossed by a third line, creating angles that have the same relative position at each intersection. They're easy to find once you know what to look for.
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A dodecahedron has 12 flat faces, all shaped like pentagons. Here are 12 cool things you just may not know about them.
By Mark Mancini
The two different types of alcohol are commonly used in hand sanitizer today. But does one work better than the other?
Electrons are attracted to some atoms more than others. If two atoms are of equal strength, the electrons will be equally shared. If one atom is stronger, the electrons will be pulled in that atom's direction.
How do you calculate absurdly high numbers without writing them out in numerals? You use scientific notation. We'll give you examples and show you how.
By Mark Mancini
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Diatomic elements are molecules composed of only two atoms, every time, always. There are only seven of them on the entire periodic table.
Denatured alcohol is useful for lots of things, but drinking definitely isn't one of them.
Bismuth is a naturally occurring element with many applications in our daily lives, but even more than that, it looks amazing when it cools!
A research team has found that water acts strangely on an air-drying towel, which contributes to its signature stiffness.
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Entropy is the disorder of a system, but that means a lot more than making a mess of a room.
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