Physical Science
Physical science is the study of the physical world around you. Learn about everything from electricity to magnetism in this section.
You Know White Noise, But What's Pink Noise and Brown Noise?
Skipping Stones on Ice Makes Crazy Sci-fi Sounds
Can you really shatter a glass with a high note?
How Do Disposable Hand Warmers Work?
Why Do Bubbles Pop?
What's the World's Strongest Superacid?
Static Electricity Can Cause Way More Than a Bad Hair Day
Light Pollution Is Stealing the Night
Party Trick Breakdown: Why Do Balloons Stick to Hair?
The Surprising Silver Lining of the Atomic Age Nuclear Tests
How Are Coroners and Medical Examiners Different?
Viking Warrior in Ancient Grave Was a Woman
Time May Not Exist, Say Some Physicists and Philosophers
How Alchemy Paved the Way for Chemistry
Who Was the First Scientist?
A Kid-friendly Introduction to Magnets and Magnetism
How Solenoids Work
Why Does Ice Stick to Your Fingers?
How Can Minus 40 Fahrenheit Equal Minus 40 Celsius?
What Does the Term 'Six Degrees of Separation' Mean?
11 Basic Math Symbols and How to Use Them
Kummakivi, Finland's Balancing Rock, Seems to Defy the Laws of Physics
What Is Energy?
Could Newly Measured W Boson Break the Standard Model?
U.S. Scientists Achieve a Breakthrough in Nuclear Fusion. What Does That Mean?
Hisashi Ouchi Suffered an 83-day Death By Radiation Poisoning
Could Thorium Power the Next Generation of Nuclear Reactors?
Why Are School Buses Yellow?
Is This Black Hole Coming for You? It's Just an Optical Illusion
Why Distant Mountains Appear Blue to the Naked Eye
Learn More / Page 3
Sir Isaac Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation helps put the laws of gravity into a mathematical formula. And the gravitational constant is the "G" in that formula.
By Mark Mancini
A unit circle is an important part of trigonometry and can define right angle relationships known as sine, cosine and tangent.
A multiplication table is an easy-to-use grid of numbers that can help you learn to multiply quickly by using the chart and, eventually, your memory.
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Adrenochrome has been linked to schizophrenia and the LSD counterculture movement. Now QAnon conspiracy theorists say it's part of a child sex-trafficking cult. So what's the truth behind this chemical compound?
Science requires that we make guesses, which is why we have confidence intervals.
Bayes' theorem describes the probability of an event, based on prior knowledge of conditions that might be related to the event. Sounds intimidating, but we'll walk you through it.
By Mark Mancini
Rational numbers can be expressed as the ratio of two integers, while irrational numbers, such as square roots, cannot. So, why does the difference matter?
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You may remember from math class that a prime number is a number that can only be divided by 1 and itself. But why are they important anyway?
Is there anything glycerine can't do?
Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory just made history with einsteinium. They held a sample of the short-lived element long enough to measure some of its chemical properties.
By Dave Roos
You use solenoids every day without ever knowing it. So what exactly are they and how do they work?
By Mark Mancini
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More than fodder for melt-in-your-hand YouTube videos, gallium is a key component in LED lights and the powerful microchips in your smartphone.
By Dave Roos
Static electricity happens when there's an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object. It's when those charges get released that we feel that infamous spark.
Vantablack is one of the darkest substances known, able to absorb up to 99.965 percent of visible light. But is it the blackest of blacks on the planet?
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?
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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.
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.
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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
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
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Venn diagrams are an easy way to simplify information and visualize relationships between concepts or sets of data.
Purified water will 'instantly freeze' under certain conditions, and you can even make it happen at home. Is it magic? No. It's science!