Science & Nature

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is one type of arc welding. TIG welding is different than most arc-welding processes because the electrode is not consumed. TIG welding is considered to be more...

Electric currents are composed of moving charges. Application of voltage causes the charges to flow in an ordered fashion inside conductive material. Not all materials can carry electric current....

The purple spotted swallowtail is a colorful member of the Papilionidae family. Because of this butterfly's bright coloration and geographic isolation, it long has been prized by collectors and...

Zebra swallowtails are relatively large butterflies known for their distinctive "zebra" patterning. Swallowtails inhabit low, moist woodland areas as well as open fields near rivers and streams.

Potassium bromide is a salt for which many uses have been found -- although seasoning food is not one of them. It was even once used as a medicine to treat seizures in epileptics.

Cancer the Crab is a faint constellation between the much more distinct Leo the Lion and Gemini the Twins. As with almost all of the other groupings of stars in the heavens, various cultures have...

Water turtles can be found all over the world--excluding Antarctica and the Arctic--and make up a diverse group of reptiles. Water turtles live in a variety of habitats, ranging from oceans to...

A very simple doorbell can be constructed by creating a circuit that is completed or broken by the press of a button. This is basically how all doorbells work. The oscillation of the circuit's...

"Stink bug" is the name given to insects of the Pentatomidae family, one of the families falling under the suborder of Heteroptera, or "true bugs." Stink bugs derive their less than flattering...

Potassium nitrate, also called "niter" and "saltpeter," has a long and very interesting history. It is used in fertilizers and warfare, and to also quell the male libido.

Dried flowers are used for a variety of decorative purposes like enhancing a scrapbook, customizing a wrapped present, preserving a successful bloom in the garden or even creating vibrant frames....

Ambient, or outdoor, air directly affects the health of all living things that breathe it. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the quality of ambient air,...

Several types of adhesive can be used to adhere paper to other sheets of paper or other materials, including wood, fabric, or chipboard. The process of choosing an adhesive includes determining...

Epoxy glue is a two-part adhesive, consisting of a resin and a hardener. The two parts are inert when stored separately, but when combined undergo a chemical reaction to create a thermoset...

The simple chemical formula for glucose is C₆H₁₂O₆. Glucose is a carbohydrate, specifically a monosaccharide. This is like saying peas are a vegetable, and more...

Silica gel packets are normally found in food or electronic packages you buy at the store. These packets collect the moisture that accumulates in these packages, thereby protecting the products in...

From a child connecting a battery, switch and light in a simple circuit to an adult building robots, the field of electronics provides an entertaining, hands on hobby, accessible to all ages. This...

While it may be hard to believe, most of the food a young plant needs to get its start is stored inside the seed that it grew from. Until the plant can produce leaves and make its own food, it is...

Gold ore is a concentration of gold in rock, particles or flakes in water. Gold ore is only technically considered to be ore if it is feasible to mine it for extraction of the precious metal content.

Strontium is an alkaline earth metal. Like other alkaline earth metals, its compounds are more important than the pure element. According to the U. S. Geological Survey, the majority of strontium...

Oxygen is a natural element essential to all human life on Earth, as well as the lives of other air-breathing mammals. But there are some living things on Earth, including some organisms, that...

Water soaks into the ground, which is called infiltration. Underneath the surface of the Earth, the water is naturally filtered as it moves through soil and rock, which is called groundwater flow....

The names "auto" (or automotive) and "marine" primarily give marketing information for batteries rather than specifications for use. Both cars and a speed boats need a battery to start, but the...

A pollen index is a general index, based on three factors, that measures pollen in the air. Allergy sufferers use the pollen index to judge their risks on a given day.

The diversity index is one measure ecologists use to quantify species diversity to compare different environments. One of the most commonly used indices is the Shannon Index. The advantage to...

Sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate are derivatives of the alkali metal sodium, atomic number 11 on the Periodic Table of Elements. Both sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate have commercial...

Flowers or colorful leaves can be something to enjoy for creating crafts, or to look at for years to come. Several methods demonstrate how you can preserve either leaves or flowers, but the best...

Motion sensing lights can work with a variety of different technologies. Which motion lights will work best for a particular residence will depend on the surroundings and what the lights are mean...

Birds will fly for many miles in a single day to find the right seeds to eat. The need to breed, travel, fatten up for the winter and stay alive drives them to people's feeders. Knowing how to...

Black tourmaline is also known as schorl. This gemstone mineral is a member of the tourmaline family of crystals, which includes pink, watermelon, blue, red and green. Black tourmaline has a long...

The first step in making an atomic clock work comes in the form of a measurement. The atomic resonance (between the nucleus of an atom and its electrons) must be determined. This is typically...

Human beings have been foraging for mushrooms throughout history. Even Otzi the "Iceman," a 5,000-year-old human specimen found in the glaciers of Europe, was carrying mushrooms in a pouch on his...

Bamboo wood has seen increased popularity as both a building material and a fabric, especially in the United States. As a building material, bamboo is soft yet also resistant against mold, and can...

Copepods are tiny marine and freshwater crustaceans. Many drift as plankton in the waters of the seas, but even more live on the ocean floor. They make up the largest single source of protein in...

The proteolytic enzymes, also known as proteases, are important chemical compounds that help maintain your body's metabolic processes such as digestion. The human body produces thousands of...

Camping in the wilderness can be as comfortable as staying at home if you have the know-how. Sleeping on the hard ground is never a pleasant experience, especially when you're used to a bed, but...

The kola nut comes from the kola tree, an evergreen that thrives in tropical climates. The seed, or nut, from the tree is high in caffeine and is used to make carbonated cola soft drinks, such as...

A transformer is used to change the voltage and current from an energy-supplying circuit to a receiving circuit. A magnetizable piece in between called a "core" is used to transmit the energy...

Sodium carbonate is an inorganic salt with the chemical formula Na2CO3. This compound is used in such industrial applications as glass production, as an electrolyte or as a component of...

A magnet creates electricity directly when an electric circuit cuts through its magnetic field lines---a phenomenon first noticed by Michael Faraday quite by accident during a demonstration during...

Carpenter bees do not live in hives, but rather they are solitary insects. The female bores holes into rough, unfinished wood to lay her eggs. Holes can be as shallow as six inches and as deep as...

Moles are small mammals of the Talpidae family; voles are small rodents of the Cricetidae family. They have little in common, albeit a rhyming name. They are different in appearance, habitat,...

Skunks are infamous for the odor of the spray they produce to ward off danger. However, as unpleasant as their odor might be, it is preferable to something else that skunks have the ability to...

I absolutely love walking outside and smelling the great outdoors. The spray cans that you buy at the grocery store just don't cut it for me. I have found a way to bring in the great outdoors with...

A fuse is an electrical component used in an electrical circuit for safety reasons. A fuse opens the circuit, or prevents the flow of electrical current, when conditions exist that will cause the...

Gas-discharge lighting was first discovered and commercialized in the early 1900s. When inventors ran high-voltage electric current through different gases, they discovered that some corroded the...

Both graduated cylinders and beakers are pieces of laboratory glassware that have a specific function. Graduated cylinders typically are more accurate at reading the volumes of the liquid inside....

The honeybee and carpenter bee differ in appearance. They also differ in behavior, particularly in dealing with their young. As a result, carpenter bees produce less honey than honeybees.

Magnets can be combined to either reduce or increase their strength, depending on their orientation to each other. Combining two equal magnets will not double their strength, but it will come close.

Thermocouples are classified according to the maximum amount of temperatures they can measure, their function and their ruggedness. There are hundreds of types, but the most common ones are J, K,...