Science

A spool gun is a hand-held, metal inert gas (MIG) welding device that feeds a soft aluminum wire from a small, 4-inch-wide spool. MIG welding with aluminum, however, is strikingly different than...

Making equations that are linear and exponential in variables, or unknowns, can be demonstrated in the down-to-earth terms of how a bank account grows with interest. Linear equations can be...

The conversion of linear feet into square feet can only take place once you have two linear measurements of two dimensions of the area you are trying to measure. More specifically, you will need a...

You can quickly calculate the electrical usage of the motors in your house. Whether the motor is in a refrigerator or a freezer, or in your garage turning the pulley and belt to run a compressor,...

Understanding basic water quality analysis involves knowing what the water being tested is used for. Surface waters in the United States which may be used for different forms of recreation,...

Bromothymol blue solution is used as an indicator to determine the rough pH of a substance. It is prepared from a powder, household items and common laboratory chemicals that can be obtained...

Weather maps (or charts) give you a picture of the weather over a geographical area at a single point in time. Creating a weather map gives you the data to forecast the weather as a whole or a...

An inexpensive green laser pointer is limited in its intensity, so the distance that the laser light can project is less than that of an expensive laser pointer. Modifying an inexpensive green...

A siphon moves liquid from a higher container to a lower container. This doesn't sound impressive, except that it gets around a height barrier that prevents the liquid from traveling to the lower...

Water pressure is reckoned in pascals or kilopascals (Kpa), pounds per square inch or bars. Pascals are the international standard (SI) unit of measurement for water pressure. Pounds per square...

Bar is a unit of pressure that equals to 100,000 Pascal (Pa.) Pascal is a unit of pressure adopted by the International System of Units (SI). The conversion of pressure to the volume (in liters)...

Fluid statics is the most basic form of fluid analysis, and manometry is one method of static fluid analysis. A manometer is a device that measures static fluid pressure. The three primary...

Pressure in the column of a fluid such as water is generated due to the gravity force. Calculation of that pressure has numerous applications, for example in meteorology or in the design of water...

General science safety rules help layout guidelines for behavior that helps protect laboratory participants from injuries. Safety rules can be found posted in the laboratory or study location, as...

Rolling and diving down the rapids, whitewater rafts have to be sturdy, strong and able to take immense punishment. The materials that make up these crafts are diverse and fascinating in how they...

A 5 mW green laser is commonly found in inexpensive laser pointers. The beam is very weak, but it is easily seen because the human eye is sensitive to green light. Modifying a 5 mW green laser...

In recent years, hand-held lasers have become a nuisance to some, especially when some people use them to harass cats. Although we often think of laser pointers as a toy, they do have some...

A toy called a "Newton's scooter" is propelled by the principle behind Newton's third law of motion. The principle is that, for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means...

Rotating garden sprinklers are excellent demonstrations of Newton's third law of motion, the law of interaction. The law states that, for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. To...

We are used to thinking about cholesterol as a bad thing, but in fact it is one of the natural and necessary substances our bodies create. It is known as a sterol, part of a family of important...

If you need to lift a heavy load, a block-and-tackle pulley system might make your job easier. A block-and-tackle hoist can magnify the force you input into the pulling rope, so that less force...

An elevator is a device that moves up and down in a vertical shaft to transport passengers or freight to different floors of buildings. About 700,000 elevators exist in the U.S., and more than...

Newton scooters, or Newton cars, are demonstrations of Newton's third law of motion, also known as the law of interaction. The principle behind this law is that for each action, there is an equal...

Triglycerides are macromolecules called lipids, better known as fats or oils. Triglycerides are named for the monomer components they contain. "Tri" means three, and triglycerides are built from...

The brain is a mysterious organ in your body that allows you to think, breathe and speak. The brain is divided into many lobes (parts), such as the frontal lobe (responsible for your personality),...

Many high voltage outlets that are 220 to 240 volts typically have three openings. Two of them are live and ground respectively, and they are across from each other. They normally are slanted at...

Chemical digestion occurs when acids, enzymes and other secretions break down the food we eat into nutrients. Chemical digestion starts in the mouth and continues in the stomach, but most of the...

In electronics, an oscillator is a circuit that generates a signal at a certain frequency. You can make a simple oscillator with an inductor (a coil) and a capacitor (two parallel plates). The...

Methanol and isopropyl alcohol both have industrial uses, and both are toxic to humans and other mammals. Their chemical structures and other properties differ in several ways. These compounds are...

Viewing specimens through a microscope will allow you to see things you never could with the naked eye. Before you can actually use a microscope, though, you must learn to set up and mount...

Wind speed has been measured for centuries using classic devices like the anemometer. But wind pressure is slightly different and requires more advanced devices to monitor. Fortunately, the laws...

While the volume of a steam pipe may not equal its capacity under pressure, steam pipe volume is calculated in much the same way as any other volume: measure the physical dimensions needed for the...

Robotic surgery is a field that uses mechanical apparatus(es) to perform more delicate surgeries that require a high amount of precision to be performed successfully. This area has received a...

The Earth's surface continually evolves due to the shifting and shaping of its crust. Geologic features, such as fault lines, continually shift creating different mountain chains, escarpments and...

Epoxy resin is the term for a type of thermo-setting (heat-cured) polymer. Epoxy resins undergo a chemical change during the curing process that does not allow them to be manipulated after curing.

The second-to-last column of the periodic table of the elements belongs to the halogens, a class containing fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. In their halide form, halogens create compounds...

Microscopes are devices used to magnify small objects, allowing them to be seen by the naked eye. Most microscopes have several different powerful lenses attached to them, allowing the viewer to...

A multimeter is a device used to make electrical measurements. One of the ways it can be used is to test an electrical outlet. You may test an outlet to see if electricity is actually going...

Atoms are neutral because they have a number of protons in their nuclei equal to their number of orbital electrons. They become charged on gaining or losing one or more electrons.

Removing oil from seawater can be a daunting task. Oil has a lower specific gravity (0.79 to 0.84) than seawater (1.023 to 1.028) and floats on top of seawater for that reason, which makes...

A cistern is a type of storage container that typically collects rainwater or runoff. They are made out of a variety of materials including plastic, wood or cement depending upon local resources...

Although archaeological evidence suggests people have smoked tobacco for more than 3,000 years, researchers have discovered and extracted tobacco's active ingredient--nicotine--only in the past...

Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis refer to the growth of blood vessels. Angiogenesis is the growth most often associated with damaged or smaller blood vessels, while vasculogenesis generally occurs...

To check an electrical outlet, use either an outlet tester or a multimeter. An outlet tester is a small device used to test if a three-pronged outlet is working, and also if it is wired properly....

Neon is a stable gas that is found in abundance in the universe, but is only a small percentage of the Earth's atmosphere. Since the early 20th century, it has lit signs for motels, gambling...

Halogen lights operate on the same principle as other incandescent lamps; however, the different chemicals used to make halogen lamps create a brighter, longer-lasting and more efficient light...

Solar water heaters and heat pumps are devices used to conserve energy spent heating water in the house. Normally, a large amount of energy needs to be spent to run the heating elements or gas...

Zeolite is a complicated supplement, surrounded by a large amount of criticism and hopeful claims. It comes in both powder and liquid form, although the liquid is generally more popular. The idea...

Inductors are sometimes wound by the user instead of bought. In such cases, the inductance would not be stamped on the side but instead may need to be found empirically. The best way to measure...

A laser is essentially concentrated light focused in one specific area. Although there are different concentrations and powers of a laser, it is possible to purchase some of the weaker lasers,...