Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
The Bernzomatic OX 0225 mini gas torch is different from the propane torches manufactured by Bernzomatic. The gas torch uses MAPP gas with oxygen to fuel the flame instead of propane. This Bernzomatic comes as a kit with all of the components you need to weld, braze or cut metals. The cutting feature of the gas torch is limited to screws, bolts and other unhardened metals. Problems sometimes arise with the OX 0225, causing the torch to malfunction.
Meteors are chunks or rock burning up as they enter our planet's atmosphere. Many people call them "shooting stars." If the meteor is large enough that it is able to survive the trip into our atmosphere, the smaller piece that remains may land on the surface of our planet. This piece is called a "meteorite." If a meteorite hits a mountain, it can affect the mountain by causing damage to the mountain's rocky surface.
The earth has a magnetic north pole and a magnetic south pole. However, these poles have not always been located in the same spots, and they continue to move around. This changing polarity may have some effect on the earth's climate, though there is not presently enough scientific evidence to confirm that the polarity change affects weather or to determine to what extent weather changes are the result of the shifting polarity of the earth.
Mosquitoes are common yard pests that feed solely on blood. In addition to inflicting painful, itchy bites, mosquitoes also spread diseases like West Nile virus and parasites like wolf worm. Their larvae develop in shallow, stagnant water and develop into pupae that swim to the surface to breathe. By preventing or killing mosquito larvae in your yard, you lessen your likelihood of contracting a mosquito-borne illness as well as prevent annoying bites.
Weathering and erosion both change the shape of landscapes. They are not the same thing but they work together, with erosion usually occurring after weathering. Weathering involves processes that work in tandem near or on the surface of rocks or other substances, and unlike erosion, it does not involve moving materials around.
Rainbows are one of the most beautiful sights in the natural world. This spectacular, multicolored arc can form just after a rainstorm or from a backyard sprinkler. A rainbow is the result of the play of light through droplets of water. The sun must be shining from behind the viewer and the water droplets must be in front of the viewer for a rainbow to appear.
Weathering isn't the result of a single event; it's the result of a set of natural events. Unless an object is sheltered, nature acts upon it. It acts upon things physically and chemically. Nature does not, however, weather all things equally. Whether an object is man-made or organic, its unique characteristics will determine what effects exposure to nature will have.
Ocean waves can make a sunny day at the beach extra fun or cause devastating destruction to coastal communities. Waves are the visible reaction to energy sources in the ocean, and water droplets in the ocean move in vertical circles as the wave passes. There are many causes for waves, including man-made energy sources and natural forces.
The surface waves on the ocean are a combination of two types of mechanical waves: transverse and longitudinal. The combination of these waves will generally cause the waves moving from left to right to move in a clockwise circle, perpendicular to the bottom of the ocean, with the radius of the circles corresponding to the water's depth. The radius decreases as the depth of the water increases. As a wave moves toward the shore, its movement is similar to a wheel. If a diver were to dive beneath the wave, there would be no resistance, because as the wave comes…
Builders use more concrete in construction than any other manmade material in the world. Concrete's and history dates to the ancient Egyptians. Today the mixing of concrete is a materials science which plays an important part in civil engineering. Engineers design concrete mixtures with steel reinforcement to meet the structural and temperature requirements of any project under construction.
The landscapes of the world are built partly through processes of erosion and deposition, carried out by physical forces like a churning whitewater river, the longshore drift of coastal currents, a gargantuan glacier or a howling wind. Striking opposites of each other -- erosion taking materials away, deposition placing them somewhere -- they are always acting in concert.
Gravity is a constant force of attraction that makes all materials on the earth tend to fall toward the center of the planet. It attempts to create an equilibrium by moving materials from areas of higher elevations to lower elevations. By itself gravity moves materials downhill through various processes such as landslides, mudslides, and avalanches. Collectively these are all forms of erosion, the process of moving sediment from one location to another. Gravity is the force powering erosion, but the most important agent of erosion is water.
There are two distinct kinds of waves: mechanical and electromagnetic. Mechanical waves transmit energy through a medium by the mechanical interaction between physical particles. There are three types of mechanical waves: transverse, longitudinal and complex mechanical waves. Electromagnetic waves, which can flow through a vacuum, do not transmit energy by mechanical means, but by electrical currents and magnetic fields.
The ocean can be different things to different people. If you want to spend a summer day bonding with your family, get close to that special someone or just clear your head, few options are better than heading to the beach and enjoying the waves. However, ocean waves are a phenomenon some beachgoers take for granted. You might expect the explanation for such a powerful force to be convoluted, but waves result from two relatively simple contributing factors.
Flooding occurs when water moves on to land that is normally dry. This can lead to damaged property and loss of human life. Water and land interact with each other to create conditions that can lead to floods, such as heavy rains, earthquakes, backed-up streams or streams that redirect to an area that was previously drier.
Electric or electromagnetic waves vary in their type and size. Some waves are as large as football fields while other rays are smaller than an atom. Smaller rays can be damaging to the body as they move fast enough to disrupt objects on a molecular level. Each of these types of rays is used in a specific manner for a specific purpose.
Gatorade is a popular sports drink that claims to replenish fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrates lost during exercise. It also quenches thirst and prevents dehydration, and is often used as a substitute for water. The drink has been used in school science experiments and other types of experiments performed by curious customers. Below are some common Gatorade experiments that easily can be done at home or in the classroom.
Ecological succession is the process by which an environment changes structure, in terms of resident species, over a period of time. Ecological succession falls under two categories, primary and secondary, which determine the types of factors that are involved. The factors involved in ecological succession are either biotic or abiotic. Biotic factors are those that involve life and its aspects. Abiotic factors are those that involve aspects external to life but are still indirectly involved. An example of an abiotic factor would be climate.
Weathering refers to the breakdown of rocks and soils due to the effects of weather and other chemical and biological processes. Erosion refers to the movement of the broken-down material from one site to another. While these processes often go on with no ill effect on humans, they can cause severe environmental problems.
Most people first think of the devastation and destruction that follow in the wake of an earthquake. However, the waves that radiate out from them also provide seismologists with a wealth of data. A particular subset of waves emanating from earthquakes, known as "body waves," can travel even deep within the earth. By studying the two main types of body waves, P-waves and S-waves, scientists have reached a model of the earth's interior.
Succession is a scientific term describing the long-term progression of biological communities that occurs in a given area. Ecological succession breaks down into three fundamental phases: primary and secondary succession, and a climax state. The study of ecological succession generally focuses on the plants present on a particular site. But animal populations also shift over time in response to the changing habitat.
One of the consequences of using fossil fuels is ecological disruption. Large oil spills after an accident have dramatic consequences for ocean life, but they aren't the only source of oil in the oceans. Oil seeps into the oceans naturally from underwater mineral deposits. Runoff from land-based activities also introduces oil to the oceans. Oil threatens a wide variety of marine life, particularly when present in high concentrations.
Coastal erosion refers to the removal of coastal land by wind, ocean currents and waves. Land affected by coastal erosion includes beaches and dunes. Sandy, softer land erodes faster than rocky, hard land. There are several methods used to prevent or slow down the rate of coastal erosion.
Weathering is a process by which rock is broken down into smaller pieces. Not all of these processes are mechanical--that is to say, physical--in nature. Some rely on chemical reactions to degrade the integrity of rock's structure. In other cases, biological processes cause a change in exposed rocks. Generally rock will experience many forms of weathering at some point in its existence.
Ocean waters change continually as the winds and breezes blow across the water. These winds produce waves, the height of which is mainly determined by the depth of the water beneath the wave and the incline of the ocean floor. Classifications of waves vary; shallow and deep waves and longitudinal and transverse are two examples.
Weathering is a natural process in which factors, including rain, wind and microbes, break down or change the structure of geological formations such as rocks, minerals and soils. Some weathering processes, such as grinding between rocks, are purely physical, but many are due to a chemical reaction of some sort. There are several different types of chemical weathering, often involving the presence of water.
One of the basic principles that you will learn in any geology class is the types of weathering agents that affect your environment. Weathering agents are substances that break down and change the character of rocks that are exposed to weather and the environment. These agents can be mechanical, chemical or biological.
Coastal residents must learn how to control erosion, whether they live on a beach, a rocky lake shore or along a river. Wind, rain and rising water levels contribute to loss of land along the shoreline, and without proper care the erosion can eventually wear away at your property until your foundation is exposed. There are a number of erosion prevention techniques you can use to hold back these forces of nature.
Weathering is one of the early processes of geological denudation -- that is, of the breaking down, removal and transport of rock materials. Evaluating the degree of weathering means assessing rock type and climate -- factors that help establish the rate and nature of the breakdown -- as well as the mechanism of the weathering itself. Mechanical and biological weathering involve physical and biological forces, respectively, wedging apart rock; chemical weathering takes the form of chemical reactions that dissolve or transform it.
A weather inversion, or temperature inversion, is a layer of atmosphere where the decrease in temperature with an increase in height is much lower than expected. Eventually, the temperature begins to increase instead of continuing to decrease. Typically, temperature continues to drop the higher you get. The inversion creates a "ceiling" of atmosphere that literally traps pollutants and smoke.
Potatoes are versatile, easy to grow and hardy enough to withstand almost all climates. They are a great crop rotation choice, and you can actually grow new potatoes from cut old potatoes. You do not need a green thumb to grow potatoes, and you do not need fancy gardening implements. Potatoes make a great first attempt at growing food and a wonderful example to teach your family how to begin a garden to provide all the vegetable needs for your family.
Weathering, or erosion, is caused by mechanical and chemical processes. The use of ice as a weathering agent causes much mechanical erosion from the simple scientific properties it contains, as it changes from liquid to solid.
Ice crystals are a type of precipitation that falls in the form of single ice needles, columns, or plates. Cirriform clouds, frost, and ice fog are all types of weather caused by ice crystals. Ice crystals grow from water vapor in the air and come in a variety of hexagonal shapes and patterns, depending on the temperature and the humidity.
Desert biomes feature extreme diurnal temperature changes, with blazing temperatures over 100 F during the day and nightly temperatures plummeting to near freezing. The shortage of clouds, rain and moisture producing vegetation contribute to these severe temperature swings.
Boscastle is a small port lying in a narrow ravine in the parish of Forrabury of North Cornwall along the southeastern coast of England. In August 2004, a massive flash flood devastated the town. Fortunately nobody was killed due to a massive successful rescue operation, which included helicopters, but millions of dollars of damage was caused. Afterward, British citizens wanted to know how something like this could happen.
Weathering is natural process that causes the breakdown of rocks into either smaller rock particles or new minerals. Weathering is the first step of the erosion process, which breaks down the three major rock types found near Earth's surface: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. One type of erosion is mechanical weathering, also known as physical weathering, whereby rock is broken down by physical forces. There are several such forces.
Weathering and erosion are two different, but related, processes. Weathering is the breakdown of materials through physical or chemical actions. Erosion occurs when weathered materials such as soil and rock fragments are carried away by wind, water or ice. Many forces are involved in weathering and erosion, including both natural and man-made causes.
Quartzite is a metamorphic rock created from changes to the sedimentary rock, quartz sandstone. Unlike quartz sandstone, however, quartzite fractures across its granules, rather than around them, making neat flat breaks. This makes the erosion-resistant quartzite useful for both decorative items and construction.
Chemical weathering caused by water is the breakdown of minerals into new minerals, which is needed in the formation of soil. Water either starts the reaction or carries the minerals that cause chemical weathering.
As rocks and minerals shift and move from the Earth's womb to the surface, the subjection of the surface environment that causes the breakdown and alteration of these rocks and minerals results in weathering. A springboard for other geomorphic and biochemical processes, weathering provides an important impact on the Earth's surface. Chemical weathering, in particular, causes changes in the chemical and mineralogical make up of different materials. Essential environmental factors for weathering lie in temperature and climate.
The process of weathering breaks down rocks exposed to the elements into smaller particles that can be carried away by wind and water erosion. Weathering is divided into three broad categories: mechanical or physical weathering, chemical weathering, and biological weathering. Mechanical or physical weathering is further divided by its causes into four different categories; the causes are mechanical exfoliation or unloading, thermal expansion, frost wedging, and abrasion.
Grasshoppers are found all over the world and the term refers to both insects called grasshoppers and those referred to as locusts. These plant-eating creatures can cause serious damage to agricultural crops, which in turn may result in famine and significant economic loss. Unfortunately, grasshoppers reproduce quickly and in large numbers.They have the ability to survive even harsh winters in the egg, hatching out once the weather is favorable.
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet, home to more than 1,500 species of birds. The dense foliage provides ample food and housing for a wide variety of animals, and the temperate weather promotes enough year round growth to sustain huge populations of some species. The forest's unique layered vegetation structure allows for multiple species to coexist in a way that would cause overpopulation in other biotopes.
They bite. They itch. And some carry diseases. Mosquitoes can ruin barbecues, fishing trips and days on the golf course. But each mosquito genus--Aedes, Anopheles and Culex--also carries diseases, making them a public health concern as well as a nuisance. Each genus has its own habitat. When those habitats change, whether through natural or human intervention, so do mosquito populations.
Nature's variable seasons and forces exert a considerable impact on soil environments and rock formations. As winds work to move particles and sediment about, settled debris can contribute to changes in the chemical composition of an environment. In effect, chemical and mechanical weathering forces work in tandem, one picking up where the other leaves off.
Several factors cause droughts, some natural and others man-made. While periodic droughts affect many regions due to natural, intermittent climate changes, excessive farming and deforestation also affect the environment's water supply and cause droughts.
Your odds of being struck by lightning this year are 1 out of 700,000, according to the University of Illinois. Despite these odds, lightning is still a significant health risk, and the National Weather Service calls it America's underrated killer. Even if a victim doesn't die after being struck by lightning, he or she may still experience several after effects.
A high pressure air mass is defined as a relative pressure maximum with diverging winds that spin in a clockwise rotation. The winds that rise and fall within high and low pressure systems determine our weather, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While temperature has little direct effect on wooden beams, it does have a great effect on the moisture both outside and within the beams. By increasing and decreasing the levels of moisture in the air and how the air interacts with the wood, heat can cause beams to both swell and shrink.
First detected by instruments aboard spacecraft in the 1950s and 1960s, the solar wind is made up of charged particles streaming away from the Sun. The solar wind originates in the Sun's corona, the high-temperature section of the Sun's atmosphere. Traveling away from the Sun at an average speed of 400 kilometers per second (equal to about 1,000,000 miles per hour), the solar wind spreads throughout the solar system. The solar wind affects the Earth, where the planet's magnetosphere interacts with the solar wind to deflect many of the particles before they hit the Earth's surface.
Ecosystems are in a constant state of flux. Living and non-living components change, and thus the dependencies fluctuate as well. Plant species composition can be altered by environmental or human activity. Flooding or weather events may shift water flow patterns. The environment survives by achieving a sense of equilibrium with its organisms.
Natural disasters can have a life-altering impact on the individuals and families fortunate enough to survive them. But the effect of natural disasters can be felt at the community, city and state level, or many times can impact an entire country. How well the impact of a disaster event is absorbed has much to do with the intensity of the impact and the level of preparedness and resilience of the subject impacted.
Coastal areas around the globe must grapple with beach erosion, be it from constant lapping waves or the roaring storm surge of a Category 5 hurricane. As if battling nature is not hard enough, some projects designed to protect from coastal flooding now ironically make these problems worse. Preventing beach erosion requires a deep understanding of its causes and a massive investment, though everyone can play a part.
Ocean currents are water movement and circulation patterns that influence climate zones and weather patterns around the world. The directions these currents take can be impacted by weather, movements of celestial bodies and even by the actions of man. There are two basic types of ocean currents, and each is influenced by a variety of different factors. Together, these currents make up the ocean patterns and flow that control water bodies across the planet.
Tornadoes form when a column of spinning air gathers around a low pressure point in a thundercloud and becomes powerful enough to stretch from the cloud to the ground. The pressure points in clouds that cause tornadoes are rare, require a series of weather events to form and rarely last for long periods of time. For these reasons, tornadoes usually only form where specific conditions are prevalent, and they stay on the ground for only a few miles on most occasions. Because a tight funnel of air is needed to keep the tornado going, they also need to be small,…
As we move into the twenty-first century, the industrialization of humankind has brought about problems to our fragile environment. As the polar icecaps melt and the weather becomes more and more extreme and unpredictable, here are 10 problems that plague our planet.
Gatorade was created in 1965 as a way of countering the extreme heat that was affecting University of Florida football players. Scientists behind the sports drink found that part of the reason the high temperatures hurt the athletes' performance was because their bodies were lacking key nutrients that are needed to weather the heat. They found that playing sports in the Florida heat was depleting the football players' stores of electrolytes and carbohydrates, which caused them to be prone to heat-related illnesses. Gatorade is meant to replenish these things in athletes' bodies, allowing them to perform better and longer in…
The air on the Earth's surface is in constant motion due to a phenomenon called air currents. Air currents constantly shift the air around us across the globe. These currents affect air quality and ocean currents, as well as weather conditions. All of these things are important for the environment that we live in. Air currents are caused by three main processes: temperature change, impurities and pressure.
Harvesting and storing a potato crop is the way many people insure that they will have potatoes to eat in the wintertime. No fancy equipment is needed, but depending on how firm the dirt has become over the growing season, harvesting the potatoes can become labor intensive. Storing the potatoes for the future is a much simpler task.
