Science & Nature

Air is a mixture of gases, consisting primarily of nitrogen and oxygen, with some trace gases as well. Although the term "air" refers to the gas mixture covering the surface of the Earth, this...

Animals and plants are both categories, or kingdoms, of living organisms. Typically, these organism groups are considered to be quite different from each other. Plants are generally fixed to the...

Oxygen generators are also called oxygen concentrators. They come in many sizes and have several different functional properties. Oxygen generators are used in industrial conditions to meet...

People have used the wind as an energy source in many aspects of daily living. It has pushed sailboats across the sea for centuries and has powered windmills which in turn pump water or grind...

Waterspouts are often thought of as tornadoes over water, but that is only a partial explanation of what waterspouts are. They do sometimes form from tornadoes that move out over water from land....

Weather professionals measure the moisture content of the air in several different ways. Additionally, the interaction of other elements of a particular locale's environment has an impact on...

The mechanical wedge has been used for over 5,000 years to accomplish various tasks to apply forces to mating components, either to hold them in place or to move them. In the case of a air hose...

Smoke stacks (a type of chimney) typically protrude from steamships, locomotives, industrial buildings, and even smaller chromed versions from the tops of tractors on an 18-wheeler commercial...

Air moves from place to place in a wind. When the air from one weather system moves in to replace the air in another weather system, the wind brings in the air's temperature. If the two weather...

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,...

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....

A pneumatic cylinder uses the pressure of a gas to perform work, specifically linear work. The word "pneumatic" comes from the Greek and refers to air, which is the least expensive and most common...

Modern commercial airliners fly at altitudes which, without protection, would quickly become dangerous for anyone flying inside. To counter the low air pressure and cold temperatures, aircraft are...

The compressor is one of the most important parts of the air conditioning system. Air conditioners work using the laws of thermal energy and heat transfer. The medium by which heat is moved around...

The jet stream can best be thought of as a river of wind that moves through the Earth's troposphere. Usually going from west to east, this stream of moving air can be extremely powerful, moving on...

Cats are very clean animals and enjoy a clean environment. A dirty litter box is unappealing to your pet and creates an unpleasant environment for your family. Cat box odor can be very strong and...

Pneumatic cylinders receive the power for movement from compressed air. A constant supply of air is required for proper operation to the cylinder. The construction of the pneumatic cylinder is...

Parrots are more sensitive to harmful things in the air than people are. When a person decides to keep a pet bird, she needs to know alternative and safer ways in doing everyday things, including...

If you are like most people, checking the weather is a daily routine. Will you have clear skies for your garden party? Could your tomato plants freeze tonight? Should you wear shorts or a sweater?...

In cars and jets, turbochargers inject compressed air into engine cylinders so that more fuel can be injected into the cylinder, the chamber in which fuel is combusted. The result is greater...

Climate describes the overall tendencies over a long period of time with respect to the "average" weather in a given location. Weather, on the other hand, is what's happening around you. When it...

Pollution affects the natural balance of the world's ecosystems, which threatens the life cycles of a plethora of plant and animal species found within such ecosystems as coral reefs, wetlands,...

Car pollutants have a significant impact on the environment. These pollutants impact air quality, water quality, human health, weather and the climate. Two major sources of pollutants from cars...

Air may seem to be made up of nothingness, but in reality it consists of a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gasses that have mass and take up space. The density of air can be...

Thermals are upflows of air. They occur as the air nearest to the ground heats up and becomes lighter than the surrounding air, causing it to rise until it meets air of equal density. These...

There are a multitude of experiments that you can conduct to demonstrate the different principles that apply to the gaseous state of water. Nonetheless, there are at least three easy and...

Air has weight. The weight of air pressing down on the atmosphere and Earth's surface is air pressure. Air pressure is also known as barometric pressure, which is measured by barometers. Air...

Cold air sinks below warm air because it has a greater density. This principal is at the heart of thunderstorm and tornado formation. Ahead of thunderstorms, air movement increases in speed to...

The natural world is awash in sound. This is even more true of the man-made world. Whenever an object sends out vibrations you can hear, that is, between 20 and 20,000 cycles per second, it...

Gas molecules in the atmosphere are constantly moving. The collisions of these molecules with each other and other objects cause air pressure. Barometers measure air pressure in the atmosphere, so...

A pair of openings into the nose called nostrils allow air to be pulled into the nose and into the nasal cavity. The nose acts both as a filter to clean air breathed in and as a sensory organ to...

Air moves in invisible currents through the lower portion of the atmosphere, known as the troposphere. The temperatures of large masses of air contribute to weather events such as thunderstorms. A...

In order to understand how air particles move, it is first necessary to understand what air is made of and how it acts. While the exact composition of air differs at any given place and time, the...

Wind generators come in two general types: horizontal-axis ("propeller") and vertical-axis ("Darrieus"). Regardless of type, both use a mechanism called an "airfoil" to convert the linear force...

As climate change becomes more of a reality worldwide, it is beneficial to understand the differences between weather and climate and what each affects. People's everyday lives are affected by the...

Plants produce their own food through a process known as photosynthesis. However, it doesn't mean plants don't have certain requirements of their environment in order to successfully grow and...

Helium balloons are popular children's toys because they rise into the air, needing to be tethered with a string to keep them from flying away. Balloons blown up with breath, on the other hand,...

Respiration can refer to many different processes, including the exchange of gases in more complex organisms like animals and the process by which cells oxidize food supplies. When human refer to...

Air pollution occurs when air contains gaseous, liquid or solid substances in sufficient concentration, which under certain conditions tend to damage the environment and cause health effects in...

The distinctive flavor and aroma of tobacco used in cigars comes from a special leaf treatment process called air curing. One of the side effects is that the leaves become especially susceptible...

Hygrometers are devices that are used to measure the amount of humidity in the atmosphere. Humidity is a meteorological term that describes the water vapor that exists in the air at any one time....

Clouds are made of water, lifted from the earth's surface, that has encountered the colder air aloft in the atmosphere. The wind currents at various elevations in the lowest part of the...

The atmosphere is a blanket of gases that protects the earth from the harmful radiation emitted from the sun. The process of the addition of harmful and toxic chemicals and biological matter into...

Air is a mixture of various elements, mainly nitrogen and oxygen, in a gas state. With a few tricks in a science lab, you can make it cold enough to become a liquid!

An air mass is a uniform body of air that generally has the same moisture content and temperature throughout. Air masses are usually formed over large, flat areas that have relatively little air...

Wind tunnels are structures used in aerodynamic research that enable scientists to study the effects of air on stationary objects. This is useful in the manufacturing of airplanes and cars, as...

Buoyancy is the tendency of objects to float in fluids. This occurs if the object is less dense than its fluid surroundings. The fluid weighs more per volume, and tries to drop below the lighter...

Simulating the vortex of a hurricane in a 2-liter bottle is a straightforward and simple at-home or classroom experiment. With a little tape, some hard plastic piping and other inexpensive...

Barometric pressure is caused by the weight of the air above a specific location. Air molecules have a mass, and so when gravity acts on the air molecules, they have weight. Barometric pressure...

With so many people attempting to "go green" and protect the environment, a debate about which form of household heating is better has begun. The two options being discussed are electric heating...