Science

Refine Search

What is a Hirsch funnel?

Hirsch funnels, combined with a side-arm flask and a vacuum aspirator, help chemists pull liquid through a perforated glass or porcelain plate, leaving the solid material behind. The difference with Hirsch funnels is the perforated plate is part of the funnel, unlike a removable disk that allows leakage around the edges. Some Hirsch funnels have fine glass filters, eliminating the need for filter papers. Most Hirsch funnels are used in organic chemistry laboratories.

Continue Reading

What is frequency measured in?

In communications and physics, a person can calculate a wave's frequency to tell how many waves pass by a specific point in a second or hour. One cycle of the repeating movement is referred to as a period. Some other things that have a frequency that can be measured include radio and TV waves, which are often measured in kilohertz (which stands for 1,000 cycles per second) or megahertz (which stands for 1 million cycles per second).

Continue Reading

How do light waves travel?

No one had deduced that light traveled in waves until Thomas Young in 1801. Through his experiment, which filtered a beam of light through a narrow slit in a playing card, Young saw that light left an imprint much like a bar code. He explained this by stating that light moves in waves, with high points and low points, just as a wave traveling in the ocean has peaks and troughs. Scientists were baffled as to how light waves could move through space and time without a medium until the work of James Clerk Maxwell. He was the first to state that light waves produce electromagnetic fields of radiat..

Continue Reading

What kind of rock is granite?

Usually gray or pinkish in color with a medium or coarse texture, granite is one of the most common rocks in the Earth's crust. It can be found in masses of up to hundreds of square miles in area in some places. Granite's hardness makes it useful in construction, and many quarries are scattered throughout Europe, Southern Africa, Brazil and India. There is some evidence that not all granite, however, is igneous rock, but that some is actually metamorphic.

Continue Reading

How many neutrons does krypton have?

Every atom of krypton has 36 protons, but the number of electrons can vary. A stable atom of krypton has 36 negatively charged electrons to cancel out the 36 positively charged protons found in its nucleus. If krypton were to lose one electron, it would become an ion represented by the symbol Kr+. There is a charge of +1 because there are now more positive charges in the atom than negative charges.

Continue Reading

What is basalt made of?

Basalt is a small-grained rock composed of minerals such as pyroxene and plagioclase. Pyroxene minerals include augite and diopside, and plagioclase minerals include perthite and labradorite. The physical properties of basalt can result in varying textures, ranging from airy pumice-like compositions to dense masses with smooth surfaces. Basalts with a greater amount of nepheline instead of feldspar can have a finer texture than that of basalt with a higher concentration of plagioclasic feldspar. Compared to gabbro, basalt generally has a smooth texture, although many specimens of basalt have a..

Continue Reading

What does the ozone layer do?

When the ozone layer absorbs the sun's ultraviolet radiation, it creates a source of heat and regulates the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere. If the ozone didn't filter the sun's ultraviolet radiation, most of it would reach the Earth's surface, which would be dangerous for plants and animals. Researchers conducted experiments in which plants, animals and humans were exposed to ultraviolet radiation, and the results showed that the radiation had harmful results.\nWithin the ozone layer, ozone molecules are constantly formed and destroyed. The total amount of ozone..

Continue Reading

What do acids and bases have in common?

Acids and bases are two types of solutions that have different, distinct properties. Acids and bases can, in a sense, be thought of as opposites, because they can cancel each other out when one is added to the other. The acids and bases are quantified on a scale called the pH scale. On the pH scale, seven is neutral and any solution above seven is a base and any below seven is an acid. The further away from seven a solution is, the more acidic or basic it is.When placed on skin, acids tend to burn and create irritation, while bases just feel slippery. Naturally occurring acids taste sour, such..

Continue Reading

What does the EPA do?

The EPA releases its research to the public and also invites public comment. For example, white papers were released in 2014 that detailed low-cost ways to reduce methane gas emissions. The papers were part of a plan meant to regulate the release of methane, especially by the oil and gas industry, which is the largest producer of methane pollution. Under the Clean Air Act, the agency spearheaded another regulation meant to reduce the release of ozone into the atmosphere from manufacturing plants. Improving air quality is one of five goals in the agency's 4-year strategic plan, which also ..

Continue Reading

What gives urine its strong smell?

Healthy urine is 95 percent water and 5 percent uric acid and other metabolic wastes. That 5 percent is what gives urine its distinctive smell. When an individual is dehydrated, his urine becomes more concentrated, and the amount of uric acid and waste in the stream rises. Diabetics may have urine that smells sweet, as the body excretes excess sugar as a waste product.\nOther conditions, such as urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and kidney problems, can also affect the odor of urine; however, it is not uncommon for healthy people to notice a change in their urine's s..

Continue Reading
Showing 3021 to 3030 of 10000 (1000 Pages)