Science

Refine Search

How is propane made?

Propane is made of three carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms. Under normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, propane is a gas, although lower temperatures and moderate pressure convert it to liquid. If stored in its gaseous form, a thousand-gallon tank is about enough fuel for a family to cook for one week. The same tank storing liquid propane instead of gas can hold 270 times the amount of fuel. Propane is odorless, so mercaptan is added as an odorant to serve as a warning if propane gas is escaping.\nAlthough propane has historically been considered a non-renewable resource, Think Prog..

Continue Reading

How much mercury is there in a thermometer?

The amount of mercury present in a thermometer is very small. According to NHS, a typical thermometer that is used to measure body temperature contains not more than 3 grams of mercury. The typical fever thermometer contains 0.5 to 3 grams of elemental mercury. Inhaling the vapors of this liquid mercury can cause serious health issues in otherwise healthy person. So, the use of mercury thermometer has been banned for medical purposes in most countries since 2012.

Continue Reading

What makes sound waves?

Sound waves are mechanical in nature, making them differ from electromagnetic waves, which are responsible for light. This mechanical nature means that sound only propagates through a medium, whereas light can travel through a vacuum. This is why a bell in an air-tight, vacuum jar cannot make a sound, yet is still easy to see.\nSound waves have a variety of characteristics that relate to the characteristics of the vibrating object. For example, the pitch or frequency of the sound waves is directly related to the vibrating frequency of the object. Similarly, objects whose vibrations have a high..

Continue Reading

What is the function of spikes on a virus?

One virus that possesses both H spikes and N spikes is the influenza virus, which exists in Type A, B and C forms based on the different protein and nucleic acid makeup of the virus, notes the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Influenza Type A has been responsible for several global outbreaks of the flu throughout history, and Type A viruses can contain 16 subtypes of H spikes and nine N-spike subtypes. The name of an influenza strain indicates which spike subtypes it contains. Thus, the H1N1 virus responsible for the swine flu contains subtype one H spikes and subtype one..

Continue Reading

What methods can be used to determine motility?

Of all the methods to determine motility, the wet mount slide is the simplest. By placing a few pieces of the organism on a single slide and covering it with glass, it is possible to tell whether or not the organism has any motility along with other factors, such as its arrangement and shape. The hanging drop slide is similar, but instead of observing organisms between two glass slides, the organisms are viewed through a hanging drop of water that is closed inside a chamber.\nBecause pathogenic organisms are dangerous, an entirely different method must be used to determine their mobility. To d..

Continue Reading

Where does salt come from?

The three methods of industrial salt production are solution mining, deep-shaft mining and solar evaporation. Most table and industrial salt is produced by solution mining, whereby water is injected into massive deposits of salt forced to the surface of the Earth by tectonic pressures. The water dissolves the salt into a solution, called brine, which is then pumped out and dehydrated at another location.\nIn deep-shaft mining, or conventional mining, tunnels are dug underground to reach the salt leftover from ancient sea beds, which is then mined like any other mineral. This primarily results ..

Continue Reading

Why do we bury bodies six feet under?

If bodies are not buried deep enough, a few years' worth of soil erosion could expose them. Not only is this unsightly, but there is a common fear that dead bodies spread disease. In reality, very few diseases can be contracted from dead bodies.\nMany graves today are only about four feet. Burial laws vary, but 18 inches of soil on top of a casket is a common requirement. If the body is not enclosed, two feet of soil is often mandated. In some places, such as low-lying wet land areas, graves must be much deeper than six feet, otherwise they would fill with water.\nIt is also important to ..

Continue Reading

What is the difference between diffusion and osmosis?

When water dissolves another substance, it is because the polar water molecules and the solute attract one another. Each atom, ion or molecule of solute has a charge in at least one region that attracts one side or another of the water molecule. As such, as many water molecules as possible tend to gather around each particle of solvent. In liquid water, all molecules are in constant, random motion around each other. However, because of the attraction, the water molecules are slightly more likely to move toward particles of solute than they are away from them, and solute particles are more like..

Continue Reading

What are some facts about nebulae?

Emission nebulae are the birth site of a star. They emit very hot particles that appear as bright rays of light. Filled with an abundance of hydrogen gas, an emission nebula glows red or pink. The Orion Nebula, found in the Orion constellation, is an emission nebula.\nReflection nebulae do not have the energy necessary to emit hot particles. The dust in this type of nebula reflects light from surrounding areas of energy. They glow blue in color. The Witch Head nebula, also found in the Orion constellation, is an example of a reflection nebula.\nPlanetary nebulae resemble small planets when vie..

Continue Reading

What are the three main parts of the circulatory system?

In humans, the heart is a fist-sized muscle located slightly to the left of center in the chest. It acts as an engine for the circulatory system, pumping blood through the blood vessels. It will beat approximately three billion times in an average human lifespan.The blood vessels are hollow tubes that conduct blood from the heart to the body’s tissues and back again. There are three types: arteries, veins and capillaries. Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart and to the tissues. The one exception to this is the pulmonary artery, which carries deoxygenated blood from the heart t..

Continue Reading
Showing 8601 to 8610 of 10000 (1000 Pages)