Science Notes Posts

Protons and electrons stick to each other as much as they can, but kinetic energy and quantum mechanics keep them from holding still. — Protons and electrons are attracted to each other because the positive electric charge of the proton is attracted to the negative charge of the electron. But, if they two particles find each other so attractive, why don’t protons and electrons stick together? Orbits and Waves In a sense, protons and […]
Why Don't Protons Stick to Electrons? Recently updated !

Thermal polish is sometimes sold as mood polish. (Lelê Breveglieri) — Thermal nail polish is a type of polish that changes colors according to temperature. It’s like wearing a mood ring on your nails, except most thermochromic polish only switches between two colors rather than displaying the whole rainbow. The cool (or hot!) effect involves a bit of chemistry. Here’s how […]

How Does Thermal Nail Polish Work? Recently updated !

This entry was posted on December 12, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on December 12, 2018)

Science can explain the phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion. (Elti Meshau) — Every now and then, there’s a news story about a mysterious death where the victim has burned, seemingly without being set on fire or in proximity to a heat source. In other cases, a fresh corpse began to burn, without external assistance. If forensics rules out obvious causes, like passing […]

Is Spontaneous Human Combustion Possible?

This entry was posted on December 5, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on December 5, 2018)

Snow Ice Cream — Delicious, creamy snow ice cream is one of the best parts of winter! There are many ways to make snow ice cream. You can use snow as the main ingredient or you can use it to freeze any other ice cream recipe. Snow Ice Cream With Snow as an Ingredient […]

Snow Ice Cream Recipes

This entry was posted on November 16, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine

Real snowflakes are beautiful, but melt quickly. Grow borax crystal snowflakes and enjoy them as sparkling ornaments or decorations year-round. The snowflakes are naturally clear or white, but you can tint them blue or any color you like. Borax Crystal Snowflake Materials Basically, you’re growing borax crystals over a snowflake […]

Make Borax Crystal Snowflakes

This entry was posted on October 13, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on November 24, 2018)

When it's really cold, you can see your breath. — If you’re outside on a cold winter day or even if you breathe into the freezer, sometimes you can see your breath. Yet, sometimes it’s not all that chilly and see you puffs of vapor, while other times it’s downright frigid and you don’t see anything at all. What’s going […]

Why Do You See Your Breath When It’s Cold?

This entry was posted on May 28, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on November 12, 2018)

Moon Vocabulary Word Search — The largest object in our night sky has its own vocabulary. Learn some of these terms and find them in this Moon Vocabulary Word Search.

Moon Vocabulary Word Search Recently updated !

This entry was posted on December 13, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on December 14, 2018)

The neutron is a neutral subatomic particle found in the atomic nucleus. — The neutron is a subatomic particle with a mass of 1 and charge of 0. Neutrons are found with protons in the atomic nucleus. While the number of protons in a atom determines its element, the number of neutrons determines its isotope. Although a neutron has a net neutral electrical […]

What Is a Neutron? Physics and Chemistry Definition Recently updated !

This entry was posted on December 13, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on December 13, 2018)

Rocks Minerals Word Search — Word searches are a great way to introduce vocabulary terms to students or just as a fun pastime. This Rocks and Minerals word search contains 33 geology terms associated with types or rocks and minerals.

Rocks and Minerals Word Search Recently updated !

This entry was posted on December 11, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on December 11, 2018)

These are different samples of pure zinc. The metal is shiny metallic silver-gray when freshly cut. (Alchemist-hp) — Zinc is a silver-gray metal with element symbol Zn and atomic number 30. The element is essential for human life and widely used in commercial applications. These zinc facts include basic facts, chemical and physical properties, and interesting trivia about the element. Basic Zinc Facts Name: Zinc Atomic Number: 30 […]

Zinc Facts Recently updated !

This entry was posted on December 10, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on December 10, 2018)

disk of ice — When a substance changes its state of matter, it takes a specific amount of energy to complete the change. When the phase change is between solid and liquid, the amount of energy per unit mass is called the heat of fusion. These heat of fusion example problems will how to […]

Heat of Fusion Example Problem Recently updated !

This entry was posted on December 9, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on December 9, 2018)