How did we discover Neptune? Neptune is the only planet in the Solar System whose existence was predicted by mathematics before it was observed. Neptune is the furthest planet in our solar system. It has about 17 times the mass of the Earth and is a gas giant. There is a lot of methane in […]
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Why don’t metronomes slow down? Mechanical metronomes do slow down eventually, but not in the same way that a normal swinging pendulum does. A simple pendulum loses energy with every swing because of friction and air resistance. A metronome has a wound spring inside it that keeps adding a little energy back into the movement,
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Why was Gettysburg important? Gettysburg was important because it was the symbolic turning point in the American Civil War and not just because of Lincoln’s famous speech. The majority of people probably know about Gettysburg because of the famous speech Abraham Lincoln gave there. He was speaking four months after the battle had been won
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What is a solar tube? A solar tube is a way of channeling natural sunlight into a house to provide natural illumination without needing power or a window. Solar tubes are also called light tubes, solar pipes, or sun tunnels. These names pretty much tell you exactly what they are designed to do. A lot
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Who invented algebra? Algebra was invented by many people over many years, but Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi is known as the “father of algebra” and it is from his seminal work that we get the word “algebra”. The word algorithm also comes from the Latin version of his name “Algorismus”. Algebra is a branch of
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How does a smartwatch measure pulse and blood oxygen levels? A smartwatch measures both pulse and blood oxygen levels by shining different colored lights through your skin and into your blood vessels. These days, smartwatches have more and more functions, and many of those functions are to do with health. Two things they can do
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What was the brightest supernova? It depends on what we mean by “brightest”. The brightest supernova that records exist for was SN 1006, which was visible from April 30 to May 1, 1006 (hence its name). The SN stands for supernova. There have been far more massive supernova that we couldn’t see from Earth. A
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What is the Zeigarnik Effect? The Zeigarnik Effect is the idea that our brains remember unfinished tasks more easily than finished ones. It often goes hand in hand with the Ovsiankina effect. Have you ever noticed that you spend a lot of time thinking about things you have to do at work? Projects, upcoming tasks,
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What was the Spanish Inquisition? The Spanish Inquisition was a judicial institution, run as a royal court, that investigated and prosecuted heresy and religious nonconformity in Spain (and later the Spanish Empire), and was used by the monarchy to enforce Catholic religious conformity. “Inquisition” just means “inquiry.” The Catholic Church had investigated suspected heresy long
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Why do beans cause gas? Beans cause gas because of the complex sugars and fiber that they contain. Beans are the seeds produced by plants in the legume family. A lot of them are edible, but not all of them. Humans cultivate and make use of many different kinds of beans. Beans are seeds, but
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