How does an airplane de-icing system work? The plane’s wings are sprayed with a heated, high-pressure solution of propylene glycol and water. Planes fly throughout the year, in all kinds of weather, and there is very little that can stop them. When they fly, they have to avoid heavy storms, but rain is generally not […]
#1501 How does an airplane de-icing system work? Read More »
What is a Stirling engine? A Stirling engine is an engine that uses the expansion and contraction of a gas when heated and cooled to carry out mechanical work. A Stirling engine works on the principle that gases expand when heated and contract when cooled. When thermal energy is applied to a gas, the molecules
#1499 What is a Stirling engine? Read More »
How much air does a hovercraft need? The amount of air a hovercraft needs obviously depends on its weight, its size, the speed of its fans, and the quality of the skirt around it. Hovercraft work by producing pressurized air underneath them, which lifts the hovercraft off the ground. A second fan at the back
#1497 How much air does a hovercraft need? Read More »
How does a fountain pen work? A fountain pen works because of gravity, surface tension, and capillary action. The fountain pen essentially has three parts. At the back, underneath the part you hold, is the ink reservoir. This is usually a disposable cartridge, but it can be a refillable one. The cartridges are sealed until
#1496 How does a fountain pen work? Read More »
How does a TCAS system work? A TCAS system works by analyzing another aircraft’s position, altitude, and speed and working out if a collision is likely, before offering advice to both planes. TCAS stands for Traffic Collision Avoidance System, and it has been installed on most commercial aircraft since the 1980s. A need for such
#1490 How does a TCAS system work? Read More »
How does a thermometer work? A traditional thermometer works by knowing how much mercury will expand at different temperatures. An oven thermometer works by knowing how much a piece of metal will expand when heated. And a modern thermometer uses a thermistor, which has a different electrical resistance at different temperatures. The idea behind the
#1487 How does a thermometer work? Read More »
How do CDs and cassettes record information? CDs record information by using pits and bumps, or by using burned colored dye. Cassettes record information by using charged magnetic tape. There are three types of CDs. There are the CDs you buy prerecorded from the shop, CDs that you burn yourself in your computer, and CDs
#1485 How do CDs and cassettes record information? Read More »
How does a Polaroid camera work? A Polaroid camera technically works in the same way as a regular camera, except that all of the chemicals needed to develop the photograph are already inside the photographic film that is inside the camera. These days, we mostly use digital cameras or our phones. However, back in the
#1480 How does a Polaroid camera work? Read More »
How does an airport metal detector work? An airport metal detector works by creating an electromagnetic field that gets disrupted by any metal objects that pass through it. A metal detector in an airport can do its job because metal can be induced to produce an electromagnetic field, and bone, flesh, and the water in
#1474 How does an airport metal detector work? Read More »
How does Velcro work? Velcro consists of two pieces of tape. One side has hooks and the other side has loops. When you put them together, the hooks get caught in the loops and hold the two pieces of tape together. Velcro is a brand name, but it has become synonymous with the product, just
#1471 How does Velcro work? Read More »
