I learned this today. Gyroscopes work because of the conservation of angular momentum. A gyroscope is useful to us when it is set in a gimbal because the axis of rotation on the gimble is free to assume any orientation, which means that the gyroscope at the center will move independently of the thing the […]
#69 How does a gyroscope work? Read More »
I learned this today. The difference between AC and DC current is that in DC the charge only flows in one direction but in AC it changes direction periodically. Direct current (DC) was first produced in 1800 by the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. That is why the volt is named after him. He produced electricity
#64 What is the difference between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC)? Read More »
I learned this today. We feel pain when we touch something very cold or very hot because of thermoreceptors in our skin that are activated by different proteins. Humans are able to withstand a fairly large range of temperatures, but we have to wear clothes to do this. Ancient humans started wearing clothes about 780,000
#63 Why do we feel pain when we touch cold or hot things? Read More »
I learned this today. The tallest a human could potentially grow is about 9 feet, 274cm. Humans grow because of a growth hormone called somatropin. It stimulates growth by telling cells to reproduce. It is released by the pituitary gland. It reacts with a specific receptor on the surface of cells, and it stimulates cell
#58 How tall could a human grow? Read More »
I learned this today. Spot welding was discovered by accident by Elihu Thomson in 1877 when he was giving a lecture on electricity and accidentally passed a current through two pieces of wire. Spot welding is obviously a form of welding. Welding is the process of joining any two pieces of metal together through heat.
#57 How does spot welding work and what is it used for? Read More »
I learned this today. Gold is so rare because it takes a staggeringly large amount of energy to produce it naturally. Gold has been treasured for as long as humans have been able to find it because of its unique properties. It is resistant to corrosion, conducts electricity and heat very well, doesn’t tarnish, is
#56 Why is gold so rare? Read More »
I learned this today. White blood cells kill invading bacteria, germs, and viruses in your body by eating them. White blood cells are produced by bone marrow. They are produced by hematopoietic stem cells, and they are stored within the bone marrow or lymph tissue until they are needed. They are also called leukocytes. When
#50 How do white blood cells kill pathogens? Read More »
I learned this today. An MRI works by causing the protons in the hydrogen nuclei in our bodies to align with a magnetic field and then disrupts them with a radio wave. Our bodies contain about 60% water, but this figure changes depending on the organ. All of the organs in our body, our tissue,
#43 How does an MRI work? Read More »
I learned this today. Cigarettes are addictive because the nicotine they contain is a highly addictive chemical. Nicotine is a naturally occurring chemical that is produced by plants. It is produced by many different types of plants: nightshade, tobacco, the coca plant, tomato, potato, eggplant, and green pepper. The concentrations differ depending on the plant.
#41 Why do we become addicted to nicotine? Read More »
I learned this today. You need to have four satellites in view to be able to use GPS. (Global Positioning System). Currently, there are 32 satellites orbiting in the Global Positioning System. One thing I learned today is that GPS is actually an American government-owned system. It was started by the American Department of Defense
#40 How does GPS know where I am? Read More »
