What was the first mass-produced consumer product? Items have been produced in large numbers for thousands of years, but most were not everyday goods for ordinary people to buy. The first true mass-produced consumer products were most likely textiles in the late 18th century. There is evidence of large-scale production going back thousands of years. […]
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Why do we use feet and inches, and why do eggs come in dozens? Why do we use feet and inches, and why do eggs come in dozens? We basically use feet as measurements because everybody has feet, and eggs come in dozens because it is easier to divide them up. Imperial measurements are slowly
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Why do printers use CMYK not RGB? Printers use CMYK because paper reflects light rather than emitting it. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Black has the letter K because it stands for “key plate.” In old-style printing, the key plate was the plate that carried the most detail and definition. Because most
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Why do power stations have giant chimneys? The large conical towers that power stations usually have are giant cooling stacks, which are there to remove excess heat after the electricity generation process. When we see them in the distance, white clouds are belching out of them, but this is mostly water vapor that becomes visible
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Why do living things stop growing? Not all living things stop growing, but those that do stop for a number of different reasons. Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects, and plants all follow different growth programs, and those programs reflect different body plans and different trade-offs. Not all living organisms stop growing. Plants and fungi often
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Why does an octopus have three hearts? An octopus has three hearts because getting oxygen from gills is hard work, and its copper-based blood does not carry oxygen as efficiently as human blood. Using three pumps keeps oxygen moving through the gills and around the body. The job of a heart is to keep blood
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Can birds sleep while they fly? Not all species can, but there are some birds that can sleep while they are flying. Most birds land to sleep. They perch on branches or buildings, balanced so well that they can stand on two legs without toppling over. Many species also have tendons that lock their feet
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How do salt flats form? Salt flats form when water with a high mineral content gets trapped and evaporates more quickly than it can be replenished. Salt flats are sometimes called salt pans. They are a large expanse of land that used to be a lakebed but is now covered in a hard crust of
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Do submarines still use periscopes? Yes, submarines do still use periscopes, although they now combine them with many other high-tech sensors as well. At its simplest, a periscope uses two angled reflectors to send light down a long tube. A basic periscope looks a bit like a straightened “S.” The top opening faces whatever is
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How does bleach kill microbes? Bleach sterilizes by oxidizing molecules in the cells of germs, viruses, and bacteria, killing them. When something is oxidized, electrons are taken away, which disrupts the function of important molecules. Rust is a familiar example of the kind of damage oxidation can do. There are two main types of bleach.
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