It is not true that different sections of the tongue are exclusively responsible for different basic tastes. This is a misconception that has persisted since 1901 and has been illustrated with a schematic map of the tongue, with certain parts of the tongue labeled for each taste. Although widely taught in schools, this was scientifically[…]
There are two main groups of bats – Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera. The Megachiroptera are medium-sized to large bats that eat fruits, nectar, and sometimes small animals or fish. These species have pronounced visual centers and big eyes as they use senses of vision and smell to capture their prey. For example, Flying Foxes are able[…]
Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Its standard unit of measure is in kilograms (kg). Weight is the force experienced by an object due to gravity. In freefall or in zero-gravity, an object that has mass has no weight. An object on the Moon will have the same mass on Earth, although[…]
Adding salt to water raises its boiling point but lowers its melting point. The sodium chloride ions dissociate in the water and form bonds with the water molecules. These bonds are stronger than the bonds between the water molecules themselves, so more energy is required by the water to break free into water vapour. Similarly,[…]
Space is not devoid of gravity. Gravity keeps all the stars orbiting around the center of the galaxy and all the planets in the solar system orbiting around the sun.
Stars appear to twinkle because we view them through our atmosphere. The light rays get refracted by the miles of air in our atmosphere, and random pockets of cold / warm air causes the light rays to shift in random patterns – so the point-like light sources seem to twinkle. Stars (except for the Sun)[…]
The Leidenfrost effect is a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid’s boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly. This is most commonly seen when cooking; one sprinkles drops of water in a pan to gauge its temperature: if the[…]
“Mrs Heng prepared ice lemonade for her son’s birthday party. She would like the drink to remain chilled with ice for as long as possible. Which type of ice, blocks or crushed, should she use?” The short answer: Ice blocks. They have less surface area in contact area with the drink than crushed ice. So[…]
Fun Science: The Newton’s cradle is a device that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy via a series of swinging spheres. If one ball is pulled away and is let to fall, it strikes the first ball in the series and comes to nearly a dead stop. The ball on the opposite side acquires most[…]
Science tip: There are tiny pores on the leaves of a plant called stomata (singular called stoma) where gaseous exchange can occur. Most water loss occurs through the stomata. This explains why when leaves are covered in oil, the water that a plant uses decreases.