ScienceIQ.com

Is The Sea Really On The Level?

When we measure the height of mountains, we measure from a constant number called sea level. For instance Mount Whitney in California is 14,494 feet (4,418 m) above sea level. We start at 0 feet and end up precisely, by careful measurement, at 14,494 feet (4,418 m) . That sounds well and good until you consider that sea level IS NOT a constant. It ...

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SeaLevel
Astronomy

A Map of the Sky

Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful... we know they're spectacular sites, but how did we find out about them? Early explorers took the time to map out the United States and as a result, you ... Continue reading

AMapoftheSky
Chemistry

Your Nose Knows!

Would you like spearmint or caraway flavor? That's a strange choice, but believe it or not, they are the same thing. Well, almost. Spearmint and caraway both contain a molecule called carvone with the ... Continue reading

YourNoseKnows
Geology

What Are The Key Ingredients For An Avalanche?

All that is necessary for an avalanche is a mass of snow and a slope for it to slide down. For example, have you ever noticed the snowpack on a car windshield after a snowfall? While the temperature ... Continue reading

Avalanche
Physics

The Physics of Sandcastles

Give a plastic bucket and a shovel to a child, then turn her loose on a beach full of sand. She'll happily toil the day away building the sandcastle to end all sandcastles. It's pure fun. It's also ... Continue reading

Sandcastles

Vibrational Energy

VibrationalEnergyWhy is hearing such a rich and powerful sense? Maybe because it alone of all the senses has the power to fill our entire body with vibrational energy. We sometimes think of hearing as one of the 'distant' senses, distant because we can use it to perceive things from a distance without having to get too close. In some ways, though, hearing is a much 'closer' sense than even taste or touch.

All the senses gather energy, but only sound can set your body vibrating like a giant tuning fork. Sound is, in fact, vibration. When vibrations in the air beat against the thin skin of your eardrum, stretched tight like the skin of a real drum, it commences to vibrate at almost exactly the same frequency. So the first step in hearing is when your ears internalize and match the external vibrations traveling through the air, and a part of your body begins to vibrate in harmony with the soundwaves themselves.