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Kinetic Theory of Gases

Air is a gas, and gases can be studied by considering the small scale action of individual molecules or by considering the large scale action of the gas as a whole. We can directly measure, or sense, the action of the gas. But to study the action of the molecules, we must use a theoretical model. The model, called the kinetic theory of gases, ...

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KineticTheoryofGases
Biology

Steller Sea Lion Biology

The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is the largest member of the Otariid (eared seal) family. Males may be up to 325 cm (10-11 ft) in length and can weigh up to 1,100 kg (2,400 lb). Females are ... Continue reading

StellerSeaLionBiology
Astronomy

Neutron Stars

Ordinary matter, or the stuff we and everything around us is made of, consists largely of empty space. Even a rock is mostly empty space. This is because matter is made of atoms. An atom is a cloud of ... Continue reading

NeutronStars
Physics

Your Serve

NASA is well known for developing technology that makes things better, so can you believe that NASA actually did research on how to make tennis balls slower? ... Continue reading

YourServe
Geology

What's So Bad About The Badlands?

Hundreds of square miles of South Dakota are known as 'Badlands', a dry terrain of colorful rock formations and little vegetation. For pioneers crossing them in the 19th century, these lands were ... Continue reading

WhatsSoBadAboutTheBadlands

Look, Up in the Sky. It's A Bird. No It's A Meteorite!

MeteoriteSkyMost folks probably think of swallows and the ringing of the Mission bells when the words San Juan Capistrano are heard or seen. This is a popular tradition that celebrates the return of cliff swallows as they migrate north from their winter home in Argentina to their spring and summer home in southern California. The swallows' return typically occurs during mid-March. The sighting of the first swallow is celebrated in a festive event that starts with the ringing of the Mission San Juan Capistrano bells and other local traditions. The swallows' return has been celebrated for many years and actually dates back to the early years of the Mission when the padres observed that the swallows routinely returned around St. Joseph Day, March 19th.

While the return of the swallows is eagerly anticipated and eyes are directed skyward for the first sighting there may be some eyes watching for more than the return of birds. This could be because thirty years ago, late in the evening of March 15th 1973, a small rock smashed through the aluminum roof of a carport in San Juan Capistrano. This rock, a meteorite, was named the San Juan Meteorite. Interestingly it was not only seen falling but was also quickly recovered and put in the hands of scientists at the University of Southern California, San Diego. There it was identified as a chrondrite, one of three categories that meteorites are grouped into based on their composition. Meteorites, like the SJC Meteorite are fragments of rocky material that originally were part of an asteroid. These meteorites are important in that they are relatively pristine remnants of the early stages of the formation of our solar system.