ScienceIQ.com

How Many Cows Does It Take To String A Tennis Racquet?

How many cows does it take to string a tennis racquet? According to Professor Rod Cross of the University of Sydney, an expert on the physics and technology of tennis, the answer is 3. Many top professional tennis players still prefer to string their racquets with natural gut instead of synthetics due to natural gut's soft feel, high elasticity and ...

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TennisRacquet
Biology

Bioenergy Basics

Biomass (organic matter) can be used to provide heat, make fuels, and generate electricity. This is called bioenergy. Wood, the largest source of bioenergy, has been used to provide heat for thousands ... Continue reading

BioenergyBasics
Biology

The Razor-sharp Surgeonfish

As any diver can tell you, the waters under the sea can be beautiful and dangerous. The oceans are full of venemous fish, sharks, stinging jellies, manta rays and an assortment of spiny urchins and ... Continue reading

RazorsharpSurgeonfish
Astronomy

Galaxy Cluster RDCS 1252.9-2927

A color composite image of the galaxy cluster RDCS 1252.9-2927 shows the X-ray (purple) light from 70-million-degree Celsius gas in the cluster, and the optical (red, yellow and green) light from the ... Continue reading

GalaxyClusterRDCS125292927
Astronomy

The Brave and Cold Ulysses

Deep space is cold. Very cold. That's a problem--especially if you're flying in an old spaceship. And your power supplies are waning. And the fuel lines could freeze at any moment. Oh, and by the way, ... Continue reading

TheBraveandColdUlysses

Mobius Strip

MobiusStripA Mobius Strip is an amusing three-dimensional object whose surface has only one side. Huh? Well, most objects you can imagine have a surface with two sides. For example, an ordinary piece of paper has two sides; you can paint one side blue and the other red. Now, a Mobius Strip has no other side! Don’t believe me? Try it yourself: cut a piece of paper about 1/2 inch (1 cm) wide and about 10 inches (25 cm) long. Close this strip of paper on itself - almost making a ring; however, rotate one end of this strip by 180 degrees. Tape the joint. Now take a red pen and start painting. You will very soon realize that you will be able to paint the whole Mobius Strip with red color without ever lifting the pen off its surface.

Mobius strip was named after the astronomer and mathematician August Ferdinand Mobius (1790-1868). He came up with his strip in September 1858. Independently, German mathematician Johann Benedict Listing (1808-1882) devised the same object in July 1858. Perhaps we should call it the Listing Strip?