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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
Engineering

High Altitude

Have you ever read the directions on a box of cake mix? There are special instructions for high-altitude baking. Has anyone who visited the Rocky Mountains told you how hard it was to breathe there? ... Continue reading

HighAltitude
Medicine

What Is a Bruise?

A bruise is a deposit of blood under the skin. It flows from tiny capillaries that break when you bump your shin on the furniture or take the batter's pop fly in the eye. The injury starts out looking ... Continue reading

WhatIsaBruise
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
Geology

The Hydrology of Drought

A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions that results in water-related problems. Precipitation (rain or snow) falls in uneven patterns across the country. The amount of precipitation at a ... Continue reading

TheHydrologyofDrought

Ultraviolet Light

UltravioletLightUltraviolet light is a form of radiation which is not visible to the human eye. It's in an invisible part of the 'electromagnetic spectrum'. Radiated energy, or radiation, is given off by many objects: a light bulb, a crackling fire, and stars are some examples of objects which emit radiation. The type of radiation being emitted depends on the temperature of the object. A coal glowing red in a barbecue is cooler than our Sun, which appears yellow, which is cooler still than some stars which appear bright white.

If a prism is used to break-up the radiated light from an object into its component colors, the 'visible light' which our eyes can see makes up only a small part of the total spectrum. Visible light runs from the familiar blue to green to yellow to orange to red. Red light is the least energetic of the colors of visible light, and blue is the most energetic. Beyond the red end of the visible part of the spectrum lies the infrared and radio radiation. Infrared 'light' is familiar to us as heat, while radio waves are used for TV and radio broadcasts.

Beyond the blue end of the visible spectrum lies ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-rays. All of the X-rays, gamma-rays and ultraviolet light emitted by stars are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. That is why we need to send our telescopes into space (such as Astro-2 !) in order to measure the ultraviolet light from stars and galaxies. Many scientists are interested in studying the invisible universe of ultraviolet light, since the hottest and most active objects in the universe give off large amounts of ultraviolet energy.