The Art and Science of 3D Printing

How 3D Printing Works 3D printing builds objects by stacking material layer by layer. 3D printing begins with a digital design created using specialized computer-aided design (CAD) software. The printer reads the design and “slices” it into hundreds or...

Engineering of Roller Coasters

How Roller Coasters Work Roller coasters rely on fundamental physics principles, including gravity, potential energy, and kinetic energy. Initially, a lift hill or launch provides the coaster with potential energy, a form of stored energy. As the coaster drops,...

Seeing, Sensing, Moving: Robots in Action

How Robots See the World Robots utilize specialized sensors and cameras to “see”  their surroundings. Robots use cameras, similar to the human eye, to capture images and videos. They also use LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to bounce lasers off objects and create...

The Sunshine Vitamin

How We Get Vitamin D Your body makes Vitamin D with a little help from the sun. When sunlight hits your skin, it triggers a chemical reaction that produces Vitamin D. Vitamin D starts as an inactive form called 7-dehydrocholesterol in your skin. UVB rays from sunlight...

The Science of Color Vision

The Science Behind Color Vision Our eyes see color by detecting light and translating it into signals the brain understands. Light travels through the cornea, pupil, and lens, and is focused on the retina at the back of the eye. The retina contains two types of...

The Sneeze Reflex

The Science of Sneezing Sneezing is your body’s powerful way of protecting your airways from harmful irritants and getting rid of things that can make you sick or cause inflammation. A sneeze starts when something irritating — like dust, pollen, or pepper — enters...

The Science of Heat Transfer

Thermal Energy & Heat Transfer Thermal energy is the energy of moving particles; heat transfer is how that energy moves from hotter objects to cooler ones. All matter is made of constantly moving particles — the faster they move, the hotter the object. Heat always...

From Sun to Socket

How Solar Panels Work Solar panels capture sunlight and transform it into usable electricity through the photovoltaic effect. Solar panels consist of many solar cells, which are usually made from silicon, a material that easily moves electrons. When sunlight hits...

Elastic and Spring Forces

Exploring Elastic Forces Elastic forces are the secret behind how stretched or compressed materials return to their original shape. Elastic force is a restoring force that returns an object to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed. It makes a...

Osmosis: How Water Moves

What is Osmosis? Osmosis is the movement of water molecules through a semi-permeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to a low concentration to balance things out. A raisin swells in water because water moves into it to balance the high sugar...
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