The origin of gunpowder and its history is quite complex. Gun powder or black powder was given its name in the 19th century. Black powder consisted of three elements. A nitrate, usually potassium nitrate, was used to supply oxygen for…
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People continue to demonstrate the desire to communicate, and ham radio fulfills this need admirably. There are many radio services, most of them requiring licensure before you can legally talk, text, or type to others, some of them even requiring…
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Pencils are inexpensive and are scattered all around. This is especially true when there are young children around. They need pencils to do their homework and they need pencil sharpeners to keep their blunt ends sharp. The best pencil sharpeners…
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Plastic is one of those materials that is so common and abundant that it is easy to forget how much it has revolutionized the industrial world as well as the every day ordinary things that go on in the lives…
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In a world in which technology is bringing people from different parts of the globe all together and allowing them to work side-by-side, it is only natural that problems should arise through having speakers of many different languages. It is…
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In this article we try to identify those ancient mental attitudes that had to change before experimental science could become the primary means for learning about our world. We begin by distinguishing experiment from measurement and from experimental problem-solving. 1….
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A pencil is a narrow, generally cylindrical implement for writing, drawing or marking, consisting of a thin rod of graphite, colored wax, or similar substance encased in wood.* A thorough examination of this ordinary everyday object will yield valuable lessons…
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He was born in 1822, his life and accomplishments spanned almost a century and he is credited with being a pioneer in numerous fields of the life sciences and exploration venues. This half-cousin of Charles Darwin was the youngest of…
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Without doubt, the greatest single catalyst for the rise of our modern industrial world was the development of the steam engine. From the earliest pumping engines to the latest steam turbines, the harnessing of steam power has fueled modernity. Yet…
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The bicycle as we know it today first got its start in 1817. Baron von Drais, of Germany, first developed this invention. It was known as the Draisienne, or hobby horse. It had two wheels of the same size, and…
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