Anatomy of an Egg - Exploratorium
WEBBumpy and grainy in texture, an eggshell is covered with as many as 17,000 tiny pores. Eggshell is made almost entirely of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) crystals. It is a semipermeable membrane, which means that air and moisture can pass through its pores. The shell also has a thin outermost coating called the bloom or cuticle that helps keep out ...
Build a Solar System Model | Exploratorium
WEBIf you build your solar system on a roll of toilet paper, you can make the Sun about .4 inches (10 mm) across and still fit the entire solar system on the roll. A standard roll of toilet paper has about 450 sheets that are about 4.375 inches long, hence the roll is about 164 feet long. You should check your toilet paper for length.
Origins: CERN: Ideas: The Big Bang - Exploratorium
WEBThe universe began, scientists believe, with every speck of its energy jammed into a very tiny point. This extremely dense point exploded with unimaginable force, creating matter and propelling it outward to make the billions of galaxies of our vast universe. Astrophysicists dubbed this titanic explosion the Big Bang.
Secret Language: Cryptography & Secret Codes | Exploratorium
WEBThe algorithm or method used to encipher the original message (known as the plaintext). The key used with the algorithm to allow the plaintext to be both enciphered and deciphered. The period or time during which the key is valid. By way of analogy, to get into your home you would put a key in a lock to open the door.
Science of Eggs: Egg Science | Exploratorium
WEBEgg proteins change when you heat them, beat them, or mix them with other ingredients. Understanding these changes can help you understand the roles that eggs play in cooking. Proteins are made of long chains of amino acids. The proteins in an egg white are globular proteins, which means that the long protein molecule is twisted and folded and curled up into a more or less spherical shape.
Flower Dissection: Plant Biology Science Activity | Exploratorium ...
WEBDraw what you see, if it helps you. Carefully remove the petals from the flower (you can use scissors or gently pull the petals off). You will probably notice that the center of the flower contains long filaments (click to enlarge the photo below). Use the hand lens and/or dissecting microscope to examine the filaments.
Solar Eclipse 2024: Info & Live Stream | Exploratorium
WEBThe Exploratorium and NASA have teamed up to bring you live eclipse coverage for over 20 years. This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Grant No. NNX16AB96A issued through the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Prepare for the next eclipse on April 8, 2024. Learn what a …
What is sugar? - Exploratorium
WEBThe white stuff we know as sugar is sucrose, a molecule composed of 12 atoms of carbon, 22 atoms of hydrogen, and 11 atoms of oxygen (C12H22O11). Like all compounds made from these three elements, sugar is a carbohydrate. It’s found naturally in most plants, but especially in sugarcane and sugar beets—hence their names.
What Causes a Solar Eclipse? | Exploratorium
WEBA solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting the moon's shadow on Earth. This only happens occasionally, because the moon doesn't orbit in the exact same plane as the Sun and Earth do. Two things need to occur at once for you to see a solar eclipse: the Sun, moon, and Earth need to be in a straight line, with ...
Guide to Celebrating Pi (π) Day - Exploratorium
WEBEvery year on March 14—Albert Einstein’s birthday—number lovers can raise a piece of pie to Pi (π) Day, an international celebration of one of math’s most famous constants: the irrational, never-ending number π, pronounced pi (3.14159 . . .). Exploratorium physicist Larry Shaw invented the playful celebration in 1988, and Congress declared it an official U.S. national holiday in 2009.