Science & Mathematics Questions & Answers

Blinking, apart from cleaning and lubricating the soft tissues of eyes, also serves as a protective way of keeping things away from entering the eyes, by lowering the eyelids and lashes for protection. Blinking is a reflex action and happens automatically, as soon as the brain perceives a threat. The striking of hammer is taken as a threat by the …

Not only the Nilgiris, but almost all mountains appear blue from a distance. This is due to a phenomenon known as the Rayleigh Scattering Effect. The light from the sun, due to which we see the mountains, is scattered by atmospheric molecules. The electric field of the incident sunlight oscillates the electrons in these molecules which, in turn, radiate light. …

Watching stars on a moonless night can be an quite an interesting experience. As clusters of stars take familiar forms – of a bear, a man in armor wielding a sword, millions of other stars simply twinkle. As if they were playing hide and seek with one’s eyes. Why do stars twinkle? We all know that each star is actually …

Some trees with broad-bladed leaves lose their leaves in the winter because the trees has a rest period during the cold weather, and the leaves are not needed for the production of food. These trees are called deciduous trees-from the Latin decidere which means to fall. They drop their leaves in temperate or cold climates, but remain evergreen in the …

Our mind controls our actions and movement; yet while there are acts we are aware of doing, there are others performed without our knowledge. We breathe, walk, sit, stand and so on without really being aware of doing so, because these acts are so natural that we do not have to think about them. Sometimes it happens that some of …

If you ever slept in a room with an uncle or an aunt who snores, you would know how annoying it can be. The person causing all the noise sleeps like a log, while the room partner spends the night tossing and turning; waking up bleary-eyed the next morning. Did you know that snoring is a common ailment all over …

The appendix is a small extension of a large intestine that has no function at all. But if it becomes damaged or infected it gets inflamed, and causes excruciating pain. If this happens it should be removed by a surgeon.

Some liquids will burn because when their molecules mix with the oxygen in the air the mixture becomes combustible. The application of heat promotes the necessary chemical reaction to put the molecules into more violent motion, so that they collide at high speed. The jolt loosens the bonds and makes it easier for the molecules to rearrange themselves and escape …

Some acids burn because they have a strong tendency to absorb water, giving out a great deal of heat in the process. Since most living cells contain water the strong acids, react with them and kill the cells, causing very serious burns. These three acids, as well as others such as perchloric acid and benzine sulphuric acid are called mineral …

Soldiers wear khaki for camouflage, of course, to ensure that they blend with their background and make them less easily spotted by their enemies. In early times camouflage was not so important to soldiers; fighting at that time was usually hand to hand, and distinctive uniforms were necessary so that the combatants could discriminate between friend and foe. The uniforms …