6. Wild Science Facts You Probably Didn't Learn in High School
We learn about some awesome science in high school - like Einstein's theory of relativity, the Periodic table, and DNA replication.
The knowledge we pick up there sets the foundations for all the other amazing things we go on to study. But science definitely doesn't end at high school, and it's once you take your learning to the next level that things get really interesting.
In no particular order, here are some mind-bending incredible facts that we didn't learn at high school, but wish we did. Because I certainly would have paid a whole lot more attention if my teacher had shared a few of these insights in class.
Side note: if you did learn about all of this and more at school, then you had a kick-ass teacher and you should probably tell them that.
1. Lasers can get trapped in a waterfall
Oh my gosh, yes. Not only is this an incredible example of total internal reflection, but it also shows how fiber optic cables work to guide the flow of light.
2. We've got spacecraft hurtling towards the edge of our Solar System really, really fast
We all know rockets are fast, and space is big. But sometimes when we're talking about how long it takes for us to get to distant parts of the Solar System (eight months to get to Mars, are you kidding me?) it can feel like our spacecraft are just crawling along out there.
This gif shows just how wrong that idea is by comparing the speed of the New Horizons probe, which flew past Pluto last year, to a 747 and SR-71 Blackbird.
3. You can prove Pythagoras' theorem with fluid
Not buying what your maths teacher is selling when they tell you a2 + b2 = c2? You can actually prove it with liquid.
4. This is how a face forms in the womb
Embryonic development is an incredibly complex process that scientists are still just beginning to understand. But one thing researchers have been able to map out is how the embryo folds to create the structures of the human face in the womb. We could watch this all day.
5. Cats always land on their feet, thanks to physics
As Smarter Every Day demonstrated with this awesome slow-mo footage, cats actually use the two halves of their bodies separately to ensure rapid rotation (don't try this at home).
6. If you spin a ball as you drop it, it flies
I mean, it really flies. It's thanks to the Magnus effect, which occurs when the air on the front side of a spinning object is going the same direction as its spin, which means it gets dragged along with the object and deflected back.
Meanwhile, the air on the other side of the ball is moving in the opposite direction, so the airflow separates.
BRB... going to go drop a feather and a bowling ball at the same time: http://corneey.com/wCA7ef
No comments:
Post a Comment