Who gave the first wedding presents? The story behind this has a fairy tale quality to it. Long ago, a rich girl of Holland wanted to marry a poor but good-hearted miller who was very popular. But the girl’s father was against the marriage and...
What are the elements? Everything on earth is made up of elements. Elements have atoms of only one kind. No two elements are completely alike. Elements have weight and they may be in different forms like solid, liquid, or gas. Some are soluble in water....
What kind of clothes did the Mayans wear? The men folk wore simple loin cloths. In cold weather they also wore a cloak called a ‘manta’. Men had elaborate headdresses decorated with quetzal or macaw feathers. Women wore smock-like dresses. The Mayans also wore hats...
What is recycling? We usually throw away things we no longer need. Paper, plastic, clothes it can be anything. This results in a lot of waste that might be difficult to dispose of. Recycling is the practice of using such materials again instead of throwing...
Why is the internet like a web? Several millions of computers all around the world make up the internet. They are all connected like a huge spider’s web. A computer is connected to a machine called the modem. The modem sends signals to a server....
What was a boneshaker? A boneshaker was one of the first bicycles used by man. It had solid tyres and riding it was not comfortable at all. In fact it made one’s bones shake and hence the name. In 1888, rubber tyres filled with air...
What are puffins? The puffin is a kind of seabird. While many seabirds make nests, the puffin digs a burrow on a cliff top like a rabbit. On occasion it might take over an empty rabbit hole too. It lays its eggs in the burrow...
What causes snow avalanches? It takes very little to start a snow avalanche. A change in temperature can set it off. Or the pressure from the weight of one skier. Or even someone slamming a car door. Snow avalanches start under the weight of snow...
What is an autopsy? A When a person dies of unknown causes or under suspicious circumstances, usually an autopsy is performed. It means examining the dead body to find out the cause of death. The body is cut open and the internal organs are examined....
How can mixed colours be separated? The method that is used for this purpose is called chromatography. Suppose that a drop of ink is placed in the centre of a piece of paper and some water is sprinkled on top of it. It can be...
