What is wax? Wax is a thin coating found in many fruits, vegetables, and leaves of plants. Animals too produce wax. Synthetic waxes are also available. Minerals and petroleum too contain wax. Beeswax is used to make candles, cosmetics, crayons and artificial flowers. Most of...
What makes bread dough rise? Bread is made using flour, water, sugar and yeast. Yeast is actually a group of single-celled organisms. Yeast consumes the sugar and the starch from the flour and begins multiplying. This produces carbon dioxide which appears as bubbles in the...
What is a satellite? A satellite is a body that revolves around a larger body and is held to it by the latter’s attraction. Moon is a satellite of earth. There are man-made satellites too. These are spacecraft circling the earth. Some are used for...
How does cement harden? When cement is mixed with water it hardens. This is probably due to a complicated chemical reaction between the compounds in the cement and water. There are four main compounds in cement. These are believed to become crystals with the addition...
Which is the most well-known comet? Hailey’s comet is the most famous. English astronomer, Edmond Hailey, spotted it first in 1682. He felt that he had also seen it in 1531 and 1607. He Claimed that it would appear every 76 years and predicted that...
Do snakes have hearts? The make does have a heart. It also has a backbone, a liver, a digestive system, muscles, glands, and other organs. But it does not have legs or movable eyelids. That is why it has a glassy, unblinking stare. Its eyelid...
Do deserts have cold weather? Deserts are not always hot. Most of the Arctic region is a cold desert as it has little moisture and only special life forms can survive there. The Gobi desert is hot but in winter it becomes very cold. Most...
What is granite? Granite is one of the igneous or fire-made rocks. It was formed when hot rock or molten magma slowly cooled in the earth. It is found under mountain folds where the surface rocks act like a blanket to prevent fast cooling. It...
What is cardboard and how is it made? Cardboard is actually paper but it is very thick. A slightly different machine is used to make it, though. The card, instead of being wound onto a reel at the end, is cut up into sheets. Corrugated...
What is hard water? Hard water is water in which certain minerals are dissolved. Soap will not work up a lather in hard water. Instead it forms scum. Hardness can be either temporary or permanent. The former can be removed by boiling the water. To...
