The AnswerBank Articles

What is an EMP

A. An EMP, or electro magnetic pulse, is the electromagnetic radiation from a nuclear explosion. When a nuclear bomb explodes gamma rays are released which collide with air molecules producing01:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

Can I protect myself against chemical and biological attack

Harrisonn, along with many people, is obviously concerned about the possibility of biological and chemical attack in the wake of the terrorist atrocities in America. The Government has stated01:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

How do they put stripes in toothpaste

A. The different coloured toothpastes are made and fed into the tubes separately. The secret of keeping the stripes separate while the tube is filled is a special nozzle containing smaller pipes.01:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

How do light switch dimmers work Do they just reduce the voltage

A. Originally, yes. Light dimming technology has been around for some time, although to start with it was used mainly in theatres. Originally devices that reduced the amount of voltage getting to01:00 Mon 24th Sep 2001

What is OTEC

A. OTEC stands for ocean thermal energy conversion. Electricity is generated using the large temperature gap between warm surface and cold deep-sea water. Q. How does OTEC work A. There are a01:00 Mon 24th Sep 2001

What do pacemakers do

A. Pacemakers generally speed up heartbeats that would otherwise be dangerously slow. Q. How do pacemakers work A. The pacemaker generates small electrical pulses that cause the heart to01:00 Mon 24th Sep 2001

How is pollen converted into honey

A. It isn’t, although bees collect both pollen and nectar from flowers, only nectar is used in the honey making process. Q. How is the nectar taken back to the hive A. Pollen becomes stuck01:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

How can spiders move about their webs without becoming caught

A. Because the spider spins at least two different types of silk: sticky and not sticky. The spider uses non-sticky silk to form the spokes of its web, saving the sticky silk for the spirals that01:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

What signals do TV detector vans pick up

A. TV signals are sent out between 500 and 800 MHz frequencies, depending on which channel is being transmitted. However your TV set tunes this frequency to an intermediate frequency of around 3901:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

What is the appendix

A. The appendix, technically known as the vermiform, which is Latin for ‘worm like’, is a small, finger shaped projection attached to the large intestine. Q. Does its removal affect01:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

How does quicksand suck its victims down

A. It doesn't suck, rather the victim sinks, as they would do in any other liquid. The myth about quicksand sucking people in probably springs from the fact that it's very thick, providing suction,01:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

What do the initials IQ stand for

A. They stand for Intelligence Quotient, a phrase first coined by the German psychologist William Stern. Q. When did IQ tests start A. The French psychologist Alfred Binet invented intelligence01:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

Why doesn t slimming always work

A. The main problem many people encounter is that having been on a diet and lost weight, once they go back to their normal eating habits the pounds pile on again. Most people gain weight because01:00 Mon 03rd Sep 2001

Why does the pitch of my voice rise after inhaling helium

A. Because the pitch that your larynx, or voice box, produces is dependent on either its size or the speed that sound passes over your vocal cords. So you can change the pitch of your voice either01:00 Mon 03rd Sep 2001

What are antibiotics

A. Basically they're chemical substances that can, in low concentrations, either kill harmful microorganisms or curb their growth rate. This helps our immune systems' deal with disease or infection01:00 Mon 03rd Sep 2001

Why do I sneeze when I walk into bright sunlight

A. It’s not just any old sneeze, it’s a photic sneeze, to give it its official name. The photic sneeze has intrigued scientists for some time, starting with Francis Bacon back in the01:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

Why is the Dead Sea so much saltier than any other

A. The Dead Sea, in Jordan, is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, six times as salty as most oceans. Basically, oceans become salty through two actions: rivers, carrying mineral01:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

What is cryogenics

A. Cryogenics is a branch of science dedicated to the freezing of objects, either as a method of preservation or as a means of improving their molecular structure. Cryogenics involves temperatures01:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

How does a petrol pump nozzle know when to stop

A. The nozzle contains a small pipe that constantly sucks air from the end because it’s connected to a vacuum at the end of the hose. When your petrol tank is full, and the nozzle is actually01:00 Mon 20th Aug 2001

Why do we rub are eyes when tired

A. Because it causes our heart rate to slow down, preparing our body for sleep. The outer eyes contain the rectus muscles, which are responsible for moving our eyeballs. When you rub your eyes,01:00 Mon 20th Aug 2001