Category: Physics

What metals will a magnet attract? Iron is magnetic, so any metal with iron in it will be attracted to a magnet. Steel contains iron, so a steel paperclip will be attracted to a magnet too. Most other metals, for example aluminium, copper and gold, are NOT magnetic. Two metals that aren’t magnetic are gold […]

What are you blind spots? When light lands on your retina, it sends electrical bursts through your optic nerve to your brain. Your brain turns the signals into a picture. The spot where your optic nerve connects to your retina has no light-sensitive cells, so you can’t see anything there. That’s your blind spot. What […]

What does a dielectric do to a capacitor? (b) The dielectric reduces the electric field strength inside the capacitor, resulting in a smaller voltage between the plates for the same charge. The capacitor stores the same charge for a smaller voltage, implying that it has a larger capacitance because of the dielectric. What happens when […]

What are examples of a second class lever? A wheelbarrow, a bottle opener, and an oar are examples of second class levers. Why is the third class lever most common in the body? 3rd class levers are the most common levers, why? Although we use 3rd class levers more than any others in the human […]

Which travels the fastest through a vacuum? light waves How can I be faster than light? In special relativity, it is impossible to accelerate an object to the speed of light, or for a massive object to move at the speed of light. However, it might be possible for an object to exist which always […]

Does an object moving with a constant velocity require a force to keep it moving? An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion at a constant speed and direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. In the absence of any forces, no force is required to keep […]

What are the two factors affecting gravity? When dealing with the force of gravity between two objects, there are only two things that are important – mass, and distance. The force of gravity depends directly upon the masses of the two objects, and inversely on the square of the distance between them. Where is center […]

How strong would gravity be if the Earth stopped spinning? The centrifugal force at the equator is only 1/289 of normal gravity, or 0.35%. That’s too small to be perceived. It gradually diminishes as you move away from the equator, and becomes zero at the poles. In any case, if Earth stopped rotating, the added […]

Can airbags knock you out? Airbags exert a lot of force, so it is possible to be hurt by one. Sitting too close to a deploying airbag can result in burns and injuries. Under certain, very specific circumstances, you may also take your car to a mechanic to have the passenger-side airbag switched off [source: […]

Who broke Mach 3? Captain Milburn G. Apt Are sonic booms illegal? The FAA’s existing restrictions can be found at 14 CFR Part 91.817. In essence, that regulation prohibits anyone from operating a civil aircraft at a true flight Mach number greater than 1 over land in the United States and from a certain distance […]