a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
Have you ever made lightning in a pickle? I have. It involves putting two iron nails in a pickle and applying 110 volts of electricity. It’s pretty smelly, but it is worth it to see what looks like yellow-orange lightning in the pickle. What’s going on? The principle of “put in electricity – get out …
Continue reading "Electrocuting a Pickle: Demonstrating Major Concepts in Science"
If you're like me, you probably have a drawer full of AA batteries at home somewhere, just in case you need them. They're not as ubiquitous as they used to be - I try to buy mostly rechargeable electronics nowadays, but those AAs still go into so many things, from TV remotes to flashlights to bathroom gadgets. (And …
Continue reading "How Many AA Batteries Would it Take to Power a Mercedes?"
An acronym you have probably seen a whole lot of in recent years is LED, or Light Emitting Diode. Long used only for low-intensity illumination (think of the blinking lights on the front of your computer), the new generations of LEDs are being used to replace all sorts of light sources from car head lights …
Continue reading "Explainer: How does an LED work?"
Inside the nano zone, gravity doesn't really matter!
Sustainable Nano 