Category: Children

Everyone knows scientists are in the business of “discovering” things. But what exactly do they do? When I was growing up in a small village in Kerala, there were no scientists around to ask this question. Even now, my friends ask me this question, half joking, half curious. I often laugh it off and change...

*Note: The answers are from A to Z (that is, the first question’s answer would start with A, the second one’s with B, so on and so forth. Please note that in case the answer is a person’s name, it would be the last name that would start with the designated letter. Reference image for...

More often than not, in the larger Indian context, students learning science at school follow a formulaic manner of engaging with the subject. There is a strict syllabus, way of learning, way of grading that learning, and even an inquisition that’s tied to viewing science as merely an academic subject. Those of you sitting in...

Science fiction has been a popular genre throughout generations and continues to occupy the hearts of young fans even today. Whether it be the words in a book or the clips of a movie, the genre always has something exciting and unique to showcase. From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, where a man’s journey to create a...

The scientific method is a mathematical and experimental technique that is used in sciences to build a hypothesis and testing it. You knew that, didn’t you? The goal of discovering cause and effect is central to the scientific method, and it is achieved through a flexible, iterative cycle rather than a rigid, linear set of...

It is not a giant balloon. It is not an airplane. Well, it is in spirit, both. A blimp is a type of airship. Airships are, simply said, lighter-than-air pressure ships. Technically, it is a powered (like how we say ‘engine-powered’ for example) and steerable lighter-than-air aircraft. Hence, it is ‘self-propelled’. Lighter-than-air (LTA) here means...

The quantum computer It’s time to introduce the star of this article! The quantum computer is quite different from the regular computer you would use at home, the office, or in a school computer lab. It is a device that utilises quantum mechanics (a field of physics where the behaviour of matter and energy is...

For a moment, close your eyes and imagine yourself in the fall season. The cold, chilly wind kisses your face, and the leaves begin to dance gracefully as they fall off the tree. What’s the first thing you notice about the leaves? That they change colour before they fall off. But how? Asked and answered....

What is it? The Zeigarnik effect is a phenomenon which hypothesizes that one has a higher tendency to remember things, actions, or events that were left unfinished than those that were completed. It is something that one probably experiences on a daily basis. The effect can be experienced when you have an unreturned phone call,...

Paresthesia, or sleeping limbs, is characterised by a numb, tingling, or a slight burning sensation in your limbs that usually affects hands, arms, and feet. It can also affect joints, pressure points and areas close to a nerve. Science it out So, how does this happen? Well, when you put pressure on a limb for...