Physics and Chemistry

Welcome to the year 2050. In cities around the world, cars whiz past tall buildings and factories, yet the air is clear, clean, and cool. People have stopped burning coal, oil, and gas to run engines or make heat and electricity. These fossil fuels no longer spew pollution and greenhouse gases into the air. As a result, climate change is slowing. Dangerous wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are becoming less common. Humanity has managed to back the world away from the brink of disaster.

An old adage holds that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The saying refers to the subjective nature of beauty. What one person finds beautiful might not appeal to someone else.

You toss some bananas and milk into a blender. Then you plug it into the wall and press start. Soon, you have a delicious smoothie. While you’re sipping and scrolling through TikTok, you notice your phone’s battery is low. So you plug that into the wall and the battery charges.

Do some songs make you happier or sadder than others? If you’ve answered yes, you’re not alone. It seems music does this to all of us. Regardless of age, culture, or birth country, we all speak the emotional language of music.

Carnegie Hall in New York City ha d been f a mous f or it s wa r m,resonant sound since it opened in 1891. After ninety years, however, the hall needed a major makeover. When it reopened in late 1986, something was wrong. Musicians said the sound was harsh, hollow, brittle, and dead.The hall tried several fixes, but nothing worked. Nine years later, the mystery was solved. Somehow during the renovation, concrete had been laid under the wooden stage floor. That had dulled the sound, especially the bass notes. In a concert hall, even unseen det ails can make a huge difference.

Welcome to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest science competition for high school students. Out of the tens of millions of students who enter science fairs around the world each year, just 1,800 qualify to participate in this one.