Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease | Wonderopolis
Wonder of the Day #2283 Have You Ever Tasted an Arab Taco? Today’s Wonder of the Day takes a closer look at a Mexican delicacy with a Middle Eastern twist!
What Is a Mime? - Wonderopolis
Aug 13, 2014 · Mime is a form of silent art that involves acting or communicating using only movements, gestures, and facial expressions. A person performing mime is also called a mime. Non-verbal communication dates all the way back to the first human beings. Before there was spoken language, gestures and facial expressions were used to communicate.
What Happens When You Mix Vinegar and Baking Soda?
Feb 28, 2017 · The first reaction is the acid -base reaction. When vinegar and baking soda are first mixed together, hydrogen ions in the vinegar react with the sodium and bicarbonate ions in the baking soda. The result of this initial reaction is two new chemicals: carbonic acid and sodium acetate. The second reaction is a decomposition reaction.
What Would Earth Be Like Without the Sun? - Wonderopolis
Dec 19, 2014 · The same would go for the many other celestial bodies in the sky, such as planets, which we see only because of the Sun's reflected light. Without the Sun's warmth, Earth would quickly become a much colder place. Fortunately, Earth retains heat fairly well, so humans wouldn't freeze instantly. Life would get much more difficult immediately, though.
How Many Animals Are There in the World? - Wonderopolis
Aug 4, 2017 · Not much! The same study estimates that 86% of all land species and 91% of all sea species have not yet been discovered or described! Sticking to the species we do know about, let's look at some amazing numbers for particular groups of animals. Scientists believe there are over seven billion humans in the world today.
What Is a Sonnet? - Wonderopolis
A sonnet is a special form of poetry that takes its name from the Italian word sonetto, which means “little song" or “little sound." Although English poet William Shakespeare is famous for his plays, he also wrote 154 sonnets (not including the ones that appear within his plays). Sonnets are lyrical poems of 14 lines that follow a specific ...
What Is the Space-Time Continuum? - Wonderopolis
The space-time continuum consists of four dimensions: the three dimensions of space (length, width, and height…or up/down, left/right, and forward/backward, depending upon how you wish to think of them) plus the fourth dimension of time. Einstein's theories of relativity spurred other scientists to investigate the relationships between space ...
How Did Earth Begin? - Wonderopolis
Sep 22, 2014 · The largest of the planetesimals became the earliest forms of the planets that make up our solar system today. Slowly, they organized themselves in orbits around the Sun and their gravitational pulls cleared the areas around them of rocky material. Scientists believe Earth formed in this way about 4.6 billion years ago.
What Is a Rube Goldberg Machine? - Wonderopolis
May 21, 2014 · You probably have, even if you didn’t know what it was. A Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption that uses a chain reaction to carry out a simple task. It performs a very basic job in a complicated way. Let’s look at an example. We’ll describe a Rube Goldberg machine that wipes a person’s chin with a napkin.
How Does a Plasma Ball Work? - Wonderopolis
Oct 30, 2014 · The modern plasma balls popular as novelty and educational items today were first designed by Bill Parker. The electrode at the center of a plasma ball emits a high-frequency, high- voltage alternating electric current. This current flows through the plasma filaments to create colorful tendrils of light. The colors depend upon the gases used ...