Answered by Dr. Steve Shropshire, Physics Professor, Idaho State University If conditions are right sound can travel farther and clearer when it is cold. Sound travels faster in warmer air due to the greater average speed of gas molecules with higher temperature. There is also a very slight increase in sound speed with increasing humidity…
Question Answered by Dr. Brian Tonks, Astronomy Professor, BYU-Idaho On 21 August, 2016, Southeastern Idaho and many other places in the United States are in for a rare treat. We will experience a total Solar eclipse. This means that the Moon will pass directly in front of the Sun and cast its shadow on the…
Answered by Travis Wyatt, National Weather Service, Pocatello Office All lightning comes from thunderstorms. When a thunderstorm develops, electrical charges (either positive or negative) within the cloud separate. This creates two different electric fields between the top of the cloud and the base of the cloud. When these electric fields build up enough, there is…
Answered by Dr. Cathy Riddle, Chemist, Idaho National Laboratory So what’s going on when a battery dies? Well, it’s all about chemistry. Batteries, like so many things in our world, rely on a chemical reaction in order to work. First, we have to understand the chemistry behind how a battery works to ultimately understand why…
