A continuing bilingual series explaining interesting, counterintuitive and commonly misunderstood questions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and physiology.
- Is Water Really ‘Thrown Out’ During a Washing Machine Spin Cycle?
- Why 23 People Are Enough for a Shared Birthday
- Why a Shared Birthday Is Likely Among Just 23 People
- Why Does a Candle Flame Point Upwards?
- Why Can’t a Chessboard with Two Opposite Corners Missing Be Tiled?
- Why Does a Lake Freeze from the Surface Down?
- Why Does a Metal Spoon Get Hot Faster Than a Wooden One?
- Why Does a Balloon Stick to a Wall After Being Rubbed on Hair?
- Why Does a Sealed Snack Bag Puff Up at Altitude?
- Why Does a Shuffled Deck Almost Never Repeat an Order?
- Why Does a Spinning Coin Wobble Faster Just Before It Stops?
- Why Is Your Face Sometimes Upright and Sometimes Upside Down in a Spoon?
- Why Does a Straw Look Bent in Water?
- Why Can a Wet Finger Make a Glass Sing?
- Why Does A4 Paper Keep the Same Proportions When Folded in Half?
- Why Does Alcohol Feel Cool on the Skin?
- Why Is a Round Trip’s Average Speed Not the Simple Average?
- Why Does a Bathroom Mirror Fog Up?
- Why Do Both Pupils Constrict When Light Enters One Eye?
- Why Does Bread Stale Faster in the Fridge?
- Why Chilli Feels Hot Without Raising the Temperature
- Why Does Copper Slowly Turn Green Outdoors?
- Why Do Cut Apples Turn Brown?
- Why Cutting Onions Makes You Cry
- Why Do Your Ears Pop During a Flight?
- Why Does Egg White Turn from Clear to White When Heated?
- Why Do Our Eyes Need Time to Adjust to Darkness?
- Why Do Fingers Wrinkle in Water?
- Why Isn't Frost on Grass Simply Frozen Dew?
- Why Does Honey Crystallise in the Jar?
- Why Can Hot Water Freeze Before Cold Water?
- Why Do Ice Cubes Stick to Damp Fingers?
- Why Ice Floats on Water
- Why Identical Twins Still Have Different Fingerprints
- Why Does Ketchup Flow More Easily When Squeezed?
- Why Do Many Leaves Have More Stomata Underneath?
- Why Microwave Ovens Often Heat Food Unevenly
- Why Do Oil and Water Separate Again After Shaking?
- Why Can a Paper Towel Draw Water Upwards?
- Why Does a Popcorn Kernel Suddenly Turn Inside Out?
- Why Can Water Boil Above 100°C in a Pressure Cooker?
- Why Do Raw and Boiled Eggs Spin Differently?
- Why Does Red Cabbage Juice Change Colour with Acids and Bases?
- Why Does Salt Make Ice Melt?
- Why Does Shaken Soda Spray When Opened?
- Why Do Soap Bubbles Show Rainbow Colours?
- Why Does Soap Lather Poorly in Hard Water?
- Why Can Stainless Steel Still Rust?
- Why Do Still Rocks Seem to Rise After You Watch a Waterfall?
- Why Can Water Below 0°C Freeze When Disturbed?
- Why Does the Room Still Seem to Spin After You Stop Turning?
- Why Does Toast Turn Brown and Smell More Aromatic?
- Why Do Tree Rings Vary in Width?
- If Blood Is Red, Why Do Veins Look Blue Through Skin?
- Why Water Often Gets Noisy Before It Boils
- Why Do Wet Clothes Dry Faster in the Wind?
- Why Does Wet Pavement Look Darker?
- Why Can Wet Sand Build a Castle While Dry Sand Falls Apart?
- Why Can Yeast Make Dough Rise?
- Why Does 0.999… Equal 1 Exactly?