Imagination is the Essence of Discovery
Why Is It Hot at the Equator?
Every time you look at a map or a globe, the Equator shows up as such a prominent feature that it's almost hard to believe it's imaginary. The Equator is...
What Is a Rainbow?
A rainbow is one of the most beautiful sights in nature, and man has long wondered what makes it happen. Even Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, tried to explain the...
Why Does Thunder Follow Lightning?
Lightning and thunder must have been among the first things about nature that mystified and frightened primitive man. When he saw the jagged tones of lightning in the sky and...
What Is a Storm?
Even though man has become a powerful creature, able to control mighty forces, nature can still strike terror into his heart when she whips up a storm. What is a...
How Does Water Change to Ice?
If you've ever noticed a pond, lake, or river freeze, you've seen a sheet of ice begin to form over the top of the water. Do you realize that if...
Why Does Frost Form on Windows?
Children who live in places where the winters get cold love to see frost on the windows. Some of the patterns are quite beautiful and look like intricate designs on...
Why Do Snowflakes Have Six Sides?
One of the most beautiful objects formed by nature is a snowflake. It would take most of us a long time to design shape as beautiful as a single snowflake....
What Is Dew?
You would imagine that dew is a very simple phenomenon of nature, easily understood and explained. Yet strangely enough, exactly what dew is has long been misunderstood, and whole books...
What Is Fog?
A fog is a cloud in contact with the ground. There is no basic difference between a fog and a cloud floating high in the atmosphere. When a cloud is...