Strongest Materials Search Results

News: The Chemistry of a Perfect Bloody Mary

A perfect Bloody Mary on a Sunday morning could be the best thing that ever happened to the human race. It's tangy, it's sweet, it's spicy...and there's alcohol. Need I say more? Flavor chemist Neil C. Da Costa's latest project is to investigate the taste sensations created by Bloody Mary ingredients and create tips for making the best Bloody Mary humanly possible.

News: Bullet-Proof Silk Sheets

Enjoy rolling around at night in the sleek luster of silk? Also afraid of a mobster finding out you're rolling around with his cousin's wife? Solution: bullet-proof silk sheets. All you need is the strongest biomaterial ever found--Darwin's bark spider silk. So, grab a loom and start weaving.

News: Save Big without Skimping

1. Extend your engagement. A longer planning period means a better chance of getting the best vendors in your price range. Plus, you can typically lock in rates that might increase by the time your wedding date arrives.

How To: Use the window functions in Windows 7

Top-Windows-Tutorials is a great site dedicated to Windows tutorials for almost all things Windows. Whether you are a computer novice or an expert in Windows operating systems, you'll find useful information in these guides catering to your level of expertise. These user friendly and easy to follow free Windows tutorials will show you all that you can do with your Windows PC.

How To: Fit a bra properly with this bra fitting guide

If you're not sure whether you're wearing the right bra size, watch this bra fitting how to video. Learn how a bra should look when it fits well. A new bra should feel firm and snug when fastened on the loosest hook; most of the support comes from the band of the bra, so you may need to tighten it to maintain support as the bra stretches with every day wash and wear.

How To: Perform steam distillation in the chemistry lab

The Interactive Lab Primer (ILP) has been developed as part of the Royal Society of Chemistry Teacher Fellowship Scheme, one of the themes of the Chemistry for Our Future program, and initiative which aims to secure a strong and sustainable future for the chemical sciences in higher education. The aim of the ILP is to address the diverse range of experience and skills students bring with them to a university by offering a resource to support their transition from school to the university chem...

How To: Perform infrared spectroscopy in the chemistry lab

The Interactive Lab Primer (ILP) has been developed as part of the Royal Society of Chemistry Teacher Fellowship Scheme, one of the themes of the Chemistry for Our Future program, and initiative which aims to secure a strong and sustainable future for the chemical sciences in higher education. The aim of the ILP is to address the diverse range of experience and skills students bring with them to a university by offering a resource to support their transition from school to the university chem...

How To: Make a Two Circle Wobbler from CDs

One of my favorite simple projects is building two circle wobblers. I love how such a simple object amazes with its motion. The two circle wobbler is an object made out of two circles connected to each other in such a way that the center of mass of the object doesn't move up or down as it rolls. This means that it will roll very easily down a slight incline. It will also roll for a significant distance on a level surface if you start it by giving it a small push or even by blowing on it!

Inventables: A Store for Superheroes & Hackers

Founded by Zach Kaplan, a "serial entrepreneur" with a B.S. in mechanical engineering, Inventables is a futuristic online hardware store based out of Chicago. The company sells innovative materials at much smaller quantities than typically available—largely to artists, inventors, developers, and researchers. If you've got a brilliant idea and cash to spare, careful, you just may go hog wild. My premature "Dear Santa" wishlist-in-progress:

How To: Tie a uni knot when fly fishing

The best knot for you is any good knot that you can tie quickly and strongly. So wouldn't it be great if you could tie all three connections with the same motion and if that motion were based on the first and simplest knot you learned as a child--the overhand knot? It turns out that by using the uni knot and its twin, the surgeon's knot, you can do just that. Though the uni knot is not as strong as many other knots, it is stronger than the improved clinch, and its simplicity may make up for w...

How To: Apply basic textures in 3ds Max

In this 3d Max video tutorial you will learn how to apply basic textures. You'll learn how to open material editor and material library, how to apply materials, and render objects with texture. Make sure to hit "play tutorial" in the top left corner of the video to start the video. There is no sound, so you'll need to watch the pop-up directions. Apply basic textures in 3ds Max.

How To: Use machine shop tools to build prototypes with MIT

This ten-part series on machining skills for prototype development comes straight from MIT & Erik Vaaler. It's one of the most extensive video tutorials available on the web for machining. MIT's artificial intelligence laboratory's primary work is done for their robotics group. And most of their equipment is unavailable to the public because they're machines that MIT have built directly in their machine shop, or items that came into the shop needing repair. But if you can get your hands on so...

How To: Build a beeping electronic practical joke

Watch as Kipkay from MAKE Magazine shows you how to make something really cool for the office, with parts from RadioShack. One of the original practical jokes is the gravity activated subwoofer simulator, or better known as the Whoopee Cushion. See how to make a high tech prank... the Joke-A-Tron. This electronic prank device will beep and beep to keep your enemies on their toes.

How To: Insulate Electrical Outlets & Switches

Prepare all the materials and tools needed for the process. Prepare a circuit tester, an electrical tape, a flathead screwdriver, a pair of scissors, and an electric sealers kit. Then, make sure that you turn off the power at the main circuit box. Place a piece of electrical tape over the circuit breaker that goes to the circuit that you are going to work on. Unscrew the screws that are holding the plate cover of the outlets to the wall. Test the outlet using the circuit tester to make sure t...

How To: Make These Sonic Distance Sensors for the Bad Driver in Your Life

Today's fancy cars come with all sorts of options, from power mirrors to working seat belts. Some of us condemned to live in the reality of capitalist recession have no car, or perhaps a very modest one. But your modest car can still have some cutting edge technology wedged into the trunk and dashboard if you know what you want and where to look for parts. Today, we make a parking sensor using a sonic range finder, just like in the vehicles our owners drive!

Glass Cutters Are for Tools: How to Dissolve Glass Using Sodium Hydroxide

Glass is one of the least reactive substances known to chemistry. It is the standard container material for almost all lab chemicals because it's so inert. But there are a couple of substances that have strong reactions with glass. Sodium hydroxide, aka solid drain cleaner or lye, can easily be stored in glass as a solid, but when molten, it reacts violently with glass and can actually dissolve it away! So, the next time you clog up your drains with broken glass beakers and flasks, rest assur...

How To: Make Your Very Own Blinding Sunbeam with a Lithium AA Battery

Taking apart batteries is one of those things that every adult you've ever known has warned you against. Today, we break the taboo and dive into a lithium battery. Lithium has some pretty cool properties—it burns instantly in water and glows blindly bright under flame. And with just one AA battery, you can make a blinding light beam inspiring supernatural awe in all dictatorial adults who doubted you.