What was once only a dream has now become a reality as space travel is a regular activity in our society. With thousands of satellites in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope that can see other galaxies, regular shuttle launches, and prototypes for vehicles that can fly in and out of the atmosphere, it makes sense …
What is Fingerprint Identification? Fingerprint identification is the process of using fingerprints to identify an individual. This is very effective because each person has completely unique fingerprints that do not change with age. Fingerprint identification is used for a variety of reasons: security, criminal investigations, and even ergonomics. Fingerprint identification often consists of a fingerprint …
There are several different types of traffic cameras. Some types of traffic cameras are only focused on traffic patterns and traffic density. Other types of traffic cameras are placed in locations where traffic infractions commonly occur to capture traffic incidents and record the details for punitive purposes. Cameras for Traffic Monitoring Cameras for traffic monitoring …
Potassium alum is also known as potash alum, tawas, and alum (its common name). The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminum sulfate and it is commonly found in deodorant, aftershave treatments, fireproof textiles, baking powder, and used in leather tanning and water purification. It is soluble and liquefies when heated. Potassium alum is colorless …
Quasars are a phenomena that, to this day, continue to baffle and confuse astronomers. There are different theories. One is that a quasar is formed from a super, massive black hole. Another theory is that a quasar is actually a baby galaxy and is at the earliest stages of development. However, since no one really …
Backscatter X-ray machines were built specifically for airport security. Backscatter X-ray technology can strip off a person’s clothing in the captured image to show him or her practically naked. In the process, it will show any contraband such as ceramic knives, liquid explosives or drugs that the person was carrying but were previously undetectable by …
ESR Spectroscopy (Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) is a technique used for studying chemical species that have one or more “free radical” or unpaired electrons. Most stable molecules only have paired electrons without any free radicals, so ESR Spectroscopy is used less often than NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) Spectroscopy, the usual …
Malleability refers to metals’ (and other hard materials’) ability to be stretched, shaped, or molded through applied pressure. While not all objects are malleable, most metals are. This is the reason that metals such as gold, silver, and platinum, are used to make jewelry and electronic circuits. Malleable objects can usually be reshaped and molded …
Photolithography is the process of making integrated circuits through optical erosion. Rather than directly cutting into an integrated circuit, photolithography is used due to its ability to perform more precise incisions. Photolithography is a highly complex technique and requires both an extremely clean substrate surface and ideal temperature conditions. It can only be used to …
Subatomic particles are the most elementary particles found in nature. The three basic subatomic particles that comprise an atom are protons, electrons, and neutrons. The historical definition of a subatomic particle was expanded over the past several decades to include elementary particles that are less complex than an atom and cannot be broken down further. …