Showing titles in How Things Work

Do your shoes fasten with Velcro straps? Have you ever wondered where this strange invention comes from? Sometimes nature provides excellent inspiration for new solutions! Plant burs stuck in his dog's fur gave Swiss engineer George de Mestral a good idea.

Did you know hot air balloons were dreamed up by a French boy in the 1700s? Joseph Montgolfier devoted his life to experiments that he hoped would allow him to fly. With the help of his little brother, his invention allowed humans to fly for the first time in history!

Have you ever wondered how the Hoover Dam was built? Follow along as the Colorado River itself tells you its story! A lot of work went into the construction of this giant dam, but it was worth it—we now have Lake Mead and a way of converting the river’s energy into electricity!

Tugboats are tiny boats that fill a big role. Kids will discover how tugboat push and pull larger boats, like barges, through narrow waterways. Using a thick, strong rope, the tugboat guides big cargo boats through the harbor by helping to turn them.

Ever wonder why a smoke alarm goes off? A battery, siren, and metal can work together to detect smoke and sound the alarm when catching a whiff of smoke.

Follow the construction workers as they move from the ground up to build a skyscraper.

Have you ever wondered how fireworks work? This article gives you information about how these spectacular shows are created.

A bioengineer at Tel Aviv University in Israel explains how to extract renewable energy from a potato.

Go-karts are fun and fast. These small vehicles can be made even stronger and faster and listeners will love finding out how!

BMX bikes speed through courses and over big jumps. There's lots of ways to make these bikes tougher and cooler. Listeners will love finding out how!

Sounds can be loud. Sounds can be soft. We use our ears to hear all kinds of sounds. But how is sound made? Let’s investigate to find out about sound!

Scientists put things into groups so they are easier to study. Materials have different properties. What are they, and how they are grouped? Let’s investigate materials!

In science fiction, time machines let people travel backward in history and forward to the future. How could one of these time-traveling devices be created? Scientists have some ideas, which include using spaceships and black holes. Discover the science and technology behind what it would take to make a real-life time machine!

In science fiction, jet packs let people zoom through the air at high speeds. Discover the science and technology behind what it would take to make a real-life jet pack!

In science fiction, invisibility cloaks let their users vanish from sight and sneak around unnoticed. How could one of these stealthy pieces of clothing work? Scientists have some ideas, which involve bending light. Discover the science and technology behind what it would take to make a real-life invisibility cloak!

Imagine you arrive at school and realize you forgot to feed the dog. No problem. Pull out your phone and command the dog dish to dispense a serving of food. That's all there is to it—if you live a smart home. What once sounded like science fiction is now a reality for some families.

Do you know where your clothes come from? Learn about the processes of making certain materials that are used in clothing! Guess what plant or animal that rubber boots come from? What material is made from plastic bottles? You’ll be surprised to learn how the clothes you wear everyday are manufactured!

Have you ever seen a bird nest? Birds make all kinds of different nests! Nests are made from lots of different kinds of materials and are shaped differently. Learn about the different kinds of nests that are made by different species of birds!

What would we do without wheels? We use wheels for all kinds of things, including transportation. Learn about alternatives for transportation other than the wheel! Do you use any of these different ways of moving around?

Bridges are engineering marvels! It takes a civil engineer, chief engineer, structural engineer and environmental engineer to build a bridge. There are different kinds that each require a special construction process to build. Learn how different bridges such as beam, suspension and arch bridge types are designed and built, as well as the construction workers needed at specific stages.