Although often referred to as trees, palms do not grow in the same manner as an apple, oak or maple tree. Palms do not branch, develop bark, or grow in girth from a layer under the bark called cambium. Palms grow only from a growing tip, sometimes called a crownshaft, on the tip of the trunk or thi......[Read More]

The Humane Society of the United States describes the raccoons as a synanthrope, a creature able to adjust to living and flourishing in close proximity to people. The raccoon exists throughout almost all of the United States and more so in urban settings. Able to eat a vast array of foods, the racco......[Read More]

The Aesthetic Era of Antique Silver Plate produced some of the most beautiful silver objects ever made. These pieces are highly prized by collectors of both Sterling and Silver Plate. As a successful seller of silver on eBay, let me show you how to recognize a fine piece of Antique Silver Plate whe......[Read More]

Lakes -- or large, landlocked bodies of water -- exist all over the world in many different types of climates. Despite being similar, lakes form in a number of different ways. Most new lakes are formed by human activity. Older lakes are formed through processes involving glaciers, the sinking of lan......[Read More]

The Precambrian period dates from the Earth's origins to approximately 600 million years ago. During this era, the planet's crust formed, oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere and Earth cooled to a temperature that could sustain life. Single-celled and multicellular organisms evolved during the Preca......[Read More]

Swarovski hot fix crystals bond to materials easily with the factory-applied adhesive on their shiny flat backs. The hot fix applicator wand melts the glue quickly and makes it easy to affix these crystals to surfaces. Once a crystal bonds to a surface, it becomes a permanent fixture.......[Read More]

Some chemicals tend to absorb moisture out of the atmosphere. In some cases, the water molecules actually incorporate directly into the chemical structure of a solid. Chemists refer to this water as the "water of hydration" and they represent it with chemical formulas such as MgSO4.7H2O, known as ma......[Read More]

Laying out dovetails is the point at which you avoid trouble for yourself in the future. By being very accurate and careful with your layout, you increase the odds that you will be able to cut and fit the joint successfully. Hand-cut dovetails are time consuming and tricky, but when done correctly p......[Read More]

One of the most common relationships between two experimental variables is the linear one, where a plot of one variable (on the x axis) against the other (on the y axis) approximates a straight line trend. To find the mathematical relationship between these x and y variables, you need to get an equa......[Read More]

An airsoft gun impersonates a real weapon by being able to shoot a projectile when the trigger is pulled, but at a much slower speed. You can make your own airsoft gun from a few household items that, while not as aesthetically pleasing as a commercial model, will fire a projectile whenever you want......[Read More]

The Chinese abacus was first developed more than five thousand years ago. It consists of a series of vertical rods built into a rectangular frame. A horizontal crossbeam divides the frame into two unequal sections, known as the upper deck and lower deck. Each rod has two beads in the upper deck and ......[Read More]

Brass is one of the most beautiful metals and one that is used to make many household items as well as works or art. Doing brass metalworking and spinning is not a hard task. With a little bit of practice, the average person can produce high quality products.......[Read More]

The geologic processes within the Earth produce heat. Geothermal energy systems tap into this heat when it escapes through cracks and vents in the Earth's surface. Geothermal energy heats homes and water and can be converted into electricity. Places with a high level of geologic activity, such as al......[Read More]

Just as skateboarders build and decorate their decks from basic components, you can build your own Tech Deck skateboard using the same methods. Think of a Tech Deck as a miniature version of a skateboard using control with your fingers. Starting with a blank deck, you can add graphics, grip tape, tr......[Read More]

The frame and cover of a diamond kite.kite image by Fabio Barni from Fotolia.comKites are more than just toys for children. They can be objects that signal a celebration, helpers in battle and foundations of scientific experiments. Leonardo da Vinci's idea to span a river using a kite was.........[Read More]

Creating craft projects out of rustic wood can add decorative touches to your home or garden. You can make rustic wood crafts using free or inexpensive lumber materials. When making rustic wood crafts, use proper safety precautions to avoid injury.......[Read More]

Electrical current is measured in amperes, which is an expression of how quickly electricity moves through an object and is roughly akin to the speed at which a river runs. Volts are a measure of how much energy is being moved, and in the water metaphor, is equivalent to a gallons per second measure......[Read More]

There is nearly no limit to the types of woodworking tools you can make in your own shop, depending on your skills and the tools you already have. Projects for beginners can include push sticks for table saws, wooden mallets, and sawhorses. Many tools requiring motors and metal components can be mad......[Read More]

Coloring sheets are creative entertainment for children while they're inking them in; and once the art piece is completed, youngsters can continue working with the sheet by recycling it into something new. There are a variety of ways children can recycle coloring sheets, including by turning them in......[Read More]

One of the most used, and simplest purification methods in chemistry is an extraction, where a solution with the crude mixture dissolved in it is mixed with an non-miscible solvent that the product will dissolve in. The amount of product that is transferred to the second solvent versus the amount or......[Read More]