HS-PS4-1

Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.

  1. Planets

    Saturn’s moon Titan may host lots of dried lakes

    Suspicious spots around the moon’s middle could be the beds of ancient lakes. If so, this might solve a 20-year-old mystery.

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  2. Space

    Spotted: Milky Way’s giant gas bubbles in visible light

    The bubbles have different colors, based on how the gas inside them moves. That could give clues to how the bubbles developed.

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  3. Physics

    Understanding light and other forms of energy on the move

    Radiation needn’t be scary, especially if it allows us to see our family or use our cell phones. Here’s a guide to light and other types of emitted energy.

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  4. Physics

    Explainer: Rainbows, fogbows and their eerie cousins

    Light shining through a water droplet can make more than just a rainbow. A range of other colorful arcs also can develop.

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  5. Environment

    Legos could last a disturbingly long time in the ocean

    By looking at toys washed up on beaches, scientists have estimated how long it takes hard plastics to break down in the oceans. And it’s a long time.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    New ultrasound treatment kills off cancer cells

    Low-frequency ultrasound destroys cancer cells while leaving most healthy cells intact.

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  7. Physics

    Soap bubbles’ ‘pop’ reveals the physics of the bursts

    A bubble’s pop is a quiet, high-pitched noise. This can reveal the forces that occur during the bubble’s demise.

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  8. Earth

    Newfound ‘dunes’ is among weirdest of northern lights

    There’s a new aurora dubbed the 'dunes.' It’s weird and joins the ranks of black auroras, STEVE and other odd natural light shows.

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  9. Life

    Here’s how butterfly wings keep cool in the sun

    Butterfly wings sport structures that let living tissues release more heat than the rest of the wing.

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  10. Physics

    Explainer: Understanding waves and wavelengths

    A wave is a disturbance that moves energy from one place to another. Only energy — not matter — is transferred as a wave moves.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Experts rethink need for X-ray shielding of patients

    For close to 70 years, workers who perform X-ray scans of the body have been advised to shield sensitive tissues with lead 'aprons.' That may soon stop.

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  12. Materials Science

    New twist can hush — even cloak — some sounds

    Swiss engineers developed clear, spiral structures to make a new sound-dampening system. Those twists block some vibrations and lets others through.

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