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. Materials Science

    These colorful butterflies were printed with transparent ink

    Clear ink creates a whole rainbow of colors when printed in precise, microscopic patterns. This phenomenon is known as structural color.

    By
  2. Space

    Explainer: How auroras light up the sky

    The northern and southern lights are considered natural wonders of the world. Here’s how these and related splendid sky glows form.

    By
  3. Tech

    A sense of touch could upgrade virtual reality, prosthetics and more

    Scientists and engineers are trying to add touch to online shopping, virtual doctor appointments and artificial limbs.

    By
  4. Animals

    Uncovering secrets of the glasswing butterfly’s see-through wings

    The tricks of its transparency include sparse, spindly scales and a waxy coated membrane.

    By
  5. Animals

    Birds could get their sense of direction from quantum physics

    Songbirds could detect north and south using a protein in their eye. It works somewhat like a compass.

    By
  6. Physics

    Nuclear clocks are nearly here

    More precise clocks could improve technologies such as GPS and help scientists test major ideas in science.

    By
  7. Space

    Stars made of antimatter could lurk in our galaxy

    Fourteen sources of gamma rays in our galaxy look like they could be antistars — celestial bodies made of antimatter.

    By
  8. Planets

    Signs of a hidden Planet Nine in our solar system may be an illusion

    Hints of the remote planet, also called Planet X, relied on clumped up orbits of bodies beyond Neptune. A new study suggests that clumping doesn’t exist.

    By
  9. Physics

    Scientists Say: Radiation

    Radiation is the motion of energy through space as waves or particles.

    By
  10. Physics

    Let’s learn about light

    Light is a form of energy that moves in waves. Some light comes in waves we can see. Other waves are invisible to us — but still affect our world.

    By
  11. Earth

    Fin whales could help scientists map what lies below the seafloor

    Fin-whale calls are loud enough to penetrate into Earth’s crust, offering scientists a new way to study the properties of the ocean floor.

    By
  12. Physics

    Physicists have clocked the shortest time span ever

    The experiment revealed how long it takes light to cross a hydrogen molecule: just a couple hundred zeptoseconds.

    By