Skip to main content

5 life hacks based on science

957,893 Views

4,209 Questions Answered

Best of Web

Let’s Begin…

Physics Girl shows you these short, simple life hacks that are based on physics.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Watch these recommended TED-Ed Lessons

How batteries work

Batteries are a triumph of science—they allow smartphones and other technologies to exist without anchoring us to an infernal tangle of power cables. Yet even the best batteries will diminish daily, slowly losing capacity until they finally die. Why does this happen, and how do our batteries even store so much charge in the first place? Adam Jacobson gives the basics on batteries.

How do we separate the seemingly inseparable?

Your cell phone is mainly made of plastics and metals. It’s easy to appreciate the process by which those elements add up to something so useful. But there’s another story we don’t hear about -- how did we get our raw ingredients in the first place, from the chaotic tangle of materials that is nature? Iddo Magen uncovers the answer in a group of clever hacks known as separation techniques.


Additional references


Will vinegar remove adhesives from plastic? - HowStuffWorks

Glue and other adhesives cause substances to stick together by forming strong molecular bonds, so to separate items, you need to break the adhesive bonds that hold them together. Find out more methods to remove adhesives and the science behind it.

Next Section »

About TED-Ed Best of Web

TED-Ed Best of Web are exceptional, user-created lessons that are carefully selected by volunteer teachers and TED-Ed staff.

Meet The Creators

More from Actions and Reactions