HS-PS3-3

Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

  1. Chemistry

    Cellulose may keep ice cream from turning gritty in your freezer

    Adding nanocrystals extracted from wood avoids the growth of ice crystals, keeping your treat smooth and creamy.

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  2. Tech

    This sun-powered system delivers energy as it pulls water from the air

    The device not only produces electricity but also harvests water for drinking or crops. It could be especially useful in remote and dry parts of the world.

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  3. Materials Science

    New cloth cools you when you’re hot, warms you when you’re cold

    Scientists 3-D printed the new fabric, which has even more tricks up its sleeve — such as conducting electricity and resisting radio waves.

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  4. Tech

    Robots made of cells blur the line between creature and machine

    Scientists are using living cells and tissue as building blocks to make robots. These new machines challenge ideas about robots and life itself.

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  5. Microbes

    Genes point to how some bacteria can gobble up electricity

    A new study shows how some microbes absorb and release electrons — a trait that may point to new fuels or ways to store energy.

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  6. Brain

    Scientists Say: Haptic

    Haptic is an adjective used to describe things related to our sense of touch.

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  7. Physics

    Getting cozy with a science experiment

    Items you use in your home can inspire a scientific experiment.

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  8. Physics

    Scientists Say: Piezoelectric

    Piezoelectric materials produce an electric voltage when they are bent or squished. This can let us harvest electricity from movement.

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  9. Tech

    Bye-bye batteries? Power a phone with fabric or a beacon with sound

    New piezoelectric systems produce electricity in unusual ways, such as when a certain nylon bends or underwater ceramics vibrate.

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  10. Tech

    Ordinary paper turns into flexible human-powered keypad

    Engineers have figured out how to turn sheets of paper into rugged, low-cost electronic devices, such as a computer keypad.

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  11. Science & Society

    Batteries not included: This Game Boy look-alike doesn’t need them

    Game Boy revolutionized the gaming industry. A newer version could help slow the rate of climate change.

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  12. Tech

    Trees power this alarm system for remote forest fires

    Wind moving through tree branches is all the energy needed to power devices that can detect a remote fire before it rages into an uncontrolled inferno.

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