Gadgets
- Calculators: How can a machine instantly compute the square root of 764?
- Digital cameras: Are they really better than old-style film cameras?
- Camcorders: How do we store moving images as a series of still pictures?
- Carbon monoxide detectors: How can you spot leaks of toxic gas from fuel-burning appliances?
- CCDs: How does the charge-coupled device in a camera or scanner turn a photo into numbers?
- CDs and DVDs: How can we store and playback sound and data with laser beams?
- CD burners (writers): Why are recordable CDs different from rewritable ones?
- Digital pens: Can your pen instantly beam the words you write to your computer?
- Digital radio: How does digital radio cut out static and interference?
- Electronic books (e-books): Why are people suddenly embracing electronic books?
- Electric guitars: How does an electric guitar differ from an acoustic one?
- External sound cards: How can you re-record old LPs and tapes in digital format?
- Flash memory: How do flash memory cards remember things even when the power is off?
- Flatscreen (LCD) television: How do tiny crystals make the picture on your laptop or cellphone?
- GPS satellite navigation: How can satellites tell you where you are?
- HDTV (high-definition television): Why are HDTV pictures better quality than ordinary ones?
- Metal detectors: How can you find buried treasure or check suspicious people for weapons?
- MP3 players: Why does an MP3 player never really sound as good as a CD player?
- Night vision goggles: How can a camera see when there's no light around?
- Pedometers: How can you count the steps you walk with a swinging pendulum?
- Plasma television: Is a plasma TV picture really just a load of hot gas?
- Projection television: How can you beam a TV picture onto your wall?
- Noise-cancelling headphones: What's the best way to listen to music in a noisy place?
- Quartz clocks and watches: How does your watch keep time?
- Synthesizers: How can electronic keyboards make sounds like a barking dog or a creaking door?
- Weather stations: How can you make your own personal weather forecast?
- Yo-yos: Why do you have to keep tugging on a yo-yo string to keep it going?