A-Z index
Last updated: November 6, 2009.
Explain that Stuff is a collection of about 350 completely free, easy-to-understand articles (plus something like 1700 photos and artworks), covering all kinds of cutting-edge science and technology, cool gadgets and inventions, and how things work. We try to explain things simply and clearly so you understand them completely!
A word of explanation...
Our articles are designed for a variety of readers. Each one has a colored dot next to the title showing who it's intended for:
A
short,
simple introduction, particularly suitable for young readers.
A
longer and more detailed
article, suitable for most readers.
A more academic
piece. Younger readers may find these articles too detailed and
complex.
Obviously this is a very crude system. Don't let it put you off reading anything!
List of articles
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
- Accelerometers

- Acidity (pH) meters

- Adhesives (glues)

- Advertising, do-it-yourself

- Aerosol cans

- Aerials (antennas and transmitters)

- Airbags

- Air conditioners

- Airplanes

- Airplane jet engines

- Air pollution

- Alarms, burglar/intruder

- Alarms, smoke

- Alarms, anti-shoplifting (RFID tags)

- Alcoholism and Winston Churchill

- Alloys

- Aluminum

- Amplifiers

- Ammeters

- Analog radio

- Anemometers (wind-speed meters)

- Antennas and transmitters

- Anti-static coatings

- Anti-theft security marking devices

- Arc lamps (includes xenon lamps)

- Atoms:
- Introduction

- "Atomic" (radio-controlled) clocks and watches

- Atomic energy (how nuclear power plants work)

- Autoclaves

- Automobiles, history of

- Axles and wheels

- Aztec codes (2D barcodes, data-matrix codes)

B
- Baby-monitors and intercoms

- Balances and weights

- Barcodes and barcode scanners

- Barcodes, 2D (data-matrix codes)

- Barometers (pressure measuring instruments)

- Batteries:
- Beepers (radio pagers)

- Bicycles

- Bicycles, electric

- Binoculars and field glasses

- Biofuels

- Biomimetic clothing

- Bioplastics and biodegradable plastics

- BitTorrent

- Blister plasters

- Blood-pressure monitors

- Bluetooth

- Blu-ray discs

- Boilers, gas central heating

- Books, electronic

- Brakes

- Brakes, regenerative

- Breadmaking machines

- Bricks

- Bridges

- Broadband Internet:
- Building a website

- Buildings

- Bulletproof glass

- Bullets

- Burglar alarms

- Burgundy

- Burning rainforests

C
- Calculators

- Camcorders

- Cameras and digital cameras

- Cams, web

- Candles

- Capacitors

- Capacitors (supercapacitors)

- Carbon monoxide detectors

- Carbon offsets

- Cardiac arrest treatment (defibrillators)

- Careers in science and technology

- Carburetors

- Cars:
- Catalytic converters

- CCDs (charge-coupled devices)

- CDs and DVDs

- CDs and DVDs, Blu-ray

- Cellphones (Mobile phones)

- Cellphone broadband (how HSDPA
works)

- Center of gravity

- Central heating and gas boilers

- Centrifuges

- Ceramics

- Cermets

- Charge-coupled devices (CCDs)

- Chargers, induction

- Chocolate science

- CHP cogeneration

- Chromium

- Churchill, Winston

- Circuit breakers, RCD

- Circuits, integrated

- Cleaning cloths, microfiber

- Climate change and global warming

- Clocks:
- Clothes, biomimetic

- Cloud computing

- Clothes washers (washing machines)

- Coffee (pod) makers

- Cogeneration

- Combine harvesters

- Combined heat and power (CHP)

- Composites

- Compressors and pumps

- Computers:
- Beginner's guide

- Buyer's guide

- Cloud computing

- History of computers

- How computers work

- Keyboards

- Memory (flash memory)

- Mice

- Networks

- Printers

- Computer screens, touch-sensitive

- Concrete, reinforced

- Converters, catalytic

- Cookers:
- Copiers (photocopiers)

- Copper

- Criminal investigation

- Cryptography

- Cycles

D
- Data-matrix codes

- Decibel sound level meters

- Defibrillators

- Dehumidifiers

- Detectors, smoke

- Detective work and criminal
investigation

- Detergents and soaps

- Dictation (speech recognition)
software

- Digital cameras:
- Diesel engines

- Digital pens

- Digital radio

- Diodes and light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

- Diodes, laser

- Directional loudspeakers

- Dishwashers

- Diving, scuba

- DLP® television projectors

- Dry-stone walls

- DVDs and CDs

- Dynamometers

E
- Earbud headphones

- Earthquakes

- E-books (electronic books)

- Eco-homes

- Efficiency, driving

- e-commerce

- Electricity:
- Electricity

- Electrical energy monitors

- Electric cars

- Electric bikes

- Electric hub motors

- Electric motors

- Electric showers

- Electric toasters

- Electric toothbrushes

- Electric guitars

- Electricity generators

- Electricity transformers

- Electric surge protectors

- Piezoelectricity

- Electronic books (E-books)

- Electronics

- Electron microscopes

- Electroplating

- Electrostatic smoke precipitators

- Elevators (lifts)

- Encryption

- Endoscopes

- Energy:
- Engines:
- Environment, public attitudes to

- Essays, how to write them

- Ethernet (computer networks)

- Exams, how to pass

- External sound cards

- Eyeglasses, photochromic

- Eye surgery, laser

F
- Fair trade

- Fax machines

- Fiber optics

- Field glasses and binoculars

- Filament (incandescent) lamps

- Filters, HEPA

- Fingerprint scanners

- Fire:
- Candle flames

- Fire blankets

- Fire extinguishers

- Fire fighting

- Fire hydrants

- Fire sprinklers

- Fire-retardant fabrics (Nomex®)

- Smoke detectors

- Fireworks

- Flames, candles

- Flash memory

- Flatscreen television

- Flight (airplanes)

- Flush toilets

- Flywheels (regenerative brakes)

- Foam mattresses

- Forensic science

- Fresnel lenses

- Fridges (refrigerators)

- Fuel cells

- Fuel efficiency

- Fuels, biofuels

- Fuses

- Fuses and surge protectors

G
- Galvanometers

- Gas central heating boilers

- Gases, liquids, and solids

- Gas, liquified petroleum (LPG)

- Gasoline engines

- Gas springs

- Gauges, strain

- Gears

- Geiger counters

- Geoengineering

- Generators, electricity

- Glass

- Glass, bulletproof

- Glasses, photochromic

- Global warming and climate change

- Glues (adhesives)

- Goggles, night vision

- Gold

- GORE-TEX® waterproof clothing

- GPS satellite navigation

- Gramophone

- Gravity, center of

- Green eco-homes

- Greywater

- Green energy (renewable energy)

- Griffin iMic external sound cards

- Guitars, electric

H
- Hall-effect sensors

- Halogen cooking hobs

- Happiness:
- Hard drives

- Harvesters, combine

- HDTV (high-definition television)

- Headphones:
- Hearing aids

- Heat:
- Helicopters

- HEPA filters

- History:
- Home automation and smart homes

- Home insulation

- Holograms

- Hosting web, buyer's guide

- Hot-water systems, solar

- Hovercraft

- HSDPA and mobile (cellphone)
broadband Internet

- Hub motors

- Humidity meters (hygrometers)

- HVAC air conditioners

- Hybrid and electric cars

- Hydrants, fire

- Hydraulics

- Hydrocolloidal plasters and wound
dressings

- Hydrofoils

- Hydroponics

- Hygrometers

I
- Incandescent (filament) lamps

- Induction chargers

- Induction motors (Linear motors)

- Infrared remote control

- Injection lasers (semiconductor laser diodes)

- Inkjet printers

- Insulation, heat

- Integrated circuits

- Intercoms and baby-monitors

- Interferometers

- Internet

- Internet, broadband

- Internet, wireless

- Intruder alarms

- Inverters

- Ionization smoke detectors

- Iris scanners

- Iron and steel

J
- Jackhammers/pneumatic drills

- Jet engines (airplane engines)

- Jet Ski® and Sea-Doo®

- Jobs in science and technology

K
L
- Laminates

- Lamps:
- Energy-saving fluorescent lamps

- Incandescent lamps

- Lasers

- Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

- Neon lamps

- Strobe lights

- Xenon lamps

- Lasers:
- How lasers work

- Laser interferometers

- LASIK laser eye surgery

- Laser printers

- Semiconductor laser diodes

- Laws of motion

- Lead

- LCD television

- LEDs (light-emitting diodes)

- LEDs, organic (OLEDs) and LEPs (light-emitting polymers)

- Lenses:
- Lenticular printing

- LEPs (light-emitting polymers)

- Lifts

- Light

- Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

- Lights:
- Energy-saving fluorescent lamps

- Incandescent lamps

- Lasers

- Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

- Neon lamps

- Organic (OLEDs) and LEPs (light-emitting polymers)

- Strobe lights

- Xenon lamps

- Linear motors (induction motors)

- Linux (computer operating system)

- Liquids, solids, and gases

- Liquid-crystal displays (LCD televisions)

- Lithium-ion batteries

- LPG (liquified petroleum gas)

- Locks

- Locomotives, steam

- Logic gates

- Loudspeakers

- Loudspeakers, directional/parametric

- LP records and cassette tapes:
converting to MP3 files

- LP record players

- Lubricants

- Luminescence

M
- Machines, simple

- Magnetism

- Magnetrons

- Matter, states of

- Mattresses, visco-elastic (memory-foam)

- Media players (streaming media)

- Memory chips, flash

- Memory-foam mattresses

- Metals:
- Metal detectors

- Meters, moving-coil

- Microfiber cleaning cloths

- Microphones

- Microscopes, optical

- Microscopes, electron

- Microwave ovens

- Micro-wind turbines

- Milk pasteurization

- Mirrors

- Misters and aerosol cans

- Mobile phones

- Modems

- Molecular beam epitaxy

- Molecular manufacturing
(nanotechnology)

- Motion

- Motors:
- Mouse, computer

- Moving-coil meters

- MP3 players

- Musical instruments:
N
- Nabaztag Wi-Fi rabbits

- Nanotechnology

- Navigation, satellite

- Neon lamps

- Neoprene wetsuits

- Networks, computer

- Nickel

- Newton's laws of motion

- Night vision goggles

- Noise-cancelling
headphones

- Noise-reduction (soundproofing)

- Nomex®

- Nonstick cooking pans(Teflon® and PTFE)

- Nuclear power:
O
- Obesity and orson Welles

- Ohmmeters

- Office photocopiers

- OLPC: One laptop per child

- Optical fibers

- Optical scanners

- Optical smoke detectors

- Organic food and farming

- Organic LEDs and LEPs (light-emitting polymers)

- Orson Welles and obesity

- Oscilloscopes

- Outboard motors

P
- Padlocks

- Paint

- Pagers

- Parametric loudspeakers

- Pasteurization

- Pens, digital

- Personal Water Craft (PWC)—Jet
Ski® and Sea-Doo®

- pH meters

- Phones (Cellphones/cellular
phones/mobile phones)

- Phones (landlines)

- Phonograph

- Phosphorescence

- Photochromic lenses

- Photocopiers

- Photovoltaic (PV) cells

- Pianos

- Piezoelectricity

- Planes (how they fly)

- Plasma flatscreen televisions

- Plasters, hydrocolloidal

- Plastics:
- Platinum

- Pneumatic drills/jackhammers

- Pocket calculators

- Pod coffee makers

- Point-of-sale scanners, barcode

- Pollution:
- Power plants (power stations)

- Power plants, CHP cogeneration

- Power, solar electric

- Power, solar thermal

- Pressure cookers

- Pressure washers

- Printers, inkjet

- Printers, laser

- Printing, lenticular

- Probes, Hall-effect

- Projection television

- Projection television, DLP®

- Protective materials

- Pulleys

- Pumps and compressors

- Pyranometers

- Pyrometers

Q
R
- Radar

- Radiation detectors (Geiger counters)

- Radio:
- Rainforests

- RCD circuit breakers

- Rechargeable batteries

- Record players

- Recycling

- Reed switches

- Refrigerators

- Regenerative brakes

- Relays

- Remote control

- Renewable energy

- Residual-current device (RCD) circuit breakers

- Resistors

- RFID tags

- Rivers

- Robots

- Rockets (space)

- Rollercoasters

- RSS

- Rubber

S
- Satellite navigation, GPS

- Satellites

- Saving fuel and energy

- Science of buildings

- Scanners:
- Science of chocolate

- Science of happiness

- Scuba diving

- Sea-Doo® and Jet Ski®

- Security marking

- Semiconductors (integrated circuits)

- Semiconductor laser diodes

- Seismometers and seismographs (covered under Earthquakes)

- Sensors, Hall-effect

- Showers, electric

- Silver

- Simple machines

- Smart homes

- Smoke detectors

- Smoke scrubbers, electrostatic

- Soaps and detergents

- Solar cells and solar-electric panels

- Solar hot-water panels

- Soldering and welding

- Solids, liquids, and gases

- Sound:
- Space rockets

- Space Shuttle

- Space telescopes

- Spam—how to block it

- Speech recognition software

- Speedometers

- Sphygmomanometers (blood-pressure meters/monitors)

- Split-testing websites

- Springs

- Springs, gas

- States of matter

- Static, anti-static-electricity coatings

- Steam engines

- Steel and concrete (reinforced concrete)

- Steel and iron

- Sterilizing with autoclaves

- Stone (dry-stone) walls

- Strain gauges

- Streaming media

- Strobe lights

- Submarines

- Subway stations

- Suicide in young people

- Sunglasses, photochromic

- Sunscreen

- Supercapacitors

- Superconductors

- Surfing

- Surge protectors

- Surgery, laser eye

- Switches, reed

- Synthesizers

T
- Tapes, magnetic, and LP records:
converting to MP3 files

- Teflon® and PTFE nonstick cooking
pans

- Telescopes in space

- Telephones

- Television
- Television (general principles and
cathode-ray tube TVs)

- DLP® television projectors

- LCD televisions

- HDTV (high-definition television)

- Plasma televisions

- Projection televisions

- Thermal insulation

- Thermocouples

- Thermometers

- Thermometers, infrared (pyrometers)

- Thermostats

- Thermos® flasks

- Thin-film deposition, molecular beam epitaxy

- Tin

- Titanium

- Toasters

- Toilets

- Tools and machines

- Toothbrushes, electric

- Touchscreens

- Transformers (electricity)

- Transistors

- Transmitters and antennas

- Trash recycling

- Tungsten

- Tunnels

- Turbines

- Turbines, wind

- Turbines, micro-wind

- TV remote control

- Typewriters

U
V
- Vacuum cleaners

- Vacuum flasks

- Valves

- Vehicles, electric

- Virtual reality

- Visco-elastic, memory-foam mattresses

- Vision, night

- Voice recognition software

- Voltmeters

- Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (VSTOL) aircraft

W
- Walls:
- Washing machines:
- Waste recycling

- Watches and clocks (quartz)

- Watches and clocks, radio-controlled

- Water

- Waterproof GORE-TEX® clothing

- Water pollution

- Water filters

- Weather stations

- Webcams

- Websites:
- Weights and balances

- Welding and soldering

- Wetsuits

- Wind-speed meters (anemometers)

- Wheels and axles

- Wi-Fi rabbits, Nabaztag

- Wind tunnels

- Wind turbines

- Wind turbines (micro)

- Winston Churchill

- Wireless Internet

- Wireless remote control

- World Wide Web (WWW)

- Wound dressings, hydrocolloidal





