Potassium chlorate is a chemical compound that contains chlorine, oxygen, and potassium. In its pure form, it is white and crystalline in appearance. It is the most common chlorate used in industry, school, research, and commercial labs. Potassium chlorate is commonly used: to prepare oxygen, in safety matches, as an oxidizing agent, in fireworks and explosives, and in fruit cultivation. Potassium Chlorate Uses Potassium chlorate was originally one of the key ingredients in firearm percussion caps or primers, and is still infrequently used in this way today. It is more Read More

Electroluminescent wire (EL wire) is a thin wire that produces 360 degrees of visible light. EL wire differs from string lights, such as Christmas lights, which only produce light at specific points. It uses a phenomenon known as electroluminescence to generate light when electricity runs through it. EL wire is very thin and flexible and can therefore be used in various ways, especially decorating. How to Make EL Wire A thin strand of copper that is coated with a layer of phosphor is the first piece of material used to Read More

Parabolic mirrors are specially shaped in order to capture and focus energy onto a single point. They also distribute energy from a single point outwards. The mirrors are a specific paraboloid type that is rotated around its axis, and is also known as a circular paraboloid. Parabolic mirrors are also referred to as parabolic reflectors or parabolic dishes. When were Parabolic Mirrors First Used? Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first scientists to use parabolic mirrors in his reflecting telescope in the 17th century. By using the mirror, the Read More

A pitot tube measures pressure levels in liquids. They are most commonly seen in laboratory settings but can be seen in industrial applications as small cylinders. While a pitot tube is not the only device that measures fluid pressure, it is capable of being implemented in much more diverse environments than similar devices. How Pitot Tubes Work A pitot tube is simply a small cylinder that faces a fluid so that the fluid can enter it. Because the cylinder is open on one side and enclosed on the other, fluid Read More

Air conditioners work in much the same way that a refrigerator does; by cooling the air in an area while also extracting the hot air from the area and removing it from the vicinity. However, unlike a refrigerator, an air conditioner must do its job on an entire house, does not need to cool the air to the same degree, and it does so with some larger, more powerful equipment. The process of understanding an air conditioner cooling system should start with an examination of the different parts of an Read More

Automatic number plate recognition is a system designed to automatically recognize and store license plate number data on vehicles passing through a certain point. This is one of the mass surveillance systems that utilize optical character recognition programs and hardware capable of reading 1 plate/second off vehicles running at a maximum of 160 km/hr. Some systems make use of infrared cameras to increase the efficiency of the system. The automatic number plate recognition system can be used to monitor traffic, enforce traffic rules and regulations, collect electronic tolls, etc. Automatic Read More

A psychrometer is a type of hygrometer and is used exclusively to determine the relative humidity or moisture content in the air. Psychrometers represent an older humidity measurement form and electronic sensors that depend on changes in electrical resistance and capacitance rather than condensation temperature have widely replaced them. However, psychrometers are still found in many industrial environments and are available in both stationary and mobile versions. How Psychrometers Work Psychrometers consist of two thermometers, one dry and one wet. The wet thermometer is encased in a sock or cloth Read More

A flood is an instance where large amounts of water overflow the coast line of a body of water and flow throughout the nearby land. Whether it is brought on by excess rain or certain weather conditions, a flood typically brings with it an ample amount of destruction due to the ferocity of the water. Here are the causes of floods: Tropical Storms When a tropical storm or hurricane hits land, it brings with it considerable amounts of water. Due to the way in which a hurricane is formed, large Read More

A zettabyte describes a unit of data or information that is equal to 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. The term is equal to a billion terabytes and the symbol ZB represents it. Zebibyte (ZiB) describes a measurement of data using the power of 1024. A single zettabyte is equivalent to 1,024 exabytes and is used prior to the yottabyte unit of measure. Due to the zettabyte’s large size, it is rarely used in industry to describe data storage or network throughput capacity. Examples of Zettabyte Use Over the past year, the total amount Read More

Humidity sensors (hygrometers) measure and report the air’s relative humidity. They are used in homes, wine cellars, and working environments that that are so humid that they negatively impact working conditions. Humidity sensors are also used in vehicles, industrial HVAC systems, and meteorological stations to help in the predicting and reporting of weather conditions. How does a Humidity Sensor Work? Humidity sensors detect the relative humidity of the immediate environments in which they are placed. They measure both the moisture and temperature in the air and express relative humidity as Read More