Explain that Stuff
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You are here:<br>Home page
The FREE science and technology book
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Want to know why giant ships can float, how your earbuds make music, what graphene is, or how windows can clean themselves? You've come to the right place! Here you'll find simple explanations you can really understand—hurrah!
Hard stuff... made simple!
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Explain that Stuff is an online book written by science writer Chris Woodford<br>(author of many popular science books for adults and children). It includes over 400 easy-to-understand articles, richly illustrated with over 4000 photos, artworks, and animations, covering how things work, cutting-edge science, cool gadgets, and computers. We take the "pain" from explain and the "tough" out of stuff! There's more information on this website than in your average expensive science book, it's continually updated, and it's completely free to use! Explain that Stuff also helps to support curriculum learning (conventional STEM education and home-schooling).
How to use this site
There are five simple ways to find what you want:
A-Z index: Browse articles by name.
Timeline: Find inventions by date.
Random: Discover something new.
Search: Use the search engine (at the top of each page).
Teaching guide: Browse study topics.
Our simple introductions explain the science behind the headlines. In the news now...
Space rockets
NASA has just made a remarkable return to the Moon with the successful launch of Artemis II. It's the perfect time to look<br>at what rockets are... and how exactly they work!<br>[News story]
Artificial intelligence
A major AI-architected disaster could dramatically undermine confidence in the technology,<br>according to one leading researcher.<br>[News story]
Climate change
NASA and the WMO have confirmed 2025 as one of the<br>hottest three years on record.<br>It's already been confirmed as the UK's hottest year on record.<br>[News story].
Nuclear power
Tech companies desperate to power AI's insatiable appetite are increasingly looking to nuclear energy;<br>Meta (Facebook) has just announced plans for new nuclear-powered data centers.<br>[News story]
Heat pumps
Many of us have woken up to the power of household heat pumps. Bigger versions, which extract power from<br>rivers and other atmospheric sources, are also gaining ground.<br>[News story]
Lasers
Photonic (laser-light-powered) microchips have long been touted as an alternative to pure electronics. Two newly released versions could be a bright sign for the future of computing.<br>[News story]
Geoengineering
How could we intervene to slow the collapse of glaciers in our ever-warming world? Glacial engineering is the new geoengineering! [News story]
Materials
A recent report in The New York Times reminds us how all the "stuff" humans have made<br>in the last century (plastics, concrete, and other things) weighs more than all the material produced<br>by nature. A fascinating new visualization compares the two things, side by side.<br>[News story]
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Quantum computing
Google has unveiled Willow, a new quantum computing chip that's miles better at error correction.<br>Critics wary of quantum hype say it's more of a "milestone" than a "breakthrough."<br>[News story].
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What's new?
Some of our newest and most recently updated articles...
Chromatography
One of the most important techniques for separating and analyzing chemicals... is 120 years old!
Solar cells
How did solar become the world's favourite new form of power... and what does the future hold for it?
Electric cars
Are they as good as the hype? Are they as clean and green as people claim? Why are they taking so long to catch on?
Artificial intelligence
Can we imagine a world where computers are smart enough not to need us? Is "human intelligence" a<br>good starting point for designing useful machines?
Gravity
It's taken over two millenia for people to understand how gravity holds the universe together. What do we know so far about this most mysterious of forces?
History of flight
Planes can trace their history back thousands of years to ancient myths and legends.<br>Why have humans always dreamed of soaring to the sky... and why did it take us so long?
Cranes
The science behind cranes is easy to understand, but why are there so many different types? How much can they<br>lift... and what stops them toppling over?
History of electricity
Electricity is an ancient science that powers our modern world.<br>Why did it take so long to figure out how it works and put it to practical use? Find out in our sparky story of electric power!
Software
Computers are wonderful machines you can reprogram to do almost anything. Learn more about algorithms, computer<br>languages, and the basic principles of coding in our simple guide.
Great psychology experiments
It's no big surprise that other people aren't quite what they seem.<br>But the astonishing finding from modern psychology is that...