Have you ever wondered why some things are designed the way they are? Let’s dive into some cool facts and tricks that might surprise you!
If you’ve ever tasted a Nintendo Switch cartridge, you know they’re super bitter. That’s because they’re coated with denatonium benzoate, a chemical that tastes awful. This is to prevent kids and pets from swallowing them by accident.
Before we had good storage for books, mice would nibble on them. To protect the important text, margins were added so that the writing stayed away from the edges where mice chewed.
Next time you use a red Solo cup, check out the lines around it. They’re actually measurements! The bottom line is one ounce, the middle is five ounces, and the top line is 12 ounces.
You’ve probably been storing peanut butter wrong. Try keeping the jar upside down so the oils don’t separate and rise to the top.
Did you know screwdrivers can work with wrenches? Just slide the wrench onto the screwdriver’s handle for extra leverage, especially when working at tricky angles.
The black grid on your microwave door is called a Faraday shield. It keeps the microwave rays inside but can also block phone signals. Just don’t turn the microwave on with your phone inside!
If you have a box of chocolates with a dent between the candy compartments, push it. The chocolates will pop out easily!
To stop the foil roll from falling out of the box, push in the tabs on the sides. They’ll hold the roll in place.
Don’t throw away those silica gel packets! They absorb moisture and can keep shoes fresh, prevent rust in toolboxes, and stop mold in pet food containers.
Ever notice that women’s shirts have buttons on the left? This dates back to when upper-class women had maids dress them, making it easier for the maid to button up the shirt.
Pants creases became fashionable because when pants were transported, they were pressed tightly, creating creases that were hard to remove.
Doorknobs are often made of brass or bronze because these metals kill germs quickly. But remember, you still need to wash your hands!
The ridges on coins were added to prevent people from shaving off the edges to collect precious metals. This way, you can tell if a coin has been tampered with.
The stripes in toothpaste are just a marketing trick. Solid white toothpaste works just as well. But those blue bristles on your toothbrush? They tell you when it’s time to get a new one!
Car headrests can be used to break windows in emergencies. Just slide one of the prongs between the window and the door, then pull back to shatter the glass.
There’s a tab on the bottom of your rearview mirror. Pull it back at night to avoid being blinded by headlights behind you.
Wooden hangers, especially those made from cedar, keep moths away because the oils in the wood are natural insect repellents.
At fast-food places, pull the edges of condiment cups outward to create a plate-like shape. This gives you more room to dip your nuggets!
Those little fabric samples that come with new clothes? They’re for testing how the fabric reacts to washing, not just for patching holes.
These fun facts and tricks show that everyday items often have hidden features or interesting histories. Keep an eye out, and you might discover even more cool things around you!
Try this at home: Take a Nintendo Switch cartridge (with permission) and gently touch it to your tongue. You’ll experience the bitter taste of denatonium benzoate. Discuss with your classmates why this safety feature is important and brainstorm other products that might benefit from similar precautions.
Design a creative art project using the concept of book margins. Draw or paint a picture that uses margins to protect the main image, just like margins protect text from nibbling mice. Share your artwork with the class and explain your design choices.
Bring a red Solo cup to class and use it to measure different liquids. Test the accuracy of the lines by comparing them with a measuring cup. Discuss why having these measurements on a cup might be useful in real-life situations.
Conduct an experiment by storing one jar of peanut butter upside down and another right side up for a week. Observe any differences in oil separation and share your findings with the class. Discuss why this storage method might be beneficial.
In a supervised setting, practice using a screwdriver and wrench together to gain extra leverage. Try loosening or tightening a screw at a tricky angle and discuss how this technique can be useful in everyday tasks.
Science – The study of the natural world through observation and experiment. – In science class, we learned how plants use sunlight to make food through photosynthesis.
Tricks – Simple methods or techniques used to achieve a specific result. – One of the tricks to making a volcano model erupt is to mix baking soda with vinegar.
Storage – The action or method of storing something for future use. – We used airtight containers for the storage of our homemade slime to keep it from drying out.
Moisture – Small amounts of water present in the air or a substance. – The moisture in the soil is essential for the growth of healthy plants in our garden experiment.
Chemicals – Substances used in or produced by a chemical process. – We wore safety goggles when handling chemicals during our science experiment to ensure our safety.
Buttons – Small devices used to control or operate a machine or device. – We pressed the buttons on the remote control to start the robot we built in our DIY project.
Metals – Elements that are typically hard, shiny, and good conductors of electricity and heat. – In our science project, we learned how different metals like copper and aluminum conduct electricity.
Fabrics – Materials made by weaving or knitting fibers together. – We chose different fabrics to test which ones were the most absorbent for our science fair project.
Signals – Transmissions or indications used to convey information. – Our DIY radio kit taught us how radio signals are transmitted and received over long distances.
Designs – Plans or drawings produced to show the look and function of an object before it is made. – We sketched several designs for our model rocket before choosing the best one to build.
