The Boffins Portal Team 
In scientific research, we typically use hypotheses for our statistical analysis. A hypothesis is a good or educated guess that tries to explain how two or more things are related. It is a statement that makes a prediction when there is no hard evidence yet or just before we embark on an investigation. A researcher …
Most of the substances we use in our daily life are mixtures. Air is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, inert gases, water vapor, and dust. Crude oil is a mixture of different components such as petrol, kerosene, bitumen, gasoline, diesel, and gaseous alkanes. By definition, a mixture is a substance made up of …
When a truck sounding a horn approaches you, the horn’s pitch increases gradually and is highest as the truck passes near you. As the truck recedes, the pitch gradually decreases. The variation in sound as the source approaches the receiver and as it moves away is caused by the Doppler Effect. The Doppler Effect, also …
How can we draw or infer meaning from our surroundings? To do this, we depend on observation. But observation can take two forms: quantitative or qualitative. In research, quantitative observation is a type of observation that focuses on quantitative data. The word quantitative describes something that can be expressed in terms of quantity or numbers. …
Change is an integral part of life and the environment. However, in organizations, change needs to be introduced in a more purposeful and predictable way. Kurt Lewin’s model of change is a systematic way of implementing change. It’s based on the fact that change cannot be introduced at once or too quickly. Therefore, it is …
Every football team that plays in competition always has substitute players. That’s an extra number of players who can be quickly called in to replace another player if he gets hurt. The world of chemistry also has substitutes. It happens in types of reactions called single displacement reactions. This is a reaction where an element …
A transform boundary (also called a transform fault), is a fractured area or Faultline on the earth’s surface where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other. The plates’ grinding action against each other can produce phenomenal effects such as shallow earthquakes, widespread deformation of the crust, and displacement of rock. Transform plate boundaries typically …
When extreme heat and pressure act on protoliths, metamorphic rocks are formed. There are two types of metamorphic rocks: foliated and non-foliated. A foliated rock has distinct layers that repeatedly occur throughout its structure. Foliated rocks are found within the earth’s interior. They are formed when high pressure is exerted on existing rocks. When the …
How jealously do you guard your personal space? In psychology, proxemics studies how personal space is defined and practiced in many cultures. Different cultures around the world apply personal space differently producing a wide variety of perspectives. The result is that people unconsciously protect their personal space in ways that are quite different depending on …
If evolution occurred in the past, can we find remnants of it today in present-day animals—whether physical or behavioral? One clue would be vestigial structures. Scientists think they have found a handful of these in modern organisms. These vestigial structures appear to have no use today. They are thought to have been necessary in the …