The Boffins Portal Team 
Have you ever composed a sentence using the first letters of names in a list? Such sentences are called mnemonics. They help us to memorize new concepts and keep them in our long-term memory. The process of creating a way that helps you memorize information and retain it in your long-term memory is called elaborative …
Have you ever wondered how the scent of perfume or hair freshener spreads throughout a room? Or how salt spreads over food in a saucepan without stirring? The concept behind these processes is called passive transport. Passive transport is the process by which particles or substances move from a region of high to low concentration …
What makes the internal workings of Facebook different from Google? Or a small business unique from a large corporation? The differences go beyond the products they create. Companies or businesses can have distinct cultures in their workplace environments. This can give a business a unique personality. Since the workplace is drawn from the outside world, …
How do different species attain their distinct identities as species? The short answer is through speciation which is a process(formation of distinct species) that relies on various mechanisms that isolate different groups of organisms so that they are prevented from reproducing hybrids. A prezygotic barrier or isolation is a situation in reproduction where the eggs …
How do we perceive depth in a 3D world that is sensed through 2D visual senses? For any visual perception to take place, our brains need input information. This is obtained when light enters our eyes carrying information about the world around us. The light is focused on the retina (back of the eye) which …
(a) neutrons (b) electrons (c) protons (d) neutrons and protons (e) protons, neutrons, and electrons. The Correct answer is (c) Protons Explanation Atoms of the same element have the same number of protons in their nucleus. Let’s break it down… The number of protons in an atom is also called its atomic number. Now, atomic …
Learning is all around us. It’s a prerequisite for survival in a tough environment, whether you are a human or an animal. Associative learning is a kind of learning that subjects undergo in their environment. It’s where subjects make associations or links between two things that were not associated with each other before. To do …
Kinetic energy sounds like a complex concept. However, it is actually quite simple. In fact, we encounter kinetic energy every day. In order to understand kinetic energy, you must first understand what energy is. Energy is the force that an object applies. It is the ability or capacity to do work. There are different forms …
QUICK DEFINITION: Shaping in psychology is a behavioral technique involving the rewarding of successive approximations toward a desired behavior. It involves reinforcing behaviors that progressively resemble the target behavior to achieve desired outcomes. EXPLANATION: Have you ever wondered how animals such as bears learn feats like riding a bicycle? The answer lies in shaping. Shaping …
Persuasion is as old as human existence. It seeks to influence people’s attitudes and produce a particular target response. As a result, the process of persuasion has intrigued many people as to how it works. Politicians pay close attention as do companies wanting to market their goods to you. And preachers don’t want to get …