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Curious Questions from Curious Minds!
Welcome to Curiopedia, where imagination and discovery take shape! Discover something new today with these curious questions from children. Click on the ‘View Answer’ button to find out the answer! If you want your (child’s) curious question answered and featured here, submit it now.
Month Year
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Sticky situation
Why doesn't glue stick to its bottle?
Vishalakshi , Hyderabad
Glue is made of a combination of different chemicals. It also contains a solvent that keeps the glue in liquid form — without it the chemicals would harden. In regular white glue, the solvent used is water. Once the glue is put on a piece, it is exposed to air, and thus the water (or any solvent) evaporates, causing the glue to harden. Inside the bottle, there is not enough air to cause the water to evaporate, and therefore it does not stick to it. This is why, when you forget to close the glue bottle, the glue dries up.
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Getting taller
Why does the height of the Eiffel Tower increase in summer?
Santosh , Seethempeta
The Eiffel Tower in Paris is made of metal and is 324m. In summer, when the temperature increases to more than 40 degrees C, the metal at the base expands and so increases the height of the tower by approximately 17 cm. This change is temporary. When the sun sets, the height is reduced.
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Milky white
Why is milk white?
Anush Manthatti , Bengaluru
Milk reflects all the wavelengths of light and does not absorb any colour. It is made up of components like lactose, fats and proteins. Casein is a calcium-rich protein and is found in milk. The combination of the casein and certain fats give milk its colour. Milk can have a slightly yellowish or bluish tinge depending upon the amount of protein and fat contents present in milk.
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Melt to a puddle
Why does ice dissolve easily when salt is added to it?
N. Supra Jyotsna , Nandyal
The freezing point of water is 0°C. When salt is added to ice (which is made of water), it melts quickly because salt lowers the freezing point of water. This phenomenon is called the “freezing point depression.” To kick-start the process, salt must be combined with water. Once in the water, salt breaks into its basic elements which mixes with the water molecules and prevents it bonding to form the rigid structure that makes up ice. This prevents the water from freezing or re-freezing, and subsequently melts the ice around it. In cold countries, salt is spread on roads and sidewalks to melt the ice and snow.