Science & Society
Understanding algorithms — and how to make them work for you
They’re the recipes behind everything from cooking to social media feeds. Learn how algorithms work to avoid their pitfalls. You can even make your own.
HS-ETS1-2
Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
More Stories in HS-ETS1-2
- Earth
Build your own seismograph with this science activity
By recording earthquakes, seismographs help scientists better understand and hopefully predict quakes.
- Physics
Chopping an onion? Sharp knives can keep its juice out of your eyes
Slow and steady cuts with a sharp blade, video shows, can reduce the pain-inducing spray of tiny onion-juice droplets.
- Artificial Intelligence
AI can now write working genetic instruction books from scratch
Two AI models designed these genomes for viruses that kill E. coli bacteria. They’re the first functioning full sets of DNA ever designed by machines.
- Tech
Origami folds let paper support 9,000 times its weight, teen finds
Miles Wu, 14, tested the strength of different ‘Miura-Ori’ origami folds and showed they might be useful in the design of pop-up emergency shelters.
- Physics
Here’s how to levitate something without magic
Levitation may seem like fantasy. But all it takes is a little physics — and sound waves, magnetism or electricity.
- Tech
This squirrel-like robot has some serious hops
Salto the jumping robot has a claw-like gripper. Like a squirrel, it can adjust its movement to help it stay balanced to stick a landing on "branches."
- Tech
Did builders of Egypt’s first pyramid use a water-powered elevator?
A controversial study suggests that ancient people might have used one to hoist the stones used to assemble into King Djoser’s pyramid.
- Space
Sci-fi inspired spacesuit recycles pee into drinking water
A spacesuit that collects and filters urine could prove a boon to future remote workers — even on Earth. Like the idea? Thank Dune.
- Physics
Aerodynamics involved in shooting hoops can make vehicles greener
Some ships host tall spinning cylinders that act like sails. Roughing the cylinders’ surface will greatly boost fuel efficiency, teen scientists find.
