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PlayOwl

Explore · Wonder · Discover

How Things Work

Ever wondered how airplanes fly, why popcorn pops or how your heart pumps? Pick a question, then watch it, look inside, try it, solve a challenge and go deeper. Every topic changes for Preschool, Elementary and Middle school.

  1. 1Watch it
  2. 2Look inside
  3. 3Try it
  4. 4Solve a challenge
  5. 5Go deeper

500 topics to explore · showing 313–336

Every topic

#313 Making everyday things How is rope made? Twist fibers into yarns and strands and compare different arrangements. #314 Making everyday things How are carpets made? Watch yarn enter a backing and compare looped and cut-pile surfaces. #315 Making everyday things How are metal objects cast? Fill a virtual mold, allow cooling, and remove and finish the casting. #316 Making everyday things How is sandpaper made? Coat backing with abrasive grains and compare the resulting surfaces on virtual wood. #317 Making everyday things How does welding join metal? Watch a simplified joint form and inspect the connection after cooling. #318 Making everyday things How does electroplating coat an object? Follow preparation and plating as a thin metal layer forms on a surface. #319 Making everyday things How do laser cutters cut shapes? Draw a pattern and guide a simulated laser along the cutting path. #320 Making everyday things How do waterjet cutters cut tough materials? Guide a simulated jet through different samples and compare the cuts. #321 Making everyday things How do computer-controlled machines carve precise parts? Follow a cutting tool as it removes material along planned paths. #322 Making everyday things How is leather made? Follow prepared hides through tanning, drying, softening, and finishing. #323 Making everyday things How are screws manufactured? Shape a head, roll threads into the shaft, and inspect the fastener. #324 Making everyday things How are foam cushions made? Watch bubbles form inside material and compare different foam structures. #325 Making everyday things How are coins made? Prepare metal blanks, press designs onto both sides, and inspect the results. #326 Computers & communication How do QR codes store information? Encode a short message into a square pattern and decode it onscreen. #327 Computers & communication How does a search engine find websites? Build a miniature index and compare which pages match different searches. #328 Computers & communication How do passwords protect accounts? Explore how a system checks fictional passwords without displaying stored secrets. #329 Computers & communication How does two-step verification protect accounts? Unlock a pretend account using two proofs and explore their separate roles. #330 Computers & communication How does encryption keep messages private? Scramble a message in a simple model and restore it using the appropriate key. #331 Computers & communication How does a video call work? Follow pictures and sound through encoding, transmission, and playback between virtual devices. #332 Computers & communication How does streaming video reach a screen? Fill a playback buffer and explore what happens when incoming data slows. #333 Computers & communication How does cloud storage keep files available? Save a drawing remotely and retrieve it from different virtual devices. #334 Computers & communication How do backups recover lost files? Save copies, change a pretend folder, and restore an earlier version. #335 Computers & communication How does file compression make files smaller? Replace repeated patterns with shorter descriptions and compare file sizes. #336 Computers & communication How does animation turn pictures into movement? Arrange frames, change playback speed, and create a short animated scene.

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