Why do objects shatter the same way? Math solves the mystery

2-D: Short for two-dimensional. This term is an adjective for something in a flat world, meaning it has features that can be described in only two dimensions — width and length. 

3-D: Short for three-dimensional. This term is an adjective for something that has features that can be described in three dimensions — height, width and length. 

array: A broad and organized group of objects. Sometimes they are instruments placed in a systematic fashion to collect information in a coordinated way. Other times, an array can refer to things laid out to make a broad range of related things, such as colors, visible at once. The term can even apply to a range of options or choices.

asteroid: A rocky object in orbit around the sun. Most asteroids orbit in a region that falls between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers refer to this region as the asteroid belt.

atom: The basic unit of a chemical element. Atoms are made up of a dense nucleus that contains positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons. The nucleus is orbited by a cloud of negatively charged electrons.

axis: (plural axes) The line to the side or bottom of a graph. It is labeled to explain the graph’s meaning and the units of measurement.

conservation: (v. conserve) The act of preserving or protecting something.

debris: Scattered fragments, typically of trash or of something that has been destroyed. Space debris, for instance, includes the wreckage of defunct satellites and spacecraft.

density: The measure of how condensed some object is, found by dividing its mass by its volume. For example, a bowling ball has a much higher density than the same size Styrofoam ball.

dimension: Descriptive features of something that can be measured, such as length, width or time.

glass: A hard, brittle substance made from silica, a mineral found in sand. Glass usually is transparent and fairly inert (chemically nonreactive). Aquatic organisms called diatoms build their shells of silica.

grit: Tiny hard particles, such as sand or diamond dust, used as an abrasive.

liquid nitrogen: A colorless, odorless, nonflammable refrigerant used in research to keep things amazingly cold or frozen. It can chill things down and hold them at temperatures as low as -196° Celsius (-320.8° Fahrenheit).

mass: A number that shows how much an object resists speeding up or slowing down — basically a measure of how much matter that object is made from.

mechanism: The steps or process by which something happens or “works.” It may be the spring that pops something from one hole into another. It could be the squeezing of the heart muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. It could be the friction (with the road and air) that slows down the speed of a coasting car. Researchers often look for the mechanism behind actions and reactions to understand how something functions.

nitrogen: A colorless, odorless and nonreactive gaseous element that forms about 78 percent of Earth’s atmosphere. Its scientific symbol is N. Nitrogen is released in the form of nitrogen oxides as fossil fuels burn. It comes in two stable forms. Both have 14 protons in the nucleus. But one has 14 neutrons in that nucleus; the other has 15. For that difference, they are known, respectively, as nitrogen-14 and nitrogen-15 (or ¹⁴N and ¹⁵N). Nitrogen is also an important nutrient for living things. It shows up as a primary component of many animal wastes and of farm fertilizers.

nucleus: Plural is nuclei. (in physics) The central core of an atom, containing most of its mass.

particle: A minute amount of something.

physical: (adj.) A term for things that exist in the real world, as opposed to in memories or the imagination. It can also refer to properties of materials that are due to their size and non-chemical interactions (such as when one block slams with force into another). (in biology and medicine) The term can refer to the body, as in a physical exam or physical activity.

physics: The scientific study of the nature and properties of matter and energy. Classical physics is an explanation of the nature and properties of matter and energy that relies on descriptions such as Newton’s laws of motion. Quantum physics, a field of study that emerged later, is a more accurate way of explaining the tiny motions and behavior of matter about the size of electrons. A scientist who works in such areas is known as a physicist.

plastic: Any of a series of materials that are easily deformable; or synthetic materials that have been made from polymers (long strings of some building-block molecule) that tend to be lightweight, inexpensive and resistant to degradation. (adj.) A material that is able to adapt by changing shape or possibly even changing its function.           

remnant: Something that is leftover — from another piece of something, from another time or even some features from an earlier species.

slope: (in mathematics) The degree to which some line rises or falls from a strictly horizontal direction. A line that appears to rise as it moves to the right has a positive slope. One that appears to fall as it runs to the right has a negative slope. Vertical lines have neither. Their slope is described as undefined. Horizontal lines have a slope of zero.

theory: (in science) A description of some aspect of the natural world based on extensive observations, tests and reason. A theory can also be a way of organizing a broad body of knowledge that applies in a broad range of circumstances to explain what will happen. Unlike the common definition of theory, a theory in science is not just a hunch. Ideas or conclusions that are based on a theory — and not yet on firm data or observations — are referred to as theoretical. Scientists who use mathematics and/or existing data to project what might happen in new situations are known as theorists.

thermodynamics: This branch of science deals with how heat is related to other forms of energy, such as chemical, electrical and mechanical energy, and how energy moves between these different forms.

wave: A disturbance or variation that travels through space and matter in a regular, oscillating fashion.