WEBVTT - What is the difference between a hardwood and a softwood?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff from house stuff works dot com where

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<v Speaker 1>smart happens. Hi Am Marshall Brain with today's question, what

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<v Speaker 1>is the difference between a hardwood and a soft wood?

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<v Speaker 1>When we talk about a hardwood floor, what are we

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<v Speaker 1>actually talking about? As it turns out, a hardwood is

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<v Speaker 1>not necessarily a harder material. It's not more dense or

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<v Speaker 1>somehow stronger, And in the same way, a softwood is

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<v Speaker 1>not necessarily a softer material, meaning less dense or softer

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<v Speaker 1>or less strong. For example, balsa wood is one of

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<v Speaker 1>the lightest, least dense woods. There is easily dented with

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<v Speaker 1>your fingernail, and it's considered a hardwood. So what's going

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<v Speaker 1>on here? The distinction between hardwood and softwood actually has

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<v Speaker 1>to do with plant reproduction. All trees reproduced by producing seeds,

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<v Speaker 1>but the seeds structure varies. Hardwood trees are angiosperms, plants

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<v Speaker 1>that produce seeds with some sort of covering. This might

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<v Speaker 1>be a fruit like an apple or a hard shell

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<v Speaker 1>like an acorn. Soft Woods, on the other hand, are

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<v Speaker 1>gymnas sperms. These plants let seeds fall to the ground

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<v Speaker 1>as is, with no covering. Pine trees, which grows seeds

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<v Speaker 1>in hard cones fall into this category. In conifers, like pines,

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<v Speaker 1>these seeds are released into the wind once they mature.

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<v Speaker 1>This spreads the plants seed over a wider area. For

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<v Speaker 1>the most part, angiosperm trees lose their leaves during cold weather,

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<v Speaker 1>while gymnasperms trees keep their leaves all year round. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's also accurate to say that evergreens are soft woods

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<v Speaker 1>and deciduous trees or hardwoods, the hardwood saw wood terminology

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<v Speaker 1>does make some sense. Evergreens do tend to be less

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<v Speaker 1>dense than deciduous trees, and therefore they're easier to cut,

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<v Speaker 1>while most hardwoods tend to be more dense and therefore sturdier.

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<v Speaker 1>But as the classification of Boston wood demonstrates, there's no

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<v Speaker 1>minimum weight requirement to become a hardwood. For more on

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