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Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff 10 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: works dot com where smart happens. H I am Marshall 11 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: Brain with today's question, what is the difference between a 12 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: hardwood and a soft wood? When we talk about a 13 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: hardwood floor, what are we actually talking about? As it 14 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: turns out, a hardwood is not necessarily a harder material. 15 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: It's not more dense or somehow stronger, and in the 16 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: same way, a soft wood is not necessarily a softer material, 17 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,479 Speaker 1: meaning less dense or softer or less strong. For example, 18 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: balsa wood is one of the lightest, least dense woods. 19 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: There is easily dented with your fingernail and it's considered 20 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: a hardwood. So what's going on here. The distinction between 21 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: hardwood and softwood actually has to do with plant reproduction. 22 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: All trees reproduced by producing seeds, but the seeds structure varies. 23 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: Hardwood trees are angious sperms, plants that produce seeds with 24 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: some sort of covering. This might be a fruit like 25 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: an apple or a hard shell like an acorn. Soft Woods, 26 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: on the other hand, are gymnas sperms. These plants let 27 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: seeds fall to the ground as is, with no covering. 28 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: Pine trees, which grows seeds in hard cones, fall into 29 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: this category. In conifers, like pines, these eeds are released 30 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: into the wind once they mature. This spreads the plants 31 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: seed over a wider area. For the most part, angios 32 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: sperm trees lose their leaves during cold weather, while gymnasperms 33 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: trees keep their leaves all year round. So it's also 34 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: accurate to say that evergreens are soft woods and deciduous 35 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: trees or hardwoods. The hardwood softwood terminology does make some sense. 36 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: Evergreens do tend to be less dense than deciduous trees, 37 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: and therefore they're easier to cut. While most hardwoods tend 38 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: to be more dense and therefore sturdier, but as the 39 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:44,399 Speaker 1: classification of bostil wood demonstrates, there's no minimum weight requirement 40 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: to become a hardwood. Be sure to check out our 41 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join how Stuff 42 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: Work staff as we explore the most promising and perplexing 43 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,239 Speaker 1: possibilities of tomorrow the house Stuff Works. I find app 44 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:06,640 Speaker 1: has arrived. Download it today on iTunes. 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