INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Scientists have found that language actually helps influence the way you think. For example, people who grow up in cultures that use the cardinal points (north, south, east, west) rather than things like right and left as in English, actually have acquired the ability to locate the cardinal points with the aid of a compass. Learn at least one other language. Scientists also found that bilinguals (people who speak more that one language) see the world according to the language that they are using. Learning a new language will help introduce you to new methods of thinking. Learning is not just about going to school and memorizing some facts. Learning is something that takes a lifetime and can include a wide variety of things. When you're always learning, you're always thinking and being exposed to new ways of thinking.  Be wary about your use of and appeal to authority. Don't rely on other people's opinions, even if they seem to know what they are talking about. Check facts, look at alternate viewpoints. If you see holes in their arguments or reasoning, look into it. Don't ever just stop looking into something just because an authority figure (like the news, or your professor, or your senator). Now, if a variety of independent sources are making the same argument or claim, it's more likely that it is true. Practice a healthy skepticism about what you uncover. Make sure that you find information that is corroborated by more than one source (it's best to look for independent sources). Look into who is making the claims (are they subsidized by big oil companies, do they have a stake in propagating misinformation, do they simply have no idea what they're talking about?). Try new things and get outside your comfort zone. The more you do this, the easier it will be to look at opinions and ideas that don't immediately conform to your worldview. It will also introduce you to ideas that you would never have encountered. So try out a cooking class, or learn to knit, or get interested in amateur astronomy. There are certain things you can do which can help increase your thinking abilities. Thinking is just like any muscle in your body. The more you use your brain, the stronger it will get and the better you'll be able to think.  Do math. Doing math on a regular basis can be a huge boost to your mental facilities and can help make diseases like Alzheimer's less likely for you. Do a little bit of math each day (it doesn't have to be calculus, but when you're adding, do it in your head rather than on a calculator, etc.). Memorize a poem. Not only is this a great party trick (especially if it's a long poem), but it will help improve your memory, which in turn will help your thinking skills. You can also memorize some quotes to whip out in conversation, when the time is right. Engage regularly in mini-challenges like taking a different route home from work, listening to new music, watching a documentary on a new topic, learning a new word, trying a new sport, taking a little time to paint or draw, practicing a foreign language, or volunteering. Learning something new not only gives you a new skill or piece of information, it helps grow your mind. Try to learn or do something new every day. This could include anything from brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand to doing a lesson on a free learning site like Duolingo, Code Academy, or any other platform that speaks to your interests.

SUMMARY: Use language to change your thinking. Learn widely. Use mind building exercises. Challenge yourself to learn something new every day.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You only need a few things to make a freestanding homopolar motor. You should be able to find everything you need online, or at your local hardware store.  You will need the following materials to make your motor: 1 AA battery, 2-3 neodymium magnets, and several inches of copper wire.  You may also need a pair of wire cutters or pliers to help you work the copper wire. Stack your magnets together to make a stand. Place the flat, or negative, side of the battery on top of the magnets. Take several inches of copper wire and bend it so that one end touches the magnet, and one end touches the positive side of the battery.  You can bend your copper wire into different shapes that will spin when placed on the battery. Symmetrical shapes work best, so that the spinning doesn't throw the wire off balance.  Try bending your wire into a heart shape. When you form the heart shape, bend each end of copper wire so that they fit around the magnet. The indention at the top of the heart will be the connecting point to the positive end of the battery. Take your wire and place it over the battery. As long as you have a section of wire touching the side of the magnet, and a section of wire touching the positive side of the battery, your wire should spin.  The current in this homopolar motor flows in the presence of a magnetic field. When a current flows in a magnetic field, it will experience something known as the Lorentz force. The Lorentz force is what causes the wire to spin around the battery.  The wire connects to the battery at three points. One point of the wire is on the positive terminal, and the two ends of the wire are near the magnet, on the negative terminal. The current flows out of the positive terminal and down both sides of the wire. The magnetic field pushes the current outwards, causing the wires to rotate.

SUMMARY:
Gather your supplies. Place the battery on the magnets. Bend your copper wire. Place the wire over the motor.