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Why am I more motivated to do stuff when I try to fall asleep? | [
"This was asked on this thread recently, and I believe the answer was basically, When you're in bed it's easy to decide things because at that exact moment, you're not going to start/do whatever it is because...you're going to bed. Even your mind knows that it will feel good to plan things, but that you will at le... | [
"Two social psychological concepts come to mind here. State dependent memory encoding and Erickson Arousal theory of learning. State dependent learning states that what ever state of mind you are in during encoding is the state of mind where recall would be optimal. Erickson arousal theory states that learning is m... |
Why the video players on Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube play more reliably (at least for me) than embedded white label players on corporate sites, including TV networks? | [
"Both of these answers are mainly guesses on my part. For the white label players, the networks aren't as focused on the quality of their video players since they aren't as invested in their working correctly. Hulu and Youtube make money by having an easy video streaming service, whereas networks make money by prov... | [
"Because they use a separate company to provide ads, which come from different web servers. Imagine they're people. Dave works for the pizza company, he delivers your pizza. Sarah works for marketing company, she delivers the ads. Now, you could put a camera on your porch. Then you only open the door for Dave, but ... |
If an astronaut was lost in space, how long could he/she survive? | [
"According to wikipedia, they have [8 hours, 30 minutes](_URL_0_) of air. EDIT: This somewhat contradicts [NASA's own document](_URL_1_) which mentions enough air for a \"normal\" 7 hour EVA."
] | [
"I don't so much think of it as an evolutionary thing. There's really no benefit to being confused. It comes down to computing power. Your brain just takes a minute to recall old information/piece together new information to develop an idea of where you are and how you got there. I'm currently in flight school and... |
Do animal parents count their children to check whether they're all with them? "One, two, three, four, five, six. Check." | [
"Humans and several animals have the ability to subsitize-- to ascertain the number of a thing without actually counting. Not all animals are able to subsitize, and it's very hard to subsitize above about 5, at which point we resort to counting. If you ever look at some coins and immediately know there is three of ... | [
"Think of a very basic program. It's like they have several subroutines going: Function See() Function Hear() Function Feel() Function ReactToStimuli() Function FleeAwayFromThreat() Function FindAndProcureFood() Function Procreate() It does not take a lot of cells in a brain to do these things."
] |
Many land animals are endangered or close to extinct. Will more animals eventually evolve from the oceans to replace them? | [
"That's not how evolution works. Creatures don't evolve to fulfil a function (we use those terms, but it's really backward). Random mutations happen, and if that mutation is widespread and *beneficial* enough, that trait *might* be passed on. Being able to fulfil a function might prove beneficial and so get passed... | [
"How did X evolve X or to have X. 1. X that didn't evolve X or have X got eaten. 2. X that did evolve X and had X did not get eaten. 3. X that did evolve X lived longer to have more babies 4. X that did evolve X were more fertile and could have more babies 5. X that did evolve X were more attractive and had more op... |
How did people of antiquity or medieval times explain static electricity? | [
"Not to discourage other answers, but you might be interested in this part of the FAQ: [Ancients' views of static electricity](_URL_0_) Hope that helps!"
] | [
"Back then people still needed jobs, now they dont and can practice harder for longer. And science helps by showing then methods on improving motions. You cam find cool videos on youtube"
] |
What is a blind and a double blind experiment in science? | [
"Blind: The participants in the study don't know whether or not they're receiving the treatment being tested. Double-blind: Neither the participants nor the researchers know which participants received the treatment being tested (during the course of the experiment, in the case of the latter, they obviously find ou... | [
"Thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s): You can find the basic answer with a google / wiki search. Please start there and come back with a more specific question. If you disagree with this decision, please send a [message to the moderators.](_URL... |
If Earth's inner layers are essentially super hot metal, and some sections are liquid, how does it keep from solidifying through loss of heat? | [
"Heat generated by the decay of radioactive elements in the Earth's make-up helps keeps things warm but, overall, the Earth is losing the residual heat it started with, and will eventually cool off and solidify. So the end answer is \"nothing\" is keeping it from solidifying, the process is just a very long one tha... | [
"This is not easily answerable as it depends on the shape of the steak. I would argue that it can't be done because you cannot get both, the speed necessary for the temperature and the timing right (you get raw or overcooked/burnt steak). Also, you cannot get a constant temperature: High temperatures correlate with... |
If I am dieting, why should I care what I eat as long as I stick to X amount of calories a day? (Assuming my only concern is losing weight). Isn't a calorie a calorie? | [
"In your only goal is to lose weight, then the main thing is basically just calories. If your only goal is survival, then on at least a short term basis calories are all that matters. However, a lot of health problems can come up from having empty calories and there are a whole range of diseases like scurvy that co... | [
"Context is important. I'm not surprised to see a hot dog at a hot dog stand. I'd be surprised if I opened my wallet to pay for a hot dog and it only had a hot dog inside. I'm not surprised to see beach clothing at a beach, but would be concerned if I'm about to go into surgery and the surgeon shows up in a speedo.... |
Why do car companies such as Chevy or Toyota dissolve their brands (Saturn, Pontiac, Scion) but then keep making the cars under a new brand? How is this advantageous? (i.e. Chevy Captiva, Toyota iM, Lexus CT200) | [
"I can speak on behalf of the GM side. It is no Chevy that is split into different brands, but GM themselves. GM (based on strictly USA / Canada) has Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac. When going overseas and into Europe, they have even more brands (Vauxhall, Opel, etc.) I'll focus solely on the North America bra... | [
"Many years ago they coated tiny starch balls with the drug by rolling them in a cement mixer and spraying the drug onto the balls. They spray a coat, let it dry, and then spray on a coat of shellac. They let that coat dry, and then spray on another coat of the drug; let it dry; then another coat of shellac. They p... |
the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA | [
"For a traditional IRA, you can put money directly into it without paying taxes on that money. However, when you withdraw from the account, you must pay taxes on your earnings. In a Roth IRA, you *do* have to pay taxes on your money before you put it in, but you do *not* have to pay taxes on any earnings when you t... | [
"Thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s): You can find the basic answer with a google / wiki search. Please start there and come back with a more specific question. If you disagree with this decision, please send a [message to the moderators.](_URL... |
Does the pH scale assume that pure water is the "neutral" amount of H+ and OH- ions and go from there? | [
"Pure water is indeed \"neutral\". If it has a pH of 7 (at room temperature), then that means there is an equal amount of H+ and OH- ions in it. We humans happen to like water with a pH of 7, but the pH scale isn't based on that."
] | [
"*Hau* is a Lakota greeting from males to other males. Apparently it means [\"yes\"](_URL_1_), as well. One way that Northern Plains cultures became the quintessential Indian culture in Western minds is through the [Wild West Shows](_URL_0_) of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These traveling shows predated ... |
Where does the green in the leaves go when autumn comes? | [
"You're right that the green is chlorophyll. When autumn comes and the tree prepares to shed its leaves, the chlorophyll is degraded (presumably to recycle some of the molecules that its made of, but don't quote me on that). With the green chlorophyll no longer present, you can then see the other light-absorbing pi... | [
"Sure, and at around the same time as the Great Migration of African Americans. When Henry Ford began offering $5 a day for working in his factories and the midwest economy began to boom,a lot of people in the Appalachians left for good jobs in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit. One route, Highway 23, was called the Hill... |
Why does a short circuit or open circuit change the amplitude direction of a wave reflection in a wire? | [
"It's just like in light optics, when light crosses the interface between two media, there is either a 180 degree phase shift or not depending on whether the final index of refraction is greater or less than the initial index of refraction. If you look at [this image](_URL_0_), this represents the case of a pulse e... | [
"Microwaves oven use radio/microwaves in about the same band as as your WiFi router. The only difference is the WiFi is about 0.1 Watts, and the oven is 1000 W. Just like your antenna in your laptop picks up the WiFi signal as an electrical current, so do metal objects in the microwave. But since it's 10,000 times... |
Why is a cold called a cold? Is your body actually cold from the inside out? | [
"Calling it a cold started because people used to believe that prologned exposure to cold temperatures, especially if it was also damp and you weren't properly dressed, is what caused a cold. This is where the old cliche of saying \"come inside before you catch a cold\" during fall and winter came from. Edit: This ... | [
"Look at it like a phone and charger. If you put a load of energy into the phone (more than it's rated for), it'll do serious damage almost immediately. If you use an underrated charger, it'll put only a little energy in, but the phone will use more than it's getting and eventually die. Heat is just a form of ener... |
Since different animals on different islands and continents evolve different traits, why is it that fish such as a bass in a lake that is not near a river have not evolved differently in Georgia versus Minnesota | [
"The Georgian fish likely has only been isolated from the population in Minnesota for a short time (geologically speaking). If you were to leave one population of bass in a lake in Georgia and another in Minnesota and leave them isolated for a very long time, they will, indeed, diverge into different species."
] | [
"Most people copy ideas. If the tribe A comes up with a good idea, then tribe B next door will copy it. Or tribe A's good idea may make it powerful enough to conquer tribe B and force them to adopt their idea. Isolated communities may not be exposed to outsiders' ideas (like modern technology) so they don't copy th... |
Why is human waste treated as a greater contaminant risk than waste from other animals? | [
"Human waste is more likely to contain bacteria and diseases that can survive in a human. This means its more likely to pose an infection risk to you."
] | [
"the heat would require a heat source, electricity or natural gas. Some places may not have the infrastructure to handle that currently, so it would cost a hefty sum just to get that working, and a pretty penny to keep it working. Secondly you would need to collect the waste water, which again, would require infras... |
Is it possible to store muons, like we can store electrons? | [
"Yes, but bear in mind that muons have a very short half-life of a ~~2.2~~ 1.5 microseconds (edit: corrected, thanks!). However, that, together with relativistic time dilation for fast muons is sufficient to place them in a storage ring and do experiments with them: [This](_URL_0_) article shows some details of the... | [
"Suppose i asked you to dial \"9116644\" on your phone. One way is to look here, \"9\", and press the button. Then see \"1\" and press the button. And \"1\" and press the button. Too slow. Other way is to keep the whole number in mind for a while and just press the fingers one by one. So there's two kinds of storag... |
How can some filters/membranes be permeable to liquid but not permeable to gas who's particles are no where near the MCOW? | [
"Can you give an example of such a membrane? Is this membrane permeable to the gas phase of it's liquid, or rather, for example permeable to water but impermeable to oxygen? Generally speaking, permeability is not just a function of size. It is also a function of the interaction energy between the chemical to pass ... | [
"As the OP have mentioned in a comment above, fast moving fluids, in this case air, have lower pressure. Animals breath by expanding the chest cavity which causes the pressure surrounding the lung to lower. This causes the higher pressure outside air to rush in and inflate the lung. But if the pressure outside sudd... |
Do I share DNA with every living organism? | [
"Yes, every living organism on Earth is basically the same - everything uses the base components of DNA/RNA, there are no exceptions to this. If you can find an organism on earth that doesn't use DNA/RNA for storing genetic information, it would be a huge discovery. Essentially, all life on Earth is derived from t... | [
"Part of why you are having conceptual difficulty here (which others have addressed) is because the internet isn't just a big sea of information: it's a network of other computers. Any data \"on the internet\" is hosted from a specific computer somewhere."
] |
Why does wasabi have a really strong and spicy taste that lasts for a small amount of time compared to chillies which last for a long amount of time? | [
"Wasabi, as with mustard and horseradish, has enzymes that break down compounds called glucosinolates that are present in these plants. The reaction produces isothiocynates, which are the 'hot' compounds you notice when eating those. The glucosinolates and the enzymes producing them are water-soluble, so drinking w... | [
"First, a minor terminology nitpick/pedantry: a \"decibel\" is just a type of ratio - an increase by 1 dB basically means a 12% increase. When we talk about a 40 dB sound, we mean a sound that's 100 times louder than the quietest sound a person can hear. But you're asking about sound intensity. Sound is a wave, and... |
Do synthetic neurotransmitters exist? | [
"You have you to remember that neurotransmitters are just soluable signalling molecules. Serotonin, for instance, can be easily classified as a hormone. Estrogen is a steroid. I think if you adjust your concept of what defines a signalling molecule, you'll find that many drugs are in fact \"synthetic\" neurotransmi... | [
"mechanical, absolutely. the nanobot stuff is a bit far fetched though. you can start here if you want: _URL_1_ also this: _URL_2_ also this: _URL_3_ and this guy's work _URL_0_"
] |
Why are clouds always at a similiar atmospheric height? | [
"They are not. [Wikipedia has an overview over the different types](_URL_0_)."
] | [
"If I understand your question: The orbits are not just represented as being in the same plane (parallel paths) for ease of communication. The orbits are, in reality, all roughly in the same plane. Illustration: _URL_0_ This is due to the fact that the planets formed from the matter of a protoplanetary disk. There... |
Can anyone please answer some questions re nuclear physics in general, and Little Man in particular? | [
"Little Boy contained 64 kg of Uranium-235, or about 1.64 * 10^26 atoms. Each nuclear fission released 3.24 * 10^-11 J of energy, and the total energy released was 6.3 * 10^13 J. So we can calculate there were 1.9 * 10^24 fission events inside Little Boy. Most of these fission events created Barium-141, Krypton-92,... | [
"> how it really amounts to a bunch of bologna I don't have an answer, but I do need to point out that bologna = lunch meat. Baloney = nonsense."
] |
"Brexit court defeat for UK government". What does it mean, who was defeated, how will it affect Brexit? | [
"The courts basically said that brexit cannot go forward under the stewardship of Theresa May, Prime Minister of Britain, without the consent of Parliament. In other words, the UK government made a non-binding referendum for the people to vote in, that said \"do you want to stay in the EU or leave?\" the leave cam... | [
"Being from the US you take for granted your \"US membership.\" Having trouble finding work in georgia, move to Colorado. Need a sunny vacation? Fly to California without needing a passport or visa. Have a farm in Indiana and want to sell to farmers markets in Chicago (without having to figure out exchange rates or... |
What happens if you crash a car during the test drive? | [
"Dealers carry insurance to pay for such things. If the accident is clearly your fault, or you were reckless/unduly negligent they could go after you for compensation."
] | [
"Productions will usually have an insurance policy on the wellbeing of their actors. A good example is Paul Walker, who was contracted to complete fast 7 and another 3 films after that. After his death, the insurance company paid out a considerable sum of money, which was used to pay for the CGI and whatnot to all... |
What is the "revolving door" in politics? | [
"When you work in government agencies, you build up contacts within those agencies. Then, when you leave, you get hired - for fairly substantial salaries - to lobby your former colleagues on behalf of people who have business with that agency. The questionable part about this arises because you *know* that's your c... | [
"You know how a school bully might threaten to beat you up if you don't give him your lunch money? Governor Perry is accused of doing sort of the same thing by threatening to not give a woman's department money if she didn't resign from office. Since it was the governor doing it, he should know better. This would b... |
Is centripetal force-induced artificial gravity really as simple as we think it is? | [
"In theory, yes, it's that simple. And the disadvantages you point out for walking in the same direction as rotation or opposite to it are correct. In practice: you need to keep the angular velocity below 2 rpm to avoid motion sickness. In order to achieve usable gravity while rotating so slowly you'll need a very ... | [
"How did they do it (back then?) or how do they do it now? By using experiments and logical reasoning. You can't put a cell under a microscope and watch its metabolic functions. Instead you have to extrapolate out based on the inputs/outputs of the cell. In fact, the citric acid cycle was first postulated from expe... |
The London Whale Trading Incident | [
"\"The City\" is basically gambling. There are a few straightforward investments made, but also a lot of straight gambles on whether a share price will rise or dip, or all kind of other fancy indexes. No kidding, it's straight up gambling. These guys lost, and whilst chasing their losses there was nobody saying \"s... | [
"One of my favourite Askhistorians answers ever addresses at least part of your question: [Would a crew of a ship departing from Venice in the 14th century towards Middle East have any plans ready in case they encounter a leviathan on their route?](_URL_2_) Original answer by /u/sunagainstgold."
] |
What are some examples of "gunboat" diplomacy? | [
"The \"shortest war\" is a classical example. More formally the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 27 August 1896, it lasted 38 minutes. After an ultimatum at 09:00 expired English cruisers and gunships did start bombarding the Palace. After a while the flag was lowered, and the sultan did escape to the German Embassy. The Brit... | [
"A lot of political commentators are disingenuous. In 2008, it was pretty clear on election eve McCain was done for. More so for Bob Dole in 1996. But if you are say, Rush Limbaugh, and you have a bunch of followers, you will never say \"this one isn't going to be close, might as well stay at home\". You are going ... |
How come electricity or electrical currents from plugged-in devices aren’t a massive threat to everyone swimming in the ocean? What prevents massive worldwide electrocution from an unfortunately placed toaster? | [
"when electricity is in water it doesnt travel in a straight line, it radiates outward. electricity is like a river, it wants to flow downstream constantly. when you get shocked, its because you are in the pathway towards the most downstream area. when electricity hits the ocean, all of it is a viable pathway. So ... | [
"When you heat something in the oven or toaster you are directly exposing the food to heating elements that give off intense radiation and heat which stimulate all kinds of chemical reactions in the upper layers of the food, usually causing a toasting and hardening of the outermost layer. Microwaves do not work by ... |
Why is it so much easier to get a song stuck in your head compared to other forms of media? | [
"Neuroscientists still don't know 100% from what I know but are doing some fantastic research in the field of music and memory. In the most basic terms what seems to be the case is that music embeds itself in more parts of the brain then other stimuli and, I think more importantly, those musical parts of the brain ... | [
"I don't know. But I know how to make ear worms and other compulsive thoughts stop: Do numbers. From 1 - 100, pick random, non- sequential numbers, slowly & wth patience. For example, 76, 25, 63, 4, 37,: etc & so on. Breathe, go slowly and do this for couple minutes. It resets our little brain."
] |
How do we calculate historical prices into modern day numbers? | [
"A former colleague of mine would open her intro European history class by doing calculations on how much Columbus' voyage to the new world \"cost.\" First, she would run through the costs in gold (for 3 ships, crew for them, naval stores) and adjust gold prices for inflation; = high then in silver = very high (..... | [
"Hi - we as mods have approved this thread, because while this is a homework question, it is asking for clarification or resources, rather than the answer itself, which is fine according to [our rules](_URL_1_). This policy is further explained in this [Rules Roundtable thread](_URL_3_) and this [META Thread](_URL_... |
Will a dolphin/bat recognize itself when it echolocates, like a human with a mirror? | [
"That's not how mirrors work. When you bounce sound off a mirror, you don't bounce that sound off of the contours of the reflected image, you bounce the sound off the flat plane of the mirror. Using sonar/echolocation, a mirror sounds exactly like a pane of glass. The light that reflects off of it doesn't effect th... | [
"This has actually already been done, [here is a video](_URL_0_). The problem is that the image coming from the eye is full of gaps and errors which our brain has evolved to cover up. We think we see a perfectly clear image but in reality it's distorted and constantly waving back and forth."
] |
Friday Free-for-All | February 12, 2016 | [
"I have been puzzled for a few weeks why I could not find any printed listings of all the singers in the Naples Royal Chapel, considering it was a pretty major music group through the early modern period, and boasted many distinguished singers and composers, such as Scarlatti, and Caffarelli. Turns out most of tho... | [
"What exactly is not clear about the quote? Why Conference is dated by July and not by August - if so, Potsdam Conference was held from July 17, to August, 2. Bulk of debates happened in July. **Source** 1. [Potsdam Agreement](_URL_0_)"
] |
Can space-time warp in such a way as to allow me to start a journey and then return as my mirror image? | [
"This question is pretty tough to imagine. Here's something that might help: Imagine you live on a [Möbius strip](_URL_0_). You're facing straight down at all times. You leave a ghost image of yourself as you go around the strip. Travel fully around and you get back to where you started, still looking the same way.... | [
"In theory what you describe is possible, to a degree. Part of the problem is that going backwards, you could make lots of different high-level programs that result in the same executable. You would never be able to get back to the original code though. Information like variable names and sometimes function names a... |
Good points to raise with Holocaust deniers? | [
"By no means am I discouraging anyone from giving you an answer to your question, but our resident Holocaust expert /u/commiespaceinvader did a stunning job at talking about this, especially in this Monday Methods [thread](_URL_0_), where he and others discuss the issue"
] | [
"First you take a little of this: _URL_3_ Then you throw in this: _URL_1_ sprinkle in these kinds of studies to give \"evidence\": _URL_2_ Then you heap a whole bunch of: _URL_0_ And its nearly impossible to change people's minds once they are set."
] |
What happens, physiologically, when you get the wind knocked out of you? | [
"The impact causes your diaphragm to spasm preventing you from inhaling or exhaling. The spasming is that awful feeling that you get. It probably freaks you out because you cannot breathe."
] | [
"Our brains didn't evolve with cars in mind. They evolved with, like, being hunted by a jaguar (or whatever) in mind. So your brain doesn't know what to do with a car. It thinks hey, we're sitting, our body's not really doing anything physical, there's very little activity or stimulus... this seems like a good time... |
Why do mammals have capsaicin receptors? | [
"The [TRPV1](_URL_0_) receptor mainly works to detect heat. Having a pain reaction to scalding heat is a survival advantage. The receptor happens to be triggered by capsaicin as well, which is why producing it was a good way for plants to not get eaten by mammals."
] | [
"Availability of the spices in which spiciness is derived. Culturally and historically you use what you had near you. History dictates what culture perpetuates."
] |
What are APIs and how do they work? | [
"Application Programming Interface is any interface that is designed to be used by other applications and not directly by end users. End users are expected to use the User Interface of the application. As you might imagine there are a lot of different types of APIs that is meant for different types of applications.... | [
"This CGP Grey video does a really good job of explaining it all. _URL_3_"
] |
Why do we forget our dreams so fast after waking up? | [
"Dreams are stored as short-term memory, which only lasts about 7 seconds. So unless you actively think about the dream after waking up, it gets erased."
] | [
"The human brain is great at recognizing patterns and is very used to making predictions about the environment. For example, due your experience, when you're walking in the street your brain tells you \"people are walking in a certain direction and they're going to keep doing so\". When you experience something new... |
Why are some surgeries (for very rare diseases for example) so incredible expensive? | [
"If it's a \"very rare disease\", then the number of surgeons with experience/training in that procedure is going to be limited. Surgery isn't like working on a car, where one guy can pretty much do anything. It's pretty specialized. (Yes, there are genral surgeons, but they do general surgeries like tonselectomies... | [
"For the cathedral, they wouldn't just be building a new roof, it will be a restoration process which takes time. It is also a cultural heritage site which means it's important to history and protected by many rules and laws. Any plan to rebuild should be reviewed and approved by the pertinent authorities and the p... |
How many languages did you know when you applied for grad school? How many do you know now? | [
"If you want to get into a good program, you'll ideally need training in at least one. I got lucky; I started in modern Europe, and I had German already. I had to learn two others (speaking) and two more (reading) before I completed my PhD. You'd presumably need at least two or three besides English, at minimum. Th... | [
"Some people have them to increase their total credit line. Some use one car for regular purchases and pay off monthly, while carrying a balance on others. Some signed up just to get the bonus, etc. and don't really need the additional card. Some use different ones at different places based on the points/miles, etc... |
Is there a series that covers the *complete* American History? | [
"Not all of the books have been published, but you might want to check out the Oxford History of the United States: _URL_0_ Many of them are also on audiobook, if that's of interest."
] | [
"Get a feel for what you are reading. Ask yourself do all their arguments follow? Are they sometimes making leaps of logic? Are they priviliging/relying one group of sources, if they are do they explain why? What perspective is the book written from, how might this affect the focus of the book? Are they making bad/... |
How do interplanetary spacecraft radiate the heat from engines/electronics in a vacum, so they don't overheat? | [
"They radiate heat as electromagnetic waves. _URL_0_ Some small spacecrafts are designed to radiate heat from the spacecraft's body. But when they are larger, or have too much heat to reject, they may need dedicated surfaces for that. Radiators are usually painted white so that they reflect visible light from the S... | [
"First of all, only Jupiter and Saturn are classified as gas giants nowadays. Uranus and Neptun are now classified as ice giants. Then even though they are called gas giants they do not only consist of gas. Especially with Jupiter it is so heavy that the pressure inside the planet is so high that we strongly assum... |
Why can sound travel through solid objects (EG - a wall), but light cannot? | [
"Light can travel through solid objects. If the object is transparent or transluscent. Sound is different from light because sound waves are made up of vibrating matter (light is electromagnetic energy) Because of this, anything made of matter can transmit sound."
] | [
"Grab a tennis ball and a lamp. Turn off every other light in the room. Hold up the tennis ball. Half is lit, half is dark. If you are looking from the side (you can see the lamp and the ball) you can see some of the dark side of the ball. The ONLY way to see nothing but lit ball is to have the lamp directly behin... |
What was Che Guevara's month long stay in the United States like? I know he worked in a restaurant for about a month, but I'm curious to know more information on his time here. | [
"Jon Lee Anderson (sorry I don't know how to link but it's quite easy to find - good book) in his Che biography notes that he got a sour view of White Europeans during his time in North America. He (Che) wrote in his diary that he got into a fight with two British sailors during this time and had a complete disdain... | [
"The simple answer is to ask another question: what would you allow through this firewall and what would you block? A firewall isn't automatic and it isn't magic. You can't get a firewall which blocks \"bad stuff\". It works on rules. You tell it what to block and what to let through. China has made one which block... |
Why is sugar from fruit better for you than table sugar or sugar from candy? | [
"It's not. If you took peaches and distilled out all of the sugar, it would be just as bad for you as table sugar. The difference is that peaches also come with a bunch of vitamins and micronutrients you need to live, so eating a peach provides benefits beyond empty calories."
] | [
"A pill or tablet takes a while to dissolve in your stomach and enter your bloodstream. If you crush it into powder it enters your bloodstream much faster."
] |
what happens to a corpse in the coffin? Where does the decomposition go? | [
"Having excavated graves before, even the coffin breaks down. You wind up with soil filling the void, stained with whatever remnant particles there are. Colored by the wood and what have you. Some degree of tougher structures may remain, coffin adornments (metal pieces), whatever amount of bone is left. I've seen b... | [
"it's sold to bonemeal producers that grind them up and sell it as bonemeal, used for gardening as a fertilizer."
] |
How do keyless car remotes know which car to unlock/lock? | [
"They're coded. Only your car is 0000111010001010110011000111101001100100100101010010111010111000110010010100010110010101101010101010100, but the exact next car off the same assembly could be 01010111011101010101010101001100010101010101011001010101101010111001010101010101010101001101010101010100. Nb: probably not b... | [
"There is an episode of This American Life that explains it really well: _URL_0_ They say that the real money is made of incentives from the manufacturer to sell the cars - they just need to move a set number of cars, it really doesn't matter how much they sell them for. And then they get big payouts from the manuf... |
Between rain showers, why does it get ridiculously hot? | [
"Exactly humidity. There are two reasons that humidity causes it to get very hot. One is that your sweat doesn't evaporate as readily, and as such your body is forced to retain more heat (because evaporative cooling is a very effective way to sink heat). The other is that water vapor is a really significant greenho... | [
"Modern computers use variable speeds that require a variable amount of power. When a computer needs to process information quickly it will increase its \"clock speed\" and that requires more power. That power is not used at 100% efficiency and therefor more power = more heat as the excess energy is converted to he... |
Seeing as there is no sea level, how are mountains in Mars measured? | [
"One reason why sea level is useful on earth is that is provides a geopotential surface to measure the gravity field and give a local idea of the shape of the geoid (planet). I imagine atmospheric pressure gives you a similar sense on mars (though potentially more difficult to measure quantity, as you would have to... | [
"Nasa, among other groups with space exploration in mind, are asking that question themselves: _URL_0_ It seems the biggest problem to overcome is the low atmospheric pressure, which sucks the already rare water out of plants. Nutrients don't seem to be a problem."
] |
What is it in cancer that spreads? | [
"Cancer is any one of hundreds of different diseases in which a type of cell in your body mutates and begins growing in an out of control fashion. The abnormal cells are what spread, either via local invasion (just growing in place but the tumor gets so big it starts eroding into surrounding tissues) or via metasta... | [
"It depends on how close the explosion was to ground level, and how big it was, how much protective gear you are wearing, and how long you would be staying (are you coming out of hiding just to leave the area, or are you planning to live there?) TLDR: Bigger warheads, and detonations that are closer to the ground ... |
How is glass see-through?? It's matter. So how can we see through it? | [
"Light is a form of electromagnet radiation. It has a frequency that's in a particular range which we can see, but there are lots of other frequencies we can't see. The idea that electromagnetic radiation can pass through things is probably not at all strange to you. For example: - Light can pass through air, water... | [
"> Are there any fabrics that act similar to one-way mirrors? Not only do fabrics not act like one-way mirrors, but *one-way mirrors* don't act like one-way mirrors. The \"one-way mirror\" myth is propagated by TV cop shows, but it's no less a myth for that. If you took a \"one-way mirror\" in a cop shop and turned... |
How do colorblind people perceive lasers at the wavelengths they cannot see? | [
"the common forms of colorblindness (*protanopia* and *deuteranopia*) don't really reduce the range of visible wavelengths (at least, not significantly), they just reduce the discriminability of wavelength patterns. the 'missing' cone pigments (so-called Long and Medium pigments for protanopia/deuteranopia, respect... | [
"By guessing. They know that the sky is blue and the grass is green, so that part is easy. They also know the physical coloration of the actors involved. If they are lucky, their might be some color stills of the production. Process of elimination comes in, they can be pretty sure Clark Cable didn't wear purple or ... |
why did so many Slavic countries abolish their monarchies immediately following World War 2? | [
"They didn't \"decide\" a damn thing. Each of those countries was occupied by the Soviets after the war, who supported the rise of communist governments. Those governments, in accordance with communist ideology, abolished the existing monarchies. Also, \"Slavic\" does not mean \"Eastern European\". Hungary, Romania... | [
"Greetings everyone. In the few minutes this sub has been up, it's attracting sub-standard responses. Just a reminder of a few of the rules: * no responses covering events/conditions post-1994, per this sub's \"20-year rule\" prohibiting discussion of current events * no anecdotes * no speculation OP: your question... |
How would sound sound in higher dimensions (4th, 5th, 6th,... dimensions)? | [
"Well, for the most part this can't be answered because our ears only exist in three dimensions. However, in constructs of higher dimensions, sound propagates more or less the same way, except that instead of intensity falling off as the square of distance, it falls of as the D-1th power (cube of distance in four d... | [
"Brains easily perform many, many tasks hat are difficult for computer. Take that we know brains are optimized for pattern-finding. Consider intelligent life forms have to interact with a real 3-world and real time. Which means they can check their expectations. Testings a supposition is as simple as rotating an o... |
Where do hospitals dispose "stuffs" they take from your body on surgery? | [
"Samples are taken, if necessary (for biopsy, etc). The rest is incinerated."
] | [
"They might. It depends which store and which organization the money is going to. I believe the charity Ronald McDonald House is attached the McDonald's corporation, so the money is probably a tax write-off. But some stores literally just let charities put a little donation box in front of their cash register for n... |
How does clicking a box actually confirm that you're not a robot? | [
"It looks at how you click it. If you instantly move the mouse to the location and click it then it can be suspicious of it being a program instead of a user with a mouse. If the movements are suspicious then it makes you go through a special type of captcha, an identification captcha (like where it has a picture o... | [
"Using statistics. A representative sample of a country's population either get asked to keep a record of what they watch or listen to or have devices in their TVs or radios that do this. This information is gathered and the figures are scaled up to the whole country. EDIT: grammar"
] |
How many Ohms does tap water have? | [
"[This page](_URL_0_) has some data. For typical US tap water it seems to indicate a value of less than 100kΩcm."
] | [
"The meter measures both voltage and current going into your building/home/whatever to calculate the amount of electricity you're using. Voltage remains the same, but the current flowing in does change when something is drawing electricity from the circuit. > ...and the amperage depends on the appliance (it doesn'... |
How do they decide which actors get the "with" or "and" in TV credits? | [
"It's something that is worked out and agreed upon during contract negotiations. Hey Jon Hamm, how do you want your name displayed in the credits? \"With Jon Hamm\"? \"And Jon Hamm\"? \"Featuring Jon Hamm\"? \"Jon Hamm as Don Draper\"? \"Introducing Jon Hamm\"? It's all part of negotiations, and is the reason why c... | [
"They don't. It's a marketing ~~lie~~ gimmick. I used to work for a company that did a similar thing by mail. New customers were supposed to sign up by a certain time for special rates but as a specific matter of policy we'd give those rates to *anyone* who mailed back the special offer."
] |
Why are both the Boston Celtics and Celtic F.C. pronounced "sell-tic" rather than "kell-tic"? | [
"The soft \"s\" sound was how the world was originally pronounced in English. Only in the last hundred years or so has the \"k\" pronunciation become more accepted since it's closer to the original Latin. Both pronunciations are considered correct."
] | [
"Quick search would have answered this question Your skin is composed of several layers. The very bottom layer (stratum basale) contains the epidermal stem cells which divide and grow to form new skin cells. If you get a shallow cut above this layer, the stem cells are able to patch up the area and your skin will h... |
What's the difference between having undetectable levels of HIV and being cured? | [
"You have spotted the thing. & #x200B; From a functional perspective, if you are undetectable, you cannot pass on the virus to a HIV- person. The virus is no longer in your blood (but it can hide in other tissues which is why it comes back if you stop taking your ARV meds). & #x200B; While you are undetectable, t... | [
"Fed here. The Income Contingent Plan is going to adjust with your income from year to year. You'll need to re-certify. So if your plan is to never have an increase in pay, go for the Income Based Plan or ICR. However, if you start making more money in the next 20 years, your payment will go up and you'll most like... |
How can countries export goods? | [
"It doesn't really matter if the company(ies) is private or government owned. The money is coming from a foreign land into the exporting country. That money ends up in the workers bank accounts and is eventually used to fuel the local economy (This is in theory. If the country has near slave labor than you end up w... | [
"U.S. sales taxes are VERY Complicated. We don't have a national sales tax that applies evenly across the board. Sales tax goes down to the state, county, and even local levels. The tax you pay in one store could be completely different to the tax you pay in the store across the street in extreme circumstances. Plu... |
When something falls onto the floor - a wine bottle for example - what makes it break? | [
"It's a bit complicated to explain, but it's due to the way that the object has to absorb the energy of impact, and the structure of the object in question. When an object hits the floor, it has to go from having lots of kinetic energy to having none, because, at least for an instant, it has to come to rest with re... | [
"As u/AsAChemicalEngineer points out, the force of gravity on the weight is the same regardless of height, for small heights. But your question implies that you're confused as to why it seems like the force on the *rope* is different depending on initial height. As the weight drops from the lower height h1, it acce... |
What has happened when a huge amount of reddit comments are deleted? | [
"The users who made the comments or the moderators of the subreddit delete them. Mods delete comments if they're against the subreddit's rules. In ELI5, arguments, jokes, and insults are deleted. Arguments in particular here result in a LOT of deletions in one location. There's even a browser extension called \"mod... | [
"Look at it like a chess board: After 100+ moves, it's hard to set every step back until you're in the start position. It's easier to remove all the pieces from the board and start all over. ^This ^was ^explained ^before"
] |
Why do glasses always get dirty,almost greasy?Do dust molecules naturally stick to the lenses even though I take care of them? | [
"Glasses get dirty from a variety of things, most commonly from touching it. While you may take good care of them, any touch to any part of the glasses may have an affect on the lenses. If you tend to have oily, or dry and flaky skin, then your glasses will smudge and get dirty easily. Same goes for if you wear ma... | [
"Dvds and cds are played back by shining a laser on the aluminum layer above the clear layer of plastic on the bottom. A fingerprint can reflect or distort the laser, which means that the aluminum layer can't be read. A digital recording like a DVD can skip frames or stop playing completely if the recording is unre... |
Do perfectly spherical orbits exist in our universe? | [
"define \"perfectly\" the mathematical definition would be so exact that the propability for ANY shape is practically zero because the radius has to be a specific length with absolutely no tolerance (even one planck length away from a circle and it isn't one anymore) if you go for an engineers definition of perfect... | [
"Nice work, you've discovered Olbers' Paradox :) This was a much-discussed problem in antiquity. _URL_0_ Take a read of the wiki page, it's very good at explaining. And ask away if there is more you want to know."
] |
How fast would one need to accelerate a container of air to make it bunch up to one side, creating a vacuum on the other? | [
"For something like a planet with an atmosphere, you can define what's called a *scale height* which is the height at which the density is reduced to 36%. For planets, the simplest expression is h=kT/mg where m is the mass of the molecule, g is the gravitational field strength, k is Bolztmann's constant and T is th... | [
"As a physicist, the thing that really made sense was to realise that lift is due to vortex binding, much like the Magnus effect, which is mathematically the same as a current in a uniform magnetic field. In other words, one should be able to understand this with the same mathematical machinery of potential flow (w... |
What exactly does 'freeing megahertz of spectrum in a band' mean? | [
"I don't know the specific bands, so ignore the numbers: The FCC allocates certain sections of the band to certain uses. If you try to use a part of the band not allocated to you, it will get interference, and if they track your transmission you can get fined / arrested for it. So previously, lets say 5.0 gig - 6.... | [
"The supreme court had previously held that making private copies available for use by others was legal in Canada (see BMG vs. John Doe). As such, there was no legal copyright infringement that copyright holders could use as leverage to get (the subpoenas required to get) ISPs to disclose the identities of the file... |
Why do most moisturizers/ lotions have alcohol in them? | [
"It's probably used as an emulsifier. To help the oils and water based ingredients stay mixed together since oil and water don't mix well."
] | [
"You're looking at it backwards. If they didn't include the disclaimers you mention, they would have to meet the FDA's standards, like real medications must. They hope to sell you something without having to go through the rigor and expense of FDA certification."
] |
How does a high change in pressure “turn your organs to jello” and kill you? | [
"I take it they meant they died from the shock wave. Yes, strong shock waves can kill you, as they act almost like a supersonic brick wall that can enter your body. Hitting a brick wall at high speed would kill you because your organs get squished and stop working. Similarly, a shock wave would squish your organs a... | [
"There's a nice summary of what will happen in the late stages of the solar system [here](_URL_0_). The various planets will move further out as the Sun sheds mass. The gas giants will be far enough out not to be engulfed by the Sun. However, due to the expansion of the Sun, the region of Jupiter and Saturn and pos... |
Why do so many VR game developers claim that free roaming in first person games plays terribly and use teleportation instead (e.g. Doom VR, Skyrim VR), yet games like Resident Evil 7 VR completely disprove that claim? | [
"Because having your senses tell you that you are moving forward when you are not is disconcerting and can cause nausea. And even if some people can handle it, people who build a game from the ground up for VR aren't going to ignore the many people who would not enjoy a free roaming VR experience."
] | [
"_URL_1_ > Referred pain (also reflective pain) is pain perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus. > Myocardial ischaemia (the loss of blood flow to a part of the heart muscle tissue) is possibly the best known example of referred pain; the sensation can occur in the upper chest as a res... |
How is the number of people determined that saw an episode on TV? | [
"A company, usually Nielsen, finds a few hundred random people. I believe the people are chosen for one week at a time. They then tell the company which shows they watched. The theory is that, they are so good at putting together a truly random mix of TV watchers, that they can figure out how many millions of peopl... | [
"They still use nielsen pretty much exclusively. And nielsen still relies almost entirely on set-top boxes. They have a competitor in rentrak which uses actual data provided by cable provider partners. nielsen recently [struck a deal with dish network](_URL_0_) to do the same. Their numbers are garbage and that's n... |
Reddit and Bill Murray | [
"Well, he's not the only one. There are obsessions with Nicholas Cage, Daft Punk, and other celebrities. From what I've seen, Reddit loves Bill Murray, because he's a comedian that is still around from a couple generations, which means older Redditors can laugh about him, unlike if we were to talk about Daniel Tosh... | [
"_URL_0_ > Karma also does not share a 1:1 ratio with upvotes. It is common for link karma to be lower than the total number of upvotes you receive on your links. This also applies to comment karma."
] |
Before guns were widely available, how many random mad men would go on a killing spree with a sword? | [
"[A similar question](_URL_0_) came up a few months ago, if you find the replies helpful. See the bit about Malays \"running amok.\""
] | [
"**If you're new to the thread, please don't post the Mythbusters episode again. Mythbusters is entertaining but it's not history (or more specifically, it's not historical proof of anything.)** The short answer is no, not that we know of. /u/davidaop, our pirate expert, and I have both answered [questions about th... |
Why is there an 'enrollment period' for buying health insurance rather than just buying it whenever we want throughout the year without having to prove a life event happened? | [
"Because of the free-rider problem. If you were allowed to buy health insurance at any time (and because the law now disallows denial of coverage due to preexisting conditions), you would just wait until you were seriously ill to buy health insurance and therefore receive a large benefit amount for essentially no p... | [
"Circadian rhythm. Your body naturally works in cycles of awake and sleep (nearly every living thing does, even plants and bacteria). The only way to alter one is to deprive the other, or alter your body chemistry to move the process along."
] |
When was the first documented war? | [
"Documented? Would be the Mesopotamians. Sumer went to war against another state, Elam around 2700BC. Anything before that was documented with pictographs so can't be verified as \"war\" persay, but there are archeological digs dating back to 13,000BC and beyond that have skeletons that show violent deaths. (See: [... | [
"This is a broad question do you have a specific time period or place in mind?"
] |
Why is the brown bear's latin name "Ursus Arctos"? | [
"Because Linnaeus gave it that name. Ursus is Latin for bear and Arctos is Greek for bear. I don't know why Linnaeus decided to name a bear with two different words for bear. Calling the north polar regions the Arctic is itself derived from Arctos, in reference to the northern constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Min... | [
"The person you link to has borrowed (~~or plagiarised - there's no citation~~ Edit: /u/Iguana_on_a_stick points out they do reference Eckstein on page 3, I only Ctrl-F'd the first page. My bad.) their main argument almost entirely from Arthur Eckstein's *Mediterranean Anarchy, Interstate War, and the Rise of Rome*... |
If two points determine a line, two parallel or intersecting lines determine a plane, then does two parallel or intersecting planes determine 3d space? | [
"In general, in **R**^(n) (*n*-dimensional vector space), a (*n*-1)-dimensional affine space is described by an equation of the form > a*_1_*x*_1_* + a*_2_*x*_2_* + ... + a*_n_*x*_n_* = C where the a*_k_*'s are coefficients not all zero and *C* is a constant. So to determine the coefficients uniquely, you need to ... | [
"You can write simultaneous equations as a matrix equation if you first: 1) write each equation will all the variables on one side, and the constants on the other 2) write each equation with all the variables in the exact same order 3) for each variable not used in an equation write \"0x\" or \"0y\" or zero of what... |
How does a citizen's arrest work, and what are my rights? | [
"It depends on the state you're in (if in the US). In most states you are allowed to arrest someone for felonies, and in some states also misdemeanors or other such offenses. Note that, unlike a sworn police officer, you have absolutely no legal protections. If you harmed the person, mistakenly arrested them, damag... | [
"It's pretty much random though it varies a bit from place to place. Sounds like he has just lucked out and never been selected."
] |
Why are non-nutritive sweeteners (aspartame sucralose etc..) in so many non-diet products? | [
"Because they work out cheaper than the equivalent amount of sugar. One thing that helps this is the problems making and distributing the concentrate syrup that they use to mix up large amounts. You can only add so much sugar to a syrup before it forms solid crystals. If you use sugar, you have to transport and ha... | [
"It is beneficial for airlines to fill empty seats and hotels to fill empty rooms, rather than to leave them empty. They form agreements with these companies to offer lower priced rooms, but often do so in secret so that the consumer doesn't know precisely which hotel or flight they are getting such a deal on. This... |
After time in the sun, why does my hair get lighter but my skin gets darker? | [
"Your skin can react to a stimulus. It adds more pigments to protect you. Your hair is mostly dead cells and thus cannot react, so it gets bleached in the sun just like paint or plastic."
] | [
"Here's what I understand: Everyone in the world has a list of instructions in their body called DNA. DNA affects how someone looks, if they're a boy or girl, and other things. If you're a boy, your list is divided into X and Y. If you're a girl, your list is two Xs. If you're a girl you have two copies of the hair... |
How come computers need anti-virus but it seems that smart phones don't? | [
"there's plenty of malware out there for smart phones, there's even an article in /r/technology that shows smart appliances have been infected."
] | [
"It's like you're driving a car down the highway and you need to replace the tires because they're old and worn out. You *could* engineer a really complicated system that would allow you to safely change the tires while you're still moving. Or, you could just stop the car, replace the tires, then get going again. ... |
Why do Investments go up in Value? | [
"They don't always, sometimes they go down, but they change in price because people think they're worth more or less, and thus are willing to pay or more less for them than they used to. There are lots of reasons for that: companies release new products, release earnings statements, have a scandal that's in the new... | [
"The pressure doesn't keep increasing. It's pressurized to a certain level and stays there. Just as a balloon can *hold* pressure for days without the pressure increasing and bursting it. *Edit:* Or how a heavy book on a shelf doesn't press harder and harder until it breaks the shelf. The pressure has stabilized."
... |
Theory Thursday | Professional/Academic History Free-for-All | [
"I've always been fascinated by the wide variety of \"Fall of Rome\" arguments and how they're affected by historical perspective. I was wondering: **Does your historical specialty advocate a certain theory for the fall of the Roman Empire? or what's a unique argument for the fall of the Roman Empire that you've co... | [
"Just to clarify what namer98 told us mods when asking if it was okay to post this: All questions need to be submitted to Professor Sarna **by email** before the AMA. It is not \"live\" like the AMAs we host here in AskHistorians. So, please go to that r/Judaism thread to post your questions **before** the time of ... |
flair:'Medicine' Should a massive epidemic occur in an area, what are the measures taken by doctors, nurses, and other medical staff to make sure they are not infected and to make sure it won't be spread from the hospital or from patient to doctor to others? | [
"[PPE](_URL_0_) Personal Protective Equipment is currently used in all health care in developed countries. The masks, gloves, and \"gowns\" you see doctors wear on tv shows for surgeries, that's PPE. Its a barrier technique to prevent exposure to pathogens. Its part of [Universal Precautions ](_URL_1_) that all he... | [
"It is so that you can continue to evaluate the patient. If they fall asleep or become comatose, you cannot get any more information from that patient. If they remain awake, you can continue to monitor how they are doing and if any of their symptoms change."
] |
Polymerase Chain Reactions | [
"You mix together water, buffer (keeps pH constant, some salt so the polymerase folds and functions right), primers (short pieces of DNA that match the beginning and end of the sequence you want to amplify), dNTPs (raw DNA bases), the template DNA you want to amplify off of, and DNA polymerase (the protein that ext... | [
"The Ghostbusters infamous backpacks are supposed to be \"positron colliders\". When positrons collide with electrons, they either destroy them or scatter, they dont create magic lassos."
] |
In tennis, why are women's French Open and other Grand Slam winners paid the same amount as men when they play fewer sets? | [
"Probably to prevent being called sexist for having different prizes based on gender. If it bothers you, remember they're getting paid for getting the same \"job\" done. Nadal gets the same amount of money as Serena because they both won Wimbledon (example, no idea if that's happened.) the amount of \"work\" is irr... | [
"Many missions do use multiple slingshot encounters (aka \"Gravity Assist Maneuvers\"). If I recall correctly, the Rosetta mission performed two Earth GAMs and a Mars GAM. Cassini performed two GAMs past Venus, one past Earth, and another at Jupiter. However, this takes time. In order to pull off the double-earth s... |
How is it possible for red card owners in Colorado (and I assume other states as well) to be denied the ability to own/purchase a gun? Doesn't this infringe on the 2nd amendment (which is federal law)? | [
"> doesn't the second amendment still indicate the right for all americans to own guns as long as you are not a convicted felon, have any warrants etc.? The second amendment doesn't talk about any of these issues, it literally states: `\"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the... | [
"I was audited 3 years in a row due to no fault of my own. I filed my taxes and received my refund. 3 years later I got a letter saying I owed 1600 in back taxes from 3 years before. I checked the letter, brought my w-2's and 1099 and 1098's to the irs in Maitland Fl. They went over everything and found that my emp... |
Why do so many countries have eagles on their coat of arms and where did it originate from? | [
"It originated with the Romans: the eagle was a powerful bird, and so came to represent the basic concept of power and authority. Later, various European royal families adopted the eagle, or something like it. Some of them, such as the Russian tsars, give the eagle two or sometimes even three heads. The Holy Roman ... | [
"A pyramid is the easiest type of building to make. Any group of people who want to make a large structure are always going to start with a pyramid. Staircases are always going to take more work. So, if you want to walk to the top you will always make one section a stair case which is always going to be straight up... |
Would there be any physical problem with human skin cells containing functioning chloroplasts? | [
"I wouldn't think so, but to be honest I don't believe there really wouldn't be much benefit over what we have. Apart from the reasons znerg (clothes, hair, and layers of dead cells on top of your skin) brought up, we use a LOT more energy than plants do. We have organs and muscles that beat/expand/move, we exercis... | [
"For starters the extra costs to the manufacturer and the customer are not worth it. And second saftey, they could be dangerous closing down on little children & even adults."
] |
Why hasn't South America played a bigger role in the world? | [
"> or a Washington Bolivar? Generally regarded as one of the most important men in history and was called the \"Washington of South America\" by Lafayette."
] | [
"Costs money to build and maintain the facilities, some countries don't feel like taking on the burden of that cost."
] |
During the decolonization period, why did some states like Ghana and India get independence through nonviolence while others like Vietnam and Algeria got independence after years of bloody warfare? | [
"Additional question: to what extent did the Irish example stand out in the context of the rest of the British empire?"
] | [
"From the exact same XKCD article that you linked: > (Climates can be hard to predict—for example, in our world, Somalia and French Guiana both sit on the equator, at the eastern coast of a continent, and seem like they should both receive a tropical sea breeze. But coastal French Guiana is dense rain forest while... |
Why are numbers universally written the same and letters are-for the most part-different in other languages? | [
"Well, there *are* other numbering systems, although most are traditional and considered by most people to be outdated (e.g. Roman numerals, traditional Chinese numbering, etc.). Regardless, I think it boils down to two reasons. First, it's easy to learn. Unlike language, math laws are the same across cultures, and... | [
"The world currently adheres to the Gregorian colander, which sets the year 1 AD at the believed birth year of Jesus Christ. (The calender does not have a 0 year, it goes from 1 BC to 1 AD) Anything before that is marked as BC or Before Christ. (Or BCE for Before the Common Era) Anything after is marked AD or Ano ... |
independent athletes in the Olympics | [
"In the case of 2012, it's actually handy because there are two examples of the type of situation that can arise. Three athletes come from the Netherlands Antilles, which was dissolved as a country in 2010 and was removed from the Olympics books in 2011. However the athletes involved were already in process to comp... | [
"Check out Yuri Slezkine,[ *Arctic Mirrors: Russia and the Small Peoples of the North*](_URL_0_)"
] |
How was a horse drawn cart able to go down hill? Surely the weight of both the cart and driver would send the horse tumbling. If the cart did have brakes how were they made? If not then how was the horse able to support the weight going down hill? | [
"Carts were not towed by string, they were stiff wood. So the same way you can be pulling a stiff shopping cart behind you, a horse can pull a cart. Horses can support the weight of the cart on inclines and declines if it isnt too steep. IF you notice, old trails have very slight inclines, they sort of wrap around ... | [
"Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Whistling ](_URL_6_) 1. [ELI5: How does whistling work? And how is it different from blowing? ](_URL_0_) 1. [ELI5: How does whistling work? (Wind/air pressure to sound with whistles, bottles, or lips.) ](_URL_4_) 1. [ELI5:How does whistling work... |
Does the temperature of the water in a glass of ice water change as the ice melts? | [
"When pure ice reaches 0 degs C it starts to turn into water. The water/ice mixture will stay at 0 degs C until all the ice is turned into water. Then the water will rise above 0. The same is also true for reverse. Also this is the ideal case. Statistically speaking there is always the probability for fluctuations.... | [
"The bigger you make something, the weaker it gets, because as you increase the size, mass grows faster than strength. Say you have an ice cube that's 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm. That's one cubic centimeter in volume, and it has a footprint of one square centimeter. If you make this cube 10 times larger in all dimensions,... |
100% of California is in the three worst levels of drought. Should I be scared, or "scared" scared? | [
"Before you get too concerned, follow closely the information offered on this website: _URL_4_ And for CA, specifically - _URL_4_Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA And finally, the outlook... _URL_4_Home/Narrative.aspx It's bad, no doubt, and the heat wave/dryness this next week will not help... but it seems like the... | [
"Do you wanna be in a country who isn't ready for the apocolypse or the zombie invasion?"
] |
Was there ever any sort of plan for attacking Gibraltar during WW2? | [
"Yes. The Germans came up with an assault plan called Operation Felix. It never got past the basic planning stage though. Hitler never could convince Franco that siding with the Germans would put the Spanish on the right side of the war. Apparently a wise choice on the part of Franco. As Felix required Spain to al... | [
"The Spanish did have a land trade route over the Isthumus of Panama. It was successful and saw most of the gold and silver mined in Peru and Bolivia cross it on the way to Spain. In the 1850's, Cornellius Vanderbilt carried people by steamship to Panama, had them cross the Isthumus, and take another steamboat to C... |
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