1

The Environment / How can two weather systems merge?

« on: 30/10/2012 07:15:51 »

They are saying hurricane Sandy merged with another storm system? How does this happen, if they are both spinning the same direction, wouldn't they cancel each other out rather than add to each other?

2

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How do they separate off certain numbers of atoms?

« on: 24/07/2012 12:34:45 »

I was attempting to explain to a friend what Higgs Bosons are and what the Large Hadron Collider does to a friend, who seemed completely satisfied with my explanations apart from one thing - he wants to know how they get an atom or a group of atoms by themselves to inject into the collider. Do they know exactly how many atoms they have?

Am I correct in thinking they must be ions otherwise the magnets couldn't accelerate them? If so do they repel/attract each other in transit?

3

Just Chat! / Re: sorry for teh problems

« on: 27/12/2011 06:46:03 »

Oh, right you are RD

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: How is energy released if H2O made from single O atom?

« on: 27/12/2011 06:44:03 »

Am I correct in rephrasing your question this way:

Does an 02 molecule and 2 hydrogen atoms create more energy when combusted than a single Oxygen atom combusted with 2 Hydrogen atoms?

?

5

General Science / Re: Will I dry faster after a cold show or a hot one?

« on: 27/12/2011 06:34:57 »

But from experience I always seem to dry faster after a cold one.

If you're having a cold shower, it might be that the ambient temperature is hotter, aiding evaporation. And you might even have fans going as well. If you're having a hotter shower, it might be cooler weather, probably without any fans on. 

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Just Chat! / Re: sorry for teh problems

« on: 26/12/2011 05:22:21 »

Previously, there was a category for "My Posts" that which was nice, but perhaps not vital.  It was nice to see which of one's posts had been commented on.

I second this, I would say it perhaps is vital

7

Just Chat! / Re: Theist, Agnostic or Atheist?

« on: 25/12/2011 12:12:58 »

However, I do believe it is important to have a religion.  Your religion defines your basic ethical system that defines how you limit your own actions in relation to others and the planet where we live.

Then you are surrendering your own thoughts about how we should treat each other to the teachings of your religion. You say it defines your ethical system, why is this important? Is it more important to have a defined ethical system than a good ethical system? You say you don't believe in god, and so must know that religion is man made. Why would you think that bronze age men knew best how run a society?

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Just Chat! / What is the meaning of life?

« on: 24/11/2011 23:34:30 »

I've always disliked the question. Firstly it's a loaded question, it assumes there is a meaning, secondly, it's too vague. What does one mean by meaning, do they mean purpose? What does one mean by life? Human life? All life?

It has no answer because the question is wrong.

Apart from 42 of course.

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The Environment / Why are rising CO2 levels such a problem?

« on: 04/10/2011 04:00:31 »

Ocean acidification.

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General Science / Is there a good substitute for decaffeinated coffee?

« on: 07/08/2011 11:32:24 »

Yep, proper coffee!

11

Technology / Is an aeroplane with frequent flyers statistically more likely to crash?

« on: 13/06/2011 01:42:19 »

No, I think that's a variation on the gamblers fallacy en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambler's_fallacy

It's not. Unless they are cheating, gamblers can't influence an outcome. Those who turn on a cell phone in an aircraft, whether they like it or not, are absolutely influencing an outcome.

I meant all other things equal, without making the assumptions that frequent flyers are more likely to use electronic devices, and that electronic devices could cause the plane to crash.

Maybe we should turn off all the electronic devices in the cockpit so that they don't interfere with themselves, especially the radio.

It must be hard for people with pacemakers to get around avoiding everyone who has a mobile phone so that it doesn't kill them.

I wonder how many terrorists have tried and failed to crash a plane by leaving their phone on.

Clifford,

You might be quite right to get upset if your car conked out due to RFI. If the aeroplane in which you were flying conked out due to RFI, your upset might only be temporary.

Under what circumstances is it acceptable for one passenger to deliberately do anything that increases the risk of a catastrophic failure that might kill all of his, or her, fellow passengers?

Yeah, we should ask passengers if they've seen a black cat or walked under a ladder recently before they board as well.

12

Technology / Is an aeroplane with frequent flyers statistically more likely to crash?

« on: 12/06/2011 06:06:10 »

No, I think that's a variation on the gamblers fallacy en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambler's_fallacy

13

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Why do we have eyebrows?

« on: 02/06/2011 12:43:32 »

Eyebrows evolved as a way to display ones prowess at not passing out and letting your mates shave them off. A specimen with only 1 or less eyebrows may be considered weaker than the rest of the tribe.

14

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Do multiple orgasms cause headaches?

« on: 02/06/2011 12:39:55 »

Hahahah i'm going to use that. Well, I need a wife first though

15

Chemistry / Re: Is fluoride in drinking water harmful?

« on: 02/06/2011 08:51:37 »

Fluoride only accumulates in bones, which I believe is the point.

16

General Science / How can we be surprised by dreams?

« on: 01/06/2011 16:59:55 »

Because you're not consciously creating the dialogue, your experience is from your point of view.

lotta answers to sci problems have come thru dreams?= its a reconfiguration of the braindata

Like what?

17

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Why do we need to light the rocket fuel for a rocket to take off?

« on: 29/05/2011 15:18:04 »

It was indeed a good answer, which already explained why it behaves different?

The gas moves out faster when it ignited. The faster it moves, the more kinetic energy it has. The more kinetic energy it has, the more kinetic energy the shuttle gains from the equal and opposite reaction.

18

General Science / Should really drink 8 glasses of water per day?

« on: 29/05/2011 15:12:19 »

Billions of years of evolution have gone into producing a system to regulate how much water you intake. It's very good, and has been in action since before glasses were even invented.

If you work in the heat and humidity, 8 glasses will not be enough. If you work in an air-conditioned office, 8 glasses will be too much.

If you feel thirsty, drink. No one ever accidentally dies of dehydration because they forgot to drink. And forcing yourself to drink more may be harmful: http://drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.html

This "8 glasses a day" nonsense is just another old wives tale.

We'll begin with the age-old advice that you should drink at least eight glasses of water a day, or about two liters. If you're backpacking or bicycle racing, that's not really all that much. But for most people, who, like me, sit around watching TV and scratching their belly, this would merely lead to superfluous trips to the bathroom. The problem is that the advice is not only unsupported, it's also misrepresented. The original recommendation seems to come from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, which, way back in 1945, said that you should do this. But what seems to have been forgotten is that the report added "Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods." Omit that, and it appears that you're supposed to stand at the sink and fill your glass eight times a day; which, it turns out, nobody ever recommended in the first place. Whatever you drink normally, in the form of coffee, juice, soft drinks, whatever, probably satisfies most people's water requirements. The evidence for this is that we don't see suited businesspeople laying around on the sidewalks of New York City dying of thirst, stretching out their hands in appeal to passersby.

19

General Science / Why does a sponge or rag sometimes go stiff after it dries?

« on: 17/05/2011 11:23:43 »

Know what I mean?

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Question of the Week / QotW - 11.05.08 - How do we keep warm?

« on: 07/05/2011 14:04:35 »

I'm skeptical Airthumbs, do you have any sources?