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What is that sound that start every concert and always give me chills | That's the band/orchestra tuning up. [ Typically the concertmaster signals an oboe to play an A and that's what's used as the baseline for people to tune.](_URL_0_) |
Why 8 fl. oz. of water, frozen does not weigh equal 8 fl. oz. of liquid water (minus weigh of container) | If you take 8 fluid ounces of water and weigh it, it should be 0.52 pounds. If you freeze that 8 fluid ounces of water and weigh it again, it should be 0.52 pounds. The *volume* will change because at normal pressure, because water expands when it freezes. "ounces" are sometimes weight, and sometimes volume. That may explain any difference you note. A volume of 8 oz of ice will weigh less than a volume of 8 oz of water. |
why does Argentina have a lot of Nazi artifacts? What's the relationship between the two countries | Argentina is culturally connected to Germany: Many Argentines are of German descent. The Nazi regime made use of this to strengthen ties between the 2 countries. The Pèron government at the time admired the fascism of the Nazi government and shared their anti-Semitism. Sympathy was not the only reason for the regime's willingness to accept Nazi escapees: money (much of it being war loot) was also involved and Pèron hoped that the Nazi military officials, businessmen and scientists they were taking in could play important roles in the Argentine state. He also hoped to obtain advanced German military technology to modernise the Argentinian army. |
Under the new rules recently passed, what information can be sold and who exactly may purchase it. Is it a giant free for all like people are making it out to be? | Basically, nothing has changed. The bill passed shot down a not yet enacted rule that was going to require ISPs to get your consent before being able to sell metrics information- basically, anything that google or facebook already sells to advertisers, other ISPs already could sell, and will continue to be able to sell, to advertisers so that advertising can be targeted towards you. If you use a VPN or ad blockers, you're probably not going to see much of an effect from this |
Why do we have two of some organs (e.g. lungs, kidneys, etc.) but not of others (e.g. liver, pancreas, etc.)? | Surface area. Our body is constantly filtering via the kidneys and exchanging gas via the lungs. Having twice the amount of alveoli and twice the amount of nephrons helps our body keep up with the amount of absorption, secretion, and exchange necessary to maintain homeostasis. You can technically live without one kidney and one lung, but it puts stress on that organ and requires you to make lifestyle changes to accommodate. |
How come there are fireplaces in the woods? Why not tear them down when tearing the house down? | The fireplace is immune to both rot and fire. So if either of those destroyed the rest of the house the fireplace will still be there. |
- Why is it so hard to artificially replenish the ozone layer? | Volume, the amount of Ozone we'd have to create is extremely high and would have to placed in high atmosphere. |
Why exactly is it considered racist for white people to be proud of their heritage, but not any other race? | There are plenty of non-racist white pride celebrations, they're just more defined. My Irish and German heritage is celebrated by plenty of Americans with St. Patty's Day and Oktoberfest. |
How come indigenous people have historically been affected by invaders diseases but the invaders weren't affected by some random disease that the natives had? | It's not always one way. Syphilis was one example of a new world disease that was definitely problematic for Europeans. But often times the larger populations of more developed nations meant that there were larger infection pools, over time only the most infectious of diseases would be able to propagate. Also many of the Europeans at the time lived in close proximity to livestock, meaning they learned to live with more diseases that could jump species. |
...If aliens put a satellite into earth orbit to observe us, would we even notice with all the other satellites up there? | Yes. Astronomers carefully track all sattelites - as do some world governments. Even space junk is tracked. Astronomers need to know where sattelites and debris are so it does not interfere with looking at stars. Governments want to know where spy sattelites are and who is looking at what. NASA and other space agency's track space junk and sattelites so stuff they launch into space does not collide with it. So, things orbiting our planet are carefully examined. |
What would have happened in China if you got pregnant with a second child? | You would pay a one time fine at the birth of your child (or when it was discovered) and you would pay extra taxes. |
What's the point of the "objection" part of a wedding? | It doesn't have a point anymore. Which is why lots of people are choosing to leave it out. Nowadays, when you want to get married, you need to arrange the legal stuff beforehand - proof that you are legally able to marry this man or woman. Which generally comes down to showing that you are not blood related / that you are not already married. In ye olden days, you didn't have to show so many records before trying to getting hitched and cross checking everything was a lot harder without computers. The objection part was so anyone who would know of a valid legal reason why these two people could not be wed could speak up. |
The whole world has been pumping trillions of dollars into Africa as charity since decades now. Why are malnutrition, poverty, etc. still an issue there? | It's a political problem. Large parts of sub-Saharan Africa are basically kleptocracies ruled by thieving dictators who only seek to enrich themselves and build prestige. |
If I just drew up some random contract on a piece of paper torn from a notebook and it was signed by someone else would its contents be binding? | If it meets the requirements of a contract, sure: 1. All parties in the contract must be giving something. You can't just write "You will give me $100" and think it's a binding contract if I sign it. If you're not agreeing to do something for that $100, it isn't a contract. 2. The offers and acceptance must be clear and unambiguous. 3. It must not violate any laws. 4. Both parties must understand what it is they are agreeing to, and be of legal age to sign a contract. 5. There must be agreement among the parties as to the contents of the contract. If it meets these requirements, it's a contract. |
Why is it when a US service member dies on active duty the family receives at most $400k, but when young man is murdered by police and the family receives $5mil. | Well, a service member expected to put their life on the line but a civilian doesn't expect to die at the hands of the people who should be protecting them. |
Why does odd meter in music (e.g., time signatures in 9/8, 7/4, etc.) sound and feel so unnatural? | Music is much more acquired than you think. What sounds 'good' or 'normal' to you is the scales and the meters that you grew up listening to. The reason odd meter sounds weird to western ears is because...we don't hear it that often. 3/4 is an odd meter that we hear a lot so it sounds completely normal. You'll find odd meters with more frequency in other cultures. 7/8 (septuple meter) is really common in Balkan countries. 5/8 (quintuple meter) is found all over the place: ancient greece, spain, aboriginal australians, native american populations, korean court music, hindustani songs, etc. |
How do archaeologists know what noses look like? | The bone parts around the nose provide indicators of nose shape that they can use to create reasonable deductions of noses. |
Conservatism, Socialism and Liberalism | This is probably beyond the scope of ELI5, and is going to have a lot of loaded answers. There are as many definitions as people who care enough to have them. My personal opinion: Conservatives tend to believe that tradition and the past are very valuable and deserving of respect. Socialists believe that people should work for a common good, without a desire for personal gain. Liberals tend to believe that change is the way to the future, and that people's attitudes towards each other should be marked by generosity, which should be enforced by a government. I think most people, at least, can agree on this: whatever your alignment, most people honestly believe that their system is the best for the world; very, very few people are actually evil or malicious in their ideology. |
How come there can only be two sith but loads of Jedi | * Expanded universe history. The Sith fought a massive war with themselves long ago and the last Sith standing decreed the current system to keep them from destroying themselves again. * Its a lie. Palpitate clearly keeps multiple force capable individuals under him through the series and expanded universe books and hides them from each other. He may not name them apprentices but the relationship is the same. |
Why is Tai Lopez considered a scum bag for his "knowledge" videos? | The popular YouTube channel H3H3 made [this video](_URL_0_) describing it really well. Essentially, his "motivational" videos are clearly disingenuous and fake. This, tacked on to his annoying voice and arrogant attitude, makes him pretty fuckin' scummy |
How do civil engineers calculate how much weight a bridge can hold? | There's a class in college called "statics" and "dynamics". Where you learn about how much weight various materials can support and what happens if the weight is applied at an angle and how you can add support with cables and such. |
If Gandalf knew Bilbo has the ring, why did he let him keep it? | He didn't know it was The One Ring - it was thought to be destroyed. In The Hobbit the ring was nothing special (other than the invisibility), and in the Lord of the Rings books it took Gandalf 17 years from Bilbo's farewell party to discover that it was in fact Sauron's ring. |
Why newlyweds should get blood tests | I'm sure someone can explain this better than I can, but its basically to see if they can have children and what their children's immunities and what not would closely correlate too. Again... I'm sure someone can explain this better than I, but it has more to do with the children they might have than an aids test, although those don't hurt to do either. |
If heat sanitises, why can getting a burn cause an infection? | Burning leads to an open wound. Your skin protects you from nasty things entering through your flesh, so if it's burned off it can no longer protect you. |
How does encryption work? | Most simple explanation: * I put a key (key A) in a box, and lock this box with my padlock using my other key (key B). * I send this locked box to you. The "man in the middle" is unable to see this Key A. I never send Key B, so that key also stays secret. * You put a second padlock on the box, using your key (key C). This key also stays on your side, so it's secret as well. * You send the box with the 2 padlocks back. Again, the "man in the middle" is unable to see Key A, nor Key C. * I remove my padlock using my Key B. * I send the box back to you, it's still locked with your padlock. * You open the box using Key C, and voila: You now have Key A. |
How do I create shirts based on existing properties without getting in trouble for copyright infringement? | You either don't do it, or change the source enough that you can claim it's a parody. Selling merchandise using copyrighted characters you do not own is an incredibly clear violation, and there isn't a court in the country that would rule in your favor. |
Why does water bother our eyes so much? | This is dependent on the source obviously, but most water is not "clean", meaning it has particles of other things in it. Water in outdoor environments can have contaminants from farm runoff, dirt, algae, etc. Pool water can have chlorine, bromine, and salts that can cause irritation, and virtually all water, from taps, pools, bottles, the Atlantic ocean, you name it, has microbial life in it. The water isn't what usually bothers your eyes, it's all the microscopic bits of gunk in it that cause irritation by drying out the mucus membranes, stripping them, blocking the tear ducts, etc. |
Why is it that Asians who come to America not knowing English do better, within a few years , than most Americans who lived here their whole life? | because the Asian immigrants that come here, at least the highly visible ones to mainstream american society, tend to be wealthy, highly educated, and highly motivated. If you compare them to the broad swathe of the American populace, then yeah, they seem to be doing better. If you compare them to American born people with similar access to education and wealth, the native born Americans likely do better and the gap is certainly smaller. |
Why do boobs from the 60's/70's look so much different than present day boobs? | As someone who has seen thirty year of boobs, the boobs themselves don't change. It is the boobs you see that do. I am assuming you are talking about the boobs you see in movies and on websites. Back in the 60's and 70's what a filmmaker saw as a perfect set of boobs was different than what you would see as a perfect set of boobs. Body doubles with cosmetic surgery are used now where natural tits would be used then. |
What is the appeal of social networking services such as Snapchat or Instagram? | Snapchat and Instagram both allow text to be added as captions. For the sake of conversations, they have a similar appeal that a Skype video call has over a normal one - seeing the person's face. Instagram is more like a Facebook newsfeed than a conversation tool. It's more to show off meals eaten, clothes bought and perhaps some visual experiences. Also, my generation seems to be allergic to reading anything more than a short paragraph. |
Why do fake phone numbers start with 555? | Because no real phone number start with that prefix. This means shows can use a number without accidentally giving out a real person's number - 8675309. |
I see ads for the drug Humira on TV all the time, and it seems like every time I see a commercial for it, the drug is being advertised to treat a different disease whether it be depression, RA, plaque psoriasis, Crohn's Disease, etc.. How can one drug treat so many ailments? | Humira is a drug that reduces inflammation. Because Humira treats a symptom, rather than the root cause of a disease, it's useful in treating a wide range of diseases that share that symptom. I don't think Humira is advertised as a treatment for depression, all I found online was people asking if depression was a side effect. |
The Salem Witch Trials. | If you want a really good depiction of it I'd say check out the crucible. It is also an allegory for the red scare but it still does justice to the trials themselves. |
Why does the colour black attract and store heat? | You've got it slightly wrong. The reason why an object is even black in the first place is because it absorbs all the light. In other words, the color of an object depends on how it absorbs, reflects and refracts light. When an objects absorbs a lot of light, it will, by definition, be a dark color. |
Why are some people smarter than others? | There is no single determining factor. Size of the brain makes a big difference but doesn't always have a direct correlation. You also have to remember that "smarter" is a very vague term. There is "artistic" intelligence, "mathematic" intelligence etc etc. Some people are great artists but can't do simple Algebra. I'm on the other side of that spectrum, I can't draw a stick figure but I'm great with math. So since it's not a single thing that determines overall intelligence it is very hard to pinpoint exactly which area of the brain is responsible for this function. So my answer would be, there is too many variables to know for sure. And honestly we don't really know enough about the brain to know the answer to this complex question. |
Why is death by firing squad so bad? | I would think any experts would be unavailable for comment. Coming up with a best way to die is like debating what kind of dog crap tastes best. I think the anticipation would be the worst. A shot to the heart would cause shock (feel no pain) and unconsciousness within seconds. Death would happen within minutes. If no bullet knocked your heart out, bleeding out could take awhile. Chemical injection executions usually report burning sensations. |
In the hypothetical Gray Goo doomsday scenario, wouldn't an EMP sort the problem? | If hypothetically we were to create a device that's not a nuke that was capable of generating a large EMP, then it would likely be able to destroy the hypothetical grey goo assuming your hypothetical nanobots worked in any way similarly to modern electronics. But since we have neither nanobots nor EMPs, speculating about the effectiveness of either is kind of difficult. |
Why is reddit hivemind considered left and not center? | Young people are generally more left leaning, where older people are generally more right leaning. Young people are also more likely to be on an Internet forum such as reddit. |
Aside from tradition or belief, what are the benefits/drawbacks to female circumcision? | There are no known health benefits to female circumcision. Drawbacks include recurrent infections, chronic pain, cysts, an inability to get pregnant, complications during childbirth, and fatal bleeding. |
So how did cows, chickens and pigs become the standard protein to consume? | Cows are large and don't fight back. They also provide milk daily. Chickens can't fly, and lay eggs. Pigs reproduce FAST, and will eat damn near anything. |
Why are there no navy battleships with multiple large cannons in the US Navy anymore? | Because they're obsolete. They have been replaced by aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers. Both of which can attack ships and land targets over-the-horizon more effectively than a gigantic artillery on a battleship. |
Instead of trying to be emotionless, why poker players don't exaggerate fake emotions to confuse the opponent? | Doing nothing all the time gives away nothing. Exaggerating fake emotions is you doing something, doing something can be tracked. In the case of poker where there are so many hands, you trying to mimic exaggerated movements will eventually lead to inaccuracies where your "tells" will become known. This technique may work while playing with friends but pros will be able to pick up on things. |
Why do you gain weight when you quit smoking? | Nicotine is an [appetite suppressant ](_URL_0_) , so it follows that people will want to eat more when they stop nicotine. Another side effect of nicotine withdrawal is anxiety, which causes some people to turn to food for comfort. Some people turn to snacking to stave off nicotine cravings as well, because it's a distraction and because it is something to do with your mouth that isn't smoking cigarettes. |
Why do employers set up their application processes the way they do? | The resume thing is so a bot can scan and look for pertinent information, then, if the application is approved it's forwarded to a real person. |
What is the Holy See? And why is it in the UN? | It is essentially the leadership of the Catholic Church, and is responsible for the governance of the church worldwide. It's regarded as a sovereign entity, akin to a nation state. For most of history the Catholic Church has controlled territory, however between 1870 and 1929 it had no territory but nonetheless continued to have diplomatic relations with other nations. In 1929 it was granted the small territory of Vatican City, however diplomatic relations continue to be with the Holy See. The territory of the Vatican City is considered subordinate to the organisation of the Holy See. EDIT: Also, the Holy See is not a full UN member, it's an observer. It gets involved but it doesn't get to vote. |
Why are fedoras considered "uncool?" | Layman speculation, but I think it may be because fedoras have started to become synonymous with nerdy kids trying to look cool. *Generally* the nerdy kids who wear them aren't textbook definition "attractive", and they'll often wear fedoras with jeans, t-shirts, and things that fedoras generally don't go with. This probably makes up 60+ percent of the times I see fedoras being worn. I can only guess that other people see that as often as I do, but I think that's created a stigma around fedoras. |
What the heck is happening with this banana? 0_o | You can't reverse something from being rotten, to edible. The title is misleading. It's not a rotten banana, it's just a little bruised. If I ha to guess, I'd say all he's doing is removing the bruised look of the banana, but the taste and texture of the banana would likely remain the same. Softer and mushier than a more ripe banana. |
Why can antidepressants increase suicidal thoughts? | /u/audigex has good answer, but it's a little long. Short version: Before drugs; bad thoughts but zero energy. With drugs, enough energy to act on bad thoughts. |
In Asian countries it's customary to remove ones shoes before entering the house. It's seems like a very common sense and practical thing to do. And yet in America most people wear their shoes in their home. Why? | It stems from classical Asian (particularly Chinese) thought and perceptions on order. "Inside" is separate from "outside." "Inside" is clean and orderly while "outside" is dirty (this also helps explain why it's viewed as OK in many Asian city for small children to go the bathroom in the gutter, for adults to spit on the sidewalks, trash in the alleys, etc... Outside's just dirty) Naturally, when you transition from "outside" to "inside" you want to remove the dirty shoes and change into your "clean" slippers. |
Why does it feel so much better when another person massages your head as opposed to when you use your own hand to massage your head? | This is based on my own experience, not scientifically-proved. But as someone who loves massaging very much, when massaged by others, I cannot predict which part of my organ (like head, feet) is going to be massaged and I feel really pleased. I guess this can also answer why you cannot tickle yourself, as your brain has already expected your own act. |
Are some humans inherently more intelligent than others, or do we all pretty much have the same potential for brilliance if we work our brains out enough? (ignoring birth defects) | Most of the things that people think of as indicating "intelligence" can be trained. People will have different "natural" levels of them, and will then also have different natural inclination to do the things that exercise them. The result is that people develop those skills by different amounts. Few people ever reach the maximum of which they're potentially capable in more than a handful of those skills. In that sense, we have similar (though not *identical*) potential for "brilliance". However, there are exceptions to most such things. Some people have faculties that most people do not. Usually these can be approximated by anyone with enough effort, but it will never be quite so effortless as it is for the rare person who has it - and the actual *process* will probably be different, too, even if the result is the same. |
How do spiders walk on walls and pretty much any other surface? | They use the force, specifically the [van der waal force](_URL_0_). Like geckos, the bottom of a spiders foot branches out into ever finer little hairs until they are so fine they are able to interact with the surface they are walking on at a molecular level, loosely bonding with it to the point that they almost become part of it. TL;DR spiders, fuckin ninja's man. |
why is it that the age a person can legally appear in porn is universally at least 18 (in some countries older) but age of consent varies so much? | Just a guess I would think that we hold a child at a sexually mature age competent to engage in an intimate relationship. We do not see them competent to understand the ramifications of what appearing in porn can do to you in the future |
Why do arguments involving racial bias in the US rarely take into account the fact that the white population is much higher than people of color? | These things are often taken into account, but even when you take that into account it still turns out that white people are over represented. The US Census says that non-Hispanic white people are about 62% of the US population. However, more than 62% of actors on major TV shows are white (from my experience. I haven't counted it all up). Given the population disparity, one would still expect a majority white world, but it would be significantly less white than what is usually shown. I realize that's answered largely in terms of TV, but the same logic applies to the office example (though you would have to examine the demographics more locally in that case). |
How do TV programmes like The Simpsons make money from being aired? | Fox pays the creators of The Simpsons to create 1 or more seasons (depending on the contract). They use this money to pay the writers, animators, voice actors, creative staff, and everyone else involved with making the actual show. Fox is paying the creators because a certain number of viewers will watch the show which means that companies are paying Fox to air commercials during the time slot The Simpsons is airing. The more viewers, the more ad revenue can be asked for. Depending on the contract, Fox might also get a cut of any DVD/digital, merchandise sales. |
pushing a car to start it? | If the car is in gear and you're pushing it, then the rotation of the wheels will rotate the drive shaft (transmission, which then rotates the piston shaft (engine) (none of that is accurate terminology, by the way). If you get the piston shaft rotating, it can help you start the car because it will expand and compress the engine cylinders as if the car were already running. All you need to do is to feed some fuel in (gas pedal) and have enough electricity to run the spark plug ~~(battery)~~ (see /u/mike_pants below). The key-start method requires more power, because it has to run the starter motor, which tries to start the entire engine by rotating all the pistons. By pushing the car and turning the pistons already, the load on the starter motor is lessened. |
Why are memory storage options set up on increments based on the power of two (16gb, 32gb, 64gb etc...)? | When you store something in a memory, you have to remember where you saved it, i.e. the index of the starting byte. E.g. you save a file, it is at index 1000. And remember you need to store that index somewhere, so that next time you are looking for yoir your file you can find it. Computer saves the address in memory too, e.g. keeps "porn.jpg at address 1000". That number 1000 is saved in bytes, right? So let's say your computer uses 4 bytes to keep the index. 4 bytes = 4*8 bits = 32 bits and with 32 bits you can store 2^32 numbers. So it makes more sense if memories have powers of 2 bytes, because then when we're saving addresses we can use all the bits assigned to it. Update: fixed a typo |
Why do Republican candidates want to defund planned parenthood? | 1. Being against abortion is a winning strategy for Republicans wanting other Republicans to vote for them. Planned Parenthood is an abortion provider. 2. Republicans want to control women's sexuality and Planned Parenthood provides basic health care for women by providing birth control advice, contraceptives, cervical cancer screening, pap smears, breast exams and pregnancy care. We can't have those uppity women thinking they have rights to healthcare or birth control! |
why did commanders throughout history fight in the front lines? | Because they were often the the most effective fighting force in the field of battle. Your typical commander was a noble, which meant: * they had ample food and medical care as a child, making them bigger and stronger than most men * they were trained in sword and horse almost from birth * they had the best equipment money could buy * they were surrounded by similarly well equipped and well trained bodyguards So the commander didn't just lead the battle, they often served as shock troops who could turn the tide of the battle. |
How can companies give away free products and still make money? | Generally, people are risk ~~adverse~~ averse. If you need to make a purchase of something, you will generally go with something you know (or heard of) is decent versus something unknown. Free products help people "know" what is out there so in the future, they will purchase something they have tried and liked before over an unknown competing product. For example, Monster energy drinks. The company gives out free drinks to freshmen in college. The freshmen like the taste and how it allows them to stay up to study. Throughout their years in college, they buy more of them since its known and familiar. Maybe when they graduate and join a startup, they have the company stock Monster drinks in the company fridge. A few free samples turns a person into a lifelong customer. EDIT: English hard. |
Everyone wants to cut the defense budget, but what would actually happen if USA removed half of its defenses around the world? | If that actually happened, there would probably be a lot of geopolitical chaos, but it's not that simple. The US wastes billions of dollars in wasteful spending contracts that ends up in the pockets of CEO's of military supply companies, rather than actually going toward defense. So cutting the defense budget and literally reducing the size of the military are not the same thing. |
How do screens that you can only see when facing them from straight on work? | Polarizing filters. Think of shining a flashlight beam. It comes off like a cone, right? A polarizing filter only allows certain light rays through. So picture a piece of cardboard with a narrow slit cut in it. Shine the flashlight through that. Only a little bit of the light comes out, straight through. A privacy screen only lets the light rays traveling straight ahead to come through, like its coming out of a little tiny slot. The rays off to the side and blocked by the polarization, or the “cardboard.” EDIT: The light rays that get through have to match up with the filter’s orientation axis. Think again of that sit in the cardboard. If it’s up and down, the light waves up and down get through. The waves side to side do not. The ones at an angle...only some get through. |
Why does the stream of water from a faucet get thinner as it gets lower? | The rate of flow (liters per minute or whatever) depends on the width of the flow and its speed: a high-speed narrow stream can carry the same volume as a slow wide one. Gravity causes the speed to increase as the water falls, so it must get narrower in order to maintain the same flow rate everywhere along the stream. |
Why do so many of my local (Californian) marijuana dispensaries get shut down if marijuana is legal through a Dr's. Reccomendation? | The state has decreed they are legal, the federal government has not. So the feds can still raid/shut down these dispensaries. |
How does percentage grade work in regards to terrain? | It means that for every 100 feet you travel horizontally, you move up 20 feet vertically. The percentage change is the percent increase in elevation as you move horizontally |
If the human race originated from Africa and spread across the world, how do we all have different complexions and facial features compared to our African counterparts? | Basically, what you have is natural selection producing different traits: for example, if you live in Northern Europe, and you have dark skin, you may not get enough Vitamin D, and you won't live to produce offspring. Thus, in Northern Europe, having paler skin, and less natural protection from Vitamin D production and the sun's rays meant you were more likely to produce offspring if you were white. (Which is why most of the population of England, is the color of typing paper.) |
Why doesn't America, Britain or "the free world" send an army to just take ISIS out? | Let's assume we did this. Who do we target ? How do you tell an ISIS member from a local ? Answer is you can't unless they do something. We could probably enforce martial law but then we are an occupying force in a country (Mostly Syria) that hasn't asked for us. That's a recipe for guerrilla warfare - something these guys are good at. They can simply wait until we get tired of the attrition (slow loss of life over time) and give up. This is the lesson of Afghanistan. |
Why do you feel like you're burning when in contact with something extremely cold? | The extreme cold is sending your pain receptors into overdrive. At the end of the day tissue death feels horrible whether by heat or cold. Fire is generally much hot than the cold we feel is cold. So the "burning" feeling is not really a literal burning feeling but most associated with extreme heat applied to tissue. |
How does investing in a startup work? And how do you make a profit as an investor? | It just depends on the deal you make with the business you are investing in. You could, for example, invest some start up money, and buy a share in the business. you will then make what ever % you decided on of the profits the business makes. So, for example, you invest $10,000 and own 40% of the business and will earn 40% of all their profits. You could also have also have a deal where you lend them $10,000 and they have to pay it back to you + interest. So you make profit on whatever interest rate you decide on. |
how are plants related to animals? Which evolved first? | A lot of different sorts of life evolved before either plants or animals even existed. At some point way back when, the Tree of Life split into two groups. Group A comprises organisms we now call "Bacteria," while Group B includes everything else: lots of single-celled stuff, algae, plants, fungi, animals, and other characters. Many years later, Group B split again into two groups: "Archaea" (a bunch of single-celled dudes) and "Eukaryota." Yet later, Eukaryota split again, leading to "Bikonta" (some protists, algae, and **land plants**) and "Unikonta" (some protists, fungi, and **animals**). Which came first is a more complicated matter, depending on what you want to consider "plants." If you mean land plants, which I indicated above, then animals came first. Single-celled animals filled the seas before anything lived on land at all. However, photosynthesis has been around for much longer than any animals, and land plants existed before land animals. [This](_URL_0_) might be useful. Hope this helps! |
How do plants that don't have seeds reproduce? | Naturally Roses do reproduce with seeds, but many plants also reproduce vegetatively, this means they can spread through the soil with roots, or over the ground rather than spread through the air. If you take a cutting, many plants can detect that they could grow roots by having contact with soil and not light on one side, and sunlight but not soil on the other, they can then grow roots themselves as a clone of the parent. |
What did Rick Perry actually do? | He told a person that she should resign. She said, no, she didn't want to resign. He said that if she didn't resign, he would veto all funding to her office. She didn't. He did. He was indicted for using his veto power inappropriately and coercively. |
How do we hear where sound comes from? | Several ways. First, we have two ears and the closest one which is pointing toward a sound will perceive it as being slightly louder. There is also a travel time for sound and it will arrive at one ear slightly before the other, and our brains can detect that and translate it to approximate direction. Another factor is the pinna of the ear, which is basically the outer structure. This shape changes how sounds from different directions reflect off it and so slightly changes the sound. Our brains can adapt to that and use it to determine where a sound comes from; change that ear shape and your brain loses that direction sense until it can adapt to the new shape. |
Other than going splat, what are some potential health risks to Skydiving? | Similar risks to riding a roller coaster- the excitement could mix poorly with certain health conditions. Heart conditions in particular come to mind- your heart will probably beat like crazy. It's also possible to injure yourself on the landing even with a fully deployed parachute. |
Why is amateur acting (like films made by students for a class presentation or something) so unnatural, awkward, and different from movies/tv shows? | The quality of acting gets better with experience, and often times the editing and scheduling does as well. An amateur film for a class presentation might have two or three people working on it for a few weeks...and they're splitting their time between filming and the rest of their life. A "real" show has teams of professionals working on different aspects for months at a time. |
If marriage is a spiritual Union, why does the government offer benefits if there's separation of church/state? | because not all marriages are a spiritual union. My first marriage, when i was more of an atheist, was to another more or less atheist done at city hall with no mention of god. and it was still a marriage. The problem i have with the "spiritual union" claim about marriage is that that is just what SOME people, not all people, think about it. Millions of people in the US are in such marriages. By your definition, if it is a religious spiritual union, they are not married. but yet they are. so clearly that definition is lacking. |
Is there anywhere on the planet that naturally desalinates ocean water besides evaporation and formation of icebergs? | Many living organisms are able to separate water from its solutes on the cellular level through osmosis. |
How does "shadow banning" work? | So it's kinda like I'm back in high school then? |
How do medically induced coma's work. | The Doctor's essentially give you anesthesia to make you go to sleep and keep you asleep. This is generally done for people who have suffered severe trauma; such as severe burns, several broken bones, head injuries, etc. In order to reduce pain, aid healing and just make everything more smooth. There are many of the same risks as a normal coma, you might not wake up, you may suffer brain damage, your muscles with atrophy, stuff like that. |
Why don't PGA professionals repair their divots? | You do see caddies do it occasionally, but frankly it's a waste unless it's the right kind of grass. (You don't replace certain kinds of divots because it's more effective to use sand to level the surface and allow the surrounding grass to knit together.) The proper repair, in any case, is done by the huge groundskeeping crew brought in to care for the course at every tournament. |
Why is the rapist from the front page not waiting in jail for a trial? | I treat 2x posts like that as victimization fanfiction. You could probably post a summary of a lifetime original movie there and get 1000 karma. Not saying this story in particular is fabricated, but it's unverifiable, and some have to be. EDIT: just read the update and I definitely don't believe OP. |
why has California not legalized pot beyond medicinal use? | Some of the most well funded anti-legalization lobbies in the state are sponsored by the legal dispensaries and co-ops. They would hate to have inexpensive, high-quality, locally and responsibly sourced cannabis flood the market and ruin their racket. |
Phil Spector's Wall of Sound Technique | He would record several of the same instruments playing in unison. The effect creates a layered and large sound, hence "wall of sound". The purpose was to create something that sounded better on radio. |
Through the laws of probability, how are no one's fingerprints alike? | It's 11pm and I'm on my second glass of wine, so I can't be bothered to do the math. There are three types of fingerprints: whorl, loop and arch. Most people have 10 fingers, and can have any combination of those three fingerprints. There are also three different ways you can take a fingerprint: flat, slap or roll. Each method carries its own number of exact or "sort of, pretty close" matches. There's [a paper/presentation by Michigan State](_URL_0_) that discusses the probability of fingerprint configuration, and each source in the table has a number to the power of at least 11, which far exceeds the world's population estimate of about 7 billion. But it's sort of like lottery numbers. The odds may be incredibly small that you draw the winning ones, but that doesn't necessarily exclude other people from having the exact same combination as you. So it's possible, just not very likely. |
how does adding a third polarizing filter allow more light to pass through, not less? | The polarizing filter doesn't only block the wrong-polarized light, but it also forces all the light that passes through it to now be polarized in the direction of the filter. Also as you've noticed, polarizing filters will let through some differently-polarized light depending on *how* different the polarization is. 0 degree light will partially get through a 45 degree filter, but not at all through a 90 degree filter. So when you have two filters at right angles (90 degrees) no light gets through because after the first filter, the polarization is totally wrong for the second filter. When you have three filters at 45 degree angles, all of the light after the first filter is polarized at 0 degrees. Then some of the 0 degree light gets through the 45 degree filter, which resets it to 45 degrees, then some of the 45 degree light gets through the 90 degree filter (which also resets it to 90 degrees). |
Why is there an absolute zero, but not really an exact maximum temperature? | At Absolute Zero, molecular motion comes to a complete stop. You can't get lower than that. A maximum amount of molecular motion has yet to be established, so no maximum temperature has yet been determined.. |
If alcohol is considered a drug why do people call it being drunk instead of being high? | I am not sure but I do know that if you go back to at least the 50's calling someone high was synonymous with drunk. Same with "Stoned" but I think over time society takes broader terms for inebriation and stick them to a specific method. |
why does it feel so warm when you sit where someone else has been sitting, versus sitting back in your own seat? | It feels warm to sit where anyone else was sitting, including where you were sitting, if your butt is colder than the seat. But if you were just sitting there, then your butt is the same temperature as the seat, so it won't feel warm. However, if you were standing, your butt gets a bit colder because you're not sitting, which causes the spot where someone else was sitting to feel warmer. There's a third option that makes it all become clear. Be sitting for a while, and when someone gets up, go sit in their seat. It won't feel very warm, because your butt is already warm from sitting. |
Some people say calories are all that matter so what would happen to someone if they ate a diet of only 2000 calories of refined sugar? | The "calories are all that matter" is in reference to weight gain/loss. You still need vitamins and minerals in your diet. And fiber is good for keeping your GI track healthy. If you only ate empty calories for an extended amount of time, you would star to suffer various vitamin deficiencies. |
Why do we yawn when others yawn near us? | A few people think differently about why this happens. One idea is that when we see another person yawn, our brain tells our body that the area we are in has a low oxygen level. Another is the relationship of being tired, we see another person yawn and then become tired as a result. Lastly, there is an idea that yawning cools down the brain and allows it to work better, when one person yawns it makes other people's brains think they need to work better as a consequence. That is the extent of my limited knowledge, hope it helps |
When I get zapped/electrocuted for a fraction of a second, but feel the tingle for much longer, what is happening? | Shock can result in muscular spasms and tissue death from overheating, both of which can result in physical sensation. Somewhat unrelated, but 'electrocution' is actually a portmanteau of electric and execution, and refers explicitly to a fatal scenario, a non-lethal experience would be more properly called an electric shock. |
What's with all the hype with Raspberry Pi? | it's a charitable organization that makes a barebones computer that is the size of a deck of cards, yet has the power and capabilities or processing and outputting 1080p video all for $35. What's not to like? |
Why is NASA using the Delta IV Heavy instead of building more Saturn V's? | Its costs. We don't need the power of a Saturn V for most launches. Most of the fuel burned in a launch is used to lift fuel. A Saturn V that holds a significantly more fuel than a Delta IV (6,540,000 lbs vs 1,616,000 lb most of which is fuel). If the payload doesn't require that much thrust to lift off why spend the money to lift the fuel you didn't need? |
How does the FCC choose which words/phrases to censor? | > Comedy Central The FCC has zero control over content on Comedy Central. They only have control of content for over the air broadcasts (such has CBS,NBC, etc.) NOT cable. The network's own censors aka "standard's and practices" decide what they want to censor, generally to appease their sponsors/advertisers |
Does the velocity of light compound on top of the velocity of of our galaxy's movement? | No, it does not compound. The special thing about light speed is that it is absolutely constant. No matter how you launch it, and no matter how you look at it. |
In American football the ball is held in a players' hand for most of the game, then why is it called football? | All the codes of football - American, association (soccer), Australian, rugby, Gaelic - descend from the same sport (called football). Well, it wasn't really a single sport, it was a game that'd have slightly different rules from town to town, some which allowed people to carry the ball and others that didn't, but the idea was roughly the same: two teams trying to get a ball from one end of a field to the other into a designated area. To make it so that people from different areas could play each other, different codified rules were drawn up in the 19th century, resulting in the various codes, and they've gone through changes since then. American football is a later development being an offshoot of rugby, which has more kicking, but does involve a lot of carrying. |
When rock climbers use the hardware to climb and they nail them into the side of the mountain, are they retrievable or lost after use? | There are three main types of hardware used. **Pitons** are hammered in, and left there. You can't re-use old pitons that you find, because they suck, and may have started to work their way out from freeze-thaw. In any case, almost nobody uses them anymore. **Bolts** (with hangers) are permanent fixtures. They are re-useable, but they are drilled into the rock. **"Trad" protection** is temporary, and consists of things that get jammed into cracks in such a way that falling won't pull them out. This includes cams, hexes, nuts, and a couple varieties of specialty hardware. EDIT: I forgot that pitons are still used in "aid climbing", where one actually puts weight on the gear, rather than using it only to protect against a possible fall. I don't know anybody who does it; I suspect that aid climbing is sufficiently rarified as to fall into the "hardly anyone" category. :-) |
A Women's Studies degree. (Seriously replies only) | As far as I'm aware it's essentially a specialized history (possibly also political science) degree. Like many degrees (history in general, political science, art, theater, sociology) there isn't a huge market looking explicitly for it, but simply completing a degree that requires research and writing (like this one and others I mention) is valuable to many organizations which mostly just want smart people they can easily train to do some job. It's not the best way to get a job, but liberal arts degrees are rarely praised for how easy they are to get jobs with. |
Why do some viruses look like robots? | Are you talking about the ones that look like spiders? The "claws" attach them to the cell and the "head" contains the infectious nucleic acids. The "mouth" injects the infectious material into the cell. |
How does water get from its source to coming out of my taps? | Here is how it is done where I'm from. Pumps pull water from wells around the region, we have about 10 to serve a population of about 18k. As the water comes out of the wells it is mixed with chlorine to help clean it. The pressure from these pumps feeds the water to what's called a Lift Station. These lift stations are basically large pumps which pump the water uphill to tanks on higher ground than the rest of the region. Because some of our wells have arsenic in them the lift stations pump that water to an arsenic treatment plant first. After getting treated for arsenic the water then makes it's way to the tanks. Once the water is in the tanks gravity takes over. Pipes carry the water downhill to homes and businesses. This is the source of pressure people get when they open their tap. |
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