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19.10.2007, 11:50
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist
I was under the impression that psychology is biology which is chemistry which is in reality physics which in turn itself is actually mathematics being itself all made up. | Quote: | |  | | | Apparently, for physicists, physics is the only science, everything else is just stamp collecting.  | | | | | | 
19.10.2007, 11:52
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | That is a fantastic show (from your avatars, you are clearly also a fan). No matter how old you are, there is something to learn here. The way that they are able to explain complicated things in a way that even pre-schoolers can understand it is commendable. Reminds me of the good ol' Curiosity Show we had in Australia when I was little. | | | | | There's a similar one called Galileo on Pro-7, and there's abenteuer leben(sp?) on Kabel 1.
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19.10.2007, 11:57
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist
How do tetraneutrons exist?
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19.10.2007, 12:00
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist
Hasn't been proven that they do. | Quote: | |  | | | How do tetraneutrons exist? | | | | | | 
19.10.2007, 12:00
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | I was under the impression that psychology is biology which is chemistry which is in reality physics which in turn itself is actually mathematics being itself all made up. | | | | | My physics prof at Uni summed it up thusly:
Physics is the most simple of sciences. It's basically just plugging in numbers.
When physics gets complicated it gets smelly and becomes chemistry.
When it gets even more complicated it gets slimy and becomes biology.
When it gets even more complicated it gets self-aware and becomes psychology.
When it gets even more complicated it gets social and becomes sociology.
When it gets even more complicated it gets ordered and becomes political science.
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19.10.2007, 12:01
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist
If fusion at room temperature is deemed impossible by every accepted scientific theory, explain the existance of Cold Fusion?
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19.10.2007, 13:11
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | Apparently, for physicists, physics is the only science, everything else is just stamp collecting.  | | | | | Said by Ernest Rutherford, "father" of nuclear physics.
However, we went on to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, not Physics.
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19.10.2007, 13:19
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | If fusion at room temperature is deemed impossible by every accepted scientific theory, explain the existance of Cold Fusion? | | | | | That's easy. It doesn't exist, as we understand it anyway. Go ask Pons & Fleischmann. But the definition of a "breakthrough" is one that "breaks through" every accepted scientific theory, as you put it. Go ask Einstein about that one.
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19.10.2007, 13:24
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | Here's a social psychology question: how do people instinctively know when they are being looked at? Or is it a myth? | | | | | More of a Perception question ;-)
Well, there is no proper explanation except that our perception is a marvellous tool that let our species survive for quite some time. Maybe it stems from the time where sabre tooth tigers rather than the pretty brunette across the room were giving you longing looks.
In other words, no scientifically founded idea.
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19.10.2007, 13:29
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | That's easy. It doesn't exist, as we understand it anyway. Go ask Pons & Fleischmann. But the definition of a "breakthrough" is one that "breaks through" every accepted scientific theory, as you put it. Go ask Einstein about that one. | | | | |
You failed your degree by failing to answer the question.
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19.10.2007, 13:30
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | Actually, if you add the salt before, it raises the boiling point of water, so it would take longer to boil. Please see above post for explaination. | | | | | I was alway taught to put the salt in after the water boils. But I was skeptical of this and always put it in with the cold water. Now I know the grannies were correct. Never doubt the grannies!
BTW, just curious, if you stir the water when it's at the tiny bubble stage (as you describe above), will it take longer for the water to boil?
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19.10.2007, 13:41
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist
I guess that would depend on what you stirred it with. Some sort of rough surface that affords lots of nucleation sites vs. something very smooth.
Wooden spoon would help more with boiling once it got to the tiny bubbles phase, not sure about a stainless steel spoon though. Probably wouldn't slow the boiling but I doubt it would speed it up. | Quote: | |  | | | I was alway taught to put the salt in after the water boils. But I was skeptical of this and always put it in with the cold water. Now I know the grannies were correct. Never doubt the grannies!
BTW, just curious, if you stir the water when it's at the tiny bubble stage (as you describe above), will it take longer for the water to boil? | | | | | | 
19.10.2007, 13:47
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | BTW, just curious, if you stir the water when it's at the tiny bubble stage (as you describe above), will it take longer for the water to boil? | | | | | It will raise the boiling point at pretty much any time, once it's dissolved. However, as stated earlier, you'd have to add a lot of salt to notice. If you add ~20 grams of salt to 5 quarts (4.7l) of water it would raise the boiling point seven hundredths of 1°F.
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19.10.2007, 13:48
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | Technically, the answer is "nothing". I guess it depends on which theory du jour you subscribe. Hyperspace theory claims that the instant before the big bang, a 10-dimension space decayed into 2 "pieces", of which:
1) one piece expanded into an infinite 4-dimension macro space in which our universe is expanding
2) the other piece contracted/collapsed into an infinitesimal 6-dimension space about the size of the Planck length. | | | | | So realistically, we have no idea and probably won't for a very long time? The macro space beyond our universe could very well be composed of an infinite sea of ethereal strawberry yoghurt for all we actually know  It's a neat idea to ponder though.
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19.10.2007, 13:53
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | The macro space beyond our universe could very well be composed of an infinite sea of ethereal strawberry yoghurt | | | | | Is ether fat-free? Danon could make a killing with an infinite sea fat-free goodness.
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19.10.2007, 13:58
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | I guess that would depend on what you stirred it with. Some sort of rough surface that affords lots of nucleation sites vs. something very smooth.
Wooden spoon would help more with boiling once it got to the tiny bubbles phase, not sure about a stainless steel spoon though. Probably wouldn't slow the boiling but I doubt it would speed it up. | | | | | By how much you stir it is also a factor. If you stir too vigourously and for too long, then you can create a higher temperature difference between the water and the surrounding air, leading to a drop in overall water temperature.
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19.10.2007, 14:01
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist | Quote: | |  | | | By how much you stir it is also a factor. If you stir too vigourously and for too long, then you can create a higher temperature difference between the water and the surrounding air, leading to a drop in overall water temperature. | | | | |
Shit, that would be some serious stiring!!
(Did I just use shit and stiring in the same sentence again?)
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19.10.2007, 14:04
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| | Re: Ask a Scientist
Another question: what is the evolutionary/developmental advantage in snoring? I can think of two big reasons against it...
1. It puts a lot of strain on the family/tribal unit
2. It lets big predator x know that something is sleeping and oblivious nearby...
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19.10.2007, 14:29
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The question is misleading and assumes that all traits are a direct result of evolutionary/devopmental advantages. There are always limits and tradeoffs. For example, ever notice that its big men who snore the most. Maybe women also have a slight tendency to prefer big men and the fighting advantages they offer (if you care to see evolution in that sense). Since in almost all situations humans are the biggest predators, it also lets all the smaller predators know there's a family of humans there and 'geez, based on that snoring the dude must be huge' (that a quote from an actual hyena - ok, there was some laughing in between).
But similarily important - the male has already mated with the female before sleeping and snoring thus the term 'sorry baby, too late to wait' applies. | Quote: | |  | | | Another question: what is the evolutionary/developmental advantage in snoring? I can think of two big reasons against it...
1. It puts a lot of strain on the family/tribal unit
2. It lets big predator x know that something is sleeping and oblivious nearby... | | | | | | 
19.10.2007, 14:31
| | Re: Ask a Scientist
Does there have to be an advantage of snoring? Evolution hasn't made us perfect yet unfortunately.
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