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Saturday, June 17, 2017

How do solar panels work?

How do solar panels work?


How do solar panels work?

Posted: 17 Jun 2017 06:09 AM PDT

I am thinking about energy generating, and not water heating solar panels.

submitted by /u/KeesoHel
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What caused the Chernobyl reactor to explode?

Posted: 17 Jun 2017 05:53 AM PDT

I am researching the Chernobyl accident and what made the reactor explode. I found this page which explains it pretty well http://230nsc1.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/NucEne/cherno.html#c5 but there are still som technicalities i don't think i quite understand. If any of you are familiar with the accident and reactor physics i would love some help! Questions: How did they make the reactor run at "Low power"? Why was the cooling system turned off/low power and why did they have to turn the emergency cooling system off? I hope i am not violating any subreddit rules, ty for your time :)

submitted by /u/Valcuri
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Can astronauts with astigmatism wear contact lenses in space?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 02:22 PM PDT

The lenses in the eyes of people with astigmatism focus differently in different directions. Corrective lenses for astigmatism, therefore, also have to focus differently in different directions. Contact lenses that correct for astigmatism are weighted so that their orientation correction is gravity assisted. Is there a different technology that could work in free fall?

I'm not sure if I should flair this question as physics, biology, medicine, or engineering.

submitted by /u/pez78guy
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Why is molten iron orange?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 05:59 PM PDT

Recently there was a discussion between me and my friends and we had a little disagreement about the colour of molten iron. (All beginning with this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E6TzT0eCYs)

To my understanding: Every object "glows" the same colour at the same temperature. Beginning from red through orange to white depending on how hot they are.

Now Iron has a melting point of 1.538 °C. According to wikipedia things should begin to glow white at around 1500°C. Now like the video said molten iron has to be a little bit hotter than the melting point or else it would solidify "instantly" when you try to pour it.

So even if the white glowing doesn't happen straight at 1500°C, molten iron, in order to pour it, should be a lot hotter and be white.

So here is my question: Why is the colour of molten iron in movies or book descriptions or even when you google "molten iron pictures" always bright orange? Shouldn't it be at least yellow?

Thanks a lot guys! :)

submitted by /u/da_neo
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If you were to shine a light at a black hole directly, would the speed of the photons increase past the speed of light because of the powerful pull adding to the current speed?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 06:33 PM PDT

Are there trace elements heavier than hydrogen inside a star?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 05:38 PM PDT

To specify are there heavier elements being created in our sun right now? Can a magnesium atom be created by an area of high temperature/pressure and find its way to the surface?

submitted by /u/striker7770
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Questions on spacecrafts - is it possible to actually take off and land back onto a planet in one?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 05:42 PM PDT

IRL it takes a massive rocket with a huge amount of fuel just to get a handful of people and some supplies off the ground and into space. However in every Sci-Fi movie or book ever made there are always small, sometimes even large space craft that are capable of flying right off the ground and into space, as well as flying through an atmosphere and back onto the ground without any complications. Is any of that actually possible?

Also, if we ever do send people to a planet similar to earth, what would happen once they come into contact with the environment? In a lot of movies, the human crew just casually walks off the space ship and onto a planet, sometimes without any kind of protective suit (Like in Alien: Covenant). Wouldn't that be a bad idea?

submitted by /u/Krahz
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Why was there no Nobel-prize for GR?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 11:04 AM PDT

From Wikipedia: General relativity is considered as the most beautiful of all existing physical theories.

GR was the first theory to add things to Newton's law in 300 years. Why wasn't it awarded the Nobel prize?

submitted by /u/Lionh34rt
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What do ants do about flooding from rain or other disasters?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 04:27 PM PDT

Mostly concerned with flooding from spilled water or rain but I imagine there are other disasters that can affect a hill or colony.

submitted by /u/Boom2215
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Why does every launch related to the ISS take place in Kazakhstan?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 03:51 PM PDT

Why is cumulative aircraft stress measured in hours rather than mileage?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 02:17 PM PDT

Wouldn't total distance travel account for a more sensitive measurement of stresses from air resistance and vibration provided to the aircraft its life? My (probably wrong) assumption is that hours does not reflect changes in speed over a single trip and multiple trips. An 777 cruising at Mach 0.82 probably accumulates more stress than if it was traveling at Mach 0.7 - because air resistance is related to the square of velocity?

submitted by /u/z3roTO60
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How do we know some prehistoric animals laid eggs?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 10:11 AM PDT

Can we Ride a Comet?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 06:05 PM PDT

is it possible to attach ourselves and use the comet

submitted by /u/X4217
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Would non-uniform Expansion explain the CMB variance?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 08:46 AM PDT

As happens in physics, the thought occurred to me today seemingly out of the blue. I never finished my BS in Physics, though, so I'm wondering if there is a difference between the model of non-uniform expansion and quantum-fluctuation-driven variance in the CMB? It seems to me that if space stretched slightly faster in one area than another, you'd get cold and warm spots just like the current model of fluctuations.

EDIT: RE: Title, I meant to type "Inflation," but didn't. Whoops, my bad. Also, Acronyms for those unfamiliar, I'm talking about the Cosmic Microwave Background [Radiation], which is everywhere, and extremely, but not quite, identical.

submitted by /u/VirtualMachine0
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If a constant flame is applied, does a hot air balloon's vertical climb rate increase as it gets higher?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 11:18 AM PDT

I was discussing balloons at some point with my co-workers and I had this random thought and became very curious. My thought is as the air becomes less dense, it would be applying less downward force on the balloon, allowing the balloon's climb rate to increase.

submitted by /u/absolut07
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How fragile is the space shuttle engine (bell)?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 02:24 PM PDT

I was perplexed when i got told that each of the little tubes in a space shuttle rocket bell (maybe not only the space shuttle ones) are each tiny fuel lines for cooling. I wondered what would happen if one of those tubes... broke/exploded/melted, would the whole engine fail?

submitted by /u/RottenIceTea
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Aside from looking at fossils, are there other geological ways to determine the different climate changes the Earth has gone through in the past?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 10:00 AM PDT

I've been looking around online to see if there were any ways to understand the past climates of an area by studying the geology in that area. I found a few results, but almost all of them seem to suggest that looking at fossils and observing their characteristics is the only way. Which made me curious, are there other ways of looking at sediment, rock formations etc. to try to determine the climate timeline of an area that don't include looking at fossils?

submitted by /u/TheMaroonAxeman
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Why is download speed often much faster compared to upload speed?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 01:28 PM PDT

Are isotopes of elements evenly distributed throughout the natural world?1

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 12:31 PM PDT

For instance, will random samples of oxygen, or another element yield approximately the same ratio of isotopes? Or are groups of given isotopes grouped together for some reason?

submitted by /u/willwcb
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Why did it take so long to discover the first pulsar?

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 09:49 AM PDT

I recently read that the first pulsar wasn't discovered until 1967 by astronomers. Since we have been staring at the sky for millennia, and as far as I understand, we can see a pulsar's blinking light with the naked eye (with a telescope), are there any good explanations out there for why we took so long to find one?

submitted by /u/raindog42
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