Why do computers and game consoles need to restart in order to install software updates? | AskScience Blog

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Thursday, December 28, 2017

Why do computers and game consoles need to restart in order to install software updates?

Why do computers and game consoles need to restart in order to install software updates?


Why do computers and game consoles need to restart in order to install software updates?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 06:46 AM PST

How come we haven't seen CPUs with three or more threads per core?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 06:38 AM PST

Multi-threading allows higher end CPUs to have each individual core act as two virtual cores which can increase efficiency for certain workloads. Presumably even more virtual cores per CPU could increase this efficiency further.

Is it a technical limitation or are the prospective CPU efficiency gains minimal compared to the RnD effort needed to make it work?

I will admit I do not know the details of how multi-threading works so its near enough a shower thought.

submitted by /u/ABCDOMG
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Why isn't purified ocean water considered a viable resource of drinking water in states or areas like southern California where droughts are a regular occurrence?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 05:54 AM PST

When metal is hot enough to start emitting light in the visible spectrum, how come it goes from red to white? Why don’t we have green-hot or blue-hot?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 07:31 AM PST

If there's half the solar irridiance on Mars than there is on Earth, are solar panels half as efficient on Mars?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 06:36 AM PST

So on Mars it's 589,2 W/m2 vs . My guess is that it'll either output half as much energy as on earth, or that it'll output just as much as the efficiency of solar panels is less than 589,2 W/m2.

submitted by /u/jojo_31
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Is there any process that keeps ocean salinity in check? ie a salinity cycle akin to the carbon cycle.

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 05:58 AM PST

Is there any process that removes salt from the ocean.

As rivers run across land to the ocean and dissolve salts along the way, it seems like the oceans are doomed to get saltier and saltier.

I know melting ice due to global warming reduces salinity from releasing lots of fresh water, but that's only recently and I'm guessing will only last so long as there's still ice to melt.

Is there maybe some chemical reaction that is naturally occurring to remove salt from the ocean? Otherwise won't the ocean get forever saltier and eventually intolerable to the organisms that live inside it like the Dead Sea?

submitted by /u/blueshoesrcool
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How is battery capacity calculated?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 11:17 PM PST

Today had a lot to with batteries, and I feel very confused. I was reading about tesla´s new battery in australia that had a capacity of 100MW, bought a new 10800 mAh battery for my phone, and also read about the 44 MAL 740 battery cell that the germans used in WW2. the german battery held 12000 Ah of power. I dont really know how to relate, and I also feel like a modern battery should be able to hold more than 1/12000 of a battery from the 40s. As a basic consumer, how do I figure out how to compare batteries? Especially when they use differing unit types, Wh vs Ah.

submitted by /u/Mrdude000
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Why do white spots form in the tonsils with strep throat?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 08:45 PM PST

I'm getting a masters in biology so I'm not scared of terminology.

Edit: just to be clear I am not asking for medical advice. I'm wondering more if it's the bacteria causing it or if it's a defense mechanism.

submitted by /u/conservio
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If one charge particle attracts another(say A attracts B) and B is displaced then A has done work on B (as there is a force and a displacement).So A has to spend some energy doing this task. Where does this energy come form?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 06:57 AM PST

I know that work is being by the electric field but like we put fuel in a car to get work done but lose the fuel. What do we lose in this case?

submitted by /u/TheMamoru
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Does the brain react in a certain or special way to the reception of information that undermines/contradicts/proves to be false something we whole-heartedly "know" to be true?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 08:52 AM PST

In any given animal cell, are there multiple endoplasmic reticula or is there only one reticulum?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 11:35 PM PST

I know the endoplasmic reticulum is subdivided into the rough and the smooth, but since they are connected and have no clear boundary between them, I consider that one endoplasmic reticulum. Will there be two or more separate endoplasmic reticulum apparent in the same animal cell, sprouting from the same nucleus at different locations?

submitted by /u/borisowenli
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What is the lowest speed of sound a material may have?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 06:46 PM PST

How Ibuprofen damages the liver?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 03:49 AM PST

I've always heard chronic use of ibuprofen is bad for the liver, but what is actually happening with chronic use of ibuprofen and similar medications?

submitted by /u/berkalerk23
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Why does popping pimples leave scarring?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 03:21 AM PST

Why does popping pimples leave scarring when things like minor cuts/abrasions don't? For instance, I've gotten small cuts on my face before and they heal fine leaving no scar; but I pop one tiny little pimple and I'm left with an eternal reminder.

submitted by /u/magickmanfred
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Can constant use of UV-Blocking contact lenses(or perhaps sunglasses) affect mood?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 07:42 AM PST

Lately I've been feeling much more lethargic, depressed and with a general feeling of asthenia.

I've been a using special brand of contact lenses 24/7 for a while now (they're designed for long-term use and to be replaced with a fresh pair every x amount of weeks).

When I took off the contact lenses and had a normal day without them I felt much more energetic. I wondered why and when I looked at the box for my contacts I noticed that they're "UV-Blocking". I attributed it to perhaps Seasonal Affective Disorder caused by a low level of light.

Is this a simple coincidence or can blocking too much UV light/rays from hitting your eyes affect serotonin levels and cause a significant impact to your mood?

submitted by /u/Reborn_Anew
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Sand shortage. Why can't we use the sand from deserts around the world?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 02:13 AM PST

I heard on TV news that there's a shortage of sand and it's a global problem. The report lays out the problem, but not the solution.

While I understand that there could be impurities and different types of sand, can't we use the sand from the deserts for construction, or perhaps filter them to be used to manufacture chips?

Are we talking about geological-chemistry factor that makes the sand totally unsuitable for use, or the economics of desert transportation?

submitted by /u/q1029384756
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When a compound shows a spectroscopic absorption peak (e.g. a peak in an IR spectrum), what is the physical significance of that peak and its intensity?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 10:04 PM PST

For instance, carbonyl groups typically have IR peak absorptions between 1650 and 1850 wavenumbers. I know that this wavenumber corresponds to a specific amount of energy (since cm-1 is a unit of energy) that causes the C=O bond to stretch, but why is this particular amount of energy unique? If, say, I see an absorption at 1750 wavenumbers, why doesn't a greater amount of energy (e.g. 2000 wavenumbers) also cause the C=O bond to stretch or cause a peak to appear in the spectrum?

submitted by /u/ANameSoNice
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Are there differences in satsumas, clementines or mandarines?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 06:48 AM PST

This is a question which has come across my mind multiple times, a rather stupid one now that I think about it. Nonetheless, I need to know, what are the differences in between a satsuma, mandarine and clementine? Are they just named differently due to differences in local regions, or is there a difference in the biological make up of said fruits. For example, is it just a more localized naming issue like how some people call the crawfish that or crawdads or is it more along the lines of how although they have striking similarities fall under the same genus, the honeydew melons and cantaloupes are obviously not the same thing, same question goes for peaches and nectarines. Thank you for anyone who answers, this is something which had boggled my mind a lot in the past.

submitted by /u/distilledthrillermov
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How do high intensity photon emitters protect satellites from electrostatic charging?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 08:26 PM PST

I read here that sodium lights are usually used but a test satellite was launched to test using UV LEDs in satellites. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20150018252.pdf

But I can't seem to find any reasons behind why this works.

submitted by /u/9s_throw_away
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If keratin is “waterproof” why does it take so long for hair to dry?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 08:30 AM PST

Why does quantum teleportation not violate the uncertainty principle?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 01:51 PM PST

I've been reading a few books about quantum mechanics. In one of them the concept of quantum teleportation is explained, in layman terms:

We want to "teleport" the quantum information of particle X from location A to B. We entangle particles Y and Z and send Y to A and Z to B. We subsequently entangle X and Y and measure some quantum state of X which, due to the uncertainty principle leaves us unable to know definitive information about the other quantum state(s). In this process Y's superposition is destroyed and Z is (according to the book) primed with the information we lost due to our measurement of X. The measurement information is than transferred to location B where this information is combined with the information gained from the primed Z particle, enabling us to fully and exactly teleport the quantum state of particle X.

This seems, to me, like cheating our way around the uncertainty principle and as I am 100% that this is impossible, I must have misunderstood certain aspects.

Thanks in advance, Dagl

submitted by /u/Dagl1
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How are bolt torque values determined?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 10:36 AM PST

Directions for installing various hardware on cars and trucks tell you to tighten to specific torque values--27ft lbs or 58ft lbs, etc. How are these values decided upon?

submitted by /u/reddit_or_idiot
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What is the barrier to entry in natural gas and oil extraction?

Posted: 27 Dec 2017 06:50 PM PST

So recently north korea has been hit with a UN sanction where it can't import oil from China legally, now with that being said the oil pipe line that they have from China is crude, and they have two refineries in their boarders. Along with that it has been shown by a {number}(https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/north-korea-has-excellent-oil-and-gas-potential) of geological surveys that it has excellent potential for both drilling on land and out at sea within it's borders. This leads to my question, how hard is it from scratch to assemble oil extraction on a commercial level? What is required for a nation or a corporation to be able to get sufficient oil extraction & fracking starting at ground zero?

TLDR What are the technological requirements & cost associated with developing and deploying fracking and large scale oil drilling?

submitted by /u/end_all_be_all
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How does your body know how to stay breathing and working while asleep?

Posted: 28 Dec 2017 12:20 AM PST

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