Do all moving object appear contracted?

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• Do all moving object appear contracted?
• Will we eventually be able to see other wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum?
• Is there dark matter in earths atmosphere?
• Does Adrenaline really reduce reaction time?
• What is the term for when you don't distinguish the languages you speak?
• Why is the ligation and DPN digest step important in site directed mutagenesis?
• Whats the difference between a "skin cell gun" and culturing sheet of new skin for burn victims?
• How does "escape velocity" work? Isn't any speed escape velocity as long it isn't zero?
• What regulates the formation of scar tissue?
• Why does catalysators reduce the activation energy? My teacher couldn't answer my question.
• Intuition behind orders in a chemical reaction?
• How does spin work for objects above the quantum scale?
• What does "carbon based life" mean?
• Does the speed of sound change depending on air pressure?
• In theory, does someone at the top of a skyscraper age slower than a person at sea level?
• Why is nickel such a kickass alloying element?
• Which 'light' does photosynthesis use exactly? Ultraviolet?
• Did ancient/medieval people have image of future as we have? If yes, what kind of?

Do all moving object appear contracted? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 05:24 AM PST In the derivation of lorentz contraction my prof considered a rod moving away from you with speed v. In this case the rod appears shrunk by a factor gamma. But now let's consider a rod moving towards you. Light from farther end leaves before it does from the closer end; for the measurement to be simultaneous in your frame. Thus rod's length in your frame appears to be greater than proper length. In that case how does the formula L = L0 sqrt(1- (v/c)2) hold. submitted by I_seddit [link] [2 comments]

Will we eventually be able to see other wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 06:24 AM PST I've recently been fascinated by those EnChroma videos , in which a colorblind person uses special lenses that allow them to see color. This led me to wonder if there would be a way to design glasses that allow us to view ultraviolet or infrared light with some sort of aid on our eyes. Obviously you could just measure the invisible light and translate it into something in the spectrum of visible light, but instead would it be possible to actually see the rest of the spectrum? Thanks, sorry if this is a dumb question! submitted by oneforce [link] [5 comments]

Is there dark matter in earths atmosphere? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 02:14 AM PST submitted by dyggur [link] [6 comments]

Does Adrenaline really reduce reaction time? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 06:09 AM PST I've always heard that in a stressful "fight or flight" situation, reaction time is reduced (in addition to increased strength, etc.); that being said it seems like the sort of thing that could be a myth or widespread misinformation. I suppose the exact question I have is: Does adrenaline reduce reaction time and if so how, and by how much? submitted by Pinkie056 [link] [1 comment]

What is the term for when you don't distinguish the languages you speak? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 05:14 AM PST submitted by ifmpw [link] [1 comment]

Why is the ligation and DPN digest step important in site directed mutagenesis? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 03:28 AM PST submitted by Vindacus [link] [1 comment]

Whats the difference between a "skin cell gun" and culturing sheet of new skin for burn victims? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 05:53 AM PST I just watched this video, I also saw it a few years ago and assumed it would be common place one day. Well I forgot about it and now i'm very interested in why its not in every burn ward and how it works. https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/3svpce/skin_cell_gun_sprays_persons_own_stem_cells_on/ I was wondering what the difference was between the sheets of skin we currently grow and the guns spray-on method. Does the gun simply take what the sheets are made up of on a basic level and simply spray them into place, letting our body naturally grow the "sheet" more quickly? I love the idea of this gun, but I want to love the concept and was hoping for a more clear answer then the video provides. submitted by mathamatazz [link] [1 comment]

How does "escape velocity" work? Isn't any speed escape velocity as long it isn't zero? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 03:20 PM PST I mean, if a space ship moves at a constant 20kph upwards, won't it eventually leave the Earth? And since you get farther and farther away from the Earth by every kilometer you move, the escape velocity and the gravity should slowly decrease, right? So when the space ship reaches a height of maybe 100km, it will be much easier to escape the Earth. If that is the case, "where" does the escape velocity apply? At sea level? submitted by RaigekiAKH [link] [7 comments]

What regulates the formation of scar tissue? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 12:58 AM PST I have had several deep scratches on my body, but not all of them left a scar after healing. All of them were sanitized ASAP and given enough time to heal, so blood clot falls off by itself. It doesn't seem to be connected with the depth of a scrape, because some of the lighter scrapes left a scar after healing, and I also have a deep scrape healing now, and it doesn't seem to be leaving a scar. submitted by digiexcio [link] [1 comment]

Why does catalysators reduce the activation energy? My teacher couldn't answer my question. Posted: 14 Nov 2015 03:09 PM PST My teacher said that the way catalysators work (partly paraphrased and translated into english) is that they "bond" to the atoms, and guide the atoms into eachother. This reduces the activation energy required to have reactants turn into products, which in turn speeds up the reaction. I asked him: "Doesn't the activation energy stay the same, but it's the atoms that crash into each other more often and just right, so it's more often the atoms reach the required energy and that is the reason it goes faster?" He responded with "That makes sense and I can see why you think that way, but I don't know how to contradict you or tell you why you're wrong, so.... yeah...ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION". Can anyone help me out? :) submitted by Purisjuridogydogxoxo [link] [3 comments]

Intuition behind orders in a chemical reaction? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 01:04 AM PST Hello, in my high school chemistry class we have recently started looking at zero, first and second order reactions. It makes sense to me that increasing concentration increases the likelihood of molecules colliding, but why is it sometimes proportional to the concentration and other times to the concentration squared? Furthermore, how does zero order work? Does it mean the reactant is somehow not involved in the reaction? I find the calculations straightforward, but the logic behind it seems strange to me. Thanks for your help. submitted by AwesomePotato2 [link] [1 comment]

How does spin work for objects above the quantum scale? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 08:27 AM PST I know for instance that Hydrogen is said to have a spin of 1/2+. What significance does this spin have for non-elementary particles? Can a macro-sized object (such as a person) have a defined spin? What does it mean for that object? submitted by blazingkin [link] [7 comments]

What does "carbon based life" mean? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 02:14 AM PST I understand that carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the human body (and the universe! neat!), but what does it mean to be based on carbon as apposed to say hydrogen which is our most abundant element? submitted by devil_d0c [link] [comment]

Does the speed of sound change depending on air pressure? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 05:09 AM PST I know that the speed of sound varies depending on the medium, like water, rock, etc. But I don't know if it changes within the same medium depending on density. So... If you change the air pressure, does that affect the speed of sound? submitted by Rhamni [link] [6 comments]

In theory, does someone at the top of a skyscraper age slower than a person at sea level? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 08:41 PM PST I understand astronauts age slower because they are farther from earth's gravity and are travelling extremely fast relative to those at sea level, but could the same be said for people at the top of skyscrapers? submitted by tacob87 [link] [4 comments]

Why is nickel such a kickass alloying element? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 11:15 AM PST Seems to me like many of the "superalloys" contain a high percentage of nickel (commonly >50%). What's really going on here? submitted by alternativemax [link] [2 comments]

Which 'light' does photosynthesis use exactly? Ultraviolet? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 06:31 AM PST Been searching but most sources say it uses 'sunlight' or 'light energy'. I want to know exactly which kind of light it is. Can you technically shine a UV lamp onto a plant and promote photosynthesis? submitted by billabonski [link] [9 comments]

Did ancient/medieval people have image of future as we have? If yes, what kind of? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 01:52 PM PST Like in the '70s they thought that by 2000 we will have flying cars and personal robots ant stuff. submitted by irssildur [link] [4 comments]

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What causes this ring of fire from a Desert Eagle? *Link in description* (x-post r/woahdude)

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• What causes this ring of fire from a Desert Eagle? *Link in description* (x-post r/woahdude)
• How can you melt metal with magnets?
• Could you swing on a swing set on the moon?
• Why does a shock wave distort light?
• What would Earth be like if it rotated on the ecliptic?
• Isn't it not technically correct to say there are four fundamental forces anymore?
• What causes the repulsive force between atoms?
• Food pairings, how do they work? Why do some foostuffs have comlementary flavors which call out for one another, while others don't? Is it purely cultural or is there a physiological underpinning to this?
• Is it possible to imagine a modified space to get pi = 3?
• Why are plants mostly green and solar panels mostly black?
• Why do we grunt while performing strenuous tasks?
• With pegasus approaching the milkyway; How does that effect Gravity Time Dilation on earth now? Is time Speeding up even minutely?
• I have difficulty wrapping my head around the idea of a 3 dimensional solar system. What is above or below Earth?
• Is there anything that prohibits a planet from orbiting the sun in the opposite direction of the suns rotation?
• Why can't an electron's velocity and position be found at the same time (Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle)?
• What exactly are mental images? How exactly can you see or hear whatever you want in your head at will without taking hallucinogenics?
• Why does the logarithmic integral li(x) approximately model the prime counting function pi(x)?
• Is time on GPS satellites corrected because of the lesser gravity or because the speed they're moving?
• [Mathematics] Can you have a non-natural number for a number base?
• How does the wavelength of light change after passing through different colored water?

What causes this ring of fire from a Desert Eagle? *Link in description* (x-post r/woahdude) Posted: 14 Nov 2015 05:47 AM PST https://i.imgur.com/XNvzCDf.gifv submitted by mattyc1163 [link] [19 comments]

How can you melt metal with magnets? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 11:53 AM PST I stumbled across this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i2OVqWo9s0 How does this work? I have absolutely no idea. submitted by imoldgregg420 [link] [145 comments]

Could you swing on a swing set on the moon? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 01:51 PM PST With or without someone pushing you? inspiration: was listening to Frank Sinatra Fly me to the moon submitted by plasma1147 [link] [162 comments]

Why does a shock wave distort light? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 12:28 AM PST You can see a shock wave clearly in an example like this but why? It is very similar to the way light is distored as it enters a new medium. However, it's still the same medium, does it have something to do with the density of that medium around the wave as it propagates through the air? submitted by JayStar1213 [link] [4 comments]

What would Earth be like if it rotated on the ecliptic? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 07:06 PM PST submitted by lollerkeet [link] [14 comments]

Isn't it not technically correct to say there are four fundamental forces anymore? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 12:02 AM PST It seems like there's 6 to me. As far as I know, each boson (group) mediates one force: Photon - Electromagnetism W and Z Bosons - Weak Force Gluon - Strong Force Graviton (theoretical, of course) - Gravity However, it seems that there are two other groups, the Higgs Boson (the mass interaction? Not sure what to call it), and the X and Y bosons (proton decay, iirc). So are these forces just like the others? If not, why, and if so, why do we still seem to stick to those four as the fundamental forces? submitted by AlphaModder [link] [6 comments]

What causes the repulsive force between atoms? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 01:25 PM PST As a chemistry undergraduate, I have recently learned about the forces between atoms in solids. I understand that there is an attractive (Coulombic) and a repulsive force. The combination of the two leads to a distance between atoms at which the energy is minimized. The cause of the repulsive force was said to be the overlap of atomic orbitals, which is forbidden by the exclusion principle. However, I thought that the overlap of two atomic orbitals leads to the formation of two molecular orbitals (one bonding and one anti-bonding). I also thought that the orbitals/wavefunctions of the electrons don't have a finite size, but spread out with decreasing amplitude/probability of finding the electron. This does not agree with what I was taught about the replusive force. So, what is the nature of the repulsive force? submitted by applestap [link] [20 comments]

Food pairings, how do they work? Why do some foostuffs have comlementary flavors which call out for one another, while others don't? Is it purely cultural or is there a physiological underpinning to this? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 09:19 AM PST Examples of pairings: Maple pie with milk, smoked meat or hot dogs with mustard, strawberries and cream counter examples: mustard and strawberries, pickles and cream It's the same food and there is nothing wrong with it, yet in one combination it is exquisite and in another disguting to most. submitted by Gargatua13013 [link] [16 comments]

Is it possible to imagine a modified space to get pi = 3? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 10:29 PM PST Gravity changes the shape of the space, we know that there are some geometries where the sum of the angles in the triangle is different from 180 degrees. Could be possible to imagine a warping of space where the ratio between circumference and diameter of a circle is exactly 3 and not 3.14...? In that case we could postulate that PI is equal to 3, and the fact that in our universe PI is not 3 could be lead to the conclusion that our reality is not the ultimate reality... it's a signature. Like the "totem" in Inception... a rational being could know that this Universe is not the ultimate universe because PI is not rational. The dimensions are warped in a way to make it irrational. Like Pythagoras we could postulate that a "perfect" universe is one where irrationals do not exist... and this is a imperfect simulation of that one. submitted by noOtherNickAvailable [link] [5 comments]

Why are plants mostly green and solar panels mostly black? Posted: 14 Nov 2015 06:13 AM PST submitted by theexplosivecandle [link] [3 comments]

Why do we grunt while performing strenuous tasks? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 07:40 PM PST I've had this question floating around in my head today and a Web search doesn't reveal much. submitted by Sophira [link] [2 comments]

With pegasus approaching the milkyway; How does that effect Gravity Time Dilation on earth now? Is time Speeding up even minutely? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 08:37 PM PST It seems minuscule but, what is the magnitude? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_time_dilation http://www.space.com/2125-shock-galaxies-caught-colliding.html I have another question. Since gravity is not absolute on earth but, changes based on z position relative to the center of the earth; is there a minuscule time dilation for every point on Earth? (Assuming no two points on earth have the same z position) submitted by sweepminja [link] [1 comment]

I have difficulty wrapping my head around the idea of a 3 dimensional solar system. What is above or below Earth? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 07:29 PM PST I always picture space as a 2 dimensional object where everything is lined up left to right and we can only travel "east to west". What is above or below earth? Could we fly vertically from Earth and escape the solar system? It blows my mind. submitted by oldmancarlson [link] [5 comments]

Is there anything that prohibits a planet from orbiting the sun in the opposite direction of the suns rotation? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 06:40 PM PST submitted by CruiserU171 [link] [9 comments]

Why can't an electron's velocity and position be found at the same time (Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle)? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 06:11 PM PST I get the concept of an electron cloud and probability of position based on that, and get that an electron behaves as a wave and particle, but can't seem to grasp the principle. Thanks submitted by beztbudz [link] [11 comments]

What exactly are mental images? How exactly can you see or hear whatever you want in your head at will without taking hallucinogenics? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 08:01 AM PST submitted by Neizir [link] [11 comments]

Why does the logarithmic integral li(x) approximately model the prime counting function pi(x)? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 01:45 PM PST The integral of 1/ln(x), the reciprocal of the power a constant e has to be raised to to get x, seems totally unrelated to the frequency of prime numbers, and yet the difference between the prime counting function and the logarithmic integral remains less than 10000 even when x is larger than 1010. What is the connection between the two "functions" (function being used loosely here), or between the function and the concept of prime numbers? submitted by WakingMusic [link] [2 comments]

Is time on GPS satellites corrected because of the lesser gravity or because the speed they're moving? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 02:19 PM PST Also, is their time slower relative to earth (because how fast they move) or faster (because less gravity)? Sorry if I'm asking this whole thing wrong :/ submitted by r4tzt4r [link] [2 comments]

[Mathematics] Can you have a non-natural number for a number base? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 12:41 PM PST Like, is it possible to have numbers in, I dunno, base 5.7? Base pi? Base e? I'm pretty sure a negative base would still break things... submitted by aescula [link] [2 comments]

How does the wavelength of light change after passing through different colored water? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 11:24 PM PST If I added different food coloring to different samples of water (red, blue, green, yellow) and shone the same light source through each of them, the absorption spectrum and wavelength of the light in the water would be different for each sample, is this correct? I know this is a physics question, but in context it is for a biology investigation. I am attempting to model the effect of different wavelengths of light on photosynthesis. The plant (Elodea) would be submerged in these waters of different color/wavelengths. submitted by whgan [link] [3 comments]

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My textbook says electricity is faster than light?

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• My textbook says electricity is faster than light?
• How did the mimic octopus learn the different shapes?
• How does dissolving table salt in water affect the volume of the mixture?
• What is stopping fusion reactors from lasting a long time?
• Does molten iron have magnetic properties?
• Is there any evidence to suggest that using birth control for a long period of time would delay the onset of menopause?
• My good friend is a moon landing conspiracy theorist. What is the most compelling evidence we have of successfully landing on the moon?
• Do Oysters make their shells (calcium carbonate) from carbon in the water? Does this remove carbon from the carbon 'life cycle?'
• Is the electron exactly a point particle, or does it have a finite size?
• Is a "time viewer" even remotely possible, according to our understanding of time?
• What is at the core of our sun?
• First Question: Why don't helmets break?
• Do nitrogen-based polymers exist? Not like amino acids, more like (NH)n where it looks like a carbon chain replaced by nitrogens.
• What is the minimum time needed to produce a verbal response?
• Mathematically, what goes on to make public key encryption work; a key can encrypt data but not decrypt data encrypted by itself?
• What physically causes a feeling of anxiety or nervousness? Is there anything physical, or is it all in my head?
• Are the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies drawn to each other or do they just happen to be heading towards each other?
• Is a mature dog more intelligent than a human baby?
• Is it better to bet on a game with low chance/high prize OR high chance/low prize?
• If temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance, why is it measured in kelvin and not joules?
• How does a spider START their web?

My textbook says electricity is faster than light? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:10 PM PST Herman, Stephen L. Delmar's Standard Textbook of Electricity, Sixth Edition. 2014 here's the part At first glance this seems logical, but I'm pretty sure this is not how it works. Can someone explain? submitted by HalJohnsonandJoanneM [link] [1113 comments]

How did the mimic octopus learn the different shapes? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:26 PM PST Saw this clip about the mimic octopus. Is it possible that it observes its surroundings to learn what to mimic or did they randomly try things and the ones that got lucky survive? submitted by JTsyo [link] [7 comments]

How does dissolving table salt in water affect the volume of the mixture? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 06:22 AM PST Assuming all of the salt is completely dissolved in water, will the solution have a greater volume than the water had? submitted by GlaciaX [link] [3 comments]

What is stopping fusion reactors from lasting a long time? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 06:03 AM PST Reading about current fusion reactors they seem to last anywhere between seconds to minutes. submitted by Chaonei [link] [2 comments]

Does molten iron have magnetic properties? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 05:14 AM PST Could I wave a magnet over a pool of molten iron and pick some up? submitted by RelevantComics [link] [2 comments]

Is there any evidence to suggest that using birth control for a long period of time would delay the onset of menopause? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:07 PM PST It is my (perhaps flawed) understanding that menopause begins when the female body runs out of eggs. It is also my (again, perhaps flawed) understanding that birth control prevents the release of eggs. So would someone who started and consistently used birth control at 16 end up going through menopause later than someone who started at 24 or someone who never used birth control at all? submitted by twenafeesh [link] [5 comments]

My good friend is a moon landing conspiracy theorist. What is the most compelling evidence we have of successfully landing on the moon? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:55 AM PST I got into a bitter argument with my friend the other day, because he asserted that he believes the moon landings of the Apollo missions were staged, and filmed/manipulated in the form of a movie set/scene. His primary arguments were that the intense radiation of the Van Allen belts would not permit life to make a journey as far into space as the moon, and that NASA is a huckster organization that served no purpose other than to take the tax money of common American people and give it to 'manipulative politicians and scientists'. I have told him that I believe his arguments are seemingly out there, and that there is not a significant number of professionals in the scientific community that support his notion. However, he stubbornly refuses to accept my thoughts. So I ask of you, Reddit, as someone who considers himself a laymen in the subject of space travel and its history, what is our most compelling piece of evidence for landing on the moon? Thank you. submitted by Twiplethreat [link] [95 comments]

Do Oysters make their shells (calcium carbonate) from carbon in the water? Does this remove carbon from the carbon 'life cycle?' Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:05 AM PST Oyster shells do decay over decades in the ocean, but take much longer on the land. So do oyster farms combat the accumulation of carbon in the ocean? Follow up question. Calcium carbonate is an antacid. Do large quantities of oysters prevent the acidification of sea water? submitted by Sanity_in_Moderation [link] [4 comments]

Is the electron exactly a point particle, or does it have a finite size? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 12:34 AM PST And if the electron is finite, do scientists know an upper limit of how big can it be? submitted by Xicotencatl86 [link] [3 comments]

Is a "time viewer" even remotely possible, according to our understanding of time? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 08:26 PM PST https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronovisor Obviously the above example is probably rumor or myth, but the core idea is interesting. Is it truly possible to "view" the past? Or does time just not work like that? submitted by KBAREY [link] [2 comments]

What is at the core of our sun? Posted: 13 Nov 2015 03:33 AM PST i will start this by mentioning i was drunk when i came up with this question about a week ago, and noticed yesterday i had 0 replies, turns out the automod thought this was spam. so im trying again (with mod approval) i had just watched ep 39 crash course astronomy video and at the end he was talking about the size of the universe. i got to (drunk) thinking, HOW in a universe as unfathomably large as ours, could we ever be THE only life to have come around so far. my thoughts continued to what do we need for life (as we know it), well.. a star that hangs around long enough for life - not possible in the early days, from what i understand they were gigantic stars that lasted far too short i time spin, while also pumping out far to much radiation for life as we know it to live a planet with the right ingredients to form life shear dumb luck that life happens. so, we obviously have all 3. NEXT THOUGHT so where did we get our heavier elements? well obviously a supernova that formed the gas cloud our star and solar system formed in. But it only forms the heavier then iron stuff in the last few moments, so relative to the rest of it, it would be a rather small amount, and blown then in EVERY direction. but wait... an iron atom would have more gravitational pull then an hydrogen atom right? so why did the sun form from hydrogen? is there a core of heavier elements? that pulled the hydrogen towards it? and eventually formed the star? or does the lightest element form the gravitational center on the solar system? so my question, started off as how could we be alone, and changed to what is at the core of a star? is it hydrogen all the way down (with now helium it has fused) or is there some kind of core formed of say iron that caused the original gravitational center of our solar system, that the sun formed around? also im not expecting a core like the Earth has, but more like towards the center there is more iron then towards the surface. submitted by MagnusRune [link] [comment]

First Question: Why don't helmets break? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 07:47 PM PST So I got interested in American football helmets tonight and my Google search was disappointing. I was expecting to see I wide variety of different types and prototype, and to my surprise there's surprisingly little diversity. As I found out later there's awful political and legal reasons for this, as I read here here. Particularly because one of the persons mentioned in the article is know for developing racing safety equipment, the question occurred to me, why don't helmets break? I remember learning long ago how those awful race car crashes where you see with debris flying everywhere is actually a safety innovation. The pieces that fly off of the car actually take that deadly powerful energy with it, and safely away from the driver. So why haven't we applied the same thinking to helmets? The helmet is replaceable. The human is not. TL;DR Cars break into pieces to keep us safe, why don't football helmets? submitted by tenebrasrex [link] [9 comments]

Do nitrogen-based polymers exist? Not like amino acids, more like (NH)n where it looks like a carbon chain replaced by nitrogens. Posted: 12 Nov 2015 03:15 PM PST submitted by squamosal [link] [10 comments]

What is the minimum time needed to produce a verbal response? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 03:05 PM PST I am thinking of situations such as: you look at a screen and as soon as a big yellow circle appears you click the left mouse button; or equivalently, instead of pressing the mouse button you say "yes"; nothing complicated, you know what's coming. What is the absolute minimum time you need to produce a verbal response? submitted by FoonTrakand [link] [3 comments]

Mathematically, what goes on to make public key encryption work; a key can encrypt data but not decrypt data encrypted by itself? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 05:31 PM PST My first thought is that information is somehow lost, but then that would mean data is being erased/distorted, which doesn't work out... How does this wizardry happen?? Also, I recognize that this could be flaired as computing instead of mathematics, but my main focus is what mathematical concepts are in play that allow public-key encryption to work, which is why I've flaired this post into mathematics. submitted by RedstonerOuiguy [link] [4 comments]

What physically causes a feeling of anxiety or nervousness? Is there anything physical, or is it all in my head? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:04 PM PST For example I'm pretty anxious right now and I feel something weird right under my ribcage, my hands are shaking, and I can't slow down to focus or think straight. I'm more interested to know if something is physically happening under my ribcage right now that makes it feel like this, but an explanation for the other parts of it would be interesting too. submitted by WirelessOrangeJuice [link] [9 comments]

Are the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies drawn to each other or do they just happen to be heading towards each other? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 04:52 PM PST Is the gravitational pull what's bringing the galaxies together or are they just two galaxies which happen to be heading into each other and will merge once they collide? submitted by legosexual [link] [6 comments]

Is a mature dog more intelligent than a human baby? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 10:47 AM PST I always see these videos of babies playing with the family dog and it always seems to me in those videos that the dog is the more....grown up (?) being in that shot. Is there any merit to this kind of thinking? submitted by thenotsofurious [link] [11 comments]

Is it better to bet on a game with low chance/high prize OR high chance/low prize? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:22 PM PST I am basically asking whether there is a standard way to measure how "risky" a game is. I have a particular game in mind, which motivated my question. It's a simple game, but it takes a little bit of explaining to make everything clear. Game setup: In World of Warcraft, there is a gambling mod which allows members of your party to enter and win up to some pre-determined amount G in gold. Each round, players are asked to join, and so you can play 1 round only, or 1 round, skip 1, then play another. The number of players in each round is variable (call it N). Once the entrance is complete, each player executes the command "/roll G", which generates and displays to everyone a random integer from 1 to G. The winner is the player who rolled highest. The loser is the player who rolled lowest. All other players do nothing. The loser must pay the winner the difference in their rolls in gold. So if G = 100, winner rolls 87 and loser rolls 13, the loser pays the winner 74 gold. Some calculations that are not too difficult to compute, for fixed N and G: chance to win = 1/N chance to lose = 1/N expected value of winning roll = GN/(N+1) expected value of losing roll = G/(N+1) expected value of payout to winner = G(N-1)/(N+1) expected net gain = 0 (We can just set G = 1 and imagine we can roll any real number between 0 and 1 just to make formulas nicer looking. The max payout G just multiplies all winnings. Also, for simplicity, I assumed in the above calculations that we actually roll any real number from 0 to G. So your roll is uniformly distributed on the interval [0,G] instead of being uniformly distributed on the integers from 1 to G. In practice, the value of G is on the order of tens or hundreds of thousands,so I didn't think that simplification would really change anything.) On any given round, you are expected to break even, which means if we fix N and play many many rounds, any particular player should on average have a net loss/gain of 0 gold. (I suppose it might be different though if the number of players change from round to round?) Question: Is it better to gamble when there are few people playing or many people playing? If there are few people, your expected payout is small but your chance of winning (or losing) is high. If there are many people, your expected payout is large, but your chance of winning (or losing) is low. Since your expected payout on any round is 0, that should say that you should be indifferent to playing, no matter how many people join. Is that actually right? What is a good way to measure your risk in this case? submitted by Falldin [link] [7 comments]

If temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance, why is it measured in kelvin and not joules? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 04:20 PM PST submitted by Meemo16 [link] [7 comments]

How does a spider START their web? Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:40 AM PST I've seen videos of them 'building' webs but I cant find anything that shows how they get the first strand in place. You see those massive web strands going from a tree/lamppost/whatever and it stretches about 2-3+ meters horizontally across to another point. Do they swing, fly, shoot it? How do they get from A-B? submitted by GrandMasterHOOT [link] [7 comments]

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