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Saturday, July 30, 2016

What makes fish smell like fish?

What makes fish smell like fish?


What makes fish smell like fish?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 10:42 PM PDT

Also why do fish that smell like fish smell different than shellfish who also smell like fish?

submitted by /u/bitch-ass_ho
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What are the leading theories behind the Mpemba effect?

Posted: 30 Jul 2016 04:28 AM PDT

Does it point to the possibility of 'thermal momentum'? is there even such a thing?

submitted by /u/Surrender_monkey21
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If I instantly cooled a litre of water to exactly 0­° Celsius so that the temperature is completely uniform, would it freeze instantly or would it take some time? Why?

Posted: 30 Jul 2016 03:10 AM PDT

What would the world be like if the Planck Constant were large enough to experience "quantum weirdness" at a macroscopic scale?

Posted: 30 Jul 2016 01:17 AM PDT

Also, would it be possible to simulate such a world, in the same vein as A Slower Speed of Light, with modern physics and computing technology.

submitted by /u/avgas3
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In high school we learn that the action potential is always propagated on a especific direction: the dendrite to axon. So, how the dendrodendritic synapse happens?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 08:42 PM PDT

Is there any other experiment that suggest wave-particle duality besides the double-slit experiment?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 09:21 PM PDT

When you have a mixture of small and large objects in a jar, why do the heavy objects go to the top when you shake it?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 08:55 AM PDT

For people who like the taste of one food, do they perceive the taste of the food differently than someone who dislikes it?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 09:02 AM PDT

For example, if I hate the taste of mustard, am I experiencing the same taste as the people who may like mustard? Does my dislike of the condiment alter my taste of the product?

submitted by /u/ShockingFirstBullet
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Why will an outside observer never see someone cross the event horizon of a black hole?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 04:35 PM PDT

Quick explanation on how current and voltage change in a series and parallel circuit?

Posted: 30 Jul 2016 04:35 AM PDT

I am currently confused on how the current and voltage change throughout a parallel or series circuit concerning resistance. I have made a diagram of a parallel circuit http://i.imgur.com/z9ZsN7D.png and was wondering what the current and voltage values are in each of the positions. Could anyone also give me a brief explanation on why these values change. Thanks

submitted by /u/lol123123123123123
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Why do hot water clean better than cold water ?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 07:51 AM PDT

What is voltage drop? I don't seem to get it, doesn't voltage increases if resistors value increase?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 06:24 AM PDT

I have been understanding current, voltage and resistance through the concept of water through a pipe. If the radius of the pipe is decreased(which means resistance increase) then rate of water flow is less and pressure through the other side of the pipe is increased. which means current decreases when resistance is increased and voltage increases right? Then what does voltage drop means, doesn't voltage increases? And according to V=IR also, if R is high voltage is also high. please explain, i can't seem to get it right.thanks

submitted by /u/yunikmaha
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What is the difference between a "-blastoma" and a "-sarcoma"?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 08:13 AM PDT

I am a 20 year old preMed student, wishing to become a pediatric oncologist. My daughter (4 months old) is a survivor of a neuroblastoma. My cancer vocabulary is a little better than average, but I've always wondered what the difference is between tumors labeled "-blastoma" and those labeled "-sarcoma".

submitted by /u/hancran
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How to get the average of ratios?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 04:51 AM PDT

For example, this small list.

- a b a/b
49 15 3.2667
28 4 7.0000
35 17 2.0588
22 9 2.4444
31 11 2.8181
Total 165 56 17.5881

There seems to be two ways of getting the average.

  • First: 17.5881 / 5 = 3.5176
  • Second: 165 / 56 = 2.9464

Which one of those two should be used?

submitted by /u/SoPlouAnthony
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What is the "Area of Effect" for White Noise Machines?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 11:05 PM PDT

When I think about white noise I think of a bedroom. Could one be to effectively quiet larger spaces though? If so, would you have to significantly alter the size of the machine to do so?

Thank you in advance!

submitted by /u/AlphabeticallySoup
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Friday, July 29, 2016

Why is anything radioactive in movies, portrayed as a green glow?

Why is anything radioactive in movies, portrayed as a green glow?


Why is anything radioactive in movies, portrayed as a green glow?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 07:30 PM PDT

Since protons have mass would 2 protons try to go towards each other, but then repel at a certain (closer) distance because they are both positive?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 07:25 PM PDT

When exactly does the repel happen, and at what distance?

submitted by /u/Gansei
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What's going on in my head when I'm thinking of an image?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 07:13 AM PDT

What could have emitted the "Oh-My-God" particle (a likely proton caught traveling with 99.99999999999999999999951% of the speed of light?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 01:35 PM PDT

The Wiki page doesn't mention its origin.

submitted by /u/tarandfeathers
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Why do particles traveling faster than light cause a blue glow?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 03:45 AM PDT

Such as in a nuclear reactor when the particles in water are traveling faster than light, and the water glows blue. What about going FTL is causing that? As a follow up question, would the same happen in space if we ever figure out how to go FTL in a vacuum?

submitted by /u/2scared
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What are the long term effects of massive antihistamine usage?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 05:54 AM PDT

What are the approximate effects of large doses of antihistamines in general and, in particular, Fexodenadine Hydrochloride? For example, a daily dosage of anything between 180mg per day to 720 mg per day.

  • What are the long term effects of such massive, constant overdoses?
  • Do antihistamines fuck with the immune system or ultimately make any symptoms worse, especially if medication is not taken as usual?
  • Does sensitivity to the medication wear down over time?
  • Are there any organs that are likely to suffer damage from this type of (regular) overdose?
  • Are there any studies on people with allergic reactions or long term overdose of antihistamines? (Things to either read about or become involved in.)
submitted by /u/decidedlyindecisive
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Are Alpha Particles Affected by Electrons?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 04:17 AM PDT

I learnt radiactivity in school today and learnt about the Geiger–Marsden experiment.When my teacher mentioned that alpha particles passing by the nucleus would be diverted because alpha particles have a positive charge and the nucleus is positively charged I asked if electrons would have any effect on alpha particles she simply said it was unlikely that the particles would ever come close to the electrons and then went on with the lesson.

My question is is this true,if so why? And even if the number of instances was very small theoretically if it did happen would the alpha particles be affected or not and if not why so?

submitted by /u/nik263
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Source of Uranium and plutonium?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 04:13 AM PDT

I am not a science graduate! dont really know much about chemicals. i jst wanted to know where did they came from? i know they were extracted from ore! But how did they came into ore? Myths says, they came from bones of animals and rotten woods! so what it is really?

PS: brief answers would be helpful rather then using chemical terms

submitted by /u/aintanselmo
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Why doesn't Oxygen react with the Iron in stainless steel?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 06:04 AM PDT

I took AP Chemistry this past school year and being the nerd that I am, this question came to mind while staring at a pot. I know stainless steel is both an interstitial alloy and substitutional alloy with Iron, Chromium, and Carbon. When explaining alloys, many books say that stainless steel doesn't rust because the Chromium in the material reacts with the Oxygen creating a protective layer of Chromium Oxide on the surface of the material.

So I guess my real question is, "Why doesn't the Oxygen in the air also react with the Iron on the surface of the stainless steel along with Chromium." Is it simply because Chromium has a higher electron affinity?

Thanks for all helpful replies!

submitted by /u/Zman130
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Why is water so good at transferring heat?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 10:29 PM PDT

[Physics] Why are diffusion coefficients in units m^2/s?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 07:53 AM PDT

Thermal & mass transfer diffusion coefficients (as well as kinematic viscosity relating to momentum transfer) all carry the same set of units. Is there any physical significance to the m2/s? Is there a way to visualize what a m2/s represents as related to diffusion? Or are the units arbitrary, and were chosen just to satisfy the transport equations?

submitted by /u/what_is_thisss
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Is it be possible to build a pyramid/tower high enough to jump out of Earth's orbit?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:43 PM PDT

Or would the boundaries of orbit change because of the building and never become possible?

submitted by /u/zjbird
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Why does fission happen randomly?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:29 PM PDT

It seems for a given nucleus either the Coulomb repulsion would overcome the strong force, or the vice versa. From where does probability get involved?

submitted by /u/options_questioner
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How do TEM waves propagate down two conductor transmission lines?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 12:46 AM PDT

If there is a time varying Voltage driving the input of the transmission lines, and a load at the other end, why is there no electric field perpendicular to direction of propagation?

Transmission line theory treats TEM waves as perpendicular to direction of propagation.

If Electric field is the negative gradient of voltage, and the voltage is a sine wave, would there be a component of electric field along the wire?

If looking at this Poynting vector diagram, the transmission lines show the electric field and magnetic field as Transverse to current flow, but in the resistor the poynting vector points radially inward. is this due to the presence of a resistance?

submitted by /u/Grosso_
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Why do Wi-Fi protocols use symmetric encryption instead of asymmetric encryption?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 05:32 AM PDT

I was doing some reading earlier and found out that most WiFi security protocols use symmetric encryption, making them painfully vulnerable to things like man-in-the-middle attacks. It seems like asymmetric encryption would cover up that massive security flaw.

submitted by /u/ImAStupidFace
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On a molecular level, why does the material of an object affect the force experienced in a collision?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 06:26 PM PDT

Sorry in advance if this is moronic, but I've always really been confused about this. In physics we learned of course that to decrease the force in a collision you want to increase the time of contact with whatever the object is hitting. This is due to conservation of momentum so hitting a pillow produces a smaller reaction force than hitting concrete because a ball is in contact with longer with the pillow than with the concrete.

What doesn't make sense to me is that why doesn't it experience a strong force the moment it hits the pillow. I'm talking on a molecular level like when the outer atoms of the ball hit the outer atoms of the pillow, wouldn't the initial contact between the atoms of the objects be the same regardless of the material so the force would be extremely high? Or am I over thinking it?

I have a picture to maybe explain what I mean better because I realize this isn't too understandable what I'm getting at. In the picture I have the bottom box to show what I mean about individual atoms of the two objects and how I don't understand how the material makes a difference. Like wouldn't they experience the impulse as soon as the atom of the ball touches the first layer of the ground; whether it be pillow or concrete? And said impulse of the atoms would have the same time with both materials so the force would be the same.

Here's the picture to maybe explain my reasoning better

submitted by /u/stars_bitch67
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How(and why) is 'c' the speed limit of the universe?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 03:57 AM PDT

And why can any other substance (massless or not) cross it?

submitted by /u/hmpher
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Why are some cooling towers at power plants "hyperboloid" shaped?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 10:58 AM PDT

Why do things in the distance look bigger when we are seeing with our eyes than on camera?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:18 AM PDT

So last night space junk flow into the atmosphere and it streaked across the sky, and it looked MASSIVE!!! It was probably one of the most amazing things I have I pulled out my camera, tried to take it a picture, and it looked super small and didn't look remotely cool it all.... Why does this phenomenon ha ppen? I know I am not the only one because I have seen memes on the internet joking about it:

http://images-cdn.9gag.com/photo/aLKvQdV_700b_v3.jpg

submitted by /u/scarereeper
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Does smell always correspond to substance?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:12 AM PDT

Sometimes I'll wash a substance off my hands or other parts very thoroughly, with agents, and the odour will still be present, like ketchup, chlorine or crap. Does that mean there's still remaining substance, or can some odours exist quasi-independently?

submitted by /u/Rumple28
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Why do some clouds look like they're moving but sometimes they look still?

Posted: 29 Jul 2016 02:22 AM PDT

What materials have surpassed nature in some way?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 11:48 AM PDT

I know that it took us a long time to develop something that approached the strength/mass ratio of spiderwebs.
Are there some other materials that we have that are unrivaled in nature/space in terms of some special/impressive quality?

submitted by /u/vgneus
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Can Digital goods (Such as the ones from Steam) have an adverse effect on the economy?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 09:57 PM PDT

Since the concept of Supply and Demand is one of the most basic and important topics in economics, I've been wondering what would happen if you had a product that had an infinite supply (i.e., digital goods).

What effects (both good and bad) could digital goods have on the market or economy? And is it even affected by the concept of Supply and Demand in the first place?

submitted by /u/VillainousToast
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Thursday, July 28, 2016

AskScience AMA Series: Hi! I'm Dr. Olwen Grace, a researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London. I study the world's succulent plants and what evolution can tell us about the useful properties of wonder-plants like Aloe vera. AMA!

AskScience AMA Series: Hi! I'm Dr. Olwen Grace, a researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London. I study the world's succulent plants and what evolution can tell us about the useful properties of wonder-plants like Aloe vera. AMA!


AskScience AMA Series: Hi! I'm Dr. Olwen Grace, a researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London. I study the world's succulent plants and what evolution can tell us about the useful properties of wonder-plants like Aloe vera. AMA!

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:00 AM PDT

Hi, I'm Dr. Olwen Grace, a researcher specialising in the evolution of succulent plants (plants that store water) at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London. I lead the team that confirmed the origins of Aloe vera on the Arabian Peninsula - a longstanding botanical mystery - using genome sequencing techniques. We published the findings in an Open Access paper in BMC Evolutionary Biology and you can read an article about the story in New Scientist.

I'm currently working to solve the second Aloe vera mystery: why has this species reached wonder-plant status, supporting a global trade, and not the 500 or so other closely related species in the genus Aloe?

The research goes beyond solving a botanical enigma. If we can understand how Aloe vera differs from its closest relatives (or not) then we can highlight other species of Aloe, growing throughout Africa, that might have similar potential.

I'm fascinated by the ways in which adaptations in the plant kingdom are valuable to people, and how we can harness nature's solutions to problems facing humanity today.

I'll be on from 5-7 PM UTC (12-2 PM ET) and look forward to your questions!

submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator
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Does the temperature of water affect how it is absorbed by a towel?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 09:16 PM PDT

Are there more units beyond acceleration?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:40 AM PDT

Displacement: m Velocity: m/s Acceleration: m/s2 ...?

submitted by /u/scottylime
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How statistically random are the answer distributions on standardized tests?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 08:48 PM PDT

This may be an impossible question to answer but I'll try to explain the scenario. Multiple choice exam with answers A-D. 300 questions. Supposedly there were 10 different orderings of the questions/answers. After working through the test and for 50 questions you notice 25 of my answers have been A, then on question 51, you have it narrowed down to A and D, is it a smart move to choose D if its a total tossup. I would think so assuming they are random but are standardized tests really random? Not sure I'm asking this in a good way but I tried

submitted by /u/r8v10
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How is a sonic boom sound created?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 06:19 AM PDT

So when a jet breaks the sound barrier there is a loud boom sound. How is this formed and why?

submitted by /u/coolylame
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If we fired every single nucleur weapon we have on the planet into the sun simultaneously, would anything happen to the Sun at all?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 05:53 AM PDT

What do scientists propose as an answer to the problem of global warming?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 04:43 PM PDT

Beyond cutting emissions, what solutions are there for reversing or mitigating the environmental changes & damage?

I would think something along the lines of a massive carbon sink would be self-defeating, as it would ultimately repeat the situation we are in, with vast carbon deposits available for reprocessing into fuel.

submitted by /u/Psyladine
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How does "burning fat" physically work?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 04:11 PM PDT

Like, do the fat molecules actually just fall off your body and into the environment? Meaning that gym floors must be filled with people's invisible ex-fat (I thought of this question while working out)?

submitted by /u/My_Genuine_Questions
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Can someone spot where my misconception of graphene orbitals is coming from?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 04:10 AM PDT

To be honest, Im not sure how should I phrase my question, I have a situation which I simply cant stomach, its about graphene. Feel free to correct my as I go a long, my misconception might be hidden somewhere in there.

Carbon has an electron configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p2. Meaning the first shell/level has 1 orbital that has 2 electrons in it.

The second shell/level has 2 sub-orbitals, the first (s) holds 2 electrons, and the second (p) (which can be divided in to x,y,z) holds 2 electrons also (one in x and one in y)

Graphene has 3 sigma bonds and 1 pi. The 3d visualizations show the orbitals like (https://postimg.org/image/mfcryoi1d/). What I dont understand are the shapes of the orbitals. Is there any geometrical/vector explanationon how one the 3 s like (round ish) ones are formed?

The way I try to picture this is, one round (2s) orbital and two eight shaped (2p) (x and y) orbitals should give birth to 3 of 'those' orbitals, leaving the z intact. But.. it simply doesn't work in my head... HELP

submitted by /u/Milchy
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How do firefighters fly helicopters over fires?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 04:45 PM PDT

Fires can cause some crazy updrafts so how do the pilots manage to get above them to drop a retardant down?

submitted by /u/atomiccrouton
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Does fire cause drag?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 09:08 AM PDT

If I prepared two arrows identically and lit one on fire, and not the other, then fired them from the same bow at the same inclination, would the unlit arrow travel further? I imagine that the hot air flowing overthrow rest of the arrow length and fletching would have some effect, but is it significant and positive or negative? Or is there any other effect caused by the flames themselves - laminar vs turbulent flow or do the flames add to the effective surface area of the arrow as it penetrates the air?

Edit: I should clarify that I'm not asking specifically about an arrow, but any two identical arbitrary objects moving through the air, one flaming and the other not. And consider that the flames themselves are significant relative to the size/mass of the object. Would a race car with a huge engine fire coming out the back experience more drag than not - would a flaming piece of debris falling from the sky fall slower than an identical piece that was not alight?

submitted by /u/CheapBastardSD
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If you took 0.333... and removed the '0.' would 333... be an integer?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 06:28 AM PDT

If honeybees are non-native to North America, won't the original (or other) pollinators flourish and fill in the gaps left behind by the decreasing population?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 02:28 PM PDT

I'm assuming the original pollinators weren't completely displaced by the invasive european honeybee, but even then the other pollinators' populations will expand without competition from those bees. I haven't been able to find any articles addressing this whenever bee population articles come up.

submitted by /u/spondylo
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When did psychoanalysis and other Freudian theories start falling out of favor for treating mental health issues, and start getting replaced by cognitive behavioral therapy?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 03:28 PM PDT

Back in 2012, the BBC did an exposé on psychoanalysis being a preferred method of treating autism by French doctors. After some digging, I found that mental health treatment in France often uses psychoanalysis and other Freudian tactics, when other countries had shifted to CBT-related methods long since.

I just want to know when in history that change began, when the psychological and psychiatric communities began moving away from Freudian tactics and started embracing CBT more.

submitted by /u/ssaaabbbccc1234
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How do police radars measure your speed?

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 04:49 AM PDT

If I'm not mistaken it deals with red/blue shifted light but I don't know for sure as to how it works.

submitted by /u/The_Red_Spectre
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What causes us to feel heartache? Are there any evolutionary advantages to the pain we go through?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 04:14 PM PDT

How does electromagnetism work with conservation of momentum? Specific scenario in body.

Posted: 28 Jul 2016 04:32 AM PDT

Let's say I'm in my spaceship at rest relative to a large ferrous asteroid currently 10 light-seconds away. At time t=0 I activate my enormously powerful electromagnet. What starts moving at what time, and how is momentum conserved in all reference frames?

submitted by /u/C_A_L
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Whats the difference between h.264 and x265?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 03:51 PM PDT

I've seen massive 1gb 720p or FHD videos compressed down to less than 2-300mb using x265. How is this possible and do you lose any quality? Are there any downsides?

submitted by /u/Fortune_Cat
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What causes tube memory?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 01:34 PM PDT

When I was an Artillery officer I never had an instructor be able to explain what causes it. It occurs even when the gun has not been fired in a day, so not heat related Here is the definition: From FM 6-40 chapter 3 https://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/docs/fm6-40-ch3.htm (a) Tube memory is a physical phenomenon of the cannon tube tending to react to the firing stress in the same manner for each round, even after changing charges. It seems to "remember" the muzzle velocity of the last charge fired. For example, if a fire mission with charge 6 M4A2 is followed by a fire mission with charge 4 M4A2, the muzzle velocity of the first round of charge 4 may be unpredictably higher. The inverse is also true.

submitted by /u/loki143
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If a pregnant woman eats very little, will the baby take nutrients from the mother's muscles or fat stores? Or will the baby be malnurished?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 09:17 AM PDT

And the other way around. If the mother eats a lot will the baby be born larger?

submitted by /u/skeeetball
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I notice sometimes that when I'm in my car and in an area with spotty radio reception, touching certain areas of the car (mainly on and around the receiver unit) significantly improves the signal. Why does this happen?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 11:51 AM PDT

How much and what kind of light causes colors to fade on books, posters, comics etc?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 03:55 PM PDT

I have a large collection of comic books and other books and I'm a bit paranoid about exposing them to too much light, especially sunlight.

Out on the street and in some shop windows, we can see old posters or books that have been there for a long time and the colors are faded. Some books that I've purchased second hand also have fading on the spine which was obviously exposed whereas the cover was not.

I keep most of my books on shelves that are never directly exposed to sunlight but I often keep the curtains open so the reflected natural light gets in. My home has a mix of incandescent and fluorescent lighting.

I'd like to keep my books as pristine looking as possible so any info about what to do to avoid color fading would be great.

submitted by /u/BlueHarvestJ
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Does the big Gas planets have a rocky or solid core?

Posted: 27 Jul 2016 02:38 PM PDT

I'm guessing that since the gas planets in our solar system have magnetic fields they have molten cores, but are these cores covered by something solid like rock? Are the gas planets in fact just rocky planets with huge atmospheres? What happens with all the asteroids they attract? Do they all completely burn up or does some reach a solid bottum? When these planets formed didn't they also attract rocks and solid materials besides gas? If yes - what happened to it?

submitted by /u/Absjalon
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