Ask Anything Wednesday - Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology

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• Ask Anything Wednesday - Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology
• Are the signals for pain distinctly different from other feelings?
• How effective are programs like Fold at Home?
• When two trees grow into each other, or fuse, does one become more dominant or do they both continue to grow together?
• How can neutron stars have a magnetic field if neutrons are neutral?
• Does Buckminsterfullerene conduct electricity?
• Can two hydrogen atoms be burned together?
• How would listening to music in surround sound be in Orfield Lab's anechoic chamber?
• Do single atoms emit electromagnetic radiation?
• What are the environmental effect of cigarette butts?
• Does light have an endpoint?
• Is cardinal or N(natural numbers set) equal to cardinal of Z(integer numbers set)?
• (Physics) Why do objects orbit black holes in a spiral shape rather than eliptical?
• Whаt раrts оf thе brаіn аrе mоst usеd whеn lеаrnіng gоlf?
• Why is a cancer therapy like BNCT not viable for every type of malignancy?
• Are there different types of inflammation?
• Do computers work in space?
• Why do racecars have wide tires?
• [Chemistry] What's the difference between laundry detergent for white, colour and black laundry?
• Can a projector display in 4k and why?

Ask Anything Wednesday - Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology Posted: 05 Oct 2016 08:05 AM PDT Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology Do you have a question within these topics you weren't sure was worth submitting? Is something a bit too speculative for a typical /r/AskScience post? No question is too big or small for AAW. In this thread you can ask any science-related question! Things like: "What would happen if...", "How will the future...", "If all the rules for 'X' were different...", "Why does my...". Asking Questions: Please post your question as a top-level response to this, and our team of panellists will be here to answer and discuss your questions. The other topic areas will appear in future Ask Anything Wednesdays, so if you have other questions not covered by this weeks theme please either hold on to it until those topics come around, or go and post over in our sister subreddit /r/AskScienceDiscussion , where every day is Ask Anything Wednesday! Off-theme questions in this post will be removed to try and keep the thread a manageable size for both our readers and panellists. Answering Questions: Please only answer a posted question if you are an expert in the field. The full guidelines for posting responses in AskScience can be found here. In short, this is a moderated subreddit, and responses which do not meet our quality guidelines will be removed. Remember, peer reviewed sources are always appreciated, and anecdotes are absolutely not appropriate. In general if your answer begins with 'I think', or 'I've heard', then it's not suitable for /r/AskScience. If you would like to become a member of the AskScience panel, please refer to the information provided here. Past AskAnythingWednesday posts can be found here. Ask away! submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

Are the signals for pain distinctly different from other feelings? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 08:52 PM PDT In physiology, are the neural signals for pain in the brain and body the same for other feelings like touch? Is pain the same signal, but just at an extreme level? Or are the signals for pain completely different from the signals for touch? submitted by /u/bagelbomb [link] [comments]

How effective are programs like Fold at Home? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 09:16 PM PDT http://folding.stanford.edu/ This is a protein folding program that supposedly helps find cures to cancer, Alzheimers, etc. I was wondering how effective these distributed computing systems are. Thanks! submitted by /u/Legionof7 [link] [comments]

When two trees grow into each other, or fuse, does one become more dominant or do they both continue to grow together? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 07:43 AM PDT If one becomes more dominant does it completely take over the other tree or does it take over more from where they join upwards? If they grow together to what level of independence do they each have? submitted by /u/b-crew96 [link] [comments]

How can neutron stars have a magnetic field if neutrons are neutral? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:20 PM PDT Both normal neutron stars and magnetars submitted by /u/unnecessary_overkill [link] [comments]

Does Buckminsterfullerene conduct electricity? Posted: 06 Oct 2016 06:16 AM PDT Some websites say yes and some say no :o submitted by /u/wontun [link] [comments]

Can two hydrogen atoms be burned together? Posted: 06 Oct 2016 05:55 AM PDT A thought that came to mind. I was wondering since a hydrogen atom (based on my high school level knowledge of chemistry) needs to fill the first s orbital and another hydrogen atom has just what they need. submitted by /u/ComanderKerman [link] [comments]

How would listening to music in surround sound be in Orfield Lab's anechoic chamber? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 08:59 PM PDT For reference, the chamber in question. I'm curious as to how an 'echo-less' room would affect listening, and whether it would be an improvement or a detriment to the experience. submitted by /u/Dorali [link] [comments]

Do single atoms emit electromagnetic radiation? Posted: 06 Oct 2016 05:06 AM PDT I know that inanimate objects like a brick wall will emit a heat signature in the infrared part of the spectrum (I think). So then would each atom making up that brick wall emit infrared radiation? And is that measurable? Thanks! submitted by /u/FattyMigs [link] [comments]

What are the environmental effect of cigarette butts? Posted: 06 Oct 2016 04:55 AM PDT Pretty self explanatory. But what is the consequence of the most littered item in the world? If there are any, is there way of cleaning these up on a large scale? submitted by /u/davidscarpa13 [link] [comments]

Does light have an endpoint? Posted: 06 Oct 2016 06:28 AM PDT When I ask my friend to turn on a flash light while I am standing 30 Meters away I can still see it. But when I am 300m or even 1 km away I can't see it any more. I heard a while back that some parts of the universe are not visible because the light has not reached us yet. That got me thinking about it, so my question is, does light have an endpoint at all, or does it keep on going forever? submitted by /u/timelapse00 [link] [comments]

Is cardinal or N(natural numbers set) equal to cardinal of Z(integer numbers set)? Posted: 06 Oct 2016 04:04 AM PDT I got this question in university , but i can't seem to think of the answer myself. I think they're not equal , since the integers also contain an infinity of negative numbers. But i don't know how to answer such question and convince my teacher. I mean even i'm quite confused with this. Also in case they're not equal is one bigger than the other? Or what is the relation between them <? >?. submitted by /u/Leinchetzu [link] [comments]

(Physics) Why do objects orbit black holes in a spiral shape rather than eliptical? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 01:23 PM PDT Title says it all submitted by /u/juncarson [link] [comments]

Whаt раrts оf thе brаіn аrе mоst usеd whеn lеаrnіng gоlf? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:37 PM PDT Іn mу оріnіоn іt wоuld bе thе сеrеbеllum, whісh wоuld bе usеd tо сооrdіnаtе уоur swіng аnd thе mоtоr соrtех fоr thе рrесіsе mоvеmеnts nееdеd whеn swіngіng thе сlub аnd strіkіng thе bаll, аs wеll аs thе mоvеmеnts thе bоdу mаkеs durіng thе swіng аrе thеsе twо thе mоst іmроrtаnt аrеаs оf thе brаіn usеd whеn lеаrnіng gоlf, оr іs thеrе аnуthіng еlsе? submitted by /u/redditsci [link] [comments]

Why is a cancer therapy like BNCT not viable for every type of malignancy? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:07 PM PDT So far it's mostly used for brain cancers. It's pretty obvious why it wouldn't work for something like leukemia or lymphoma, but what about something like a gastric carcinoma or a lung cancer? submitted by /u/s1gmalol [link] [comments]

Are there different types of inflammation? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 01:26 PM PDT From what I understand, inflammation is linked with many health problems (e.g. heart disease, certain cancers, and possibly even depression). Is the nature of inflammation different in various diseases? Is inflammation a blanket term, the way "cancer" generically refers to hundreds of different diseases? Or is all inflammation the same basic process, just differing in location, duration, and intensity? submitted by /u/AddictedToComedy [link] [comments]

Do computers work in space? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 10:44 AM PDT Hello, I wonder if I would drop a mini-computer like a raspberry pi with power attached would work in space. I don't talk about the ISS and pressurerized, heated environments with air in it, but space. Could an astronaut just release such a small device with radio and maybe a camera attached and login via ssh for instance? thank you. submitted by /u/planet_excess [link] [comments]

Why do racecars have wide tires? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 11:54 AM PDT submitted by /u/4609203 [link] [comments]

[Chemistry] What's the difference between laundry detergent for white, colour and black laundry? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:01 AM PDT Is there a difference between laundry detergents for white laundry and black laundry? Or is it just a marketing trick to get me to buy the same product 3 times in different packaging and with colouring added? submitted by /u/Anubissama [link] [comments]

Can a projector display in 4k and why? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:19 PM PDT submitted by /u/freerunfull [link] [comments]

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(Physics) If a marble and a bowling ball were placed in a space where there was no other gravity acting on them, or any forces at all, would the marble orbit the bowling ball?

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• (Physics) If a marble and a bowling ball were placed in a space where there was no other gravity acting on them, or any forces at all, would the marble orbit the bowling ball?
• Every winter my city alone dumps millions of pounds of salt onto the roadways. What is the environmental impact of using salt to de-ice roadways?
• Why is Current (A) an SI base unit but Charge (C) isn't?
• What tasks are faster to do with a computer that uses quantum processing (aka qubits) ? How faster it is compared to normal bits?
• Why is the tensile strength of a single strand of steel wire inversely proportional to diameter?
• Is there an easy test to see if a prediction vs time is self consistent?
• Where do i find hazard and precaution sentences?
• How does zero point energy not correlate with a temperature at absolute zero?
• How do you calculate the number of protons in solution at very small volumes? (halobacterium salinarum, for example)
• What is voltage physically with respect to electrons?
• How does your stomach know that food is already digested and can be passed down to intestine?
• "An implication of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is that physical space itself is not Euclidean, and Euclidean space is a good approximation for it only where the gravitational field is weak." What does this mean?
• Why do neutrons interact differently with nuclei depending on their energies?
• How do I use base rates to determine the probability that in a given population any one person has a specific trait?
• Where do human microbiota (bacteria in our bodies) come from?
• How do modern rails deal with thermal expansion?
• Does malachite have antibacterial properties?
• What does the term time-translation symmetry mean?
• Why don't computer processors have smaller, simpler, more numerous cores?
• Can sound influence human hormones?
• In a tilt gear wand, specifically the ones used to open and close blinds by turning, is there more leverage or torque grabbing and twisting near the top or near the bottom of the stick?
• What determines whether a load placed on a trailer will destabilise the vehicle towing it?

(Physics) If a marble and a bowling ball were placed in a space where there was no other gravity acting on them, or any forces at all, would the marble orbit the bowling ball? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 10:43 PM PDT Edit: Hey guys, thanks for all of the answers! Top of r/askscience, yay! Also, to clear up some confusion, I am well aware that orbits require some sort of movement. The root of my question was to see if gravity would effect them at all! submitted by /u/tyler121897 [link] [comments]

Every winter my city alone dumps millions of pounds of salt onto the roadways. What is the environmental impact of using salt to de-ice roadways? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 10:04 AM PDT I assume that most of this salt ends up in the waterways, and I also see plants dying near heavily salted walkways. What are some of the larger impacts of seasonal salt dumping? submitted by /u/BrapTime [link] [comments]

Why is Current (A) an SI base unit but Charge (C) isn't? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 03:14 AM PDT submitted by /u/ijustgottahittheroad [link] [comments]

What tasks are faster to do with a computer that uses quantum processing (aka qubits) ? How faster it is compared to normal bits? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 07:08 PM PDT There are only a limited scenarios where quantum bits provide a improvement over conventional processing. When that applies how faster that computing is? It's like a quadratic or exponential function of number of bits? qubits are useful in brute-force attack in cryptography? (I have no knowledge over this, so the nomenclature may be all wrong!) submitted by /u/rokoeh [link] [comments]

Why is the tensile strength of a single strand of steel wire inversely proportional to diameter? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 06:48 AM PDT Looking at this chart, tensile strength decreases as the diameter increases. Shouldn't the tensile strength be the same since the wires are all made from the same material? submitted by /u/SoundClouder [link] [comments]

Is there an easy test to see if a prediction vs time is self consistent? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 06:41 AM PDT Nate Silver at 538 has made a name for himself predicting presidential races. This year, his model seems to give a surprising amount of volatility. I'm specifically thinking of of his polls only prediction, which has gone from as high as ~90% for Clinton and as low as ~50%. I feel like there should be some way to test how plausible this level of variation is. If the model were to hit, say, 99.5% odds and later wander down to 50%, that seems like an event that should only happen one time out of 100 if we trust each prediction. In theory a time series should have many points of comparison like this, but obviously they aren't all independent of each other. And I'm not sure what the right correlation time should be (though maybe you can just estimate it from the data). So, if somebody knows of a good statistical test for a problem like this let me know. submitted by /u/AugustusFink-nottle [link] [comments]

Where do i find hazard and precaution sentences? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:40 AM PDT Im doing my first ever chemistry paper, and i was wondering were i find the hazard and precaution sentences for elements? submitted by /u/Garfield131415 [link] [comments]

How does zero point energy not correlate with a temperature at absolute zero? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 09:25 PM PDT As above, how can kinetic energy exist (in the form of ZPE) at absolute zero without being related to a net positive temperature? Isn't temperature a measurement of the kinetic energy present in a system? submitted by /u/AmateurChemistry [link] [comments]

How do you calculate the number of protons in solution at very small volumes? (halobacterium salinarum, for example) Posted: 05 Oct 2016 05:03 AM PDT Halobacterium salinarum is a photosynthetic archaea that generates energy from the sun through bacteriorhodopsin, not chlorophyll. more information https://biodiversityserene.wikispaces.com/Archaebacteria-Halobacterium+salinarium Using the dimensions for a halobacterium given by that website, I approximated the volume of a halobacterium to be somewhere around 7.8 x 10-15 Liters (using the volume of a cylinder). I used an internal pH of 7.26 to calculate the concentration of protons and got something on the order of 0.5 protons per halobacterium, which doesn't make sense. What's the most accurate way to calculate the number of protons in a small volume, such as an archaea, at this pH? (~7) submitted by /u/IKSSE3 [link] [comments]

What is voltage physically with respect to electrons? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 04:12 AM PDT They say Voltage is the potential difference in energy per unit charge between two points. Charge seems to be in laymans terms the number of electrons stored on something. From the above description then I take it that one group of stored electrons (charge) can therefore have a greater energy (voltage) than another group of stored electrons. What is causing this and how does this manifest itself physically with the electrons? (whats the physical difference between a unit of charge with high voltage and the same unit of charge with low voltage)? Is it caused by lots of electrons being forced together closely to one another (ie decreased proximity makes the electrons push harder away from each other)? What is the difference between an electron with a higher energy than a lower energy? And What is physically happening when this is measured on a voltmeter? submitted by /u/bananaTarerse [link] [comments]

How does your stomach know that food is already digested and can be passed down to intestine? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 07:59 AM PDT Title says it all. I was wondering if there is some clever thing happening or is it just digesting stuff for the same amount of time regardless of how digestable it is. submitted by /u/kobriks [link] [comments]

"An implication of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity is that physical space itself is not Euclidean, and Euclidean space is a good approximation for it only where the gravitational field is weak." What does this mean? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 12:21 PM PDT submitted by /u/cedobor [link] [comments]

Why do neutrons interact differently with nuclei depending on their energies? Posted: 05 Oct 2016 01:44 AM PDT So I was doing some reading on neutron radiation detection and shielding, and it appears to me that depending on the material used and the energy of the neutron, the neutrons are either bounces off the nucleus or is absorbed. What is the principle behind this? submitted by /u/tasercake [link] [comments]

How do I use base rates to determine the probability that in a given population any one person has a specific trait? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:21 PM PDT For example, let's say 8% of a population of 1000 is blonde, 80% of a population is a brunette and 12% is other. Now lets say 92% of a population works and 8% are unemployed.How do I calculate the chances then that any given unemployed person is blonde? submitted by /u/TooLittleSoju [link] [comments]

Where do human microbiota (bacteria in our bodies) come from? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 07:29 AM PDT We have bacteria in some of our organs that help us with basic functions, but the question is: "Where do they come from?" Would a human born and grown up into a sterilized ambient develop them? If so, can we say that a human birth is not only the birth of a single living being, but the birth of a colony of them? If not, how differently would his body behave? Sorry for the amount of questions, and thank you in advance for your answers. submitted by /u/raoulbrancaccio [link] [comments]

How do modern rails deal with thermal expansion? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 09:04 PM PDT I was looking at some of the faults of the hyperloop, and it seemed like thermal expansion was a big challenge. How do modern railway systems deal with this thermal expansion? submitted by /u/Trainingtrains [link] [comments]

Does malachite have antibacterial properties? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 08:17 AM PDT The history textbook I have claims that malachite was imported by Egyptians in order to stop the bacteria in wounds. To my knowledge malachite is an ore of copper, so I'm wondering if it has antibacterial properties. If it does, why is this? Also, how would it have been used? (Maybe that last one is more appropriate for askhistory, but a brief explanation would be nice.) submitted by /u/Carpy_Diem [link] [comments]

What does the term time-translation symmetry mean? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 08:05 PM PDT I may be highly mistaken but does the term mean that time can run in both direction backwards and forwards? Or does term time-translation symmetry the opposite time can run in one direction. I would assume this is in reference equations in quantum physics. I first heard of the term in reference of space-time crystals. I think space-time crystals breaks time-translation symmetry? Would a time crystal prove backwards time travel or does it have nothing to do with time travel. As stated earlier the term confuses me. I don't know much about physics. Thanks for the response. Hopefully the question isn't dumb. submitted by /u/will12345678 [link] [comments]

Why don't computer processors have smaller, simpler, more numerous cores? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 08:34 AM PDT submitted by /u/AbruptlyPuffing [link] [comments]

Can sound influence human hormones? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 08:15 AM PDT I'm thinking estrogen and testosterone etc. I've seen one study that showed that music decreased testosterone temporarily, even aggressive music. Is there any truth to this? Could one in theory expose themselves to specific sounds to change hormones? submitted by /u/DSMA [link] [comments]

In a tilt gear wand, specifically the ones used to open and close blinds by turning, is there more leverage or torque grabbing and twisting near the top or near the bottom of the stick? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 07:31 AM PDT I have really big heavy blinds and my wife has trouble turning them. Would there be any difference in her turning them by grabbing the top middle or bottom of the stick? If there is why is that? submitted by /u/r3volc [link] [comments]

What determines whether a load placed on a trailer will destabilise the vehicle towing it? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:30 AM PDT This clip compares the effect of a disturbance of a load placed as far forward as possible on a trailer and a loaded placed as far back on a trailer. In the first example the car right's itself after the disturbance whereas in the second example the car appears to amplify the disturbance. Can somebody explain what's happening here and answer the following questions? What governs whether the car will resist the disturbance or not? For example does the load just need to be place on or in front of the wheels on the trailer? Would the trailer always remain stable if it had another set of wheels toward the rear? Thanks! submitted by /u/Bprodz [link] [comments]

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Why is sodium chloride the dominant salt in seawater?

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• Why is sodium chloride the dominant salt in seawater?
• What's the difference between a Neutron Star and a Pulsar?
• Is daytime darker on Mars since it is further than the sun? How does atmosphere affect the brightness of a planet?
• Why does Calculus use dx to represent the change in x when other areas of science, such as physics, use delta-x?
• Are there any phosphors that glow when exposed to radiation?
• If everything consists of probability waves, why do I see things where they are? Why does a book appear at an exact location to me and everyone else but not in an infinite possibility of locations?
• Why do some flowers, mushrooms, and plants prefer areas with less light to grow? Shouldn't all plants want more energy from the sun?
• If I drop a ball such that it falls randomly into one of 3 boxes, how many drops on average until each box has at least 100 balls in it?
• How do satellites in Space send signals back to Earth?
• Could energy be produced from sound?
• What is the physical meaning of "negative" absolute temperature for a system?
• Is the cube-root of a negative number imaginary?
• Why do we see meteor showers some specific days only?
• Why do lithium ion batteries expand(puff up) over time?
• What place on Earth has the weakest seasonal cycle?
• The idea that disjoint events are dependent by nature confuses me. Could somebody dumb this down?
• Why do different substances have different specific heat values?
• What is the most ecologically diverse/disparate class (Actinopterygii, Mammalia, Aves, etc.) of all extant vertebrates?
• What is the most efficient way to convert electricity into heat?
• What is the relationship between waves of probability amplitudes and waves of EM field strength?
• Why does the natural oxide layer on Titanium impede anodization?
• Does the total pressure in the headspace have any effect on a gas' solubility assuming its partial pressure remains contant?
• Does the Sun appear to move through the sky at different speeds at different times of the day?
• What is a neutron star made of?

Why is sodium chloride the dominant salt in seawater? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 08:28 AM PDT Why sodium instead of lithium, potassium, etc? Why chloride instead of sulphate, phosphate, etc? submitted by /u/Shattered_Sanity [link] [comments]

What's the difference between a Neutron Star and a Pulsar? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:14 AM PDT I've always thought the names were interchangeable terms for the same object, but since starting my astro course I'm coming across more and more literature describing them as separate types of object. For example: According to general relativity, a binary system will emit gravitational waves, thereby losing energy. Due to this loss, the distance between the two orbiting bodies decreases.....not the case for a close binary pulsar, a system of two orbiting neutron stars, one of which is a pulsar..... submitted by /u/DraumrKopa [link] [comments]

Is daytime darker on Mars since it is further than the sun? How does atmosphere affect the brightness of a planet? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 03:03 AM PDT submitted by /u/bewillderment [link] [comments]

Why does Calculus use dx to represent the change in x when other areas of science, such as physics, use delta-x? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 08:06 AM PDT I'm taking a Calculus class this year along with a physics class and dx and delta-x seem to represent the same thing. Why are there two different symbols used (d vs. delta)? Is there even a reason? submitted by /u/danfromsales [link] [comments]

Are there any phosphors that glow when exposed to radiation? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 02:31 AM PDT I have heard of cathode ray tubes but are there any materials that produce light when radiation (such as background radiation) hit them. submitted by /u/The_professor053 [link] [comments]

If everything consists of probability waves, why do I see things where they are? Why does a book appear at an exact location to me and everyone else but not in an infinite possibility of locations? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 07:04 PM PDT submitted by /u/johnmackerspot [link] [comments]

Why do some flowers, mushrooms, and plants prefer areas with less light to grow? Shouldn't all plants want more energy from the sun? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 06:27 PM PDT submitted by /u/OrphanedCubone [link] [comments]

If I drop a ball such that it falls randomly into one of 3 boxes, how many drops on average until each box has at least 100 balls in it? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 06:43 PM PDT I guess average could mean the most likely number of drops (mode) or a weighted average based on the chance of each number of drops. Is there a probability distribution that describes this situation? It would be nice to have a generalizable solution for any number of boxes and balls. submitted by /u/WildAvis [link] [comments]

How do satellites in Space send signals back to Earth? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 02:46 AM PDT For example the New Horizons spacecraft that sent pictures from Pluto? How do they get all the way back to earth? I'm guessing it's infrared signals or something but I don't understand at all how stuff like that works. submitted by /u/ElectricBoogaloo3 [link] [comments]

Could energy be produced from sound? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:26 AM PDT what I mean is: electricity is used to produce sound (ipod, headphones, stereo) ,the electricity is used to move an object at such a frequency that it creates sound. Now could this not be reversed? to have an object be moved by soundwaves and generate electricity? or will soundwaves always be too weak for this purpose? I am aware the efficiency would be as close to 0% as it can get, but say we take a factory as testing ground, would it work to turn the loud noise of the machines working into electricity? probably should xpost this to r/shittyaskscience right? submitted by /u/DemonicMandrill [link] [comments]

What is the physical meaning of "negative" absolute temperature for a system? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:40 PM PDT I recently ran into the term "sub-Kelvin temperatures" while reading a research paper, and after a little googling, I found it seems to refer to temperatures "below" absolute zero, i.e. negative values. What do negative absolute temperatures mean? What would such a physical state look like? submitted by /u/tachyonic_spaceman [link] [comments]

Is the cube-root of a negative number imaginary? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:19 PM PDT Wolf Alpha%5E(1%2F3)) says it is imaginary (or at least has an imaginary component). Kahn Academy (and my understanding of cube roots) says it's a real, negative number. So which one is right? Is it a real or an imaginary/complex number? submitted by /u/kabukistar [link] [comments]

Why do we see meteor showers some specific days only? Posted: 04 Oct 2016 01:22 AM PDT submitted by /u/h152458 [link] [comments]

Why do lithium ion batteries expand(puff up) over time? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 02:59 PM PDT More specifically cell phone batteries. I've seen tons of batteries over the years where after a certain point they just start blowing up like little balloons. What is happening and why? submitted by /u/bosshaug [link] [comments]

What place on Earth has the weakest seasonal cycle? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 05:58 PM PDT Strength of seasons being defined as smallest amount of variation in temperature and precipitation over a year. I recognize that the answer may be somewhat ambiguous due to the two-dimensional nature of the "strength of season" definition. submitted by /u/descabezado [link] [comments]

The idea that disjoint events are dependent by nature confuses me. Could somebody dumb this down? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:49 AM PDT So my professor managed to temporarily convince me of this idea using the example that if you remove the possibility of one disjoint event that the others are more likely, and I agree with this part. However, is this not true for many independent events as well, such as flipping a coin (a very common example of an independent event)? If you knew the coin would be heads, would it not mean that it would 100% be tails? Are these not disjoint events? The whole concept seems contradictory, like I'm missing something. submitted by /u/SPIWizard [link] [comments]

Why do different substances have different specific heat values? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 07:28 PM PDT The fact that different materials have different specific heats (joules/kgK) is very surprising to me. If heat is a form of kinetic energy, it seems that each material should have the same specific heat, because the ability to raise and lower a temperature of an object seems like it should depend solely on its mass. Consider in classical newtonian physics, an object has a specific kinetic energy based solely upon its mass and velocity, independent of it's material properties. What am I missing? submitted by /u/andyjeff76 [link] [comments]

What is the most ecologically diverse/disparate class (Actinopterygii, Mammalia, Aves, etc.) of all extant vertebrates? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 09:29 AM PDT I'm doing some formal encyclopedia-like descriptions of animal clades that will be used for teaching. I suspect that mammals are the most ecologically diverse/disparate terrestrial vertebrates, though it would be a close run race with birds. I'd like to include this in their description. I've checked casually with an ornithologist and ornithology student who agreed, but that's far from a consensus. 1. What is the most ecologically diverse/disparate, terrestrial vertebrate class. I then got to thinking: Could birds or mammals be even more ecologically diverse/disparate than all vertebrates including ray-finned fishes (30,000+ species!) given that there are many ecologically specialized aquatic birds and mammals but few land-dwelling ray-fins? Here, I suspect the answer may be that ray-finned fishes are more ecologically diverse (i.e. there are more specialist niches overall), but less disparate (i.e. more clustered around different variants of aquatic faunivory in marine/aquatic habitats) than birds or mammals. Thus, 2. What is the most ecologically diverse/disparate class of all extant vertebrates? These have been difficult questions to research, and I think trying to falsify these hypotheses and generating a consensus from /r/askscience is more appropriate than simply citing the assumptions of others. While I am all for monophyly, in this context I am referring to the traditional, paraphyletic definitions of these classes such that Sarcopterygii excludes Tetrapoda, Reptilia excludes Aves, and so forth. submitted by /u/Melivora_capensis [link] [comments]

What is the most efficient way to convert electricity into heat? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 02:30 PM PDT I'm wondering what the most efficient way to convert electricity into heat. Not looking to heat any specific object just something that radiates heat more or less. submitted by /u/DopBopDeeBeep [link] [comments]

What is the relationship between waves of probability amplitudes and waves of EM field strength? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 08:21 AM PDT I've studied basic QM and started looking into QFT, but I'm hung up on something basic. QM 101 is all about describing a single ideal particle, which is described by a wavefunction over space. Part of that description is the energy of the particle, in the form of the frequency of the wavefunction. But how does this relate to many-particle systems, or the classical EM field? Does each particle's wavefunction add up on top of each other (so to speak)? submitted by /u/disgr4ce [link] [comments]

Why does the natural oxide layer on Titanium impede anodization? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 05:14 PM PDT I'm familiar with the basic physics behind anodizing titanium but I'm very puzzled by why natural air oxidation behaves so differently than even low voltage anodizing. In order to get bright colors from anodizing you typically need to chemically prep the surface by removing the oxide layer. The difference is noticeable at low voltages and dramatic at high voltages. You can also apply a "base coat" of anodization at 5V or so which will allow you to anodize to a higher voltage later without needing to remove the oxide layer again. It seems like even a short exposure to air can ruin the surface and lead to bad / unexpected anodizing results. For example I've had the color at 85V go from green to bright pink because of a few minute exposure to air. In all cases the surface was cleaned / de-greased. Why does this happen? My understanding is that anodizing is basically just forcing a thick oxide layer to form. I'd expect that exposure to air would be equivalent to what you'd get from anodizing at a very low voltage. So why can't you build on the natural oxide layer the same way as an electrically formed layer? submitted by /u/apocalypse910 [link] [comments]

Does the total pressure in the headspace have any effect on a gas' solubility assuming its partial pressure remains contant? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 05:51 PM PDT Say I have gases A and B occupying the headspace of a sealed container where Pp(A)=0.5atm and Pp(B)=0.5atm. Now consider two scenarios. I inject more of gas A to the headspace to increase it's partial pressure to 1atm so now I have a total pressure of 1.5atm. I evacuate only gas A from the headspace leaving gas B in the headspace where the partial pressure of gas B=Total pressure=0.5 atm. The partial pressure of gas B in both cases is 0.5 atm and according to Henry's law the solubility should also stay the same, but is that actually what happens? submitted by /u/WheyGuy [link] [comments]

Does the Sun appear to move through the sky at different speeds at different times of the day? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 08:39 AM PDT If the arc subtended by the Sun's path during the day is divided into equal parts, does the Sun cover each part in equal times? Does this depend on season or the location of the observer on the Earth? submitted by /u/thisisitfornow [link] [comments]

What is a neutron star made of? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 06:42 PM PDT I know it's super dense matter but beyond that I couldn't find anything. Could it be some super heavy element or could it be some other kind of matter? I'm very curious. Thanks for your responses submitted by /u/AC13verName [link] [comments]

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