Questions you'd like answering, regardless of how trivial they may seem

[itboffin]

I do run adblockers, but these aren't adds, they're suggestions supposedly based on your search history and tracking cookies. It only takes seconds to use the 'Clear recent history' on Brave.

If you’re using a google account it’s most likely google giving you crap ads so you agree to their behavioural content opt in.
I worked in behavioural advertising for quite a while

 

[Alex321]

The UK mains supply is 240V.

Not officially.

In 1995 the specification for appliances to be sold throughout Europe was set at 230V +10%, -6% (216-253) so that the same appliances will work across Europe without modification, and without anybody having to change their supply voltage. In 2003 it was further widened to 230V +/-10% (207-253).

And the UkK mains supply is officially 230V, but with that wide tolerance meaning it can actually still be around 240V for most of us.

 

[Alex321]

Why is the 'More to Explore' section of my Ebay app suddenly flooded with suggestions for vapes? I'm not a smoker and have never once searched for vapes for sale anywhere.

To stop tracking, I always search for items while logged out on the main PC making a note of the item number and then clear cookies, search & device history before either logging in on the PC or using the app to search for the particular item I'm interested in. Once done I clear the viewing & search history again so the only things it should show me are items similar to anything on my watchlist (a couple of bikes ATM). So why vapes?

Because you clear all your history, so it has no idea and just sends you some of the most popular suggestions.

 

[Binky]

Why is it whenever I go to the loo in my house in whichever one I choose from the 4 we have the loo roll always seems to need changing 😂

 

[Punkawallah]

Why is it whenever I go to the loo in my house in whichever one I choose from the 4 we have the loo roll always seems to need changing 😂

‘You have chosen poorly’?

 

[Yellow Fang]

Will the universe expand forever or will it start to contract?
If the universe expands forever, will all mass be eventually swallowed by black holes?
If all mass is swallowed by black holes, how long will it take for them to evaporate from Hawking Radiation?
If some mass escapes being swallowed by black holes, will it eventually deterioate?
How long would it take for mass to deterioate?

 

[Yellow Fang]

Why is it that Earl Grey tea tasted like nectar when I was stuck in Tbilisi, but now when I am back in England it tastes like dish water?

 

[Yellow Fang]

My Mum is not a Baby Boomer, because she was born during the war. I am not a Baby Boomer, because I am too young. I am Generation X. My son was born in 2003, so what does that make him? We must be at Generation A or B by now, unless we're using Greek letters.

 

[Punkawallah]

Will the universe expand forever or will it start to contract?
If the universe expands forever, will all mass be eventually swallowed by black holes?
If all mass is swallowed by black holes, how long will it take for them to evaporate from Hawking Radiation?
If some mass escapes being swallowed by black holes, will it eventually deterioate?
How long would it take for mass to deterioate?

Some consider there will be a universe where all of this happens, but not necessarily at the same time. The important thing to remember is that you are unlikely to be there at the time, so in a very real sense it does not matter.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Giant creatures in films: Lets take for example a giant ant that has roughly been scaled up 10000 times (from 2mm long to 20 Metres long). Given that we haven't scaled up gravity, which is a constant 9.8 m/s/s, does that mean that the giant Ant would have a greater mechanical advantage than a normal sized one on Earth? Or would that be cancelled out because it's 10000x mass would generate the same relative resistance on its body?

I'm assuming that if a normal ant could (for argument sake) lift 10 times its bodyweight (60 mg x 10 = 600mg), then a giant Ant could also lift its own bodyweight as easily? And also when I do the calculation, if we have a giant killer ant that was 20 metres long, it would still only weigh 60 grams?? What have I done wrong?

 

[Punkawallah]

Giant creatures in films: Lets take for example a giant ant that has roughly been scaled up 10000 times (from 2mm long to 20 Metres long). Given that we haven't scaled up gravity, which is a constant 9.8 m/s/s, does that mean that the giant Ant would have a greater mechanical advantage than a normal sized one on Earth? Or would that be cancelled out because it's 10000x mass would generate the same relative resistance on its body?

I'm assuming that if a normal ant could (for argument sake) lift 10 times its bodyweight (60 mg x 10 = 600mg), then a giant Ant could also lift its own bodyweight as easily? And also when I do the calculation, if we have a giant killer ant that was 20 metres long, it would still only weigh 60 grams?? What have I done wrong?

Picked the wrong rabbit hole to go down?
I now have visions of a giant ant pleading “yes Mr deMille - but what’s my -motivation- here?”

 

[DaveReading]

Giant creatures in films: Lets take for example a giant ant that has roughly been scaled up 10000 times (from 2mm long to 20 Metres long). Given that we haven't scaled up gravity, which is a constant 9.8 m/s/s, does that mean that the giant Ant would have a greater mechanical advantage than a normal sized one on Earth? Or would that be cancelled out because it's 10000x mass would generate the same relative resistance on its body?

I'm assuming that if a normal ant could (for argument sake) lift 10 times its bodyweight (60 mg x 10 = 600mg), then a giant Ant could also lift its own bodyweight as easily? And also when I do the calculation, if we have a giant killer ant that was 20 metres long, it would still only weigh 60 grams?? What have I done wrong?

As you rightly point out, "scaling-up" (or "scaling-down", come to that) isn't as simple as it sounds.

Where forces are involved (as they almost always are), the sums get quite complicated.

For example (in my sphere) testing a model of a new plane in a wind tunnel involves applying something called a Reynolds Number in order for the results to make sense.

 

[Electric_Andy]

As you rightly point out, "scaling-up" (or "scaling-down", come to that) isn't as simple as it sounds.

Where forces are involved (as they almost always are), the sums get quite complicated.

For example (in my sphere) testing a model of a new plane in a wind tunnel involves applying something called a Reynolds Number in order for the results to make sense.

ok, I can already see the mistake I made (not using square-cube law). AI says:

• • The Scale Factor (x): 10,000
  • The Volume Increase (x³): 10,000³ = 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion times more volume) [1, 2]

It would weigh 3000 tons.

• • Real-world comparison: At 3,000 metric tons, this single giant ant would weigh as much as 15 blue whales or roughly 75 fully loaded semi-trucks. Its physical length would be about 30 to 50 meters (100–160 feet).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

ok, I can already see the mistake I made (not using square-cube law). AI says:

• • The Scale Factor (x): 10,000
  • The Volume Increase (x³): 10,000³ = 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion times more volume) [1, 2]

It would weigh 3000 tons.

• • Real-world comparison: At 3,000 metric tons, this single giant ant would weigh as much as 15 blue whales or roughly 75 fully loaded semi-trucks. Its physical length would be about 30 to 50 meters (100–160 feet).

Ants do not possess lungs or a centralized cardiovascular system to pump oxygenated blood. Instead, they operate on a system of microscopic tubes that deliver air directly to their internal tissues. This biological design creates a hard limit on physical scale.

As an organism scales up, its volume increases at a much faster rate than its surface area. This mathematical reality, known as the square-cube law, means that a giant ant would require a massive amount of oxygen that its external openings simply could not provide.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I'm assuming that if a normal ant could (for argument sake) lift 10 times its bodyweight (60 mg x 10 = 600mg), then a giant Ant could also lift its own bodyweight as easily? And also when I do the calculation, if we have a giant killer ant that was 20 metres long, it would still only weigh 60 grams?? What have I done wrong?

I don't think so. If the ant grows to ten times its original length, then it also increased its width and height by 10x. That means it increases its weight by a factor of 1000. However, it legs' cross-section will only increase by 100x. The cross-section of its legs will govern how much muscle it can pack in. Therefore, the ant will feel 10x heavier. I expect something similar goes on with its pincers.

Incidentally, you can see this sort of thing with monkey bars. Kids often have no trouble doing them where their parents couldn't.