Everyday Life
Exploring "Why" questions about Everyday Life
479 articles
Why does the same water from the shower feel warm to my body, but scalding hot to my face? (Or warm to my face and cool to my body)
Mind over matter mate. Theres more nerve endings on your face so perhaps the extra sensory information is overwhelming. Just like easing into a hot tub.
Why haven’t we agreed on a standard shoe size measurement (and other clothing articles) for the whole world when we have the Metric or Imperial system of measurement?
The main reason is switching cost. This doesn’t necessarily need to be monetary, though that can certainly be a factor. People are set in there ways and are resistant to changing a system they are fam
Why do perishable ingredients such as butter, milk, or eggs no longer have to be refrigerated after they’ve been baked into a cake or cookies?
Butter, milk and eggs don't have to be refrigerated. It's *customary*, particularly in the United States, to keep them in the refrigerator, but it isn't necessary. Interestingly, this is one reason wh
Why is burnt food a carcinogen?
First, you have to understand what cancer is. Cancer is when some of the cells (tiny pieces) in your body start growing and making new cells much faster than they're supposed to. The part of the cell
Why do many languages have different letters from each other, but numbers are written is the same way everywhere?
Actually, numbers [aren't written the same everywhere](_URL_0_). There are other variants in use across the world, too.
Why does tap water from the kitchen sink taste slightly different than tap water from the bathroom sink, despite having the same source?
First step is a blind taste test to see if the effect is real or only in your head. Get someone to fill two glasses, one filled from each source. Then see if you can identify which glass was from whic
Why are there holes in Swiss Cheese?
Basically: Cheese is milk that has gone bad because bacteria breed in it. The bacteria fart while breeding. The farts make up the holes and the stink of the cheese.
Why does the water in my bathtub always go down the drain in an anti-clockwise direction?
The short answer is: "no it doesn't!". Think of it like a long pole standing without support: In which direction does it fall? The answer is: That direction where it is slightly tilted already.
Why are there so many toll roads in the USA?
You can pretty much drive across the US without hitting a toll road, its just that some of the most convenient routes in the north east have toll roads. There are usually alternate routes that avoid t
Why do certain colors of lights have a second, differently colored ring around the source?
Go get your eyes checked. You seem to be seeing refraction happening within your eyes. It could be from some minor deformity in the eye like the ones that cause near sightedness and far sightedness, t