General Knowledge
Exploring "Why" questions about General Knowledge
481 articles
Why are sunglasses universally considered “cool”?
people use their eyes to communicate their level of comfort/aggression/submission with one another. shades will remove this information and allow others to fill in the blanks. for example, you might b
why does time seem to move quicker when I’m occupied?
The prevailing theory is that, when a brain is occupied with a task, then it has to spread its resources, leaving little to spend focused on the passing of time. However, if nothing in particular is o
Why do we have 10 fingers and not 8?
Because we evolved from fish that had 5 bones in their fins. All vertebrates follow the same pattern - 1 bone, 2 bones, lots of bones. As to why the fish had 5 fin-bones, it was probably simply how it
Why do containers that had egg in them bubble and froth so much, even when just rinsed?
Egg whites contain a lot of liquid protein, which forms a thin and strong layer, a temporary membrane that fills with air to make a bubble.
Why are our bodies warm ?
The chemical reactions that allow our cells to function are exothermic (they produce heat). Our body essentially burns sugars to produce usable energy. And "burns" isn't a metaphor: it's the same chem
Why do trips seem to last longer while going than while coming back?
I feel like it's more because of the anticipation/ possible fear of actually reaching your destination. After you arrive and do what you're there to do I'd say the journey back to where you came from
Why in the United States, with the exception of soccer, are there not sponsors or advertisements on professional sports team’s uniforms?
Soccer is played without any breaks during either half. Because the clock never stops running, there is rarely an opportunity for television broadcasters to play commercials. Jersey sponsors are a way
Why does my 21 inch LED monitor support 1080p but my 32 inch LED tv only does 720p?
You are meant to sit closer to your monitor than you are to your TV, therefore resolution matters more on a monitor than it does on a TV. That being said, there are several models of 32" TVs that supp
Why do we instinctively seem to hit machines / devices that aren’t functioning properly? Where did this come from?
It's called "Percussive maintenance" and it's related to the old mechanical and analogue systems that used to drive machines where if they got stuck sometimes a sharp jolt to the machine could cause t
Why can a human limb not sense its own weight?
You can feel its weight. However you just get used to it after years. Think about it externally: if you never wear a watch, and then you put on a big heavy one your arm feels heavy because of that ext