General Knowledge
Exploring "Why" questions about General Knowledge
481 articles
Why is paper white when trees are brown?
The color of paper has to do with how it is processed at the plant and for what purpose. When wood arrives at a paper plant, it is first shredded up ahead of pulping. Pulping is a process by which woo
Why are symptoms more potent in the morning and evening when you are sick?
In the morning it's usually because you've been dehydrated due to sleep or if symptoms just arose, you aren't used to it. In the evening, because of being tired and talking all day, you get worn out.
Why do all TV channels have the same commercial breaks?
I assume it's so the watcher is more likely to return to their channel if the other channels are on commercial breaks as well.
Why do the back of roller-coasters experience more ‘whip’ as compared to the front?
"Whip" in kinematics is described as the rate of change of acceleration, also known as *jerk*. Since roller coasters are primarily gravity powered, the front starts going faster downhill while the bac
Why is the plastic no longer opaque on this sticker?
Because one side of that plastic has lots of bumps, so when light passes through it, the light is refracted and scattered in random directions. However, the sticker fills in these bumps and leaves a s
Why are archers in movies instructed to fire all at once?
Well usually we see it in movies in the context of the first volley against a force moving towards the wall. In that case the commander can simply say 'on my mark' if they want the arrows to start onl
Why do many pictures from the black and white era look high definition?
Because they're analog, and not taken by a crappy cell phone camera. Actual, real, photographic film is as high a definition as it gets.
Why and when exactly was the death penalty reinstated in the US after being abolished in 1972? Is it really because “murder rates soared” following its abolition, as some claim?
The death penalty wasn't abolished in 1972. Instead, the Supreme Court ruled that certain *specific inconsistent applications* of the death penalty violated the "cruel and unusual punishment" portion
Why are the stairs of an escalator higher than the stairs of a staircase?
To give you better timing to get off the step at the end, and to somewhat discourage you from running up them while moving (primarily for children).
Why is haggling something that just doesn’t happen any more?
Market efficiency in action. Used to be if I wanted to buy something, I didn't have a lot of choices. There were no supermarkets or shopping malls, and I was pretty much stuck with wherever I was will