Nature
Exploring "Why" questions about Nature
487 articles
Why is what’s going on in Ukraine right now not already considered war?
It's not a war because Russia hasn't formally declared war on the entire country and has only moved units into the eastern portion currently being contested. If they insert unmarked units there, it's
Why do most song lengths seem to fall between 2 and 4 minutes?
Much of the answer has to do with the length limitations of vinyl 7" 45 rpm singles, which for many years were the primary means of promoting a single song. You can only fit about 3 minutes of music o
Why hasn’t anyone/won’t anyone take militarized action to secure the Ukraine crash site and investigate, with so many countries having had citizens who died in the MH-17 incident?
There are a lot of politics involved, and very large consequences for any military unit violating another nation's borders. Countries may not want to start a war for the sake of a few dozen people. Ad
Why do worms come out from the ground all the time when it rains?
The simple answer is "because they can" Normally a worm near the surface would turn back because it was too dry. But when it's wet their adventures can bring them to the surface. And for every worm w
Why does lightning emerge from a cloud as a single bolt? Why not from the whole surface area of the bottom of a cloud?
So there is a static field that does emerge as a whole area. But the thing is air does not conduct electricity. So it results in just a static field.
Why do closed businesses often get their windows papered over?
hide construction, or to obscure that the store is completely empty, landlords cover the windows. Prevents it from looking like blight.
Why do people put a shirt or towel in the window of their abandoned cars on the interstate?
It means your car broke down and wasn't abandoned. Your hazards will only work until the battery dies. It let's the police know your intent to come back to retrieve the car.
Why do windshield wipers push the water to the drivers side?
The wiper is vertical when it reaches the driver's side, getting more water off than the passenger side.
Why do hammocks seem to be under greater strain when the anchor points are farther apart?
If the hammock is totally slack, then each end has to bear 1/2 the weight of the occupant. When the ropes are slanted, however, the *vertical* component of the weight still has to be half, but is only
Why do car windows get a grid pattern on them
Whenever the glass is rapidly cooled during the tempering process there are these air jets that blow cool air on the glass. This creates distortions in the glass that are almost invisible, until you p