Science
Exploring "Why" questions about Science
484 articles
Why do lights for your bicycle have an option to flash/blink?
A Flashing light will get more notice than a solid on one, which is exactly the point of a light on your bike.
Why do my cock and balls seem to be acquiring an increasingly healthy tan as I get older, despite their very limited exposure to daylight?
No seriously. Someone smart please answer this. Why is my genital skin darker than most all of my other skin.
Why is Broadway and musical theater in general associated with homosexuals?
I think that a lot of the aspects of theater in general (the elaborate costumes, the makeup, the dancing) are socially viewed as feminine, adding a sort of femininity to male actors/ theater professio
Why does a small dome light drain a huge car battery over night, yet a couple of AAAs can power a significantly more powerful, non-LED headlamp for days?
A car starter motor takes a lot of power. It has to turn over the engine enough times to cycle every piston and try to start each spark plug firing properly. You can leave a light on in your car for a
Why is there a little wall in the gas container of a lighter?
A longer, thinner cylinder is stronger than a shorter, fatter one. Alas, the short, fat shape is more desirable in a lighter. The result is that a long, thin cylinder is folded in half to get the desi
Why does tiredness feel as though it comes in waves?
Biorhythms. Your body has cycles: breathing, heartbeat, blinking, even which nostril you use. Your wakefulness/tiredness is also cyclic.
why is it that land that was hit by an atomic bomb (Hiroshima/Nagasaki) is fairly quickly re-inhabitable but sites like Chernobyl and Fukushima take decades to be radiation free?
The atom bombs in Japan were airbursts - they didn't blow up on the ground. This resulted in maximizing destructive potential, but very little fallout that spread radioactivity to debris. A nuclear po
Why when websites are finished loading, the page scrolls up/down slightly so that you end up clicking on the wrong thing
The last thing that loads on the page changes the location of the rest of the page. For example it might be an image which is of unknown size and the final configuration of the entire page isn't known
Why does the United States military have bases in other countries but other countries don’t have bases in the United States? What are the odds of another country putting a base in the US?
A lot of countries host bases for other countries. There are a few advantages to this. First - Base leases usually come with money.
Why did hitting electronics (like old T.Vs) temporarily “fix” them?
Sometime problems were caused by debris on the circuit or a relay (spring loaded magnetic switch) sticking. Vibration might shake the problem free, restoring normal function.