Science
Exploring "Why" questions about Science
484 articles
Why do flies come back to me after I try to swat them and miss? Doesn’t it register into their fight or flight response?
They can't really comprehend that you're actively targeting them. The most they deal with outside of humans are animal tails swinging in their general direction. Flies don't understand hatred, they ar
Why does the leaves on the linked tree stay there even when it doesn’t receive enough sunlight to make chlorophyll?
Plants can perform photosynthesis from artificial light. Sunlight is better, but the streetlight is sufficient and would basically give the tree endless light.
Why are we able to put our hands through liquids but not solids?
Liquids can be very complicated but are still liquids. The molecules in liquids are fairly short and do not bond much with each other. I am putting in these qualifiers.
Why is it that certain weapons, like poisonous gasses, are banned from use in warfare by the Geneva convention, yet countries and governments can still use them against their own population, such a…
Geneva convention is largely a gentlemen agreement. No one wants their soldiers getting gassed or having to patch up wounds from hollow points. Its easier to just say no one gets chemical weapons and
Why the microwave has to be closed to start working?
Very little would happen if you operated a microwave with an open door. Microwaves are notoriously hard to get into the food that you're trying to cook, which is why most microwave ovens have a rotati
Why don’t we, instead of filling tires with air, just make them out of solid rubber?
Solid rubber weighs way too much. Edit: they are experimenting with airless tires though. Imagine a hollow honeycomb in a circle.
why is it it so hard to create a weapons system that can intercept an inter continental ballistic nuclear missile?
They're traveling so fast you'd have one shot at it. It's more of an accuracy issue than being able to do it.
Why does the shower change temperatures if you flush the toilet while the shower is running?
Because the temperature of your water is set by mixing hot water and cold water. The toilate and shower often share the same source of cold water, flushing the toilet means there's less cold water ava
Why can’t the UN’s blue helmets intervene with force when the situation calls for it?
This is actually my debate topic for this month! Technically, they can, it just has to follow the 3 principles of peacekeeping. They must [1] have the consent of the host country (the country where th
Why are there multiple gas stations at one crossroad? How do they compete with each other?
A lot of similar stores open up near each other, it is part of game theory. They do what is best for themselves, instead of what is best for the consumer. The best example I have is 2 ice cream seller