Science
Exploring "Why" questions about Science
484 articles
why are we producing more aluminium than we recycle if it takes 95 percent less energy to recycle?
Yes, it would be, but then there would also be a finite amount of aluminum on earth and we would never be able to have more bottles and cans than we do right now. The world is growing and we still hav
why do I run out of gas faster when the a/c is on in my car
Because you are using gas to power your car and power the motor on the air conditioner instead of just using gas to power your car.
Why does it take so long for a country to develop nuclear warheads/ weapons? E.g. Iran and N. Korea.
It depends on how many resources they want to put into it. North Korea is a very poor country so they can't spare the same amount of resources that the US put into the manhattan project. Additionally
Why do water pipes not burst after you turn the sink/hose off? Shouldn’t the pressure from the water backing up cause this?
Imagine that you have a bucket full of water. Poke a hole in the bottom of the bucket, and water will start pouring out. But if you plug the hole, the bucket doesn't burst from pressure backing up.
Why can’t a brute force attack break cryptography key?
They can, but "just brute force it" is a process that can theoretically take years to do. Even with very powerful computing clusters (like the fastest ones known in the world), symmetric encryption ca
Why does my body get covered in goosebumps and why do I feel light headed / relaxed when I’m really enjoying a piece of music or song?
There are two competing theories on this. One, listening to music triggers the same reward pathways as addiction and reward, coating your striatum in dopamine. Your brain can predict (to some extent)
Why does your body gasp for air when exposed to sudden contact with freezing water? It seems a bit counterproductive to inhale when wet (e.g falling through a frozen lake)
It makes you breathe in quickly because you are potentially about to be entirely submerged in cold water so it makes sense to take as big a breath as you are able. This typically won't occur if your h
Why do electric machines seem to suffer in performance under cold conditions?
Many electric machines are battery powered. Batteries produce electricity through chemical reactions, which slow down when it is cold, thus reducing power production. Machines, in general, need oil fo
Why fog lights are able to cut through fog while brights only light up the fog more.
Fog lights are closer to the ground and are aimed slightly downward, so that only the fog very close to the road's surface reflects light back. High beams are high and have a wide beam that sends ligh
Why can the same numeric temperature feel different at different times?
I'm not an expert and someone feel free to correct me, but I think it's mostly due to humidity. How much moisture is in the air makes a huge impact.