Science
Exploring "Why" questions about Science
484 articles
Why do we feel sleepy in warm temperature rather than cold temperature ?
I learned at least one of the reasons for this from a professor last semester. He's a kineticist (that's a field of chemistry) and very into endurance running -- and he told us just exactly why the pe
Why are car batteries so big if they lose their whole charge after leaving a dome light on overnight.
They're designed to put out a large amount of power for a short time -- enough to start your car engine, which is heavy. But the designers assume they'll be constantly recharged thereafter (by the car
Why lightning doesn’t knock planes out of the sky.
Okay, here goes: electricity will always take the shortest path to the ground right? Well, since a airborne plane isn't grounded, lightening strikes generally don't hit planes for this reason. However
Why are domestic or shorthaul flights in the USA/Canada so much more expensive that comparable distance air travel in Europe?
A main reason: more competition not only by other airlines but also trains, as Europe has a resonabley fine rail network including highspeed trains between mayor centers. Also you have to be carefull
Why is it assumed to be liquid water on Mars as opposed to some other liquid.
It's not assumed, it's known. They used a spectrometer to analyse the chemical composition of the liquid in the channels.
Why do The Miranda Rights state that anything you say can “and will” be used against you. If something’s not incriminating why would it be used against you? Why would cops be forced to admit this u…
Its just to put emphasis on the fact that *they will* use any and all evidence against you that they can, including anything you say or do.
why is the speed limit set at a speed that most people will surpass by 5-10 mph and not get pulled over? Is there a reason they don’t set the limit 5-10 mph faster and actually enforce it strictly?
I think the practice exists because that 5-10 mph helps compensate for normal fluctuations in speed (up/down hills) and precision in instrumentation (worn tires, viewing angle of the speedometer, vari
Why don’t any larger animals have compound/multiple eyes like bugs do?
Depth perception, visual acuity, and distance. Compound eyes don't fair very well on any of those factors, all of which are far more favorable than having a large cone of view, especially in light of
Why do we use the base 10 system, and what are its benefits over other mathematical systems?
no benefit, other than a convenient correlation with the number of fingers. there are better systems that work better with the base 2 of computers and which have more easily divisable fractions. Base
Why is it that I see so many surfing videos that show surfers sitting out in the water with no waves?
Often we wait behind the waves to prepare, find a good wave or take a break. Then you move up and "drop into" the wave. Waves may come in sets of three for example and you want to ride the best one so