Science
Exploring "Why" questions about Science
484 articles
Why is a 2 degree Celsius increase in temperature on earth considered dramatically dangerous.
Try to imagine all the matter that makes up the surface of the Earth. All that air water, earth, rock, etc. To increase the average temperature of all that involves an immense amount of energy.
Why do they turn of the cabine lights on take-offs and landings on airplanes?
For safety. These are the two most dangerous times in a flight. However unlikely, if an accident were to happen, by having the lights off, your eyes will already be adjusted to the outside levels of l
Why do online job application systems force me to attach my resume and then also fill out their own resume system?
The parts you have to fill in will be run through their HR system, which can make a preselection. With how many people apply to some jobs, there simply is no time for them to check out all resumes, so
Why Muzzle velocity is measured in feet per second rather than mph/kph.
Because bullets generally travel in units of feet rather than units of miles and the United States uses the Imperial system rather than the metric system for common units of measure.
Why baseball stadiums are different sizes
Tradition. And more than any sport, baseball is a slave to tradition. When professional baseball was in its infancy, there were no dedicated stadiums.
Why, and how, are states able to block Tesla from selling their cars within a particular state? Don’t other auto manufacturers make and sell electric cars in their states?
The law that is in place says that they have to sell through dealers (this was to prevent Ford from going into a state and muscling in on a local ford dealer). So they don't want them being sold from
Why can I keep butter at room temperature for days at a time, but not cream, when butter is made from cream?
The butter you're leaving on the counter is salted butter, which is therefore preserved. If you did that with unsalted butter, it'll spoil. You can prevent that if you store your butter in a [french b
Why can we see the xenon atoms in the IBM logo but not the atoms of the surface they’re on?
For the same reason that you can't clearly see objects far behind the subject of a photograph. The background is not in focus. That is a simplified explanation, but basically still true.
why can’t planes have an enormous parachute attached to the cabin in case of emergency/loss of flight?
I think this will anser your question (_URL_0_) but essentially: > To safely bring down a big commercial airliner such as a Boeing 747 with about 500 people on board, there would have to be 21 para
Why is mercury the chosen substance for determining the temperature?
We actually don't use mercury anymore, we use alcohol. But the simple answer is because as a liquid metal it is conductive, and expands and contracts predictably (importantly, linearly) with temperatu