Science
Exploring "Why" questions about Science
484 articles
Why do people just watch when something is clearly being done wrong by an authority figure? For example, the recent incident where the doctor was knocked cold on the flight.
There is a common and frequently studied thing called the "bystander effect". Basically it states that if someone is doing something or someone is having something done to them, that the larger the cr
Why is the atom considered to be the smallest unit of matter if there are things smaller such as quarks?
Because it's not a type of matter until it's an atom. You can't build a table out of leptons. You don't have a hydrogen quark, or a gold electron.
Why do nuclear weapons create “better looking” mushroom clouds than other explosives?
Primarily scale. On a smaller explosive, the cloud will be, well, smaller. You'll be able to see all the little imperfections around its edges, and those imperfections will take up a larger proportion
Why does water seem so cold in my mouth while i chew gum?
When you have "cool" water (say, 10C or 50F) in your mouth, it is draining heat out of your body at a certain rate. If you have ice water in your mouth (0C or 32F), it is draining heat out of your bod
Why is the last game of a baseball series called the “rubber match”?
For starters, it's only a rubber match if each team has won a game in the 3-game series-- meaning, the winner of the rubber match wins the series (by taking 2 of 3).
Why do we say “cold doesnt exist – its the absence of heat”? Can I say it backwards? “Heat is the absence of cold”
Heat is a form of energy. Cold is nothing, a lack of energy. You can supply energy to something, but you can't supply a lack of energy--you can only draw energy away to another place.
Why can we see faraway light source (e.g. cars, lamps, stars) clearly when it doesn’t seem to illuminate my position?
The difference is this: For you to see light, the light has to be strong enough to reach your eye and produce a reaction there. For it to illuminate you, it would have to reach you, scatter off you, r
Why, when you rotate a glass of liquid with ice cubes in it, does the ice not rotate with the cup?
Inertia. Everything in the universe is trying to carry on the way it is - moving or stationary. When you push yourself across the floor on your office chair (don't pretend you don't) when you stop pus
Why does ‘humid’ cold feel colder than ‘dry’ cold?
Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air and water is a good thermal conductor so when its cold water is cold and hot water gets as well. So when its cold and humid it will feel colder than when
Why do some cars keep headlights on for a few minutes when the car shuts off? What is the point?
It's to allow you to see your surroundings. For instance, so you can see the inside of your garage garage at night without having to fumble around in the dark for a light switch.