The " I always wondered" thread

[CyberGnu]

Urban:

It's a lot more energy efficient to extract hydrogen from methane, which comes mainly from natural gas, but it could be produced by a number of renewable ways too. You get twice as much hydrogen, and the C-H bond is easier to break than the O-H bond.

Sort of nitpicking: While the O-H bond is somewhat stronger than the C-H bond (about 20 kj stronger), it is significantly easier to break the O-H bond. This is because bond strengths doesn't tell you anything about the intermediates - if you have an ionic process, for example, you get completely different kinetics. Just compare tha acidity of water and methane.

BTW, did I mention that coming up with better ways to break the C-H bond is what I do for a living?

[CyberGnu]

Krop, I wondered about them for the first months in the US too, but I have learned to like them. See them as an interesting alternative to composting.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Spiffor
I am pro-nuclear myself,

If you're anti-nuclear in France you're pretty much ****ed.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by TheStinger
I always wondered how sttar trek spaceships always met each other the correct way up

You're brilliant!


Methinks this thread has turned into people making cynical smartass-y observations instead of asking questions.




Here's my question:
Which girl from the TV show "Friends" is hotter? Monica (Courtney Cox Arquette) or Rachel (Jennifer Aniston)?


This is an absolutely essential question.

[Ramo]

When the revolution comes, anyone watching "Friends" will be shot.

[CyberGnu]

"Courtney Cox
I love you
You're so hot
On that show'

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by CyberGnu
"Courtney Cox
I love you
You're so hot
On that show'

Yay, I agree with Cybergnu for the first time! Let us celebrate by saying the Shechechayanu. Come, join me.

Boruch atta adonai...

[Sikander]

Definitely Miss Cox.

[CyberGnu]

The Chechen what?

Oddly fitting with the theme, the little ditty above comes from the South Park rendition of "Dredle dredle dredle"

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Sikander
Definitely Miss Cox.

That's what I think too, but it might just be because I like the "Monica" personality much better than the "Rachel" personality.

[Kropotkin]

On the sink-grinder: More things that can break is bad things in my book. For me it seems pretty easy to pick up the crap and put it in the trash. But if it works for you then I guess it's fine.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Oerdin

Originally posted by Sava
I HAVE A QWESTION!

Hypothetically, if two spaceships fly away from each other at greater than half the speed of light, will they still see each other?

If the two ships were flying away (as in getting further away) from each other but not 180 degrees away from each other then yes they would see each other; other wise no they would not.

If two ships are travelling at say .7c from you, one 'north', and one 'south', they'd see each other just fine. They would each measure the other ship as receding at a velocity of about .94c

[Sava]

How do you figure?

[Sava]

Another question... I saw a thing on TLC where these guys magnetised a spider in this huge electromagnet. The spider floated in zero G and was unaffected by inertia when it moved. Is it possible to utilize this technology to allow humans to accelerate at rates greater than the normal G forces humans can tolerate?

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Sava
How do you figure?

Its how relativity works.

In the classical Newtonian world the addition of velocities is just A + B. So if A travel 5 m/s North and B travels 5 m/s south their relative speed is 10 m/s. A no brainer.

However, in the relativistic world addition of velocities is A + B / (c + A * B/c²). So even as A and B approach the speed of light their perceived speed from the point of view of each other is always less than the speed of light.

Suppose you see Ship A travel north at any speed, be it almost still or close to the speed of light and you also see Ship B travel south at any speed, be it almost still or close to the speed of light

Light from Ship A will eventual pass you by at speed c, regardless of the ship's speed, and carry on in the direction of Ship B. As Ship B is travelling at less than c away from you the light will necessarily eventually catch up with Ship B at some point.

I saw a thing on TLC where these guys magnetised a spider in this huge electromagnet. The spider floated in zero G and was unaffected by inertia when it moved. Is it possible to utilize this technology to allow humans to accelerate at rates greater than the normal G forces humans can tolerate?

The problem with G forces is the uneven application of force to all parts of the body at the same time, not the acceleration itself. For example when free falling we still feel the effects of gravity as we accelerate towards the ground, but there is no force ripping apart or squashing apart our bodies.

Diamagnetism (which is what sounds like was being used) can possibly have the effect of reducing the G force problem. However it would require the object being worked on not having much variation in its magnetic properties. I don't know much about the magnetic properties of various human body parts, but I think disparities would cause major problems. I also have no idea of what the long terms effects of placing someone in strong magnetic fields for exteneded periods would do.