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Old 8th January 2019, 06:49 PM   #281
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For small critters, the usual thing scientists think first is riding piles of storm debris like a raft.
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Old 8th January 2019, 06:55 PM   #282
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Cool, I'll see what I can dig up.
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Old 8th January 2019, 06:56 PM   #283
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Originally Posted by Delvo View Post
For small critters, the usual thing scientists think first is riding piles of storm debris like a raft.
Yeah, I'm mostly curious around when it would have happened.
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Old 8th January 2019, 09:30 PM   #284
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Originally Posted by JoeMorgue View Post
- The fact that if you well shuffle a standard deck of cards you've with near certainty created an order of cards that have never before appeared in the universe.
I think any nerd who likes cards knows that 52! is a pretty huge number. Big numbers are so hard to grasp though.

I saw recently that the number of possible shuffles for a standard deck of cards is actually greater than the number of atoms that comprise the planet earth.

I also saw someone playing a solitaire game that tracked player stats. Some games were random and others were previously played by others. I mused about them using humans to build a database of solved solitaire games. Knowing that solitaire was one of the first computer games I started wondering about how long it would take for computers to solve all possible solitaire games. Throwing rough number at it I think I got to looking at how many lifetimes of the sun would it take for all current computing devices (something like 10 billion, IIRC) assuming they were optimized to solve a thousand games per second (although I found one article that it takes several seconds for computers to solve solitaire).

52! is just a really big number.
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Old 8th January 2019, 10:10 PM   #285
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Originally Posted by arthwollipot View Post
Here's something that I learned yesterday that I didn't know.

The rakali is an Australian native rodent. They are endemic to my home town. I've even seen them. I assumed that they were rats.
Wow. I didn't know they were natives either.

I saw one up close once. I was sitting right next to the harbour at Cremorne Point (right next to the ferry wharf).

This critter swam out of the water and popped up onto the rocks about three feet away from me.

When it came out of the water, it looked like a drowned rat, but within a couple of minutes of grooming itself, it turned into this fluffy puffball.

After all that, it scampered off into the nearby undergrowth, passing so close to me I could have easily touched it on the way past...

At the time, I was guessing that it's vision was so poor, it may have been effectively blind. Now I'm wondering if its vision may be adapted for hunting underwater.
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Old 8th January 2019, 10:25 PM   #286
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Yep. Turns out they're all over the bloody place and no-one realised because they look just like introduced rats.
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Old 8th January 2019, 10:49 PM   #287
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Originally Posted by cullennz View Post
Wouldn't that mean that Great Auks are penguins and antarctic penguins aren't penguins, penguins just look like penguins?



Yes, it is a very aukward situation.




Properly knapped obsidian blades are sharper than scalpels. They were used for eye surgery, or so I have been told.
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Old 8th January 2019, 10:57 PM   #288
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Originally Posted by xterra View Post

Properly knapped obsidian blades are sharper than scalpels. They were used for eye surgery, or so I have been told.
They do the job on White Walkers as well......
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Old 8th January 2019, 11:21 PM   #289
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The terminal velocity of a cat is low enough that it's possible for cats to survive a fall from any height.

Of course, possible is probably the operative word here, and I don't know what the actual survival rate is from cats falling from extreme heights, but, still, pretty cool.

ETA: And given the way scaling laws work, I'd expect that for animals significantly smaller than cats (mice say?) there's no real danger to falls from any height. This is obviously true of insects, for instance, and not primarily because they have exoskeletons. Scaling laws are pretty cool in general.
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Old 8th January 2019, 11:50 PM   #290
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Originally Posted by Roboramma View Post
The terminal velocity of a cat is low enough that it's possible for cats to survive a fall from any height.

Of course, possible is probably the operative word here, and I don't know what the actual survival rate is from cats falling from extreme heights, but, still, pretty cool.

ETA: And given the way scaling laws work, I'd expect that for animals significantly smaller than cats (mice say?) there's no real danger to falls from any height. This is obviously true of insects, for instance, and not primarily because they have exoskeletons. Scaling laws are pretty cool in general.
You may have seen it already, but On Being the Right Size by J. B. S. Haldane is a nice, quick read on the topic.
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Old 9th January 2019, 01:02 AM   #291
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Originally Posted by catsmate View Post
The ratio of the volumes of a cylinder, hemisphere and cone of equal base diameter and height is 3:2:1.

Do you mean sphere?
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Old 9th January 2019, 01:45 AM   #292
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Originally Posted by sir drinks-a-lot View Post
You may have seen it already, but On Being the Right Size by J. B. S. Haldane is a nice, quick read on the topic.
Yeah, it's a classic. I had read it before, but thanks for posting it, definitely a good addition to the thread.
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Old 9th January 2019, 02:36 AM   #293
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Originally Posted by Thor 2 View Post
I suppose you get off on the fact that centrifugal force does not exist then?

https://xkcd.com/123/
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Old 9th January 2019, 02:39 AM   #294
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Originally Posted by This is The End
Originally Posted by catsmate View Post
The ratio of the volumes of a cylinder, hemisphere and cone of equal base diameter and height is 3:2:1.

Do you mean sphere?
No he means hemisphere: pi*r^3:2/3*Pi*r^3

Sphere would be 4:3:1 (sphere:cylinder:cone)

ETA. Actually I think its both sphere and hemisphere, because for a hemisphere the height of the cone and cylinder will be r, but for a sphere it will be 2r

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Old 9th January 2019, 03:06 AM   #295
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Originally Posted by 3point14 View Post
While we're on the subject of things learned from XKCD, one of my favourite scientific facts is that, if a there were a supernova at the same distance from the Earth as the Sun (not actually possible because the Sun isn't big enough), it would deliver more radiation energy to my retina than a hydrogen bomb pressed against my eyeball. By about nine orders of magnitude. And even the neutrino component of the radiation, at that distance, would be enough to kill me.

Dave
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Old 9th January 2019, 03:55 AM   #296
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Originally Posted by Roboramma View Post
ETA: And given the way scaling laws work, I'd expect that for animals significantly smaller than cats (mice say?) there's no real danger to falls from any height. This is obviously true of insects, for instance, and not primarily because they have exoskeletons. Scaling laws are pretty cool in general.
I recently watched a documentary about animal life in the city, and they showed a nest of ducklings (of 'fluffy yellow certainly-not-capable-of-flight age') jump from a 5th floor balcony and landing on the ground, and walking away perfectly unharmed.

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Old 9th January 2019, 05:00 AM   #297
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Originally Posted by Porpoise of Life View Post
I recently watched a documentary about animal life in the city, and they showed a nest of ducklings (of 'fluffy yellow certainly-not-capable-of-flight age') jump from a 5th floor balcony and landing on the ground, and walking away perfectly unharmed.
Maybe wings helped....
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Old 9th January 2019, 06:12 AM   #298
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I don't know if it's been mentioned, but the fact that your 'mind' is made aware of your decisions quite a while after the unconscious processes have made those decisions.

That one's quite the cold shower.
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Old 9th January 2019, 06:48 AM   #299
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Originally Posted by Thor 2 View Post
One of my favourite scientific facts is imperfection.

Elliptical not circular orbits, spheroidal not spherical planets, spinning and orbital speeds slowing down and so on. I like this because it thumbs it's nose at religious claims of gods making perfect stuff.
Perfection is a subjective, aesthetic judgement.

"Ellipses are imperfect" is neither "scientific" nor a "fact".
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Old 9th January 2019, 11:50 AM   #300
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Originally Posted by Roboramma View Post
The terminal velocity of a cat is low enough that it's possible for cats to survive a fall from any height.

Of course, possible is probably the operative word here, and I don't know what the actual survival rate is from cats falling from extreme heights, but, still, pretty cool.

ETA: And given the way scaling laws work, I'd expect that for animals significantly smaller than cats (mice say?) there's no real danger to falls from any height. This is obviously true of insects, for instance, and not primarily because they have exoskeletons. Scaling laws are pretty cool in general.
Elephants, on the other hand, are pretty much going to go splat.
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Old 9th January 2019, 01:06 PM   #301
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Originally Posted by Trebuchet View Post
Elephants, on the other hand, are pretty much going to go splat.
Go to the Haldane essay linked earlier on the page.

"You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away, provided that the ground is fairly soft. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes."

Elephants aren't even mentioned.
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Old 9th January 2019, 02:36 PM   #302
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Originally Posted by theprestige View Post
Perfection is a subjective, aesthetic judgement.

"Ellipses are imperfect" is neither "scientific" nor a "fact".

Indeed. I am oft troubled by the UKian expression "gone all pear shaped" used describe a situation that has gone awry, or "perhaps horribly wrong". What do they have against a pear's shape? To a pear, it is the perfect shape.

I also remember from one Astronomy class that if you were to draw a circle using a compass the amount of eccentricity in the Earth's orbit from a circle would be the width of the pencil line. Which gives a new appreciation of Kepler's achievement in figuring out that the true orbits of the planets are elliptical.

Another "fact" from the same class, if you take the average of the Earth's distance from the sun (93 million miles) and times it by two (186 million miles) and then divide that number by one thousand you get 186,000 miles which is the speed in which light travels in one second. Now, I can't remember exactly what necessitates the division by 1000 in the formulae* but I believe it has something to do with the predicted conjunction of Jupiter's moons being off (timing wise) when observed from the Earth at the winter and summer solstice.


*and for the purposes of this conversation, I am not going to look it up.
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Old 9th January 2019, 02:43 PM   #303
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Originally Posted by Elagabalus View Post
......I also remember from one Astronomy class that if you were to draw a circle using a compass the amount of eccentricity in the Earth's orbit from a circle would be the width of the pencil line.....
The thickness of the solid stuff on the surface of the planet is analogous to the thickness on the skin of an apple. The thickness of the atmosphere is analogous to the thickness of the yeast bloom on the apple skin.
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Old 9th January 2019, 02:54 PM   #304
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Originally Posted by WhatRoughBeast View Post
Go to the Haldane essay linked earlier on the page.

"You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away, provided that the ground is fairly soft. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes."

Elephants aren't even mentioned.

Elephants tend to jam in the shaft. Especially if they stretch their trunks out.
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Old 9th January 2019, 03:19 PM   #305
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Originally Posted by Myriad View Post
Elephants tend to jam in the shaft. Especially if they stretch their trunks out.
Makes that landing even softer for the mice.
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Old 9th January 2019, 03:32 PM   #306
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Originally Posted by theprestige View Post
Perfection is a subjective, aesthetic judgement.

"Ellipses are imperfect" is neither "scientific" nor a "fact".
Wow! Neither scientific or factual hey. Must call on your expertise about this stuff more often.
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Old 9th January 2019, 03:36 PM   #307
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Originally Posted by ctamblyn View Post
Things I learned recently:

Adult dragonflies can fly backwards, up, down, sideways and even upside down.

Dragonfly nymphs (which are aquatic) breathe through gills in their rectums.
Originally Posted by MEequalsIxR View Post
Does that mean they talk out of their ...

That explains some of the posts on this forum. Get off the forum you ******* dragonfly nymphs.
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Old 9th January 2019, 03:38 PM   #308
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Originally Posted by lionking View Post
They do the job on White Walkers as well......
... and winter is cummin'
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Old 9th January 2019, 04:02 PM   #309
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Originally Posted by Trebuchet View Post
Elephants, on the other hand, are pretty much going to go splat.
Not to mention a whale falling from space.
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Old 9th January 2019, 04:05 PM   #310
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Originally Posted by Steve View Post
Makes that landing even softer for the mice.

Who then look up and give you the thousand yard stare?*



*Before scurrying off to do rodent type things, that is.
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Old 9th January 2019, 05:01 PM   #311
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Originally Posted by Belz... View Post
I don't know if it's been mentioned, but the fact that your 'mind' is made aware of your decisions quite a while after the unconscious processes have made those decisions.
Yes, this was shown by Benjamin Libet's experiment where the participants nerves were already sending signals to press the button before they had even 'decided' to push the button.

His book Mind Time, on the phenomenon and his interpretation is pretty good.
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Old 9th January 2019, 05:01 PM   #312
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Originally Posted by theprestige View Post
Perfection is a subjective, aesthetic judgement.

"Ellipses are imperfect" is neither "scientific" nor a "fact".

You are incorrect.

"Perfect" is a scientific descriptor.

As in "a perfect straight line" or, more commonly, "a perfect circle". It simply means "no variation from exact".


You are correct in that whether or not it is "cool" or not is a subjective feeling.
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Old 9th January 2019, 05:13 PM   #313
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Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood View Post
Originally Posted by This is The End
Originally Posted by catsmate View Post
The ratio of the volumes of a cylinder, hemisphere and cone of equal base diameter and height is 3:2:1.

Do you mean sphere?
No he means hemisphere: pi*r^3:2/3*Pi*r^3

Sphere would be 4:3:1 (sphere:cylinder:cone)

ETA. Actually I think its both sphere and hemisphere, because for a hemisphere the height of the cone and cylinder will be r, but for a sphere it will be 2r

You've lost me... let's start over.


If anything is 3:2:1 then surely it is cylinder:sphere:cone ? I just double checked the math and that looks correct to me.

Either way, clearly a hemisphere would be less than half of the cylinder? So there is not way it would be the 2 in 3:2:1. I think catsmate is correct in the bit of trivia; he just typed hemisphere instead of sphere on accident.
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Old 9th January 2019, 05:14 PM   #314
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Said in an attempt to blow my mind by my friend's five year old daughter:

"The starfish is neither a star nor a fish."

Think about it.
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Old 9th January 2019, 05:27 PM   #315
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While not a scientific fact, Benford's Law is pretty interesting. Usually when I explain it to people, I just choose a few sets of data that I know will adhere to the law and state that they have a certain distribution of the leading digit. Then hope they protest so I can attempt to explain how it works.

One of the best examples I was able to come up with was the odometers of all cars in NYC. If you recorded all of these numbers and then just considered the leading digit (ignoring the zeros to the left). Most people intuitively think that there is a random distribution of numbers on the odometers and since there are nine digits to choose from (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) there would be an equal distribution with 11.11% of each digit.
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Old 9th January 2019, 05:38 PM   #316
Elagabalus
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Originally Posted by This is The End View Post
You are incorrect.

"Perfect" is a scientific descriptor.

As in "a perfect straight line" or, more commonly, "a perfect circle". It simply means "no variation from exact".


You are correct in that whether or not it is "cool" or not is a subjective feeling.
Which is why you can have a perfect ellipse.*


*Although, the planetary orbits all have a bit of wonkiness- so still not perfect.
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Old 9th January 2019, 06:22 PM   #317
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We're pretty sure that space will keep expanding and stars will keep exploding until all the matter in the universe is sucked up by black holes. Then those holes will v-e-e-e-e-e-r-r-y slowly evaporate, until the entire universe is completely uniform in every way and no activity of any kind can occur. There is no matter and no energy.

I find this idea incredibly beautiful.
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Old 9th January 2019, 06:27 PM   #318
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Originally Posted by arthwollipot View Post
We're pretty sure that space will keep expanding and stars will keep exploding until all the matter in the universe is sucked up by black holes. Then those holes will v-e-e-e-e-e-r-r-y slowly evaporate, until the entire universe is completely uniform in every way and no activity of any kind can occur. There is no matter and no energy.

I find this idea incredibly beautiful.
Agree with everything in this post except for the highlighted portion.
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Old 9th January 2019, 06:33 PM   #319
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Originally Posted by sir drinks-a-lot View Post
While not a scientific fact, Benford's Law is pretty interesting. Usually when I explain it to people, I just choose a few sets of data that I know will adhere to the law and state that they have a certain distribution of the leading digit. Then hope they protest so I can attempt to explain how it works.

One of the best examples I was able to come up with was the odometers of all cars in NYC. If you recorded all of these numbers and then just considered the leading digit (ignoring the zeros to the left). Most people intuitively think that there is a random distribution of numbers on the odometers and since there are nine digits to choose from (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) there would be an equal distribution with 11.11% of each digit.
I protest.
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Old 9th January 2019, 06:34 PM   #320
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Originally Posted by sir drinks-a-lot View Post
Yes, this was shown by Benjamin Libet's experiment where the participants nerves were already sending signals to press the button before they had even 'decided' to push the button.

His book Mind Time, on the phenomenon and his interpretation is pretty good.
But Libet himself didn't agree that his results demonstrated determinism, IIRC?
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