Things you did not know

[HannesPascal]

A Swedish city Malmö has more than 90 different nationalities.
The biggest black hole has 18 billions times the mass of the sun

 

[Righteous One]

Manhatton island is illegally owned by the US.
Elephants are most afraid of flaming pigs.
The sewers under Paris mirror it's streets perfectly. They even have street signs.
A child is more likely to survive a bullet wound to the chest than an adult.

I know everything useless in the world!

 

[Calobi]

the average person has approximately 10^13 cells in their body and
the average person has approximately 10^14 individual bacterial cells in/on their body.

I knew that one from a web comic. And people say those things aren't educational.

Anyways, it is impossible to actually add any statement to this thread (according to its title, not the OP) as you do not know it. The only acceptable things to add would technically be questions as you do not know the answer if you are seriously asking it.

 

[Geoffrey42]

It is impossible for a normal human to lick his/her own elbows.

25% of people who read that try.

And 73% of statistics used in conversation are made up on the spot.

This factoid fails to account for the possibility of removing one's own arm in order to lick the elbow. It is impossible for the average human to lick his/her own normally attached elbow.

Per the Glass = Liquid/Solid thing, I've heard multiple versions. In school, I was taught "amorphous solid, just an incredibly slow-moving one." Then, a bit later, I read a PopSci article where some VERY bored scientist measured glass very, very accurately, over the course of 2 decades, and found that it moved not at all, so he extrapolated that it simply doesn't ever. It doesn't prove anything, but I thought I would add what I knew of the matter.

 

[Geoffrey42]

The ratio of rats to humans in any city is approximately 1:1.

[a href=http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/rats.asp]Snopes says no.[/a]

 

[Calobi]

...Edmontonians drive like epileptic lemurs with no arms.

...Wow...Just wow...
You are officially my new hero. Have a cookie.

 

[Anarchemitis]

The ratio of rats to humans in any city is approximately 1:1.

[a href=http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/rats.asp]Snopes says no.[/a]

(Mythbusters are even worse)

 

[Manta173]

Glass is a liquid, not a solid - you can see this when you see windows on centuries old houses, the glass is thicker on the bottom of the pane.

Every glass of water from your tap has been drunk by at least nine other people before you.

Your first point is not exactly true; they used to line glass with lead (that is of course very dense), and there is also evidence that the glass makers, because it's very difficult to get a perfectly flat piece of glass, would put the thicker end at the bottom (because the pane is more structurally stable that way).

The second quote should technically be "It is very statistically probable that each glass of water you drink has passed through at least nine other people...

Glass is in a liquid state though... thats why the old panes are wavy... thickness is due to the manufacturing. Most plastics are liquids too... thats why they don't work for structural supports as they eventually flow under stress and then the building falls over. (go polymer engineering grad school!)

 

[cleverlymadeup]

Per the Glass = Liquid/Solid thing, I've heard multiple versions. In school, I was taught "amorphous solid, just an incredibly slow-moving one." Then, a bit later, I read a PopSci article where some VERY bored scientist measured glass very, very accurately, over the course of 2 decades, and found that it moved not at all, so he extrapolated that it simply doesn't ever. It doesn't prove anything, but I thought I would add what I knew of the matter.

most of the "proof" that ppl use to say it's a REALLY slow moving liquid are really examples of different/poorly made glass, those being windows for the 17th-19th century because they are wavy (poorly made glass) or the medieval glass, which was explained previously

this is one of those issues that ppl hear one thing but don't listen to ppl with expertise in the field, ie chemists.

another one is hitler was rejected by the freemasons when he applied and they were the first group he went after before the jews

 

[Manta173]

Per the Glass = Liquid/Solid thing, I've heard multiple versions. In school, I was taught "amorphous solid, just an incredibly slow-moving one." Then, a bit later, I read a PopSci article where some VERY bored scientist measured glass very, very accurately, over the course of 2 decades, and found that it moved not at all, so he extrapolated that it simply doesn't ever. It doesn't prove anything, but I thought I would add what I knew of the matter.

most of the "proof" that ppl use to say it's a REALLY slow moving liquid are really examples of different/poorly made glass, those being windows for the 17th-19th century because they are wavy (poorly made glass) or the medieval glass, which was explained previously

this is one of those issues that ppl hear one thing but don't listen to ppl with expertise in the field, ie chemists.

another one is hitler was rejected by the freemasons when he applied and they were the first group he went after before the jews

I'm sorry but chemists are not experts on the states of matter by any definition. Physicists are.... and I happen to be well trained in both... chemical engineering bachelors and a masters in polymer science and one in polymer engineering.

Glass is a liquid.

 

[Calobi]

According to Wikipedia, "in the scientific sense the term glass is often extended to all amorphous solids (and melts that easily form amorphous solids), including plastics, resins, or other silica-free amorphous solids."

According to some university's website the making of glass involves "forming a thick syrup and eventually an amorphous solid. The molecules then have a disordered arrangement, but sufficient cohesion to maintain some rigidity. In this state it is often called an amorphous solid or glass."

Amorphous solids are solids which lack the molecular structure that most solids have, most commonly due to a rapid cooling of the material from it's liquid state. Cotton candy is also considered an amorphous solid.

I, however, am not a physicist nor have I studied glass in any detail. Just writing what I found on a quick search through Google.

 

[Manta173]

According to Wikipedia, "in the scientific sense the term glass is often extended to all amorphous solids (and melts that easily form amorphous solids), including plastics, resins, or other silica-free amorphous solids."
According to some university's website the making of glass involves "forming a thick syrup and eventually an amorphous solid. The molecules then have a disordered arrangement, but sufficient cohesion to maintain some rigidity. In this state it is often called an amorphous solid or glass."
Amorphous solids are solids which lack the molecular structure that most solids have, most commonly due to a rapid cooling of the material from it's liquid state. Cotton candy is also considered an amorphous solid.

In that case your definition of a liquid need to be called up. By the grade school definition anything that maitains its volume and flows into the shape of its container is a liquid. Just because we don't live long enough to see it doesn't mean its not flowing.

 

[Geoffrey42]

(Mythbusters are even worse)

The POV expressed early on in the xkcd about Mythbusters (before the zombie walks in) is exactly how I feel about it. They claim to be busting myths, but they go about it so badly, that you simply can't depend on what they're doing. Entertaining, sometimes, sure, but half the time they aren't even really trying.

 

[Wormthong]

If you ever meet an Eskimo, do not call them an Eskimo. Call him/her an Inuit. Eskimo means "Stupid person that eats raw meat."

yes but not all eskimo are inuit there are other tribes

 

[tooktook]

If Half-Life became a movie, Hugh Laurie would be a perfect Gordon Freeman.

Nah, to old.

In my country (South Africa) we have internet, shopping malls cars and even cities.
Stupid American Assholesaid in American accent) Noways. that ain't possible and stuff. Africa is just jungle anywhere you go. Only abhoridjenies sorry I mean Zulus live there.

I am now choking on my own rage. Africa may be made up of genocidal maniacs but we are NOT all jungle dammit!

 

[cleverlymadeup]

I'm sorry but chemists are not experts on the states of matter by any definition. Physicists are.... and I happen to be well trained in both... chemical engineering bachelors and a masters in polymer science and one in polymer engineering.

Glass is a liquid.

funny how i learned about the different states of matter in chemistry class not physics

and btw if you look quickly at wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass with many citations, it's stated it's a liquid

i'd go track down the pyscho clown cause he has a doctorate in polymer physics, which deals mostly with plastics not glass and ask him but he's a bit busy opening his store

 

[Mstrswrd]

Here's anothe rone.

"Human treadmills powered medieval cranes. Blind people were preferred so that they wouldn't be scared by how high up they were and by how poorly the machines were built."

Also from Ripley's. Awesome.

 

[Quindo]

Last week someone told me this:

If someone jumps in front of a train, in order to classify as a person, police have to find at least 30 kg of human meat on the tracks.

Which made me think of the following, rather disturbing question; would you, finding only 28 kg's, get out a toothpick and start picking the wheels?