Question of the Day

Why is it that the bigger the telescope (or the thicker the tube), the more light power it gathers?

Think of light originating from celestial bodies as a wide, infinite stream. Now, if a village or city wants to take water from a river, the people have to place a pipe in the river to divert water to the village. The larger the population, the more water is needed, and a larger-diameter pipe has to be used. The larger the pipe, the more water is collected. The same holds true for a telescope: The bigger its diameter, the more it gathers of the stream of light, delivering it to the observing astronomer.

Last 7 Days

Friday, November 6, 2009

Is there any source (especially a Web site) that has the daily weather records for every place on Earth for the past 100 years?

No. However, there are places that have a significant amount of weather data. You can get a good start right here at The Old Farmer's Almanac Web site, which has a new weather history section at http://www.almanac.com/weatherhistory/index.php, with data such as temperature and precipitation for the United States for every day of the year since 1973. Also check the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) at http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html. The NCDC is the world's largest active archive of weather data. It produces numerous climate publications and responds to data requests from all over the world.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

When I attended a criminal investigation academy, the following question arose: If wool shrinks in water, why don't sheep shrink when it rains, since they have a coat of wool?

Sheep don't shrink because they manufacture lanolin, a greasy secretion from the sebaceous glands. The lanolin collects in the wool and prevents it from drying out and shrinking. Once the wool is sheared, it passes through several water rinses designed to remove the lanolin.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

How many people were supposed to have sailed on the Mayflower?

When the ship sailed on September 16, 1620, from Plymouth, England, it was carrying 120 passengers. It set anchor November 21, not in Virginia, as planned, but near what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

What floor of the Empire State Building did the Army Air Force plane crash into on July 28, 1945?

The B-25 U.S. Army Air Forces bomber flew into the skyscraper's 79th floor on its north side. Piloted by Colonel Bill Smith, the plane was lost in the fog when it crashed. Fourteen people were killed and 21 were injured. The Empire State Building sustained no structural damage.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Where did the term "polka dot" originate?

Due to the popularity of the polka dance, the word polka was attached to articles of all kinds, for example the polka hat and the polka curtain band (for looping up curtains). Another theory relates to the polka jacket that Polish women wore. It was usually made of dark cloth and had many buttons.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Where did the term "hush puppies" come from to describe the fried cornmeal and fish dish?

The name is thought to have come from people using these treats to quiet unruly dogs. They would toss the treats and say, "Hush, puppy."

Saturday, October 31, 2009

The year 1961 is readable forward, backward, and upside down. What is the next year when this will occur?

Unless medical technology increases very rapidly, none of us will be around to see this numerical palindrome when it happens again in 6009.