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Av-merican
Un-Tenured Professor of Hockey
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 2322
Location: Denver
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 Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:01 am Post subject: Mythbusting thread |
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So can you kill someone by dropping a penny off the Empire State Building?
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=3131332&page=1
The answer? No, wind resistance slows the penny down to the point where it might sting a bit, but not actually break skin. According to the article though something more aerodynamic, like a pen, might do some serious damage. |
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DH
Lloyd's Minster
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 399
Location: Alberta
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| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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Yup, at that height most anything will hit it's terminal velocity.
The speed will depend on the drag coefficient, which depends pretty much entirely on the shape of the object.
Hooray for fluid dynamics class from 5 years ago! |
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canuckgirl
Failed Bandwagon Opportunist
Joined: 07 Dec 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:31 am Post subject: |
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Myth: You can start a fire by using your cell phone while pumping gas.
NOT TRUE!!
Mythbusters (my all time fav show) did test after test after test and discovered that even those huge cell phones from the 80's don't produce enough spark to start a fire, even when shorted out intentionally. |
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DH
Lloyd's Minster
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 399
Location: Alberta
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| Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:13 am Post subject: |
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| canuckgirl wrote: |
Myth: You can start a fire by using your cell phone while pumping gas.
NOT TRUE!!
Mythbusters (my all time fav show) did test after test after test and discovered that even those huge cell phones from the 80's don't produce enough spark to start a fire, even when shorted out intentionally. |
Same goes for cell phones interfering with airplane controls, and the alleged "purpose" of most other airport security measure. |
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Av-merican
Un-Tenured Professor of Hockey
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 2322
Location: Denver
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Jyrki21
Rebel Sell + Moneyball = Life
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 2018
Location: Ottawa, ON
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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"1000 trillion"? They passed up an opportunity to use the much-vaunted "quadrillion"?
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Av-merican
Un-Tenured Professor of Hockey
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 2322
Location: Denver
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Jyrki21 wrote: |
| "1000 trillion"? They passed up an opportunity to use the much-vaunted "quadrillion"? |
Yeah, that was weird, I was thinking that was a typo and they meant "100 trillion." On the other hand, I guess they think Joe Reader out there doesn't quite get numbers past a trillion, that quadrillion, pentillion, and sextillion and so on are just as meaningless as "gazillion."
EDIT: Whoops, sorry, I meant to say "quintillion," not "pentillion."  |
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Jyrki21
Rebel Sell + Moneyball = Life
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 2018
Location: Ottawa, ON
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Av-merican wrote: |
| Yeah, that was weird, I was thinking that was a typo and they meant "100 trillion." On the other hand, I guess they think Joe Reader out there doesn't quite get numbers past a trillion, that quadrillion, pentillion, and sextillion and so on are just as meaningless as "gazillion." |
Sometimes publications will use an alternate word for 1,000,000,000 due to regional differences (the Brits call this "one thousand million," not a "billion," which to them -- and French-speakers -- is our "trillion"). I can't think what purpose "1,000 trillion" would serve, though, as the ambiguity is still there.
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