What scientific factoid did you learn about today?

[Kerbin Dallas Multipass]

Today I learned that Saturn would float in water (Mean density 0.687 g/cm³)

[Nibb31]

You'd need a hell of a bath tub though...

[Kopykat99]

i learned that murphys laws are more likely happen to you if you think about them

[lajoswinkler]

Saturn would not float in anything. Just because a body has a mean density lower than water's density doesn't mean it would float. It's such a huge oversimplfication it's completely incorrect.

[metaphor]

One thing I haven't realized until recently:

Earth is not the biggest or smallest thing in the solar system, but it does have one superlative: it's the densest body in the solar system.

Since orbital period at the surface only depends on density, low Earth orbits are the fastest orbits possible in the solar system.

[Kimberly]

Earth is not the biggest or smallest thing in the solar system, but it does have one superlative: it's the densest body in the solar system.

And though it might seem like whales, cheetahs, ants and whatnot get to have all the cool biological features, humans are the best at one thing--long-distance running. A human can outrun a horse!

[jwenting]

And though it might seem like whales, cheetahs, ants and whatnot get to have all the cool biological features, humans are the best at one thing--long-distance running. A human can outrun a horse!

but only over a very short distance. Once the horse figures out its legs and starts going, it quickly overtakes the human.

Just because a human can keep up its optimal speed for longer than a horse (and I seriously doubt that) doesn't mean a human can outrun a horse, as the optimal speed of a horse is enough higher that it has no problem overtaking the human before it tires.

Same fallacy as stating dogs can outrun cheetahs. Sure, if the cheetah doesn't catch them during the first 20 seconds or so which is how long it can keep up its high speed sprint.

[shand]

jwenting: true, but thats just being pedantic and annoying and missing the point.

and actually a horse would start faster and stay ahead until the human caught up. so really being pedantic and annoying the statement would be a horse can't outrun a human.

back in the day humans hunted deer ect, by chasing them until one of them dropped dead from exhaustion.

[Dkmdlb]

low Earth orbits are the fastest orbits possible in the solar system.

Faster than the nearly 48km/s that Mercury orbits the sun?

[SargeRho]

Apparently eating a polar bear liver will kill you, because there's too much Vitamin A in it.

[metaphor]

I meant fastest orbital period, the time to complete one whole orbit.

[WestAir]

Fun Fact: Iron is the most stable element in the Universe. It releases so little energy when undergoing fission or fusion that Stars will die when it begins to fuse iron in its core.

Another Fun Fact: There are more single-celled bacteria inside you than there are human cells in your body.

An Even Greater Fun Fact: If you are 20 years old, and you plan to work until you're 65 years old, and you work 40 hour work weeks, you should have about 13.5 years of conscious free time left before you retire. Free time does not include sleeping, working, driving, errands, et al. That means if you skipped the nuisance parts of life, I.E working and sleeping and driving, you'd celebrate your 65th birthday in 13.5 years - providing you started this journey at age 20.

[Seret]

The energy output of the sun is about the same per unit of volume as your garden compost heap. The fact that it puts out such a stupid amount of energy isn't because it's particular energetic, it's just because it's so big.

[Kerbin Dallas Multipass]

Saturn V had 5 turbines with a combined output of 275000 horsepower (205MW). Not for thrust, just to pump the fuel to the engines.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Kerbin Dallas Multipass

[chri]

aaaaargh dihydrogen monoxide is dangerous! Somebody save the world please!

[Omicron314]

Today I learned that neutrinos are created when protons turn into a neutron and positron.

Also, yesterday my dad and I figured out that, assuming the speed of light is constant in the higher dimensions, the Alcubierre drive does not travel through the 4th dimension.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Omicron314

[astropapi1]

Mitochondria are a cell's power maker.

High School Biology.

[Holo]

Bees share more DNA with their sisters than with their children; therefore, worker bees reproducing is actually detrimental to their fitness.

[Kerbin Dallas Multipass]

"Spaghettification" is an actual term in astrophysics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghettification

What an awesome word! And so pastafarian, too!

[1of6Billion]

Acorus calamus is a tetraploid and no longer allowed as a food ingredient...

[Diche Bach]

Acetone is a ketone that is very useful as a solvent and high-strength cleaner and, while it and its fumes are an irritant (and highly flammable), it is not particularly toxic. Very useful for getting the grime that standard cleaners won't touch off of showers and bathtubs.

[Monkeh]

One thing I haven't realized until recently:

Earth is not the biggest or smallest thing in the solar system, but it does have one superlative: it's the densest body in the solar system.

Wait a minute. Mercury is almost pure iron isn't it? Surely that's denser than our rocky rock?

[Monkeh]

Well, it seems I am wrong and you, good sir, are correct:

"Mercury is the second densest planet in our Solar System. It has a density of 5.427"

"Earth is the densest planet in our Solar System. It has a density of 5.51 grams per cubic centimeter"

From http://www.universetoday.com/36935/density-of-the-planets/

Seems very counter intuitive though. How does a ball of iron lie around being less dense that a ball of iron surrounded by rocks and water? This makes no sense. Mercury, why you so weird?

[Kerbin Dallas Multipass]

@Monkeh

because If the effect of gravitational compression were to be factored out, the materials of which Mercury is made would be denser, with an uncompressed density of 5.3 g/cm3 versus Earth's 4.4 g/cm3. (WP)

[astropapi1]

What an awesome word! And so pastafarian, too!

Hail FSM!