What’s the oldest trick in the book that mechanics use to rip off customers at car shops?
I don’t know about oldest, but locally, there is a mega-carwash that has an attached 5 minute oil change. I went for a wash, and had them change…
How does the Earth orbit the sun without losing energy?
Physics is hard to understand because it violates everyday observation, intuition, and common sense. Take “Newton’s First Law” as an example. It states that an object in motion…
Has the Earth ever had more than one moon in history?
Around 4.5 billion years ago, when the Solar System was brand new, Earth shared its orbit with another planet. This planet, Theia, was about the size of Mars….
How can you spend your life without electricity?
A number of people have been posting their experience of living without electricity in the comments. They should really be posted as answers so that they get the…
How deep underground can you build and why does building underground have a limit?
In short, pressure, exactly as happens at the bottom of the sea, is so large when you go kilometres deep that rock explodes without warning. Temperatures raise without…
Why doesn’t the UK have fire hydrants?
Of course the UK has fire hydrants. They’re in hatches in the road, where they’re not going to be hit by cars or peed on by dogs. This…
What would happen if we poured 1 billion liters of water on Mars?
So – let’s get this into cubic meters. A liter is 1/1000th of a cubic meter – so we’re talking about a million cubic meters – which would…