How come distilled water hasn’t replaced transformer oil as a high voltage insulator?
Pure distilled water is an excellent insulator with high dielectric strength that is greater than mineral oil, it is less expensive than oil and conducts heat better. However,…
If you dropped a ball of tungsten into a volcano, could it sink down to the earth’s core?
I really like this question. It’s an opportunity to completely blow your mind about volcanoes. Here we have a diagram of volcanoes that everyone is shown in school:…
Why were dinosaurs so large in size? What in the evolutionary process caused them to be of such large size? Why are there no living organisms of such size today?
Before we start, what you need to realise is that dinosaurs were definitely large, but not so large. You probably know the numbers: the largest land mammals ever are around…
Is the Apollo 11 moon mission a hoax since a 20 W radio signal cannot propagate from the moon to the earth and form a detectable signal?
No, Carl. It’s not a problem to send a 20 W radio signal from the Moon to the Earth, because NASA engineers thought of that. They gave the…
If all the ice melted in the world, would the world actually be submerged or only a few places by the shores?
This is a post melt map of North America courtesy of National Geographic. And this is Europe The light blue on the ocean and sea coasts is currently…
What will the universe be like in 100 trillion years?
In 100 trillion years, galaxies will contain fascinating astronomical objects that we cannot encounter now, and overall, the Universe will be a different and relatively unfamiliar place. We…
Why is the speed of light so small relative to the size of the universe?
That’s a good question since so many people imagine that the speed of light is very fast, when it is extremely, extremely slow in an astronomical context. And…
How can Voyager send a signal strong enough for us to receive, in spite of its enormous distance from us? And how can it have the power to do so more than 20 years after its launch?
It’s better to reverse the question and ask not how Voyager can send a signal strong enough, but how Earth can receive a signal so weak. The signal…
What would happen if a Jupiter-sized iron planet hit the Sun at 100 kilometers per second?
First of all it could NOT hit the sun at 100 km/s – the MINIMUM speed at which it could hit the sun would be 617 km/s. If…
Why are the B-52’s engines mounted in pairs?
In 1955, they could build an engine of that size. They worked, they worked well. Being a military craft, they might get shot at, might have to fly…