Why can’t copper and aluminum wires be directly connected?
It’s unusual to see so many wrong answers to a simple question. If you twist aluminum and copper together very tightly, the connection will be good — for…
Do engineers really use calculus?
We were building a nuclear power station. One part of a nuclear plant is the reactor building (sometimes called “the containment”). In many “western” sites, the containment structure…
What is the most ridiculous obviously false verse in the Bible?
There are many that one could call false or ridiculous, but that assessment depends on your view of the Old and New Testaments: whether they were meant to…
What is the logic of Fahrenheit?
At Celsius, water turns into ice below 0°, logical, right? However, the logic of Fahrenheit escapes me and why people continue to use it in the USA while…
From an engineering standpoint, is there a theoretical limit to the maximum height of a skyscraper?
Yes, but we’re a long way from reaching it. The world’s tallest building is currently the Burj Khalifa, at 830 meters. In 1995, the Japanese proposed a mega-skyscraper,…
What alternate version of fruit are many people unaware of?
To all the Asians (or people) out there, you may have eaten a fruit called Lychee (or its scientific name: Litchi.) (Yes, this sweet, juicy, exotic fruit.) Back in January…