Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 3]
Discussion
PoleDriver said:
Ayahuasca said:
Why do we refer to people of sub-Saharan African origin as 'black' when they are clearly more dark brown?
Why do refer to Europeans as white when we are clearly more on the pink side?Ayahuasca said:
Soap. How does it work?
Soap and surfactants in general are long molecules that have a water loving end (hydrophillic) and an oil loving end (hydrophibic).The hydrophillic end likes being in water and the hydrophobic end likes being in oil (or stuff that is not water - like dirt) - so the soap/surfactant molecules embed their hydrophobic ends in the oil/dirt. The lowest energy arrangement for droplets is a sphere - so as more surfactant molecules embed themselves into the oil/dirt, they will start to form small spheres called micelles - thus lifiting the oil/dirt of the surface of whatever is being cleaned. This helps to disperse the oil/dirt in water and thus allows it to be washed away.
deeen said:
PoleDriver said:
Ayahuasca said:
Why do we refer to people of sub-Saharan African origin as 'black' when they are clearly more dark brown?
Why do refer to Europeans as white when we are clearly more on the pink side?When you use WeQ4u app while you're waiting for your call to be answered by a human being, when your own phone starts ringing to let you know someone has finally answered it at the other end, what do they hear at their end? Do they hear some sort of "please wait while we try to connect you" message or is it just silent? My fear is that if I don't answer my phone quick enough they'll think there's no-one there and end the call, thus having to start over. 
Jonboy_t said:
Possibly an incredibly stupid question, but why don't they put airport runways on hills? Land up the hill and take off down it?
Also, taking off downhill would mean you'd need more lift to counteract the fact you have downward momentum. You'd need a lot more lift to counteract this, or an uncomfortably steep decline to build enough speed.But the "ski jump" arrangement at the end of the old aircraft carriers worked pretty well in a short space.
Papua is covered in sloped runways cut into hilsides and on ridge tops, some of them 20% + gradients. Check these out http://www.bushflyingdiaries.com/
You land uphil and take off downhil. You would be surprised at the slight gradients of some runways, As DoctorX said you don't notice it in a large passenger aircraft, but sat there looking down the runway in a Cessna the gradients (even slight ones) are very apparent.
We have a few around the UK, off the top of my head; Bagby N.Yorkshire has a steeper than normal gradient, as does Huddersfield, nothing as steep as Courchevel or the Papua airstrips though.
You land uphil and take off downhil. You would be surprised at the slight gradients of some runways, As DoctorX said you don't notice it in a large passenger aircraft, but sat there looking down the runway in a Cessna the gradients (even slight ones) are very apparent.
We have a few around the UK, off the top of my head; Bagby N.Yorkshire has a steeper than normal gradient, as does Huddersfield, nothing as steep as Courchevel or the Papua airstrips though.
King David said:
Is EMEA (as in Europe, the Middle East and Africa) an initialism or an acronym?
Specifically, if I were to say it, should I say "Ee Em Ee Ae" or "Em-e-ya".
I've heard both used and never been sure which is correct.
I vote initialism. Specifically, if I were to say it, should I say "Ee Em Ee Ae" or "Em-e-ya".
I've heard both used and never been sure which is correct.
I'd think someone saying emaya was a bit of a wally.
DoctorX said:
I once landed at Leeds Bradford in a light aircraft and was amazed at the gradient. You don't notice it from a large plane. Not sure whether it's due to geography or design.
Actually only 12ft height difference between each end but it doesn't look it. Southern end is 662ft, northern end is 674ft AMSL.DoctorX said:
Is there a bulge in the middle? Looked seriously uphill on landing!
If you're stood at Cemetery Rd looking south you can see quite an uphill gradient but when the planes are turning round at the far end you can barely see them so I think the runway must rise up roughly where the N/S taxiway intersects then drops down into a dip in the middle bit and rises up again near the loop at the other end. I'd imagine the section from the tunnel to the northern end is probably level as that's the extension and that land mass needed to be built up for the runway.All that jazz said:
If you're stood at Cemetery Rd looking south you can see quite an uphill gradient but when the planes are turning round at the far end you can barely see them so I think the runway must rise up roughly where the N/S taxiway intersects then drops down into a dip in the middle bit and rises up again near the loop at the other end. I'd imagine the section from the tunnel to the northern end is probably level as that's the extension and that land mass needed to be built up for the runway.
Interesting, thanks.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff