The many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XVII

[ParadigmShifter]

Do you not play conkers in America?

 

[Traitorfish]

How much economic freedom can you have, without having political freedom? Or put another way how much economic freedom can you have in a country with rampant corruption.

What do "economic freedom" and "political freedom" actually mean in the real world, rather than on the Nolan Chart? I don't think that they're the self-evident measures that some people seem to imagine.

I just don't get why other people like changed so much over the past year even, particularly with some girls. I haven't really met many girls at my university (expected as it's about a 7:3 ratio overall, engineering classes is lower, and I'm terribly shy. my major is about 15% according to school's ethnicity data. not as bad as some majors, like computer engineering, which looks to be around 5% lol).

Basically all I overhear from girl's conversations are things about frats or sororities and parties and it really bothers me. Similarly, guys do that too. And way too many people have a mentality of "LOL failed that exam, I guess that's fine! time to go party!"

Really? I always found that people started like that- a mixture of the disinterested façades which they hadn't quite shed from high school and a preoccupation with the received image of student life- and either got over it or fecked off to do something easier. Perhaps it's a transatlantic thing, I don't know.

Anyway, nine times out of ten, they're like stressing out it inside their head. It just wouldn't do to put it on show.

 

[shadowplay]

Why don't the plugs on television sets have grounding prongs? I don't think I've ever seen one on a TV before. It seems odd.

 

[Traitorfish]

Why don't the plugs on television sets have grounding prongs? I don't think I've ever seen one on a TV before. It seems odd.

Grounding prongs are only necessary if a person could potentially come in contact with the current. Televisions have sealed plastic casing, so in normal usage there's no chance of electrocution, and thus no need for the grounding prong. (Although some such objects will have a grounding prong anyway, because they're just using a standard plug.)

 

[W|M]

Do you not play conkers in America?

Considering the fact that I never see any cultural references about it, probably not.

 

[Cutlass]

Yeah it was a rather vague question. It was sort of aimed at the current China thread, as in there ability to grow domestic demand, but far enough off topic I posted here.

China does not want to give the common citizen economic freedom. Because that would interfere with the priorities of the government and governing elite. They are trying to get the national benefits of a market economy without giving away too much in the way of the personal benefits of one.

 

[LucyDuke]

Do you not play conkers in America?

Never heard of it.

 

[SuperJay]

I have a question: Did Lucy smash a green fuzzy-ish seedpod with a hammer last night and resolve the Great Tree Mystery of 2011??1? Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[LucyDuke]

I shall smash it, and I shall post pictures, but first I must attend to more important things.

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

If I made my room airtight and started pumping air into it raising the pressure how much energy would it take to double the atmospheric pressure? Roughly how many atmospheres would it take to blow my house up.

Note hypothetical question. I am not actually going to do this.

 

[PeteAtoms]

If I made my room airtight and started pumping air into it raising the pressure how much energy would it take to double the atmospheric pressure? Roughly how many atmospheres would it take to blow my house up.

Note hypothetical question. I am not actually going to do this.

Doesn't it depend on the volume of the room? And maybe the temperature?

 

[GamezRule]

I'm thinking that doubling the amount of air would double the pressure, but I'm probably wrong.

 

[madviking]

Doubling the air pressure means doubling the force per unit area of the room, not doubling the moles of air in the room.

 

[PeteAtoms]

I'm thinking that doubling the amount of air would double the pressure, but I'm probably wrong.

Maybe, I can't remember my basic physics But in terms of 'how much energy', we would need to know some measurements.

 

[GamezRule]

Doubling the air pressure means doubling the force per unit area of the room, not doubling the moles of air in the room.

If the only factor that can vary is the actual amount of air, then yes, it seems it would require twice the air to get twice the pressure.

 

[madviking]

If the only factor that can vary is the actual amount of air, then yes, it seems it would require twice the air to get twice the pressure.

But we can't use the ideal gas law since, um, well, the world isn't ideal.

 

[timtofly]

Why don't the plugs on television sets have grounding prongs? I don't think I've ever seen one on a TV before. It seems odd.

I think the regulation depends on how much voltage the unit is "drawing". The voltage is what needs to be grounded to keep from "frying" the equipment itself more than "shocking" a person who is not grounded. Modern plugs have two different size prongs to differentiate between "live" and neutral which also works as a "grounding" agent. IMO a lot of damaged electronics is more from the wiring in a building that is not properly grounded more than anything else.

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

3x4x2.5 meters as an example. Would it be hard to dubble the airpressure? How many atmospheres can I pump in before it becomes dangerous?

 

[Cutlass]

Is Tom Cruise considered a good actor or just a (maybe formerly) popular actor?

 

[Joecoolyo]

Is Tom Cruise considered a good actor or just a (maybe formerly) popular actor?

Personally, I think he's not given enough credit. Minority Report and other movies of his aren't really all that bad.