The questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread VI

[GoodGame]

When someone has acid on their skin, what do you do as a first aid measure to help them? Can't just wash it off with water, right?

It's not the most expedient method in a way (e.g. adding a measured base would be better), but's it's very expedient since water is basic compared to acids and copious amounts of water will flush anything away. What you can't wash off is the damage that the acid did to your flesh, but acid is just looking for something to donate hydrogens to, whether it's water or flesh. Rule of thumb in a laboratory is if you get copious amounts of any chemicals on you is to take a very sudden, public shower in the hallway at the safety shower.

 

[Dachs]

Does anyone else find the song Surfin Bird terrifying?

Did you just discover this meme?

 

[RedRalph]

Its a meme? Seriously?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

An annoying one...

 

[Mesousa]

It's not the most expedient method in a way (e.g. adding a measured base would be better), but's it's very expedient since water is basic compared to acids and copious amounts of water will flush anything away. What you can't wash off is the damage that the acid did to your flesh, but acid is just looking for something to donate hydrogens to, whether it's water or flesh. Rule of thumb in a laboratory is if you get copious amounts of any chemicals on you is to take a very sudden, public shower in the hallway at the safety shower.

So why did my high school chemistry teacher tell me to never add water to an acid?

When someone has it on their skin, should washing off acid with water be my first choice, or should I try to wipe it off with dry cloth?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Don't add water to acid in a container because the acid in the container will get splashed (displaced) by the water.

 

[Phlegmak]

When someone has it on their skin, should washing off acid with water be my first choice, or should I try to wipe it off with dry cloth?

I would think washing an acid on the skin with water would be an excellent choice, because it should neutralize the acid.

 

[Flying Pig]

Dilute. Neutralisation is where acid + alkali gives a salt and water (picked up last week from some kid's chemistry book he left in my office ) and dilution is where there are fewer molecules per volume of acid, so a given quantity has a smaller effect.

 

[Brighteye]

So why did my high school chemistry teacher tell me to never add water to an acid?

When someone has it on their skin, should washing off acid with water be my first choice, or should I try to wipe it off with dry cloth?

There must have been some miscommunication. This is very basic procedure: wash it with lots of water.

 

[Flying Pig]

Or (if you happen to have it) baking soda, which neutralises the acid.

 

[Mesousa]

All right. Thanks, everyone.

Next one: I read that this Pete Doherty person has to get an implant to keep him from taking drugs. What is that technology called and how well does it work?

 

[Phlegmak]

All right. Thanks, everyone.

Next one: I read that this Pete Doherty person has to get an implant to keep him from taking drugs. What is that technology called and how well does it work?

The chip from the South Park movie?

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Why do some people imply that dairy is bad for you (read: that one guys thread on quitting meats and dairy)? How can dairy be bad for you?

 

[Earthling]

Lots of people are lactose intolerant - I don't even know who you're talking about, but I can picture his point. Dairy is widely publicized (woah, caught myself from using the British spelling) by the media and to some extent government organizations as healthy. "All kids need dairy" and so on. The problem is, this could mislead people who can't metabolize it - the lactose intolerant kid who just follows his school lunch flyer ends up getting sick. Or the point could be something about extreme Atkins extent diets or something, but that's just a thought.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Ok, another question from me:

There's a star trek story about Q and Q taking picard on a time travel trip through Q's past and it spans three books. Is there any way I can find out wether that story is considered canon (meaning an official part of the star trek universe?)

 

[Cutlass]

Ok, another question from me:

There's a star trek story about Q and Q taking picard on a time travel trip through Q's past and it spans three books. Is there any way I can find out wether that story is considered canon (meaning an official part of the star trek universe?)

The Star Trek novels as a whole never much bothered with keeping to canon. And the ST creator(s) never policed them for canon.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

The Star Trek novels as a whole never much bothered with keeping to canon. And the ST creator(s) never policed them for canon.

What about Star Wars novels?

 

[salty mud]

Why is there lots of Asian men in the US, but hardly any Asian women?

 

[Dachs]

@ salty.

What about Star Wars novels?

Inconsistently policed early on, but Leland Chee, who is currently in charge of the levels of Star Wars canon, does his best to organize everything. The crappy Clone Wars TV shows made that infinitely harder, of course, because they totally rewrote large sections of the war. Here's a link to basic Star Wars canon policy.

 

[GoodGame]

Why is there lots of Asian men in the US, but hardly any Asian women?

I'm guessing you've never visited the USA for long because there's ample of both, at least in my travels in the East Coast and in the military.



I think another issue on the canon question is that Star Trek is largely episodic, and uses 'many worlds' and 'time travel' many times which allows for canon divergences as easily as say claiming a sequence was actually a dream (Using many worlds + time travel doesn't make logical sense to me though). I think it's the same issue as with comic books---the authors change regularly, there's many series reboots, many episodes, leading to a lot of chaos.