The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXVII

[Cutlass]

Spoiler relevant to the math discussion :

 

[madviking]

What the hell is quickscoping?

 

[Zelig]

You can tell who the engineers are.

I had a math prof who was doing a PhD in physics and switched to math because he didn't like all the approximations.

 

[Hygro]

Spoiler relevant to the math discussion :

n=ƒ(s, c)
∑π/s^c

 

[Antilogic]

I had a math prof who was doing a PhD in physics and switched to math because he didn't like all the approximations.

And he was in physics before? Yeesh, he has to hate the real engineers. And biologists.

 

[Mise]

"Assume a spherical cow..."

 

[classical_hero]

Why do restaurants advertise they have "homemade" quality food, when you go out to eat restaurant quality food and not food your mother makes?

 

[Mise]

And airplane food -- what's up with that?!

 

[Borachio]

Cruising at 20,000 feet (up!) in a pressurized cabin is going to wreak havoc with any culinary masterpiece, maybe?

I wouldn't know, though. I've never been in an aeroplane. Yes, I know. I'm unusual.

 

[Antilogic]

Airplane food is difficult because they have to partially cook it and then finish it on the plane/heat it up, and apparently you taste things a bit differently at altitude than at sea level.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Thinner atmosphere reduces your sense of smell, which is a lot of what we interpret as the "taste" of food. So anything will taste weak in an airplane. Ask for more salt, pepper, hot sauce, lemon juice, sugar, or whatever. Salt, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami are what our tongues actually sense, and aren't affected by air pressure.

EDIT: Also capsaicin, the chemical that makes chilis "hot", isn't something your tongue tastes. It just creates a chemical reaction that shouts "fire" inside your head. Some container-ship line was experimenting with putting capsaicin in the paint of its ship's hulls, to discourage barnacles from clinging on, which increases drag and therefore fuel costs.

 

[Antilogic]

That is what I was about to post, and then I remembered most cabins are pressurized and I took that line out.

What is the air pressure in a modern commercial airplane at altitude?

 

[EgonSpengler]

That is what I was about to post, and then I remembered most cabins are pressurized and I took that line out.

What is the air pressure in a modern commercial airplane at altitude?

Short-haul flights are usually pressurized at 5,000 to 6,000 feet while long-haul flights are closer to 8,000 feet, according to Dr. Claude Thibeault, medical director of the International Air Transport Association in Montreal.

By comparison, Denver is a little above 5,000' and Mexico City is a little over 7,000'.

 

[madviking]

and cuzco is just under 11,000 feet in elevation

 

[EgonSpengler]

and cuzco is just under 11,000 feet in elevation

Yeah, South America can really make you dizzy/vomit if you're not used to the altitude. If you've ever wondered why your European football team seems to fall on their faces there so often. I don't know how long it takes to acclimate to altitude, but altitude sickness is a real thing that can kick in around 5-6000 feet.

p.s. And I think the highest-altitude cities in Europe - Munich, Geneva - aren't even 2000' above sea level.

 

[sophie]

Yeah, South America can really make you dizzy/vomit if you're not used to the altitude. If you've ever wondered why your European football team seems to fall on their faces there so often. I don't know how long it takes to acclimate to altitude, but altitude sickness is a real thing that can kick in around 5-6000 feet.

p.s. And I think the highest-altitude cities in Europe - Munich, Geneva - aren't even 2000' above sea level.

Also why literally every USMNT game is played in Denver if the US gets to choose the venue.

 

[Antilogic]

By comparison, Denver is a little above 5,000' and Mexico City is a little over 7,000'.

Interesting, so they are splitting the difference a bit instead of pumping it up to sealevel pressure.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Why do restaurants advertise they have "homemade" quality food, when you go out to eat restaurant quality food and not food your mother makes?

I assume it's just generic buzzwords to make the food sound appealing.

 

[Flying Pig]

It means they cook from scratch in the restaurant rather than shipping the food in mostly pre-made and just sticking it in the oven. 'Homemade burger' means that it came in as mince rather than raw burger.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Does Russia look at Kamchatka the same way America looks at Florida?