Questions I've always wanted answered. (1 Viewer)

[Dome Vongvises]

1. What is the (R+M)/2 method? It's listed on the side of gas dispensers as the method for obtaining the octane of gasoline.

2. Two Bits, Four Bits a dollar, all for [insert name], stand up and holler!!!
- What's the origin of two bits and four bits? Who's bright idea was it to put that into a cheer?

3. What's the first sports team to use the "We Will Rock You"/"We Are The Champions" as a rally song?

I'll have some more.

 

[Malcolm R]

And who decided that 12.5 cents equals one bit?

 

[Glenn Overholt]

That comes from 'pieces of eight' of pirates yore. The coins could be broken into eight pieces.

Glenn

 

[John Thomas]

The (R+M)/2 is an average of two octane values, the Research Octane Number and the Motor Octane Number.
RON is determined in a single cylinder variable compression ratio engine that operates at 600 rpm with a 125 degree inlet air temperature at standard barometric pressure. Spark advance is fixed at 13 degrees btdc. In a real world engine, RON is necessary to satisfy part throttle knock problems.
MON is determined in a single cylinder engine similar to the RON engine with a few changes that make operating conditions more severe and therefore the octane numbers are lower. The MON engine runs at 900 rpm with a 300 degree mixture temperature. Spark advance varies with compression ratio. In a real world engine, MON is necessary to satisfy octane demands at wide open throttle. This is a very important number for racing engines since they spend a high percentage of their lives under high speed and high load conditions. Racing engines cannot afford to be short on octane quality, since detonation or preignition will quickly reduce a racing engine to junk.

 

[Karl_O]

I am told that the Los Angeles Lakers may be the first sports team to use this song. I had been hearing "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" since I first watched Laker home games in 1988.

 

[Mario Bartel]

I had been hearing "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" since I first watched Laker home games in 1988.

It goes back further than that. I remember hearing it played as the NY Islanders skated around the Nassau Coliseum celebrating their first Stanley Cup, in 1980.

The songs were released on Queen's News of the World album in 1977, so I doubt they were the first.

 

[Chuck C]

here's something I've always wondered about...how come asphault never stays black?...it seems to always turn gray.

 

[Kevin P]

On the asphalt, it's probably getting bleached by sunlight.

 

[Jack Briggs]

We still haven't determined where washing machines send our socks, so perhaps this thread is premature.

 

[Eric_L]

Ok, on the asphalt line;
When tires wear out, the tread gets thinner. Therefore, why is there no rubber to be found littering the sides of heavily traveled roads?

You figure, the average tire life is 50,000 miles. So, if you have a 1 mile stretch of road, that gets 50,000 cars on it per day (not uncommon) then each day, the equivalent of 36 cubic inches of tire tread is spread acoss that distance. 21 cubic feet in a week, 90 in a month, and 364 CUBIC YARDS per year! So where does it go?

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Eric_L said:

Therefore, why is there no rubber to be found littering the sides of heavily traveled roads?

You obviously never travel on Interstate Highways.

Just kidding, I know what you're getting at. Good question though.
Here's one for the Home Theater Buffs: what's so damn hard about making an anamorphic transfer? You've got your Monsoon Wedding controversy, you've got Armageddon not being anamorphic, and a whole slew of early release DVD's.

 

[Chuck C]

Here's yet another one: Dome, how do you pronounce your last name?

 

[Glenn Overholt]

My question is: Why isn't DST centered around the shortest day of the year? I can tell every Spring that we should have changed the clocks back from ST to DST, but it doesn't happen until April. What's with that?

Glenn

 

[Jon_Are]

Where does the white go when snow melts?

Jon

 

[Mario Bartel]

Why isn't DST centered around the shortest day of the year?

Better yet, why don't we move our clocks ahead that one hour on Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock?! That way, instead of dreading that one hour of sleep we lose everytime we switch to DST, we'll actually look forward to getting off work an hour early! Gaining back that hour in the Fall will still be in the middle of the night. It's a win-win

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Chuck C said:

Here's yet another one: Dome, how do you pronounce your last name?

English Pronounciation: Vong vee ses
Thai Pronounciation: Wong (long "o" sound as in bone) we (short "we" sound) said

 

[TyC]

Where does the white go when snow melts?

Snow is white because each crystal changes the light's direction. When you have many crystals right next to each other, the light's direction gets changed a lot. All the frequencies of light (making the white color) get bounced back to your eyes. Water lets light pass through without as much changing direction, so it appears clear.
HowStuffWorks "Why is snow white?"
Discovery Online: The Skinny On ... The Color of Snow

 

[Joe McKeown]

why is there no rubber to be found littering the sides of heavily traveled roads?

Sure there is; OK much of it gets washed away in the rain, but did you ever roll aorund in the street? (As in after a nasty bike/skateboard wipe out.) you come up covered in black stuff, that I presume is mostly rubber. Also just wipe something under the bottom of your fender. All that black stuff is a mixture of tires and brake pads.

 

[Malcolm R]

Why are hot dogs sold in packages of 10, but hot dog buns in packages of 8 ?

 

[John Thomas]

Ok, since we're going in this direction, "Why do men have nipples?" Ba-dum-bum.