# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1017 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1018 --- ## [Question about force, acceleration, and gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-force-acceleration-and-gravity/735656)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 26, 2015, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-force-acceleration-and-gravity/735656 "2015-10-26T07:29:14Z")
If I understand correctly, I am “pushing” down onto the Earth with a force (a.k.a. weight). Likewise, the Earth is pushing up on me with a force of the same magnitude but opposite in direction. Let’s talk about the firs… --- ## [Oil wells and Texas, etc. flooding](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 26, 2015, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754 "2015-10-26T04:46:30Z")
Since I’m not a geologist, I’m curious: If some of the flood waters in Texas drained into oil wells, active or otherwise, would it help replenish the aquifer, and if so, how long and how much would it take to see effect… --- ## [Time dilation questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-dilation-questions/735654)
**Author:** [@CanTak3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanTak3)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 26, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-dilation-questions/735654 "2015-10-26T03:00:10Z")
I board my rocket ship and start travelling. Fast. I come back to earth to discover what was days for me is months/years for earthlings. We’ve all heard that type of scenario. It seems that if time can pass differently,… --- ## [Self-Driving cars, Circa 1965?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-driving-cars-circa-1965/735062)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-driving-cars-circa-1965/735062 "2015-10-25T22:54:42Z")
Back when i was a kid, our “Weekly Reader” newspaper (which we read at school) had a story that i remember well. It concerned a experimental car, developed by RCA Labs (Princeton NJ), which would drive itself. i believe … --- ## [Has Anybody built a V-8 Engine This Way?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-built-a-v-8-engine-this-way/735559)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-built-a-v-8-engine-this-way/735559 "2015-10-25T19:25:32Z")
I remember seeing a diagram of a V-8 engine that used one connecting rod for each pair of opposed pistons. I suppose such an engine would be out of balance, but it would be a bit more compact. at any rate, were these ev… --- ## [Grammar question - is this correct](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-is-this-correct/735171)
**Author:** [@Neverending\_Elbow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverending_Elbow)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-is-this-correct/735171 "2015-10-25T19:12:21Z")
Hi, all! A friend was looking over the English supplement to her diploma and questions the grammar of the following: “This diploma issued in the Republic of Poland.” It doesn’t strike me as wrong, but it’s mostly gut … --- ## [Why do hijackers buy one way tickets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hijackers-buy-one-way-tickets/87345)
**Author:** [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hijackers-buy-one-way-tickets/87345 "2015-10-25T18:55:50Z")
Apparently, buying a one-way airline ticket with cash raises suspicion that the purchaser has bad intentions. I understand the pay with cash part, but how is advantageous to a hijacker to buy one way tickets? Couldn’t th… --- ## [Is there another name for this object? ("Glass Canopy Hinge")](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-another-name-for-this-object-glass-canopy-hinge/735720)
**Author:** [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-another-name-for-this-object-glass-canopy-hinge/735720 "2015-10-25T18:42:57Z")
This piece, a hinge that allows you to lift one half of the cover to feed the fish, broke on the cover of my aquarium. It seems to me that there might be other uses for such a hinge that allows you to connect two pieces… --- ## [How to recover the penalty for unsolicited text?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-recover-the-penalty-for-unsolicited-text/735718)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-recover-the-penalty-for-unsolicited-text/735718 "2015-10-25T14:53:50Z")
I got an unsolicited marketing text to my phone. How do I get my $1500? Do I have to sue for it and damages are awarded to me, or does the federal government levy a fine that they don’t share with me? --- ## [Hitler and the Moslems-Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-and-the-moslems-why/735225)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-and-the-moslems-why/735225 "2015-10-25T12:32:53Z")
Hitler cultivated Moslem leaders. There was even a special SS division formed, with Moslem soldiers. How did this square with Hitler’s racism, and the Nazi party’s general disgust at religion? At any rate, did this SS Di… --- ## [Sound cancelling technology](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-cancelling-technology/733304)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-cancelling-technology/733304 "2015-10-25T11:06:16Z")
I’ve research sound reduction technologies and would like to know more. Passive sound reduction tech turns wave energy into movement or heat, right? Is the sawtooth design of anechoic chambers the best one? Are there ot… --- ## [Special software: Make your computer sound like a typewriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-software-make-your-computer-sound-like-a-typewriter/674606)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-software-make-your-computer-sound-like-a-typewriter/674606 "2015-10-25T06:07:36Z")
I’ve wondered if this is possible. It would be interesting to see if software could be produced to create the sound of an old-fashioned typewriter key when you hit an ordinary key on the computer keyboard; as well as th… --- ## [Exploding Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-soup/427569)
**Author:** [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-soup/427569 "2015-10-25T03:45:23Z")
While heating some soup in the microwave oven, precisely as instructed on the can, the soup made several loud popping noises and splattered itself all over the inside of the microwave oven. I’ve read about superheated wa… --- ## [Fastest recorded speed of matter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-recorded-speed-of-matter/735651)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-recorded-speed-of-matter/735651 "2015-10-25T03:12:05Z")
What is the fastest that any amount of verifiable matter has been observed to travel either in space or in experiments. Distance of travel doesn’t matter. --- ## [revenue vs. income vs. earnings vs. profit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenue-vs-income-vs-earnings-vs-profit/735489)
**Author:** [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenue-vs-income-vs-earnings-vs-profit/735489 "2015-10-25T02:53:13Z")
I’m going to start with the terms I think I understand, and move to the ones I don’t. Please correct the ones I have wrong, and explain the ones I don’t understand. I’m pretty sure I understand revenue. Revenue is the… --- ## [Ridicuolous routes on discount plane tickets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridicuolous-routes-on-discount-plane-tickets/735243)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridicuolous-routes-on-discount-plane-tickets/735243 "2015-10-24T23:27:06Z")
I have taken some flights that were very cheap, but had stops that went very far out of the way. I once flew from Portland, ME to Baltimore via NYC and Detroit. Seriously, they made me unnecessarily fly halfway across … --- ## [Can you password protect an Ipod Touch?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-password-protect-an-ipod-touch/546128)
**Author:** [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-password-protect-an-ipod-touch/546128 "2015-10-24T20:41:55Z")
I’m considering getting an Ipod Touch, with one of the uses being to keep track of account numbers and passwords. Can a Touch be password protected? --- ## [Tongue burn from too many Sweet Tarts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tongue-burn-from-too-many-sweet-tarts/735573)
**Author:** [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tongue-burn-from-too-many-sweet-tarts/735573 "2015-10-24T17:47:31Z")
What causes it? It feels like a burn, and it can persist a few days. --- ## [Understanding the "Aunt from Hell" Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/understanding-the-aunt-from-hell-case/735002)
**Author:** [@solosam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solosam)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/understanding-the-aunt-from-hell-case/735002 "2015-10-24T17:32:35Z")
So I recently read about the “Aunt From Hell” case. I don’t know much about the insurance industry, but my understanding of the case is as follows: A nephew met his aunt and gave her a hug. For whatever reason, they f… --- ## [EPA - fluoride conspiracy related question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epa-fluoride-conspiracy-related-question/571827)
**Author:** [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epa-fluoride-conspiracy-related-question/571827 "2015-10-24T13:32:24Z")
I’m working through an article sent to me and seem to keep running into problems verifying items in the article. Studies listed, Organizations, it’s all very hard to pin down. The article sent to me was this: And the … --- ## [Spelling on the web](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-on-the-web/734871)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-on-the-web/734871 "2015-10-24T13:21:15Z")
On an aquarium Facebook page, a fellow posted “coral war fair”. I have seen various misspellings, “there” for “their” and stuff. That seems pretty dumb. It passes the spell checker, but there is some lack of literacy o… --- ## [Do all cultures have language they consider inappropriate for children?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cultures-have-language-they-consider-inappropriate-for-children/735508)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-cultures-have-language-they-consider-inappropriate-for-children/735508 "2015-10-24T07:32:12Z")
In Western culture, it’s generally considered taboo to expose children to profanity before a certain age. I’ve never fully understood the logic and rationale behind this and I was wondering is this a trait that’s univers… --- ## [Can Modern Photo/Imaging Software Reveal all fake Photos?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-modern-photo-imaging-software-reveal-all-fake-photos/734359)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-modern-photo-imaging-software-reveal-all-fake-photos/734359 "2015-10-24T02:41:35Z")
Specifically “ghost” photographs. The easiest and earliest was to fake a ghost photo is a double exposure-and i am sure that analysis of such a photo can be easily done today. Now, there are numerous examples of photos … --- ## [Best way to clean prescription eyeglasses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-clean-prescription-eyeglasses/29777)
**Author:** [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-clean-prescription-eyeglasses/29777 "2015-10-24T02:06:26Z")
I am curious if anyone has any tried and true ways to clean your eyeglasses outside of spending extra money for the solutions that the eyewear store carries. I use a microfiber cloth so as not to tempt any interuption o… --- ## [Why do galaxies form?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-galaxies-form/735591)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-galaxies-form/735591 "2015-10-23T23:43:09Z")
Not an astronomer by any stretch of the imagination. I understand how solar systems could form, the gravity from the star keep most (all?) solar system matter in some kind of orbit around itself. But what is keeping mi… --- ## [How Long Was Mars Geologically Active For?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-was-mars-geologically-active-for/735588)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-was-mars-geologically-active-for/735588 "2015-10-23T23:17:28Z")
Looking at the photos of the surface, you can clearly see layers of sedimentary rock, and sand and boulders. this tells us that mars had a period of mountain building and erosion, with glaciers which ground the mountains… --- ## [Outer space chemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outer-space-chemistry/735433)
**Author:** [@Misschameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misschameleon)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outer-space-chemistry/735433 "2015-10-23T20:21:10Z")
I was told that all that is in outer space is known chemicals and gases and that there can be no other chemicals and gases anywhere. I don’t believe this, as there has to be in my eyes things we just haven’t found. What … --- ## [Why are they getting an "error" message?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-getting-an-error-message/735525)
**Author:** [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-getting-an-error-message/735525 "2015-10-23T19:56:36Z")
I have for the past two months been in Cardiac Rehab for suspected Myocarditis. One of the things they do before you begin exercising is take your BP using an automatic BP cuff while standing. Seven times out of ten they… --- ## [504 Gateway Time Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/504-gateway-time-out/735531)
**Author:** [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/504-gateway-time-out/735531 "2015-10-23T19:55:52Z")
We recently updated an online program I use at work. I never had issues with it before this major update. It works well except for the search function. When I use it I get an error message saying: 504 Gateway Time-out … --- ## [What are these big ramps in the desert in Egypt?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-big-ramps-in-the-desert-in-egypt/735447)
**Author:** [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-big-ramps-in-the-desert-in-egypt/735447 "2015-10-23T19:41:22Z")
Google Maps link. Near the ring road around Cairo. I am puzzled. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1016) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1018)