# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=311 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 312 --- ## [Solstices, Perihelion and Aphelion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solstices-perihelion-and-aphelion/928547)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 22, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solstices-perihelion-and-aphelion/928547 "2020-12-22T14:07:47Z")
Yes, my confusion and question is what are the solstices. But what really confuses me is how do they relate to the Sun’s perihelion and aphelion? Perihelion is when the Sun is furthest from the earth. Aphelion is when i… --- ## [Winter in Barrow, Alaska](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-in-barrow-alaska/925958)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [December 22, 2020, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-in-barrow-alaska/925958 "2020-12-22T07:23:15Z")
A friend posted one of those “Weird World” images. It shows Barrow (Utqiagvik, to be politically correct), Alaska in darkness, with part of the caption reading “the sun sets November 18 and rises on January 23. Between t… --- ## ["Non-interference" meaning in a government contract? Need help with contract law](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-interference-meaning-in-a-government-contract-need-help-with-contract-law/928564)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 22, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-interference-meaning-in-a-government-contract-need-help-with-contract-law/928564 "2020-12-22T03:07:29Z")
If a government contract states that the government may provide certain property to the contractor on a “non-interference” basis, without further stipulating what that means, is there a standard for what this means? Does… --- ## [What are the odds (coin flipping question)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds-coin-flipping-question/928431)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds-coin-flipping-question/928431 "2020-12-20T19:17:51Z")
Let’s say I have 3 quarters and I flip each quarter separately. What are the odds that all 3 quarters would have landed heads up, or that all 3 quarters would have landed tails up (no mix of heads and tails)? How would y… --- ## [Does the immune system get better at fighting a bacterial infection it has already beaten before?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-immune-system-get-better-at-fighting-a-bacterial-infection-it-has-already-beaten-before/928531)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-immune-system-get-better-at-fighting-a-bacterial-infection-it-has-already-beaten-before/928531 "2020-12-21T18:38:41Z")
I know it learns to recognise viruses by making antibodies, so that the next time the same virus is seen it can react quickly. Does something similar happen for bacteria? --- ## [Flu vaccine: why do we fail and can AI improve the odds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-vaccine-why-do-we-fail-and-can-ai-improve-the-odds/928468)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flu-vaccine-why-do-we-fail-and-can-ai-improve-the-odds/928468 "2020-12-21T16:26:14Z")
For the past few years, the strains selected for the flu vaccine turn out to be not the ones prevalent. Why do we have such low predictability on which strain will be the most infectious and can AI improve the predictabi… --- ## [In the UK, does your dialect affect your social mobility and economic opportunities?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-uk-does-your-dialect-affect-your-social-mobility-and-economic-opportunities/926973)
**Author:** [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-uk-does-your-dialect-affect-your-social-mobility-and-economic-opportunities/926973 "2020-12-21T16:10:32Z")
I was watching a short video concerning very poor people in England. To my American ears, their dialect made them sound uneducated and frankly, kind of dumb. I am not saying that they actually are that. I am curious as … --- ## [Temperature: ˚C, ˚F, kelvins... nanojoules per gigabyte?!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temperature-c-f-kelvins-nanojoules-per-gigabyte/927976)
**Author:** [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2020, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temperature-c-f-kelvins-nanojoules-per-gigabyte/927976 "2020-12-21T03:38:56Z")
A while ago, I stumbled across the concept of “coldness”, or “thermodynamic beta”, which is defined as the the reciprocal of temperature. Thermodynamic beta is measured in reciprocal joules, J-1, but can also be measu… --- ## [Why did my fingers get cold, and then didn't?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-fingers-get-cold-and-then-didnt/928348)
**Author:** [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-my-fingers-get-cold-and-then-didnt/928348 "2020-12-21T03:25:41Z")
I dunno, maybe this belongs in MPTIMS, but I was curious about the mechanics of what happened. Yesterday I went out to shovel snow. I put on warm clothes and boots and a pair of thin leather gloves lined with thin knit … --- ## [Could General Flynn be charged under military code for advocating suspension of the Constitution?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-general-flynn-be-charged-under-military-code-for-advocating-suspension-of-the-constitution/928495)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-general-flynn-be-charged-under-military-code-for-advocating-suspension-of-the-constitution/928495 "2020-12-21T02:40:35Z")
I realise there’s potentially lots of politics here, but I have what I think is a factual question. What is the status of a retired general officer in the US military? Are they still on the rolls, so to speak, just ret… --- ## [Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-coast-or-cote-divoire/927997)
**Author:** [@stuccosuperstar2020](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuccosuperstar2020)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivory-coast-or-cote-divoire/927997 "2020-12-20T19:07:50Z")
Up until the late 2000s or early 20teens, this country seemed to be referred to as Ivory Coast. Sometime in this period, it seemed fashionable to refer to it as Côte d’Ivoire (CUT-DEE-VWAA is the closest I can make of it… --- ## [A Medical Question (but not asking for medical advice.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-medical-question-but-not-asking-for-medical-advice/928376)
**Author:** [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-medical-question-but-not-asking-for-medical-advice/928376 "2020-12-20T17:50:58Z")
I’ve already made an appointment with my eye doctor… But I’m curious if anyone can explain what happened… I was at work, doing computer stuff, and saw a little “sparkle” in my field of vision. Looked like the Star Tre… --- ## [Is anyone charting the movement of our entire planetary system around the black hole](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-charting-the-movement-of-our-entire-planetary-system-around-the-black-hole/928369)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-charting-the-movement-of-our-entire-planetary-system-around-the-black-hole/928369 "2020-12-20T02:37:31Z")
So in the Milky Way galaxy there is a massive black hole in the middle and everything is rotating around it including our planetary system. Since the time we have invented telescopes and charted the skies has anyone char… --- ## [How often do chaff and flares actually work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-chaff-and-flares-actually-work/928426)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-chaff-and-flares-actually-work/928426 "2020-12-20T02:34:27Z")
I realize this is hard to analyze since it depends heavily on the type of missile and also the fact that there’s been relatively little air combat in the modern post-Vietnam age. But how often does an airplane spitting o… --- ## [How do I use a macro in Excel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-use-a-macro-in-excel/928339)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-use-a-macro-in-excel/928339 "2020-12-19T23:07:54Z")
I write programs… using software that was developed over half a century ago. I’ve been given a macro that I can use in Excel, and I have no idea how to use it. I expected to be sent a text file with a bunch of code in … --- ## [Repairing a Microwave Oven--Shorting a fuse for testing purposes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-a-microwave-oven-shorting-a-fuse-for-testing-purposes/927704)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-a-microwave-oven-shorting-a-fuse-for-testing-purposes/927704 "2020-12-19T22:59:02Z")
I have a built into the cabinet microwave oven that will be a pain to replace. Last week it just died. No power at all. The outlet it is plugged into is fine. I took it apart and found that two of the thermal fuses ar… --- ## [Are the US insular territories part of the USA proper?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-us-insular-territories-part-of-the-usa-proper/928268)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-us-insular-territories-part-of-the-usa-proper/928268 "2020-12-19T22:05:39Z")
So far, I have found conflicting answers to the question of whether the territories of the United States (currently all located on islands / groups thereof) are integral parts of the United States or distinct entities th… --- ## [Fresh install of Mac OS Big Sur - any gotchas to consider?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-install-of-mac-os-big-sur-any-gotchas-to-consider/928398)
**Author:** [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-install-of-mac-os-big-sur-any-gotchas-to-consider/928398 "2020-12-19T18:44:38Z")
I’ve got a late 2014 model Mac Mini which is still putting in sterling service daily as my main desktop computer. It’s currently running Mojave (10.14.6) and I’d like to update to the recently released Big Sur now that i… --- ## [Cutting board construction question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-board-construction-question/927847)
**Author:** [@Greenhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenhead)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-board-construction-question/927847 "2020-12-19T16:56:48Z")
I’m about to start an edge grain cutting board project for a Christmas gift. I have made cutting boards in the past and have my list of supplies that I’ll need that I don’t already have. I’ve picked out my lumber (maple)… --- ## [Is there an constitutional reason a US state has to be a democracy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-constitutional-reason-a-us-state-has-to-be-a-democracy/927805)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-constitutional-reason-a-us-state-has-to-be-a-democracy/927805 "2020-12-19T02:09:43Z")
So thinking about DC statehood. I think the only way DC could become a state without changing the constitution would be if it was admitted as a state (with senators, congressional representatives and general election vot… --- ## [Using Migration Manager on a Mac](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-migration-manager-on-a-mac/927600)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-migration-manager-on-a-mac/927600 "2020-12-18T20:00:43Z")
Got a new Mac Mini as a gift. Using a late-2012 Mac Mini now. I’ve used this process with other Macs with zero problems. So, my question. The back of this new Mini shows two " Thunderbolt/ USB-4 " small jacks. I bough… --- ## [How long ago did scientists determine that the gas giant planets were gaseous?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-ago-did-scientists-determine-that-the-gas-giant-planets-were-gaseous/305458)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-ago-did-scientists-determine-that-the-gas-giant-planets-were-gaseous/305458 "2020-12-18T14:06:47Z")
I seem to recall a number of the sci-fi stories of the 40s, for example, there would be a base or colony on the surface of some place like Jupiter. Seems like “Who Goes There?” (the basis for two “The Thing” movies) mig… --- ## [Inverters/NOT gate without transistors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inverters-not-gate-without-transistors/927793)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2020, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inverters-not-gate-without-transistors/927793 "2020-12-18T06:14:01Z")
So an inverter or NOT gate (not to be confused with the AC/DC power inverter) is an abstract electric component that takes one input at either a high or low voltage state, and has one output which is the opposite voltage… --- ## [Protected veteran status -- what does it mean for the hiring companies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protected-veteran-status-what-does-it-mean-for-the-hiring-companies/925256)
**Author:** [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2020, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protected-veteran-status-what-does-it-mean-for-the-hiring-companies/925256 "2020-12-18T02:27:08Z")
Hello Dopers, I’m asking for help with job applications regarding my veteran status. On every job application I’ve submitted recently there is a question as to if the applicant is a protected veteran or not. The question… --- ## [Is there any evidence that Isaac Newton viewed the 1702 Kirch Comet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-evidence-that-isaac-newton-viewed-the-1702-kirch-comet/927956)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2020, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-evidence-that-isaac-newton-viewed-the-1702-kirch-comet/927956 "2020-12-18T02:23:14Z")
Is there any evidence that Isaac Newton viewed the 1702 Kirch Comet? I haven’t found any online. He was obviously still alive. He died in 1727. --- ## [Has any correlation been found between a person's reaction to vaccines and susceptibility to the virus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-correlation-been-found-between-a-persons-reaction-to-vaccines-and-susceptibility-to-the-virus/928223)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-correlation-been-found-between-a-persons-reaction-to-vaccines-and-susceptibility-to-the-virus/928223 "2020-12-17T22:12:41Z")
I’ve taken annual flu shots since the early 90’s. Most of the time I have no reaction. Once in awhile I’ll get a sore arm. I only remember feeling bad with aches and fever a couple times (after a flu shot). Does that in… --- ## [Highest-lettered highway exit in US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-lettered-highway-exit-in-us/928205)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-lettered-highway-exit-in-us/928205 "2020-12-17T16:25:09Z")
I could swear that when my family traveled across the US from Virginia to Nevada, that at some point in a major metro area in Missouri we started getting some bizarre highway exit lettering schemes. I mean things like “… --- ## [Intersections in tunnels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intersections-in-tunnels/927599)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intersections-in-tunnels/927599 "2020-12-17T14:38:45Z")
There’s a tunnel being built (actually almost complete) in the Faroe Islands that will have a three way intersection in the middle. It connects two parts of one island with a second island. The intersection is under the … --- ## [Were the Danes the first to coin the name England for the southern part of today's England in 897?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-danes-the-first-to-coin-the-name-england-for-the-southern-part-of-todays-england-in-897/925954)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2020, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-danes-the-first-to-coin-the-name-england-for-the-southern-part-of-todays-england-in-897/925954 "2020-12-17T11:28:41Z")
Were the Danes the first to coin the name England for the southern part of today’s England in 897? I had always assumed that the Angles had called their land “Angel land(?) or Engla land(?)(not sure of the spelling! )”" … --- ## [Help me identify this Rock/Fossil](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-rock-fossil/928069)
**Author:** [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2020, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-rock-fossil/928069 "2020-12-17T10:40:25Z")
I have had this for a long time. Found it camping in the Midwest, I don’t know specifically where. It is Nonferrous. Weight 465.1 grams. Displacement in water approximately 115 cc. It is very dense (heavy for size). Smoo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=310) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=312)