# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=381 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 382 --- ## [Are dogs as pets really bad to health as some claim?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-as-pets-really-bad-to-health-as-some-claim/849506)
**Author:** [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-as-pets-really-bad-to-health-as-some-claim/849506 "2020-03-19T15:36:53Z")
I came across a thread in a subreddit called “DogFree”. https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/comments/fio2xs/in\_wake\_of\_this\_coronavirus\_hysteria\_dogs\_have/ The guy writes: Another guy supports him: How much of those w… --- ## [Please help me correctly answer my son's 3rd grade math question.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-correctly-answer-my-sons-3rd-grade-math-question/849693)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2020, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-correctly-answer-my-sons-3rd-grade-math-question/849693 "2020-03-19T03:17:15Z")
Note: I actually am a teacher who is holed up at home with my kids, but I am an English teacher and I want to make sure I get this right… Here is the question from his homework. “What numbers are shaded twice when you s… --- ## [Geometric vs Exponential Growth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geometric-vs-exponential-growth/23147)
**Author:** [@rseneres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rseneres)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2020, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geometric-vs-exponential-growth/23147 "2020-03-19T03:03:41Z")
I was a math major in college but it has been years since I have been deep into the subject matter. When using mathematical modeling in a simple Cartesian graph, what are the main differences between geometric and expone… --- ## [Details of wrong answers accepted on TV quiz shows?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/details-of-wrong-answers-accepted-on-tv-quiz-shows/849309)
**Author:** [@Dunmurry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunmurry)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2020, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/details-of-wrong-answers-accepted-on-tv-quiz-shows/849309 "2020-03-19T02:07:28Z")
Well a few years ago on Who Wants to be a Millionaire a wrong answer was accepted of the minimum number of strokes required to win a set in tennis and it was given as 12 but people contacted the show to say that if their… --- ## [Has anyone experienced having your Google Drive expire without payment?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-experienced-having-your-google-drive-expire-without-payment/849770)
**Author:** [@TheSundial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundial)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-experienced-having-your-google-drive-expire-without-payment/849770 "2020-03-19T01:16:42Z")
My next annual payment is on April 20th and I’m thinking that I don’t want to pay it to save money. When I Googled the issue it said that my files that are in there wouldn’t be removed and I just wouldn’t be able to add… --- ## [Android: How do I copy files from SDCard\_0 to SDCard\_1?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-how-do-i-copy-files-from-sdcard_0-to-sdcard_1/849705)
**Author:** [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-how-do-i-copy-files-from-sdcard_0-to-sdcard_1/849705 "2020-03-18T23:58:29Z")
The impossibility of doing it is recent or I wouldn’t have 40 gigglebytes\* of files on SDCard\_1, but using several file manager apps I get errors about how since Android 5 add-on drives are read only and to work around i… --- ## [Can Alcohol Withdraw Kill?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-withdraw-kill/849475)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-withdraw-kill/849475 "2020-03-18T15:22:28Z")
On a lesser part of the Internet people were joking that keeping liquor stores open during the current situation was important because alcoholics would die if suddenly cut off. Is that the case? I am aware Alcohol With… --- ## [What effect does soap have on viruses and bacteria?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-does-soap-have-on-viruses-and-bacteria/849456)
**Author:** [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2020, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-does-soap-have-on-viruses-and-bacteria/849456 "2020-03-18T10:01:05Z")
Does ordinary hand soap have any chemical effect on viruses or bacteria? If not, does the use of soap just facilitate their mechanical removal in some way that using water alone does not? --- ## [When did the whole use-paper-towel-to-open-public bathroom-door thing start?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-whole-use-paper-towel-to-open-public-bathroom-door-thing-start/477294)
**Author:** [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2020, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-whole-use-paper-towel-to-open-public-bathroom-door-thing-start/477294 "2020-03-17T23:14:25Z")
Ok, now everybody does it, but it appears that the standard behavior for people when leaving a public restroom is to use a paper towel to open the door, so much so that now the janitors put a wastepaper basket just to ca… --- ## [US zip code question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-zip-code-question/849562)
**Author:** [@cornflakes2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes2)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-zip-code-question/849562 "2020-03-17T17:14:02Z")
I have a question. I am trying to ship something to Puerto Rico and the zipcode is 00957-192601. Apparently the customer service rep. told me I can only use the 5 digit zip code which is 00957. I don’t know what th… --- ## [Strange GFI behavior.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-gfi-behavior/849539)
**Author:** [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-gfi-behavior/849539 "2020-03-17T13:26:23Z")
I have an outdoor GFCI outlet which powers a pond pump. The pump stopped working over the winter and testing parts seems to indicate the pump itself is the problem. When I reset the GFCI the pump works for about 90 sec… --- ## [difference between dvd+r and dvd-r](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-dvd-r-and-dvd-r/140439)
**Author:** [@jillsjeeps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jillsjeeps)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2020, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-dvd-r-and-dvd-r/140439 "2020-03-17T11:11:50Z")
I am buying the HP DVD200i player and the Pinnacle studio av8 video editing. I am going to use this to convert my vhs tapes to a dvd disk so it will play in all dvd players and distribute to my family. So here is my qu… --- ## [Omeprazole and an Empty Stomach?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omeprazole-and-an-empty-stomach/849566)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omeprazole-and-an-empty-stomach/849566 "2020-03-17T00:20:29Z")
I guess I can tell you all. I take the acid reducer Omeprazole. It is a very effective drug. It would have saved my paternal grandmother’s life (she died in 1973). Anyway they tell me I have to take it on an empty stoma… --- ## [Loud bass effect on computer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bass-effect-on-computer/849522)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bass-effect-on-computer/849522 "2020-03-16T21:21:08Z")
So I was watching this video of people using bass music resonance to wreak havoc on car doors and windows, and I wondered what would happen to a laptop or desktop computer that was sitting next to this noise blast. Same … --- ## ['Male Nurses' In Other Countries?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-nurses-in-other-countries/849521)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-nurses-in-other-countries/849521 "2020-03-16T20:47:50Z")
Something that has vexed me for some time now. What do they call male nurses in other English-speaking countries? In case you don’t already know, the English word "nurse’ is actually female. Always has been. (Though yo… --- ## [Toilet paper holder pulled out of wall.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-holder-pulled-out-of-wall/849540)
**Author:** [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-holder-pulled-out-of-wall/849540 "2020-03-16T20:03:46Z")
As the title. Two many little kids. Unfortunately the last time this happened I used a toggle dry wall anchor so this time the hole is too large to span. We are horrible at dry wall patching and do have any of the ori… --- ## [Mysql generated virtual column speed question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysql-generated-virtual-column-speed-question/849367)
**Author:** [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysql-generated-virtual-column-speed-question/849367 "2020-03-16T17:32:20Z")
I have a Mysql DB with a table that contains a virtual column: alter table my\_table add column foo int(10) unsigned GENERATED ALWAYS AS (if(json\_valid(detail),json\_unquote(json\_extract(detail,’$.task.escoreusid’)),NULL)… --- ## [Can someone explain the liquidity crisis, banks & treasury bonds, and quantitative easing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-liquidity-crisis-banks-treasury-bonds-and-quantitative-easing/849438)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-liquidity-crisis-banks-treasury-bonds-and-quantitative-easing/849438 "2020-03-16T12:41:17Z")
I sort of, barely, understand right now the underlying liquidity of the banking system, the availability of cash and credit is keeping people up at night. I’m reading about short-term, overnight bank credit being more d… --- ## [Gold money](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-money/474785)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-money/474785 "2008-12-04T18:25:10Z")
When was the last time a country issued gold specie coins meant for circulation? Note that I’m aware of American eagles, Canadian maple leafs, Krugerrands, and other gold bullion coins. This question is not about them. --- ## [Diluting isopropyl alcohol with spring or purified+minerals water.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diluting-isopropyl-alcohol-with-spring-or-purified-minerals-water/849534)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diluting-isopropyl-alcohol-with-spring-or-purified-minerals-water/849534 "2020-03-16T00:21:21Z")
I’ve got some 99% Isopropyl I want to dilute to 70, but I don’t have any distilled water atm. I suppose I could wait till I get some, but do the minerals reduce the anti-viral efficacy or the shelf-life of the solution?… --- ## ["The United States has killed more people than any other country on Earth"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-has-killed-more-people-than-any-other-country-on-earth/849230)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-has-killed-more-people-than-any-other-country-on-earth/849230 "2020-03-15T21:56:45Z")
I always see people constantly say this online and yet they never offer any proof besides saying generic stuff like “The massacre of the indigenous peoples of America, slavery, World War 2, the war on terror”. I’m genui… --- ## [Long Range Transmission IP Cameras](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-range-transmission-ip-cameras/849484)
**Author:** [@sedger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sedger)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-range-transmission-ip-cameras/849484 "2020-03-15T20:46:07Z")
Hello I am trying to figure out a way I can operate an IP network camera from a distance of 1500 metres from my router. I wondered if anyone had any experience of doing this. I have an outbuilding which is 1.5km from my … --- ## [Finding family history records--from Sweden](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-family-history-records-from-sweden/849483)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-family-history-records-from-sweden/849483 "2020-03-15T19:44:40Z")
I have a relative whose grandfather was a Swede. He died when she was only 3, and there’s no existing family history. It’s possible that she might have some second cousins ‘over there,’ but maybe not. We know the name… --- ## [What is this whitish mottling I see on the sidewalks around here](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-whitish-mottling-i-see-on-the-sidewalks-around-here/849225)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-whitish-mottling-i-see-on-the-sidewalks-around-here/849225 "2020-03-15T17:26:51Z")
Ever since I moved to Oregon I’ve been noticing random patterns of lighter colored spots on the sidewalk, like this. I am aware that salt can interact with concrete and eventually degrade it, and I have occasionally s… --- ## [My misunderstanding of oil and calories](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-misunderstanding-of-oil-and-calories/849528)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-misunderstanding-of-oil-and-calories/849528 "2020-03-15T14:37:28Z")
Since I am pretty skinny and can’t eat much, I am trying to find foods to eat that have as much as calories as possible. In this quest I came across cooking oil, which is not a food, but it made me wonder what if I dran… --- ## [So .... how loud is it on the Sun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-loud-is-it-on-the-sun/849518)
**Author:** [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-loud-is-it-on-the-sun/849518 "2020-03-15T14:19:18Z")
The sun has an atmosphere for the sound waves to travel through. I know there’s no actual surface on the sun, but you know what I mean … If we could safely be on the surface of the sun, how loud would it be? I’m guessi… --- ## [Recorded true giants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recorded-true-giants/849501)
**Author:** [@Biggus\_Richard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggus_Richard)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recorded-true-giants/849501 "2020-03-15T13:10:07Z")
Besides Angus MacAskill, whose category I’m not even sure, who were the true giants in history? Googling on gigantism vs acromegaly, the difference seems to lie on time of occurrence. Gigantism happens during puberty, re… --- ## [asteroid interaction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asteroid-interaction/849489)
**Author:** [@Kanzan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kanzan)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asteroid-interaction/849489 "2020-03-15T12:51:04Z")
Recently Asteroid Apophis was in the news when it passed by in January (it passes about once every 11 months). There is a near miss scheduled for April of 2029 when it will pass well within the moon’s orbit and even clos… --- ## [Cremation and implanted appliances](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476)
**Author:** [@Kanzan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kanzan)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 14, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476 "2020-03-14T18:54:10Z")
Hip replacements and other devices implanted into people are made out of a combination of metals and ceramics. These certainly survive cremation. What do crematoriums do with all the salvaged pieces? Not being ghoulish, … --- ## [Where does all of the money go after people sell their stocks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-all-of-the-money-go-after-people-sell-their-stocks/849342)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [March 14, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-all-of-the-money-go-after-people-sell-their-stocks/849342 "2020-03-14T18:46:24Z")
People buy low and sell high, right? Now people are selling at whatever they can get and then when the price goes lower than what they sold it for they buy it back again (I think). So where does all of the money go whe… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=380) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=382)