# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=52 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 53 --- ## [Name for Irrational numbers that follow a pattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-irrational-numbers-that-follow-a-pattern/1015301)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 14, 2025, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-irrational-numbers-that-follow-a-pattern/1015301 "2025-03-14T16:39:51Z")
Is there a name for irrational numbers that follow a pattern (or maybe better: a rule), like 0.10110011100011110000…. or 1.357911131517…. --- ## [Do Navy ships provide a off-duty rec area topside?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navy-ships-provide-a-off-duty-rec-area-topside/1015497)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 14, 2025, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-navy-ships-provide-a-off-duty-rec-area-topside/1015497 "2025-03-14T12:05:27Z")
Being confined below deck must get old on a long peacetime deployment. How much access does off-duty Navy crews have to the outside? Can they stand at the rails and enjoy the fresh air? Is there a rec area with chairs … --- ## [Why is fentanyl smuggled in?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184)
**Author:** [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 14, 2025, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fentanyl-smuggled-in/1015184 "2025-03-14T03:43:55Z")
The stuff seems to not be hard to produce. Regular kitchens can suffice and the precursors are allegedly pretty widely available used for lots of other manufacturing. So why aren’t the cartels just doing a Walter White … --- ## [Will my coffee stay hotter if I wait a bit before milk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-my-coffee-stay-hotter-if-i-wait-a-bit-before-milk/1015473)
**Author:** [@BrantMcFritter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrantMcFritter)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [March 14, 2025, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-my-coffee-stay-hotter-if-i-wait-a-bit-before-milk/1015473 "2025-03-14T00:21:28Z")
Hello. Just had a thought and I know for sure I’m not the man to ask. My brain should know better than to ask me stuff like this. Anyway this is what I wondered - If I wait, say 30 seconds before adding milk to my coffe… --- ## [Laptop battery](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery/1015495)
**Author:** [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2025, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-battery/1015495 "2025-03-13T18:17:31Z")
I have a Samsung laptop that I bought in August of '22. Since a couple weeks ago the battery has only been charging up to 79%. Anybody know why? And does thismean I need to buy a new battery? --- ## [Can an animal really be impervious to all known chemical weapons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-animal-really-be-impervious-to-all-known-chemical-weapons/1015420)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-animal-really-be-impervious-to-all-known-chemical-weapons/1015420 "2025-03-13T16:28:26Z")
A common sci-fi or horror trope of creatures gone amok is that they somehow become immune to “all known chemical deterrents or weapons” to explain why we can’t just kill these evil ants or wasps. Usually this isn’t even … --- ## [Is it typical to have a dozen or more email hacking attempts a day?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-typical-to-have-a-dozen-or-more-email-hacking-attempts-a-day/1015487)
**Author:** [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-typical-to-have-a-dozen-or-more-email-hacking-attempts-a-day/1015487 "2025-03-13T16:04:49Z")
Today I was reviewing my activity on my Microsoft email account, something I’d never really bothered with before, at least not in years. I was surprised to see I was having well over a dozen unsuccessful attempts at ope… --- ## [If we have canine, feline, equine, etc](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-have-canine-feline-equine-etc/1015483 "2025-03-13T15:13:32Z")
… then why isn’t it pronounced “mah-RYNE”? --- ## [How does timekeeping work on trans-oceanic passages?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-timekeeping-work-on-trans-oceanic-passages/1015369)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-timekeeping-work-on-trans-oceanic-passages/1015369 "2025-03-12T19:39:32Z")
Let’s say I’m traveling from Southampton to New York on a ocean liner. The ship sails at 1800. Supper is at 2000, I assume Southampton time. The next night, the ship will have crossed a time zone or two. Supper at 2000 … --- ## [An exact duplicate of the Voyager I craft passes by Earth; how close for our equipment to detect it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exact-duplicate-of-the-voyager-i-craft-passes-by-earth-how-close-for-our-equipment-to-detect-it/1015449)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2025, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-exact-duplicate-of-the-voyager-i-craft-passes-by-earth-how-close-for-our-equipment-to-detect-it/1015449 "2025-03-12T05:56:03Z")
Let’s say an alien civilization made a spacecraft that, as luck would have it, matches the Voyager I piece for piece and gram for gram. How close would it have to get for any of our equipment to detect it? Edited to add… --- ## [Median and halving](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/median-and-halving/1015436)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2025, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/median-and-halving/1015436 "2025-03-12T02:11:43Z")
I have seen this both ways so I’m wondering if there is a technically correct answer and if not, what the consensus is. Assume an odd amount of data that you want to split into the low half and high half. Does the medi… --- ## [How should I plan for weather on a long car trip?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-plan-for-weather-on-a-long-car-trip/1015079)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2025, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-plan-for-weather-on-a-long-car-trip/1015079 "2025-03-12T01:18:12Z")
I live in West Central MT, but have spent the winter in Tulsa, OK, and now it’s time to head back. It’s a 1635 mile trip, and would only take 25 hours if I drove straight through, but I plan on stopping to sleep at night… --- ## [Garage door froze shut, garage door opener didn't like it](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-froze-shut-garage-door-opener-didnt-like-it/1015272)
**Author:** [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2025, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-froze-shut-garage-door-opener-didnt-like-it/1015272 "2025-03-11T06:07:08Z")
I discovered that my garage door was iced shut when I tried using my Genie “POWERLIFT 900” Model 2562 screw drive door opener. I assumed the awful sound I heard was that of the screw drive devouring the threads on the c… --- ## [Do you need a permit to project light/images onto buildings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-permit-to-project-light-images-onto-buildings/1014840)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2025, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-a-permit-to-project-light-images-onto-buildings/1014840 "2025-03-11T04:57:28Z")
This week, CBS Sunday Morning ran a story about holocaust survivors having their pictures taken and projected onto buildings in New York City. It was mentioned that they didn’t have any kind of permit to do so. Which l… --- ## [Can Blu-Ray Players also play regular DVD's?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-blu-ray-players-also-play-regular-dvds/1013207)
**Author:** [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2025, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-blu-ray-players-also-play-regular-dvds/1013207 "2025-03-11T04:14:51Z")
Can Blu-Ray players also play regular DVD’s or must I have a separate device for both types? --- ## [Fire on an ammonia-rich planet or moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-on-an-ammonia-rich-planet-or-moon/1015329)
**Author:** [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2025, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-on-an-ammonia-rich-planet-or-moon/1015329 "2025-03-10T23:00:13Z")
Here’s a question I haven’t really got an answer for; imagine a planet with an atmosphere rich in ammonia rather than oxygen, and maybe some other non-reactive gases like nitrogen, argon and possibly carbon dioxide. Prob… --- ## [What does "at increased risk" mean in this case?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-at-increased-risk-mean-in-this-case/1015338)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-at-increased-risk-mean-in-this-case/1015338 "2025-03-10T22:57:38Z")
I just got a text from CVS. It reads: CVS Pharmacy: Hi \[kaylasdad99\] an RSV vaccine is recommended by the CDC for adults 60-74 at increased risk for severe RSV. Schedule yours here (then it gives a link that I won’t be … --- ## [Is there a way to look up a book review from the mid-1980s with very limited information?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-look-up-a-book-review-from-the-mid-1980s-with-very-limited-information/1015311)
**Author:** [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2025, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-look-up-a-book-review-from-the-mid-1980s-with-very-limited-information/1015311 "2025-03-10T16:01:45Z")
I’m in an odd spot. I just read in a book by an author who died since the book was published (so no way to contact him—the book was Hype and Glory by William Goldman) where he mentioned in passing that “a famous Hollywoo… --- ## [Are there academic subjects that can be studied successfully by relying mainly on rote memory?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-academic-subjects-that-can-be-studied-successfully-by-relying-mainly-on-rote-memory/666012)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2025, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-academic-subjects-that-can-be-studied-successfully-by-relying-mainly-on-rote-memory/666012 "2025-03-10T10:10:08Z")
Usually, the advice given to students by their professors and teachers is to truly understand an academic subject instead of just “mindlessly” learning by heart formulas, definitions, time tables etc. But I wonder if th… --- ## [Why do many bodybuilders use anabolic steroids instead of actual testosterone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-bodybuilders-use-anabolic-steroids-instead-of-actual-testosterone/1015349)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-bodybuilders-use-anabolic-steroids-instead-of-actual-testosterone/1015349 "2025-03-09T20:29:00Z")
From what I understand there are many different kinds of anabolic steroids, and I am told that they have different effects in terms of bulking vs cutting and different side effects like pimples, aggression etc. But ulti… --- ## [Question about AirTags](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-airtags/1015249)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-airtags/1015249 "2025-03-08T21:18:02Z")
My daughter just left today for a 3-day camping trip in the mountains with her class (western Switzerland pre-Alps), her first time doing this. She was not allowed to carry her phone. Being the ever-worried dad, I insist… --- ## [How do neutrons kill you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-neutrons-kill-you/1015253)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-neutrons-kill-you/1015253 "2025-03-08T18:24:28Z")
During the Manhattan Project, a pile of fissile material accidentally achieve supercriticality on two separate occasions, killing Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin, respectfully. when a nuclear reactor in Tokaimura, Japan… --- ## [Road team athletes: who feeds 'em?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-team-athletes-who-feeds-em/1015011)
**Author:** [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-team-athletes-who-feeds-em/1015011 "2025-03-08T13:31:22Z")
After watching an East coast VS West coast college basketball game, it occurred to me: where the heck are these kids going to eat? The team plus coaching staff and “handlers” must be around 35 people. They couldn’t simp… --- ## [Practicing Sentence Writing in a Foreign Language - Google Translate or ChatGPT/Copilot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practicing-sentence-writing-in-a-foreign-language-google-translate-or-chatgpt-copilot/1014923)
**Author:** [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2025, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practicing-sentence-writing-in-a-foreign-language-google-translate-or-chatgpt-copilot/1014923 "2025-03-08T02:09:00Z")
I’ve been learning Bahasa Indonesia on Duolinguo for the past two months, and I’m really enjoying it. Very soon after I started, I felt the need to practice sentences other than the ones used by the app, partly because … --- ## [Old pulley -- on coned shaft?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pulley-on-coned-shaft/1015028)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pulley-on-coned-shaft/1015028 "2025-03-07T14:50:04Z")
I collect antique wheels such as flat belt pulleys, flywheels, handwheels, and the like. It’s just interesting. I recently got one that has me stumped. It’s 8" diameter with flat 1.5" face (not crowned). The hub is 2" th… --- ## [Disposal of an old CO2 detector?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposal-of-an-old-co2-detector/1015062)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2025, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposal-of-an-old-co2-detector/1015062 "2025-03-07T13:25:27Z")
It’s 10 years old, which is the usual expiration date. Google says I can throw it in the trash, but the back has an unmistakable “do not trash” symbol (the one that looks like a curbside household trash bin). Which shoul… --- ## [Is there an upper limit to how large of a dose of fentanyl before narcan stops working](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-upper-limit-to-how-large-of-a-dose-of-fentanyl-before-narcan-stops-working/1015188)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-upper-limit-to-how-large-of-a-dose-of-fentanyl-before-narcan-stops-working/1015188 "2025-03-07T00:59:20Z")
I’ve heard stories from EMTs of finding someone who OD’d and the EMT having to give them multiple doses of narcan. My understanding is the u-opioid receptor is the one that causes respiratory depression. Naloxone has a … --- ## [Would the (hypothetical) inhabitants of Proxima B see the same constellations we do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-the-hypothetical-inhabitants-of-proxima-b-see-the-same-constellations-we-do/1015216)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2025, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-the-hypothetical-inhabitants-of-proxima-b-see-the-same-constellations-we-do/1015216 "2025-03-06T22:38:24Z")
Let’s say that Proxima B, the nearest potentially habitable exoplanet to us, has a civilization of intelligent beings with exactly the same technology we have. Would they see the same constellations we see? Would their … --- ## [Are pilots supposed to look both ways before crossing the runway?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pilots-supposed-to-look-both-ways-before-crossing-the-runway/1014828)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2025, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pilots-supposed-to-look-both-ways-before-crossing-the-runway/1014828 "2025-03-06T03:13:34Z")
Just in case you missed the news, there was a close call at Midway Airport yesterday, with a Southwest Airlines jet aborting a landing with seconds to spare just as an errant business jet crossed the runway. Caught by a… --- ## [How frequent oil changes for newish car](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-frequent-oil-changes-for-newish-car/1014698)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-frequent-oil-changes-for-newish-car/1014698 "2025-03-05T22:02:02Z")
I turned up a couple of older threads, but was wondering if current thought had changed any, given newer cars and synthetic oils. I have a 3+ year old Subaru Forester. I put \<6k miles on it per year - probably just abo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=51) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=53)