# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=779 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 780 --- ## [Formula, expression, equation, function. What's the difference?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-expression-equation-function-whats-the-difference/778864)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-expression-equation-function-whats-the-difference/778864 "2017-02-07T22:25:53Z")
Are they all (more-or-less) interchangeable terms in mathematics? --- ## [What authority/powers does the Secretary of Education have over K-12 education?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-authority-powers-does-the-secretary-of-education-have-over-k-12-education/779269)
**Author:** [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-authority-powers-does-the-secretary-of-education-have-over-k-12-education/779269 "2017-02-07T21:47:32Z")
This may wind up in GD or wherever, but I am looking for a factual answer: in what ways does the office of Secretary of Education empower the occupant of that office to affect K-12 education? My WAG would be: not much, … --- ## [star death: how fast does it occur in human terms?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-death-how-fast-does-it-occur-in-human-terms/779222)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-death-how-fast-does-it-occur-in-human-terms/779222 "2017-02-07T21:42:01Z")
I just read about this red giant exploding: and was wondering in terms of human time scale, how fast does this occur? Is it something that happens within seconds, or does it take days to blow up…or a few weeks…or perha… --- ## [Help me figure out this 1970s cult book I saw a long time ago](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-this-1970s-cult-book-i-saw-a-long-time-ago/779221)
**Author:** [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-this-1970s-cult-book-i-saw-a-long-time-ago/779221 "2017-02-07T21:22:59Z")
We were raised square and Catholic, but for some reason my parents had this book buried in a drawer. IIRC, the printing on the cover was an obnoxious pink and black with some vague washed out photograph in the background… --- ## [CPU type performance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cpu-type-performance/779235)
**Author:** [@MTVhike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTVhike)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cpu-type-performance/779235 "2017-02-07T19:30:29Z")
What is the relative performance of Intel’s Xeon and Core 7 processors? Are these their highest performance CPUs? --- ## [What is the motivation behind ISIS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-motivation-behind-isis/779199)
**Author:** [@KatTP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KatTP)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-motivation-behind-isis/779199 "2017-02-07T18:51:44Z")
I am assuming all ‘terrorists’ do things for a reason, but what is the prime motivating factor behind any/all ISIS attacks throughout the world. Governments, leaders, countries, etc, will often call people terrorists be… --- ## [Why does special relativity predict the future already exists?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-special-relativity-predict-the-future-already-exists/778677)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-special-relativity-predict-the-future-already-exists/778677 "2017-02-07T18:39:57Z")
I’ll need this to be explained like I’m five because I’m no physicist. It seems from my reading that most scientists believe special relativity necessarily predicts that the past, present, and future already exist in a … --- ## [Credit card late fee: is it related to an actual expense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-card-late-fee-is-it-related-to-an-actual-expense/778934)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-card-late-fee-is-it-related-to-an-actual-expense/778934 "2017-02-07T18:14:13Z")
I paid my last credit card bill a few days late because I misread the due date (time for some reading glasses). They charged me interest and a late fee, the latter being 50% larger than the interest. (I don’t mind payi… --- ## [Where do birds hang out on cold days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-birds-hang-out-on-cold-days/779231)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-birds-hang-out-on-cold-days/779231 "2017-02-07T18:00:51Z")
Winter weather here in Michigan is pretty variable. Today the temperature is supposed to get up into the 50s, but other days the high may be much closer to 0F. Migratory birds like ducks and geese generally head south … --- ## [Is there any oversight of police brutality in Russia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-oversight-of-police-brutality-in-russia/779145)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-oversight-of-police-brutality-in-russia/779145 "2017-02-07T17:24:49Z")
Do any civics organization exist for these kinds of issues? Internal affairs, oversight boards, etc? I’d doubt it but I’m curious. --- ## [Memory upgrade for Dell Precision 490](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-upgrade-for-dell-precision-490/778234)
**Author:** [@MTVhike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTVhike)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memory-upgrade-for-dell-precision-490/778234 "2017-02-07T17:01:17Z")
I have an old Dell Precision 490 computer, for which I would like to upgrade the memory. It is vintage 2011, and came with Windows XP. Upon upgrading it to Windows 7 (32 bit), I realized that it didn’t have enough memory… --- ## [The visual abilities of fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-visual-abilities-of-fish/779171)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-visual-abilities-of-fish/779171 "2017-02-07T15:29:00Z")
Please help me educate myself about piscine vision. I need to research an article for a fishing magazine on vision and color perception in fish, so I’m looking for any scholarly source material you can recommend. One a… --- ## [Big, popular Youtubers who review products. Are they being given this stuff to keep?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-popular-youtubers-who-review-products-are-they-being-given-this-stuff-to-keep/779205)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-popular-youtubers-who-review-products-are-they-being-given-this-stuff-to-keep/779205 "2017-02-07T14:54:54Z")
There are some youtube like channels like Unbox Therapy or Linus Tech Tips that have millions of subscribers. I am curious. Some stuff they review like electric cars they obviously can’t keep, but for a lot of items lik… --- ## ["So-called judge" - can Trump be held in contempt of court?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-judge-can-trump-be-held-in-contempt-of-court/779063)
**Author:** [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-judge-can-trump-be-held-in-contempt-of-court/779063 "2017-02-07T12:33:59Z")
We all know about Trumps tweet about the “ridiculous” decision of a " so- called judge" that overturned his executive order. Question: does such a public remark, from an official in function, amount to contempt of the co… --- ## [High Definition TV Flicker?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-definition-tv-flicker/779206)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-definition-tv-flicker/779206 "2017-02-07T12:25:31Z")
I’ve never noticed this before, but watching TV tonight on two different channels, I can detect the slightest “flicker” making the TV show almost look like one of those old time movies where the actors appear to stagger … --- ## [Was the Carrier, USS Enterprise, retired?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-carrier-uss-enterprise-retired/398405 "2017-02-07T10:16:17Z")
Did anyone here about this? I heard a blurb that the City of Baltimore made a pitch to have it as a floating museum in the harbor, but the Navy deemed the harbor too shallow. And, instead of trying to find it a better … --- ## [What would the planets look like to the naked eye of a space traveller?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-planets-look-like-to-the-naked-eye-of-a-space-traveller/778945)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-planets-look-like-to-the-naked-eye-of-a-space-traveller/778945 "2017-02-07T07:12:45Z")
Some time ago I read a comment on this forum that surprised me, it was pointed out that all those bright colourful images of the outer planets would not look like that at all to someone looking directly at them from a sp… --- ## [flaps of skin inside my mouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flaps-of-skin-inside-my-mouth/141233)
**Author:** [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flaps-of-skin-inside-my-mouth/141233 "2017-02-07T05:32:36Z")
Just inside the corners of my mouth, I have a flap of skin (one on each side). They are annoying because I have a tendency to bite them when I’m eating, causing intense pain! And of course, they then swell up, which mean… --- ## [Trump's Muslim ban: who's paying for the flights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-muslim-ban-whos-paying-for-the-flights/779158)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-muslim-ban-whos-paying-for-the-flights/779158 "2017-02-07T05:23:41Z")
When folks were detained at US airports following Trump’s ban on travel from Muslim countries, and sent back to where they came from, who paid for those flights? My assumption is that the government (and therefore the US… --- ## [Solar Eclipses: Something's Amiss Here...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-somethings-amiss-here/778907)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-eclipses-somethings-amiss-here/778907 "2017-02-07T04:27:59Z")
FYI: This question goes beyond eclipse basics. We all hear the same rhetoric that a solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and earth are aligned. Simple, right? Not when one tries to quantify things. The basic questio… --- ## [Print dialog box help.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/print-dialog-box-help/779204)
**Author:** [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/print-dialog-box-help/779204 "2017-02-07T03:15:50Z")
Bought a new printer yesterday, my old Epson finally died. Got a new Epson, lot more features than the old. The only gripe is the print dialog box has changed. The previous dialog box had options for print quality for te… --- ## [Eastern Canadians - explain "energy poverty" grandma situation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eastern-canadians-explain-energy-poverty-grandma-situation/777233)
**Author:** [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eastern-canadians-explain-energy-poverty-grandma-situation/777233 "2017-02-07T03:11:30Z")
A story making the rounds this week says and elsewhere Just BTW I think it’s weird that you guys keep calling your power bill “hydro”. I don’t call mine “coal”, but anyway; I clearly don’t understand the first thin… --- ## [Does a copy of a marriage certificate from the GRO in the UK count as a "certified copy" in the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-copy-of-a-marriage-certificate-from-the-gro-in-the-uk-count-as-a-certified-copy-in-the-us/779183)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-copy-of-a-marriage-certificate-from-the-gro-in-the-uk-count-as-a-certified-copy-in-the-us/779183 "2017-02-07T02:21:39Z")
We were married in the UK in 2015 and my wife needs to get her name changed on her passport. The US passport authorities says you need a marriage certificate or “certified copy” (and that a notarized copy does not count… --- ## [big rig cost per mile?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-rig-cost-per-mile/778831)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-rig-cost-per-mile/778831 "2017-02-07T01:33:31Z")
Suppose I hire a US freight company to take my cargo across the country. I have just enough cargo to completely fill a standard 53-foot trailer up to its legal limit - in other words, I’m paying the entire cost of the t… --- ## [Physical Size of a Meteor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physical-size-of-a-meteor/779201)
**Author:** [@Oddball\_92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oddball_92)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2017, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physical-size-of-a-meteor/779201 "2017-02-07T00:44:11Z")
Here is a video of a meteor which was spotted over the midwest recently. http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/news/meteor-spotted-over-the-midwest/vi-AAmFjSm?OCID=ansmsnnews11 My question is: about how large was the rock? I … --- ## [Should I Wash My Hands After Using a Self-Adhesive Stamp?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-wash-my-hands-after-using-a-self-adhesive-stamp/779141)
**Author:** [@greenpurple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenpurple)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-wash-my-hands-after-using-a-self-adhesive-stamp/779141 "2017-02-06T23:23:05Z")
??? --- ## [Another probability question (not homework!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-probability-question-not-homework/779049)
**Author:** [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-probability-question-not-homework/779049 "2017-02-06T22:04:07Z")
I have been asked to evaluate a proposed change to an existing computer based exercise that generates a “random” sequence of N values, lets call them red and blue marbles. I would appreciate input on the validity of my a… --- ## [Sony has a one billion dollar 'goodwill' loss. What?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-has-a-one-billion-dollar-goodwill-loss-what/778606)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-has-a-one-billion-dollar-goodwill-loss-what/778606 "2017-02-06T21:57:39Z")
Sony Warns of $962 Million Goodwill Loss Several things I don’t understand here. What is a goodwill or impairment loss? Or a non-cash loss? And shifts in the entertainment space I get but how on earth could a studio pu… --- ## ["graduated from college" vs. "graduated from university" …](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/graduated-from-college-vs-graduated-from-university/779080)
**Author:** [@albino\_manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/albino_manatee)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/graduated-from-college-vs-graduated-from-university/779080 "2017-02-06T21:57:04Z")
“graduated from college” vs. “graduated from university” … is there any difference? does one infer higher \[academia, achievement, prestige\]? does the term “graduated from college” speculate a student … --- ## [Shouldn't there be more males than females? What am I forgetting about evolution? (cf breeders)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-there-be-more-males-than-females-what-am-i-forgetting-about-evolution-cf-breeders/779095)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2017, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-there-be-more-males-than-females-what-am-i-forgetting-about-evolution-cf-breeders/779095 "2017-02-06T21:27:14Z")
Chain of thought: Kentucky Derby horse sires are a jackpot that keeps on giving, Kentucky Derby dams not so much. Males have the DNA goods almost always ready to go for most of their lives. Enough for bazillions of mati… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=778) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=780)