# Debunking time - Fun factoids. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024 "2003-05-13T19:44:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/41 "2003-05-14T19:43:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Degrance \* > \*\*I think Barbie is meant to be to scale. The sites I found on a quick Google list 1/6 as the exact scale. Therefore if she were enlarged to full scale she would have a defined height as well as the other measurements. \*\* Yeah, but how would she breathe? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/42 "2003-05-14T20:04:41Z")
Corals are technically animals. They arent the most nimble of jumpers. ---
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/43 "2003-05-14T20:11:26Z")
Do “millionth” or “billionth” rhyme with month? ---
**Author:** ![bryanmcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@bryanmcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmcc)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/44 "2003-05-14T20:43:55Z")
No, but “oneth” does. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/45 "2003-05-14T21:14:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darwin’s Finch \* > \*\*The “four knees” version would be quite false, since elephants, like all other tetrapods, only have two knees (and, for the record, birds’ knees do not bend backward, either). \*\* It is with the greatest of trepidation that I would point out an error in something **Darwin’s Finch** has said, but let me try: The definition of “knee” where it relates to quadrupeds includes the carpal joint. Where an elephant is different is that there’s very little “flexing” in their “elbow” joints when they walk. It’s pretty much all done at the “wrist.” That counts as one set of knees. In the back legs of most quadrupeds, the main joint bends backwards, which corresponds to the ankle. The “true” back knee is typically located much closer to the body and isn’t very noticeable. In horses and the like it’s called the “stifle.” In elephants, however, the back knee is not located close to the body, and does noticeably flex. So, an elephant does indeed have four “knees,” as the result of some imprecise, and admittedly unscientific definitions of the word. And “millionth” and “billionth” probably shouldn’t be considered as rhymes for “month,” since the last accented vowel and succeeding sounds in both the former cases is “illionth.” ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/46 "2003-05-14T22:35:12Z")
According to [youreyedoctors.com](http://www.youreyedoctors.com/LMAwhatdoesmybabysee.html), as well as the link Darwin’s Finch\*\* provided, our eyes are not the same size from birth to adulthood. > [@](#): > > An infant’s visual system is immature and continues to develop through childhood. The cycle begins early in life, starting while in the womb and completing at age 10. > > A baby begins to see during the first few months of life as the eyes and visual system mature. A newborn has poor vision and is unable to focus on objects and can only see very big shapes and shadows. Their vision measures worse than 20/400, the biggest letter on an eye chart. By 3 months of age, objects the size of faces can be discerned by the baby’s eyes. A one year old can see shapes the size of large newspaper print. Children do not attain 20/20 vision until approximately 4 years of age. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/47 "2003-05-14T22:54:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker \* > **So, an elephant does indeed have four “knees,” as the result of some imprecise, and admittedly unscientific definitions of the word.** “Imprecise” is right - which is why I said what I did 😉 The knee joint is the joint between the femur and the tibia+fibula, regardless of the tetrapod in question. I doubt you’d find an anatomical text which would say otherwise (even most dictionaries define it as such). Similarly, the elbow is the joint between between humerus and radius+ulna. The definitions of these joints is not dependent on their being “major” joints, or their relative positions on a limb; rather, the definitions are dependent on which bones articulate with which. Thus, knees only occur in hind limbs. Granted, some folks may refer informally to any joint that looks like a knee as a knee, but that doesn’t make it an anatomically correct definition. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/48 "2003-05-15T01:28:13Z")
Hey, not just some folks, but the editors at Merriam-Webster: Main Entry: 1knee Pronunciation: 'nE Function: noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English cnEow; akin to Old High German kneo knee, Latin genu, Greek gony Date: before 12th century 1 a : a joint in the middle part of the human leg that is the articulation between the femur, tibia, and patella; also : the part of the leg that includes this joint b (1) : the joint in the hind leg of a four-footed vertebrate that corresponds to the human knee \*\*(2) : the carpal joint of the foreleg of a four-footed vertebrate \*\*c : the tarsal joint of a bird d : the joint between the femur and tibia of an insect Allowing that a dictionary is mainly a reflection of usage–not a reference for anatomy–I’d be willing to say that this secondary definition is probably pretty old. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/49 "2003-05-15T03:58:11Z")
:sigh: Fine, call it a knee. While we’re at it, we might as well admit that birds aren’t the only animals with feathers, because some yahoo way back in the umpteenth century decided that horses have them too. No wonder people are confused by anatomy, and even moreso by comparative anatomy. ---
**Author:** ![MegaDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@MegaDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaDave)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/50 "2003-05-15T12:56:28Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > It could of course be an idiosyncrasy of your daughter’s. I assume they’re measuring her eyes for a reason; does cranio-frontonasal dysplasia affect the size of the visible part of the eye? no, this is a fact in everyone… as part of this syndrome, they were trying to nail down where it came from in the family (this is a genetic syndrome) and since there wasn’t anyone that we could noticebly tell had this, everyone was tested (meaning all my wife’s and my families both). part of the tests were to measure the eyes, nasal cavity, palatte, among several other factors, along with some cat scans… since this test was done on me (about 4 years ago or so) I have had my eyes measured 4 other times (once each year… they think the syndrome came from me). anyway, they have always measured the same. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/51 "2003-05-15T13:02:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MegaDave \*\*\* > no, this is a fact in everyone… \*\* Not according to **x-ray vision’s** [cite:](http://www.youreyedoctors.com/LMAwhatdoesmybabysee.html) > [@](#): > > Your baby’s eyes are growing and changing quickly from birth until early childhood. > The eye is about 1/3 the size of an adult eye at birth. The eyes complete 50 percent of their total growth during the first 6 months of life. > [@](#): > > \*\*as part of this syndrome, they were trying to nail down where it came from in the family (this is a genetic syndrome) and since there wasn’t anyone that we could noticebly tell had this, everyone was tested (meaning all my wife’s and my families both). part of the tests were to measure the eyes, nasal cavity, palatte, among several other factors, along with some cat scans… since this test was done on me (about 4 years ago or so) I have had my eyes measured 4 other times (once each year… they think the syndrome came from me). anyway, they have always measured the same. \*\* Well, it seems clear from the context that you were an adult four years ago (correct me if I’m wrong), so that doesn’t really prove anything one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![MegaDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@MegaDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaDave)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/52 "2003-05-15T13:08:59Z")
yes but the original factoid stated that your ears and nose never stop growing, so I was assuming that we were either trying to put eyes in that category or not. I don’t think that they conitnue growing, and the fact that I am an adult now (and was 4 years ago, im 27) and that they haven’t grown goes to show that the factoid is true. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/53 "2003-05-15T13:12:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MegaDave \* > \*\*yes but the original factoid stated that your ears and nose never stop growing, so I was assuming that we were either trying to put eyes in that category or not. I don’t think that they conitnue growing, and the fact that I am an adult now (and was 4 years ago, im 27) and that they haven’t grown goes to show that the factoid is true. \*\* The original factoid: > [@](#): > > Your eyes are the same size all through your life, but your ears and nose never stop growing We’ve shown that your eyes are _not_ the same size all through your life. We haven’t really put our teeth into the ears and nose part yet. ---
**Author:** ![MegaDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@MegaDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaDave)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/54 "2003-05-15T13:19:53Z")
good point priceguy… we haven’t discussed ears and nose, and although i don’t have any frame of reference, that sounds perfectly plausible to me, at least I know babies have very small noses and ears, while adults do not, although i don’t know if there is some point where they would stop growing or not… your cite above seems to suggest that there is a point where your eyes stop growing, and it seems to be very early in childhood… > [@](#): > > Your baby’s eyes are growing and changing quickly from birth until early childhood. > The eye is about 1/3 the size of an adult eye at birth. The eyes complete 50 percent of their total growth during the first 6 months of life. I am off to try and find some more specific information on it ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/55 "2003-05-15T13:53:27Z")
Great thread! I was hoping to see one “factoid” on the list- that being that the Queen Elizabeth II moves only 6 inches on a gallon of diesel fuel. Seems like it would be easy to disprove for someone knowledgeable about ships so if anyone can shed light on this, please do so. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/56 "2003-05-15T15:38:53Z")
From the [QE2 homepage](http://www.qe2.org.uk/engine.html): > [@](#): > > **What is the fuel consumption?** > At the service speed of 28.5 knots, consumption is 380 tons per day: this equates to 50 ft/gall. ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/57 "2003-05-15T16:33:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bryanmcc \* > > > [@](#): > > > > _Originally posted by The Gaspode_ > > All polarbears are left-pawed (south-pawed :snicker: ) > > Except, of course, that polar bears are from _northern_ polar regions. \*\* It is a scientific fact that polar bears north of the equator are right-pawed, whereas polar bears from south of the equator are south-pawed. This is because of coriolis force. I thought everyone knew that… ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/58 "2003-05-15T17:13:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Priceguy \* > \*\*We haven’t really put our teeth into the ears and nose part yet. \*\* You’re not going to do that on mine. They’re off limits 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/59 "2003-05-15T17:28:01Z")
Damn, I beat down the ear and nose growing myth here a few times, with medical cites. The short version: Nose cartlidge and ear cartlige may droop over time, giving the appearance that they’ve grown. This is not growth per se, but lengthening through drooping. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024/60 "2003-05-15T17:40:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Gaspode \* > \*\*Elephants are the only animals who can’t jump > \*\* Perhaps he/she meant mammals? Even so, what about White Men? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debunking-time-fun-factoids/175024.md?page=4)