# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785 "2024-07-25T15:06:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 122
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2421 "2025-05-22T05:09:22Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > This is one of those facts that sound amazing until you realize it’s an inevitable consequence of basic math. That fact that the answer is the same for both, yes, but that you only need to add 6+ feet to bring the earths diameter a foot off the surface seems incredible at first blush. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2422 "2025-05-22T05:37:37Z")
The band around the earth problem reminds me a bit of the rail problem, where a simple geometric construction has a nonintuitive result: There are two steel rails laid end-to-end, each a mile long. A flexible joint connects them at the center of the two-mile long stretch. The far end of each rail is pinned to the ground. Then each rail expands by one inch but remains straight, causing the center joint to rise off the ground. How high does it rise? A simple application of the Pythagorean theorem shows that the joint rises almost 30 feet off the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2423 "2025-05-22T11:10:19Z")
Also the question did not clarify that the cities were on Earth ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2424 "2025-05-22T13:42:31Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > A simple application of the Pythagorean theorem shows that the joint rises almost 30 feet off the ground. So the expansion results in a right triangle? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2425 "2025-05-22T14:20:17Z")
Well, two right triangles. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2426 "2025-05-22T14:20:52Z")
I guess I’d have to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2427 "2025-05-22T14:27:53Z")
One right triangle to the left, with base 5,280ft, height 30ft, hypotenuse 5,280ft+1in, one triangle to the right, with base 5,280ft, height 30ft, hypotenuse 5,280ft+1in. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2428 "2025-05-22T14:33:16Z")
Any isosceles triangle can be divided into two right triangles. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2429 "2025-05-22T14:34:37Z")
DOH! is a complete sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2430 "2025-05-22T16:29:47Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > A simple application of the Pythagorean theorem shows that the joint rises almost 30 feet off the ground. Wow! That does seem incredible. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2431 "2025-05-22T17:24:48Z")
Putting the problem into inches makes the math more understandable I think. one mile of track in inches, a = 63360 one mile of track plus one inch in inches, c = 63361 a2 = 4,014,489,600 c2 = 4,014,616,321 a2 + b2 = c2 b2 = c2 - a2 4,014,616,321 - 4,014,616,321 = 126721 _√_126721 = 355.98 or ~30 feet The size of the squares are so large that I think we can’t comprehend how huge they are. The difference between them is tiny – .003% – but even a tiny percentage of a huge number is bigger than we realize. I doublechecked my numbers, and they work out, but triplecheck me anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2432 "2025-05-22T22:08:47Z")
This is a reverse application of the fact that a _tiny_ amount of force sideways exerts a _massive_ amount of force pulling on a rope. Moving the end a tiny amount with a force effectively only limited by the expansion of the rope. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2433 "2025-05-22T23:00:43Z")
Here’s an interesting fact I was recently reminded about. Charles Lindbergh, when flying the Spirit of St Louis from the U.S. to France to become the first person to fly a solo transatlantic flight, _had no windshield_. He had a periscope, and windows to his sides, but otherwise his view was just of his instruments. [![](https://i.ibb.co/fVFY7kQ9/IMG-2014.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/fVFY7kQ9/IMG-2014.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2434 "2025-05-22T23:54:09Z")
Then again… What’s directly in front of you in the air that you need to see? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2435 "2025-05-23T00:31:15Z")
Here’s another interesting one when it comes to math and geometry: Let’s say you want to measure the length of the shoreline (perimeter) of a small island. How are you going to do it? What length resolution are you going to use? That’s important, because you will get _wildly_ different answers depending on what you use. Let’s say you measure it using a yardstick (length resolution of 36 inches), and it shows the shoreline is 3.2 miles long. If you instead used a resolution of 1 inch, the shoreline might be 100 miles. If you were to use a resolution of 1 millimeter, the shoreline might be a million miles. In other words, as your measurement becomes more “accurate” and “precise,” the distance increases exponentially, resulting in ridiculous numbers. The same is not true when measuring area. I’ve always found this fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2436 "2025-05-23T00:38:51Z")
For purposes of beachfront property, docks, moorage, etc. what _is_ the practical measurement baseline? Something like rods, chains, or furlongs? ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2437 "2025-05-23T00:45:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Then again… What’s directly in front of you in the air that you need to see? [![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54b52dbde4b09c18186752fd/1556289591508-EQARS4C1NP2J02AZWBEF/Farside.jpg) ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54b52dbde4b09c18186752fd/1556289591508-EQARS4C1NP2J02AZWBEF/Farside.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2438 "2025-05-23T02:05:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Then again… What’s directly in front of you in the air that you need to see? When landing, it’s useful to see in front of you. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2439 "2025-05-23T07:40:08Z")
Today I learned: The characteristic holes in Swiss cheese (technically Emmentaler) have been shrinking and disappearing over the last couple of decades. After investigation, scientists discovered the reason — modern dairy systems produce milk that is _too clean._ Not to worry! They have a solution. They’re just seeking approval from the authorities. > **[The mysterious (court) case of the disappearing cheese holes](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-made/the-mysterious-court-case-of-the-disappearing-cheese-holes/80237144)** > > The "Emmentaler Switzerland" organisation wants to use hay flower powder to create larger holes in Emmental cheese. The Federal Administrative Court must clarify whether this is permitted in Switzerland. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2440 "2025-05-23T10:52:00Z")
Nowadays, definitely. But Lindberg’s landing spot was probably just a big, completely-empty field. No other airplanes, no terminal buildings, no traffic-control tower, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=121) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=123)