# Well-known obvious facts that a lot of people are ignorant of **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 28, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294 "2016-04-28T00:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/81 "2016-04-28T22:49:25Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The pineapple one may be, in some circles, well known. Neither of these is obvious. Did you notice either one on your own or do you know them because you read them somewhere? I knew about how pineapples grew since me grandparents took me to the Dole plantation on Oahu when I was 4. I can’t say I figured it out myself but I did take permanent note of how they grow and it is hardly confidential information. The no gravity in space misconception requires complicated physics to understand completely but almost none to recognize that it simply can’t be correct. Even elementary school students know about tides and the fact that the moon is bound to the Earth by gravity just like the Earth is to the sun. It gets worse than that however. There are an amazing number of people including educated adults that believe that there are working anti-gravity chambers on Earth that are used to train astronauts and who knows what else. I went to Space Camp when I was in high school and one of the most common questions I got when I returned was whether or not we got to go into an anti-gravity chamber. No we didn’t because they don’t exist. There are airplanes like the ‘Vomit Comet’ that fly a parabola pattern to demonstrate relative zero-g for short periods of time but they are just using the same falling technique that orbital spacecraft do to introduce relative, but not true, zero-g . I guess a lot of people saw videos of one of those planes and assumed it was just a chamber that you climbed into and then NASA just flipped a switch to turn the gravity off. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/82 "2016-04-29T00:14:53Z")
PReally? I never met anybody like that. I do know some folks who conflate weightlessness with zero gravity. This is due, as much as anything, to how television broadcasts " explained" what the astronauts were experiencing back in the space race days. The difference, IMO, is neither well known nor obvious. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/83 "2016-04-29T01:52:13Z")
> [@](#): > > EVERY female is un-neutered. since when? are you saying my mom, who is very much female and was neutered (ovaries removed) is not a female anymore? I think she would disagree with you. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/84 "2016-04-29T02:09:25Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > since when? are you saying my mom, who is very much female and was neutered (ovaries removed) is not a female anymore? I think she would disagree with you. Your mom was spayed 🙂 I’ve seen “neuter” used for females, and there is nothing wrong with that usage, but it does _seem_ wrong. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/85 "2016-04-29T02:39:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “Sand” does not equal “silicon dioxide” any more than “char-broiling” equals “diamonds on my burger.” Correct, sand is a measure of particle size not content. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/86 "2016-04-29T02:41:59Z")
> [@Me\_Billy](#): > > 4 way stop 4 stop signs. Two cars arrive at same time, car on right has “Right of Way”! > > And when calling someone at a land line, SAY WHAT YOUR NAME IS! (Hi this is Sam calling.) > > Then ASK to speak with the person you want to talk to! (Can I speak with John?) > > (I’ve had idiots call up and start talking about something. I have no idea who they are and the call is for someone else in the house. Duh, Duh, Duh!) May I (please) speak with John? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/87 "2016-04-29T03:26:37Z")
Well, I don’t know about a _lot_ of people, but I am unable to convince my wife that no, the city does _not_ go around trimming drooping branches to a uniform height over the road - it’s the semis that do that job for free. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/88 "2016-04-29T03:39:17Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > Correct, sand is a measure of particle size not content. Obligatory _Archer_ link: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeIZsL-44EI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeIZsL-44EI) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/89 "2016-04-29T04:00:51Z")
Turning the thermostat higher (or lower) than the desired temperature does not cause the house to heat up (or cool down) any more quickly. After 23 years, my wife still doesn’t understand that it’s not like turning up the stove burner. The sinking of the Lusitania was not the cause of America getting into WWI. It took two more years for that to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/90 "2016-04-29T04:03:13Z")
A lot of people - including many who are well educated - do not know that if you drop two balls of the same size but different mass from the Leaning Tower of Pisa (or elsewhere on earth), they do not fall at the same rate (the heavier one reliably hits the ground sooner). They also don’t know that it’s most unlikely Galileo ever actually did this. (It was a thought experiment.) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/91 "2016-04-29T04:12:30Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > A lot of people - including many who are well educated - do not know that if you drop two balls of the same size but different mass from the Leaning Tower of Pisa (or elsewhere on earth), they do not fall at the same rate (the heavier one reliably hits the ground sooner). > > They also don’t know that it’s most unlikely Galileo ever actually did this. (It was a thought experiment.) Oh, please. If you drop a steel ball and a lead ball of the same diameter, I guarantee that you will not be able to measure the difference in impact times with a stopwatch. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/92 "2016-04-29T04:48:25Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I guarantee that you will not be able to measure the difference in impact times with a stopwatch. No need to. Drop them onto a board and you’ll hear the sound of two impacts. This is based on considerable Googling which says that the lead / steel density ratio is 1.4, and the height from which you could drop something off the Leaning Tower of Pisa is around 50 m. The time-of-fall difference depends on what you assume is the drag coefficient of the objects, but is around 0.1 - 0.15 seconds. Of course, you’d see the effect (which is always present) more clearly if the two balls are of substantially different mass - for example, a normal ping-pong ball, and another filled with water. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/93 "2016-04-29T05:05:40Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > They also don’t know that it’s most unlikely Galileo ever actually did this. (It was a thought experiment.) According to science history as I’ve learned it, Galileo actually did some version of this experiment, but not from the top of any straight, leaning, or other tower. He worked in his laboratory (home?) and rolled balls down an inclined wooden surface with a trough cut in it for the ball to roll in. He noticed that the time it took to roll the ball down the trough wasn’t affected by the weight of the ball. So it wasn’t exactly just a thought experiment either. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/94 "2016-04-29T05:11:24Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > May I (please) speak with John? If you haven’t yet determined if John is there, then I think “Can I (please) speak with John?” is the right question to ask. If that is answered in the affirmative, then ask the “May I?” question. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/95 "2016-04-29T06:05:18Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Of course, you’d see the effect (which is always present) more clearly if the two balls are of substantially different mass - for example, a normal ping-pong ball, and another filled with water. [“You would think _this_ would this would fall faster than _this…_”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx2KuS2zXkQ) ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/96 "2016-04-29T06:23:30Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > A surprising number of people not only do not know it, they think you are trying to play a joke on them when you break the cold, hard reality to them. Well, in the linked pictures, there’s clearly a bunch of pineapples stuck on poles, then placed at regular intervals in a field of reeds. You’ll never fool me! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/97 "2016-04-29T08:21:39Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Well, in the linked pictures, there’s clearly a bunch of pineapples stuck on poles, then placed at regular intervals in a field of reeds. You’ll never fool me! Poles? Do you mean steel beams? Because I’m pretty sure that pineapple juice can’t melt steel beams! ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/98 "2016-04-29T10:02:51Z")
I learned this one from “Car Talk”: Most of the time, a car’s gas tank is on the opposite side of its tailpipe. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/99 "2016-04-29T10:58:56Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > If you haven’t yet determined if John is there, then I think “Can I (please) speak with John?” is the right question to ask. If that is answered in the affirmative, then ask the “May I?” question. That’s why I just send John a text. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294/100 "2016-04-29T13:18:44Z")
In the days before cell phones, you never really called _people_, you called _locations_ in hopes that the person you wanted to speak to was there. That’s why the following conversation in some old movie caused confusion with my 14yo daughter: “Why don’t you call him?” “I don’t know where he is!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-known-obvious-facts-that-a-lot-of-people-are-ignorant-of/753294.md?page=6)