# \#science-math **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/tag/science-math/101.md [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) --- ## [What are the Strongest Scientific Consensuses That Turned Out to Be Possibly, or Definitely, Wrong?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-strongest-scientific-consensuses-that-turned-out-to-be-possibly-or-definitely-wrong/1032888)
**Author:** [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Replies:** 235\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-strongest-scientific-consensuses-that-turned-out-to-be-possibly-or-definitely-wrong/1032888 "2026-10-01T15:52:43Z")
An example of an extremely strong scientific consensus today is that faster than speed of light communication is impossible. My guess is that when consensus is so strong – with every tenured university physicist who wor… --- ## [Does burning food release the same amount of energy as digesting it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-burning-food-release-the-same-amount-of-energy-as-digesting-it/1033256)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-burning-food-release-the-same-amount-of-energy-as-digesting-it/1033256 "2026-09-28T20:53:24Z")
I know this is a weird question, and I’m not asking for any particular reason, but: Is the process by which the body digests food analogous in any way to combustion, in the sense that the amount of energy released is the… --- ## [The Great Ongoing Space Exploration Thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703)
**Author:** [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Replies:** 2418\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703 "2026-09-06T16:07:42Z")
With four astronauts on their way to the ISS and various probes and robot explorers in situ, in transit and planned it seems we could do a with a thread to discuss humanity’s exploration of space. I know this is somethin… --- ## [More trouble for Dan Ariely](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-trouble-for-dan-ariely/1009453)
**Author:** [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 5, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-trouble-for-dan-ariely/1009453 "2026-09-05T00:23:47Z")
You might know Dan from his book Predictively Irrational, which was a huge pop science success about behavioral economics/general science. I never loved the book because his conclusions were too glib, and the studies sta… --- ## [Mass of an Electron](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-of-an-electron/1032569)
**Author:** [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2026, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-of-an-electron/1032569 "2026-08-27T04:09:20Z")
The rest mass of an electron has been measured with quite a bit of accuracy. Here one link among many to that quantity. CODATA Value: electron mass But being a measured value, there is still some uncertainty. Suppose… --- ## [Do you think practical nuclear fusion energy will ever be a thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-practical-nuclear-fusion-energy-will-ever-be-a-thing/1032173)
**Author:** [@spacecadet86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spacecadet86)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-practical-nuclear-fusion-energy-will-ever-be-a-thing/1032173 "2026-08-13T21:38:05Z")
Fusion has been the power source of the future for decades, and while progress has been made, actual fusion power plants seem as far off as ever. And let’s not even get into spacecraft fusion propulsion. So many concepts… --- ## [The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event had to have been crazy fast, right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cretaceous-paleogene-extinction-event-had-to-have-been-crazy-fast-right/1032096)
**Author:** [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cretaceous-paleogene-extinction-event-had-to-have-been-crazy-fast-right/1032096 "2026-08-11T15:53:59Z")
I’ve been catching up on a lot of the science that’s happened in 30 years since I had a formal science class, especially genetic studies and fossils that support evolution in really remarkable ways. Some of the more fasc… --- ## [How was paper made white before modern chemistry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-paper-made-white-before-modern-chemistry/1032100)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-paper-made-white-before-modern-chemistry/1032100 "2026-08-06T15:31:24Z")
Modern chemical bleaches date from the end of the Eighteenth century. Before those were invented how was paper made white (or even a pale ivory/cream)? If you or your kids have ever dabbled in handcrafted paper you’re pr… --- ## [Are EM waves additive like sound waves? Or do they remain distinct?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-em-waves-additive-like-sound-waves-or-do-they-remain-distinct/1031648)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-em-waves-additive-like-sound-waves-or-do-they-remain-distinct/1031648 "2026-07-23T15:41:27Z")
Background: When two sonic sine waves of close frequency occur at the same time, we hear them as the average of the two frequencies, with the amplitude pulsing at the rate of the difference between the two frequencies (… --- ## [Speed of light / reflection question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-light-reflection-question/1031814)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-light-reflection-question/1031814 "2026-07-21T15:39:26Z")
In this video, a camera that can take a trillion frames per second captures a photon entering the frame (headed for an apple). The technician explains that you can see the photon(s) coming by the reflection on the table… --- ## [Water flowing over a weir: X inches deep means how many gallons/second per foot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-flowing-over-a-weir-x-inches-deep-means-how-many-gallons-second-per-foot/1031772)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-flowing-over-a-weir-x-inches-deep-means-how-many-gallons-second-per-foot/1031772 "2026-07-20T16:54:57Z")
There must be a pretty simple first-approximation formula, assuming standard gravity and water density, an infinite reservoir behind, no ripples, no turbulence, just constant smooth flow. If the water level in the reserv… --- ## [Speed of light=time stands still?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-light-time-stands-still/1031271)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-of-light-time-stands-still/1031271 "2026-07-08T12:15:46Z")
In this video, Neil DeGrasse Tyson describes the photon as timeless…experiencing no passage of time as it transverses distance. Why Photons Experience No Time :atom\_symbol: #space #timeexploration #universe #cosmicexplo… --- ## [Are there any known non-rotating black holes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-known-non-rotating-black-holes/1031392)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-known-non-rotating-black-holes/1031392 "2026-07-04T22:50:08Z")
I was reading an interesting article on photon spheres… And there was a mention of non-rotating black holes. A first thought is that conservation of angular momentum would prevent them. Googling around a bit I found th… --- ## [How long would ice last in orbit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-ice-last-in-orbit/1031310)
**Author:** [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-ice-last-in-orbit/1031310 "2026-07-02T11:58:45Z")
Let’s imagine that the Artemis astronauts had a train-style toilet that dumped into space. Actually, we don’t have to imagine that; Apollo and Artemis both vented urine to vacuum. Videos show a coruscating rush of glitte… --- ## [Probability question - time to achieve a given sequence of coin flips](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-question-time-to-achieve-a-given-sequence-of-coin-flips/1029432)
**Author:** [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-question-time-to-achieve-a-given-sequence-of-coin-flips/1029432 "2026-04-28T01:18:48Z")
Two players are repeatedly flipping a fair coin. Player A flips until they get the sequence HTH. Player B flips until they get the sequence HHT. Who should expect to finish sooner? My intuition says Player A has an adva… --- ## [Serious question about coconuts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233)
**Author:** [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2026, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233 "2026-04-17T12:57:13Z")
I checked and a swallow weights about 0.5 ounces. Coconuts weigh around 1.25 pounds so there is no way a swallow can carry a coconut. So, seriously, could a bald eagle carry a coconut? --- ## [How long for a spacecraft to reach Tau Ceti at 1 g?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-a-spacecraft-to-reach-tau-ceti-at-1-g/1029064)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2026, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-for-a-spacecraft-to-reach-tau-ceti-at-1-g/1029064 "2026-04-11T07:29:57Z")
Inspired by the Project Hail Mary thread. Tau Ceti is about 12 light years away. I have questions: If you accelerated at 1 g all the way there (not worrying about having to go into some kind of Tau Ceti orbit), how l… --- ## [Antimatter-matter equality questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antimatter-matter-equality-questions/1020917)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antimatter-matter-equality-questions/1020917 "2026-04-06T00:56:05Z")
It’s often cited as one of the key unknowns of cosmology / particle physics: Why does our universe have so much matter, and so little antimatter, when all (?) particle transformations are symmetric with respect to matter… --- ## [Tails and half tails on human (ancestors)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tails-and-half-tails-on-human-ancestors/1027006)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tails-and-half-tails-on-human-ancestors/1027006 "2026-01-30T20:30:58Z")
So humans split from the lineage that produced chimpanzees and bonobos—our closest living relatives—around 7–9 million years ago. Would we have been tail-less at that time? I’m assuming that losing tails was a gradual ev… --- ## [What is the longest distance pair of acoustic mirrors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-distance-pair-of-acoustic-mirrors/1026930)
**Author:** [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-distance-pair-of-acoustic-mirrors/1026930 "2026-01-24T14:21:52Z")
Also known as “whsper dishes” according to Wikipedia, but I have never heard that phrase. This is where a pair of parabolic dishes are set up fairly far apart from each other, and if you talk quietly into one, a person … --- ## [Gun sighting equation and trigonometry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-sighting-equation-and-trigonometry/1026697)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 21, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-sighting-equation-and-trigonometry/1026697 "2026-01-21T16:56:44Z")
There is an equation for aligning the rear sight of a firearm. The rear sights can be moved left or right. The movement = (error/distance)x(sight radius) Error=the distance between the point of aim and the actual place… --- ## [YouTuber builds a camera that films light at 2 billion fps](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtuber-builds-a-camera-that-films-light-at-2-billion-fps/1026292)
**Author:** [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtuber-builds-a-camera-that-films-light-at-2-billion-fps/1026292 "2026-01-03T03:50:24Z")
Okay I just had to share this astonishing video. Dr Brian Haidet, who runs the AphaPhoenix YouTube channel, built this camera to observe light bouncing off mirrors. The video shows how he made it (and there’s a more tech… --- ## [Beyond General Relativity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beyond-general-relativity/1026015)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [December 31, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beyond-general-relativity/1026015 "2025-12-31T01:39:01Z")
Einstein formulated the Special Theory of Relativity to describe how an object moving near the speed of light undergoes three specific transformations: 1.Length contracts in the direction of travel. 2.Mass increases to… --- ## [How many roots are there in a square root?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-roots-are-there-in-a-square-root/1025864)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [December 23, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-roots-are-there-in-a-square-root/1025864 "2025-12-23T19:50:19Z")
I keep seeing ‘square root’ reels in one of my Facebook feeds. For example: √((82 + 82)/8). So: 64 + 64 = 128 128 ÷ 8 = 16 √16 = ± 4 I was taught that a square root can be positive or negative. 4 x 4 = 16, and -4 … --- ## [Electromagnetic analogs in General Relativity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electromagnetic-analogs-in-general-relativity/1025894)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2025, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electromagnetic-analogs-in-general-relativity/1025894 "2025-12-21T12:28:25Z")
EM radiation…Light… has certain qualities: Varying frequency::wavelength describes “color”…at least perceptible in the visible part of the spectrum. One can even perceive the angle of polarization…using 3D glasses from… --- ## [Plastic Recycling Breakthrough or scam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-recycling-breakthrough-or-scam/1025891)
**Author:** [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-recycling-breakthrough-or-scam/1025891 "2025-12-20T18:48:30Z")
I don’t have the background to know if this is real hope or a scam for funding, but it looked interesting. I do know that Toluene is a very real chemical which is used in manufacturing. --- ## [The creation of the planets in our Solar System](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-creation-of-the-planets-in-our-solar-system/1022065)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2025, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-creation-of-the-planets-in-our-solar-system/1022065 "2025-12-01T09:33:02Z")
Prevailing theory is that the planets were all created from leftover “stuff” writ large from the formation of the sun. Is the type of planet and rough distance from Sol predicated upon which materials coalesced into whi… --- ## [Mars impact lunar origin theory: How does the Moon reach a stable, nearly circular orbit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-impact-lunar-origin-theory-how-does-the-moon-reach-a-stable-nearly-circular-orbit/1024701)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-impact-lunar-origin-theory-how-does-the-moon-reach-a-stable-nearly-circular-orbit/1024701 "2025-11-11T00:00:39Z")
I’ve read a few (brief) articles online that suggest the Moon was formed very early in the solar system’s development when Mars, or what would one day become Mars, struck the Earth a glancing blow and knocked the future … --- ## [Is a Category 6 Hurricane Meteorologically Possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-category-6-hurricane-meteorologically-possible/1024326)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [October 31, 2025, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-category-6-hurricane-meteorologically-possible/1024326 "2025-10-31T11:25:19Z")
This question is derived from Hurricane Melissa, whose strength is shocking given the late time of year. I’m posting this in “Factual Questions” because there are numerous conditions that govern the strength of hurrican… --- ## [2025 Nobel Prizes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-nobel-prizes/1023733)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-nobel-prizes/1023733 "2025-10-13T23:19:12Z")
The 2025 Nobel prizes are coming out this week. Today the one in medicine was announced: There have been several exciting new drugs called checkpoint inhibitors in the last few years for which this research provided i… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/tag/science-math/101.md?match_all_tags=true&page=1&tags%5B%5D=science-math)