Ask Science

If we have such a high field of vision, why can't we focus on everything within the vision simultaneously?

Why is it that I am not able to read a book without moving my eyes if the entirety of the page is within my field of view? Why do I have to center my eyes on an object to observe it fully? And why is it that I am still able to view changes in surroundings in the edges of my field of vision despite there being supposedly no way...

Is it possible to receive an electric shock when you *stop* touching something?

I seem to remember as a young child being told that it is safe to touch a Van de Graff generator (for the hair demonstration), but that if you let go before it is safe you will get a nasty shock. I know a bit more about electricity now, and I'm a little skeptical now. Is it possible to get a shock from letting go of something?

Volcanic Pyroclastic flows: What are some good analogies to understand the full spectrum of causes?

I’m trying to wrap my head around something that appears far more complex than I first thought. I don’t understand the explosive elements and chemistry that drives ash production and the heat to create the eruption column. I’m aware of how molten metal behaves in a foundry crucible with flux and degassing required. So I...

What is the best medium for transmitting sound?

I know that sound doesn’t travel in a vacuum, you can hear it muddled in water, and different temperatures of air transmit better. But which is the “best”. Let’s say you had a speaker and a microphone in an enclosed case filled with whatever you wanted, which would be the best medium to ensure the best sound...

Atapuerca – human cannibalism 1 million years ago: what is known about the evolution of human morality over time into the near current era?

I just watched the recent video from Stephen Milo on human life 1 million years ago. He mentions cannibalism evidence across multiple events. That has me thinking about morality in isolated groups and how it might have evolved or could evolve differently....

Potential energy created by same poles of magnets

Found this very useful Youtube video about How do Magnets & Magnetic Fields Work? and within it I finally found someone willing to explain greater details about how same poles repel in laymen terms. The link above takes you to the section where the Presenter explains how (as I understand him) potential energy forms between the...

Niche Gravity Theory?

There’s a good many gravity theories, some that don’t even try to explain the why, only the how and other’s that involve some particle like the graviton. But anyone know if there’s any based on the energetic vibrations of our known particles with mass (those within protons and neutrons)? In other words, gravity’s space...

Area of gravity at the center of large, dense celestial bodies...

I’ve read that at the center of large celestial bodies there’s zero gravity (or close to). While confirmation would be nice, if true, I’m wondering how large that area can actually be and moreover, does it scale up with more mass and/or even size - that is, does the sun have a larger center area of low (zero?) gravity than...

Has there been any psych research about why some people prefer certain kinds of pets over others?

There’s a billion quizzes online that say they can help you choose your first pet, and my 45 minutes of googling before posting this did turn up a single blog that suggested that owners of a class of pet share certain personality traits and lifestyles (although they frustratingly seemed to forget that people own things like...

What shape would the universe's equivalent of a single pixel of 3D space be?

In digital devices, we have pixels, which represent the smallest unit of size anything can be in a digital program. Something that is a single pixel in size in every dimension cannot get smaller. Depending on the software, though, sometimes their shape is not consistent with one another; a pixel could be square, hexagonal, etc....

Linguists: Mathematical writing vs. Typical written language, what's the difference?

I remember reading somewhere that mathematical symbols make up an “incomplete” written language (or something like that). I commonly formulate problems, or complete sentences using only mathematical symbols. From a linguistic perspective, what separates mathematical symbols from “complete” writing systems?

Zero-point Energy fields - reality Vs best description

According to quantum field theory, the universe can be thought of not as isolated particles but continuous fluctuating fields: matter fields, whose quanta are fermions (i.e., leptons and quarks), and force fields, whose quanta are bosons (e.g., photons and gluons). All these fields have zero-point energy.>...

Does faster than light travel violate causality? Why/Why not? How?

I have heard this mentioned several times with this exact wording, that faster than light travel would break/violate causality and I do not exactly understand why and how it would do that. Could someone more well-versed in physics explain to me why that would be the case? Or is it not the case? (Yes, I am fully aware, that...

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