Question A fan cools you on a hot day. Yet, why does the same fan warm an ice to make it melt faster? Answer Fans exhibit a dual impact, providing a cooling effect to humans on hot days and simultaneously expediting the melting of ice. Understanding the underlying principles of these phenomena reveals the nuanced interplay between air circulation, temperature, …
Question: If an orchestra doesn’t warm up before a performance, the strings go flat and the wind instruments go sharp during the performance. Why? Answer: The temperature dynamics within an orchestra, particularly the wind and string instruments, play a crucial role in the observed phenomena of strings going flat and wind instruments going sharp when a proper warm-up is neglected. …
Question: A monkey hangs on one end of a rope which passes over a pulley and is balanced by a weight on the other end; the weight is the same as the weight of the monkey. The monkey decides to climb the rope. What happens next? Answer: As the monkey initiates its climb up the rope, a consequential shift in …
Question: In an air-conditioned room, a metal box and a plastic box both have the same temperature. Yet, why does the metal box feel colder? Answer The perceived difference in temperature between the metal and plastic boxes stems from their distinct thermal conductivity properties. While both materials may possess the same internal temperature, their ability to conduct heat varies significantly, …
Blood pressure is normally measured with the cuff of the sphygmomanometer around the arm. Suppose the blood pressure were measured with the cuff around the calf of the leg of a standing person. Would the reading of the blood pressure be the same here as it is for the arm? Answer: No, the blood pressure measured at the calf would …
Question: The eight planets rotate on their own axes at different speeds. Generally, the greater the mass, the faster the speed. Jupiter, the largest planet, has also the fastest speed of rotation of 9 hours, 50 minutes. Mars, the smallest of the outer planets, rotates in 24 hours 37 minutes. The Earth is about 10 times as massive as Mars, …
Question: Air is heavy enough to crush us, but why doesn’t it? Why do we often make the mistake of thinking air weighs nothing? Answer: Contrary to the perception of weightlessness, air is indeed remarkably heavy. Within the confines of a typical room, the air itself contributes to a substantial mass, potentially exceeding 100 kilograms. Despite its weight, the pervasive …