Science Trivia Thread

[Caliga]

They have a sweet flavor?

[Malthus]

They have a sweet flavor?

"Lead: delicious but deadly!"

[Caliga]

"Lead: delicious but deadly!"

Seriously.   Didn't the Romans sweeten food with lead powder?

[Lucidor]

Extremely simple (if you've taken geology 101 that is), but I want to keep things moving:

The most common mineral containing lead is called Galena (formula: PbS).  What is the obvious visual feature about Galena crystals that makes it easy to identify?

They are grey?

[Neil]

Earth's rotation is slowing down, not speeding up.

I recommend that we destroy the moon in order to preserve our precious angular momentum.

[alfred russel]

Earth's rotation is slowing down, not speeding up.

I recommend that we destroy the moon in order to preserve our precious angular momentum.

Wouldn't we also have to destroy the sun?

[dps]

Extremely simple (if you've taken geology 101 that is), but I want to keep things moving:

The most common mineral containing lead is called Galena (formula: PbS).  What is the obvious visual feature about Galena crystals that makes it easy to identify?

They are grey?

That can't be it.  There are lots of grey minerals.

[Barrister]

Extremely simple (if you've taken geology 101 that is), but I want to keep things moving:

The most common mineral containing lead is called Galena (formula: PbS).  What is the obvious visual feature about Galena crystals that makes it easy to identify?

It's mineral structure is a perfect cube, so when formed under ideal conditions you have these perfect little D6 shapes.

Okay, so no geology, how about atsronomy.  Again, going for easy:

Saturn has a total of 38 moons (according to Wiki).  Name seven of them, without getting any wrong.  That is you must name only 7 names, and all seven must be moons of Saturn.

[Neil]

Earth's rotation is slowing down, not speeding up.

I recommend that we destroy the moon in order to preserve our precious angular momentum.

Wouldn't we also have to destroy the sun?

I'm pretty sure that the Earth actually gains angular momentum from the Sun from tidal interaction, just as the moon does from the Earth.

[Neil]

Extremely simple (if you've taken geology 101 that is), but I want to keep things moving:

The most common mineral containing lead is called Galena (formula: PbS).  What is the obvious visual feature about Galena crystals that makes it easy to identify?

It's mineral structure is a perfect cube, so when formed under ideal conditions you have these perfect little D6 shapes.

Okay, so no geology, how about atsronomy.  Again, going for easy:

Saturn has a total of 38 moons (according to Wiki).  Name seven of them, without getting any wrong.  That is you must name only 7 names, and all seven must be moons of Saturn.

Titan, Phoebe, Iapetus, Rhea, Mimas, Tethys, Prometheus.

[Barrister]

Titan, Phoebe, Iapetus, Rhea, Mimas, Tethys, Prometheus.

I had to double check on Prometheus.

You've got it.

[alfred russel]

Earth's rotation is slowing down, not speeding up.

I recommend that we destroy the moon in order to preserve our precious angular momentum.

Wouldn't we also have to destroy the sun?

I'm pretty sure that the Earth actually gains angular momentum from the Sun from tidal interaction, just as the moon does from the Earth.

Eventually the earth will slow down so that only one side faces the sun, just like how the moon is with the earth.

I think.

[Maximus]

I'm pretty sure that the Earth actually gains angular momentum from the Sun from tidal interaction, just as the moon does from the Earth.

How do you figure?

Wouldn't the tidal system tend toward entropy? Seems resistance to the tidal flow would be slowing us down, not speeding us up.

[frunk]

The best plan is to set up gigantic solar sails that would spin the earth faster.

[Admiral Yi]

The best plan is to set up gigantic solar sails that would spin the earth faster.

How about if we all ran real fast due west?