Some amusing articles:
Tongue on Frozen Flagpole
Is it possible? Read to find out!
Can you freeze to death?
Well, yes and no. The thing is, you'd die before you become an ice cube- read for more details!
Angry Flies
Flies are seriously cool, but they can get angry just like anyone else.
Driving Impairs Talking
That is a "duh!" article. Why do they bother to research this stuff? I recommend to read this just to see what exactly they "discovered."
Apparently, Sunnyd is giving out extra credit on a monthly basis, so now I don't have to feel silly for promising extra credit when, well, there is none! But now there is, so don't worry everyone. Speaking of Sunnyd, here's her question:
What keeps the sewer gases from creeping back up the drain pipes?
The answer: I don't know. What I do know is that it's an extremely, er, not pleasant question. I read somewhere a long time ago that your (why, oh why do I have to write about sewage and waste?- the pun being you're not supposed to talk about this stuff, especially while eating a snack...) solid waste apparently stays in the pipe of the toilet (correct me if I'm wrong, for it will save me a good lot of grief) until you flush it again (yes, twice), but the noxious gases don't creep up because of the bendy shape (I don't see how that works, though). Here is a link, and this is what I learned. Water goes down the plughole and goes around a bend:
(picture from the link) as you can see in the picture. The water seal prevents all the stink from going back down and up the pipe, so you can't smell it (and remember, the water is under pressure). And that is enough of thinking about waste and sewage for today. Phew!
Now I am thoroughly grossed out and won't be able to answer the last question box. Sorry! Hope you learned something about sewage systems (and no, I'm talking about how water gets to your sink in the question box, not how it goes away- so no more sewage!)
You wanted "everyday life" - you brought up the plumbing. Water comes into your house and then it goes out. No one questions things when they work correctly. But when they are not working, it is good to have an understanding of how it works so that you can trouble-shoot the problem. I thought this was a good theme for that reason. Science applies to everyday life because if the water is not coming into your house correctly, or leaving correctly, it helps to know why. It may not be pleasant, but sewer gases coming up the drain is a real plumbing problem. Knowing that the drain pipe is "J" shaped to allow water to stay in the pipe, sealing the opening so that gases do not come up is an interesting concept. Haven't you ever wondered why the drain pipe looks so "crooked". You got it right! Bonus points for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :) When I did plumbing and everyday life, I didn't really think that it was because we would have to troubleshoot plumbing. That's an interesting perspective! (although my house does get plumbing issues once in a while when stuff starts backing up through the toliet...)
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