Knowledge N Fact4u

How much water can a camel store in its hump ? •Camels do not store water in their humps. Instead, camels use the humps to store energy-rich fat deposits.  •Many animals, including humans, use body fat as an energy storage. •Unique to a camel, however, is the fact that it stores the fat in a hump up on top instead of around the belly or limbs.  •It does this to stay cool. Fat has a natural tendency to insulate heat, acting like a blanket to bodies that are covered in fat.  •Being a hot-climate animal, a camel would waste energy trying to cool down if its fat were wrapped around its body. •Instead, by placing the fat in a hump that is out of the way, the camel can stay as cool as possible while still having an energy reserve.  •Think of it like a tourist from northern Siberia with a coat stuffed full of snacks just stepping off the plane in the Sahara Desert. What does he immediately do? He takes off his coat and slings it over his shoulder. He still wants ...

Why doesn't   a   laptop emit radiation ? •Your laptop computer does emit radiation. In fact, your laptop emits several different kinds of radiation: •400 to 800 THz electromagnetic radiation. This is the visible light given off by the laptop's screen that makes it possible for you to see what the computer is displaying. Yes, ordinary visible light is a form of radiation. •10 to 100 THz electromagnetic radiation. This is the infrared radiation given off by all parts of the laptop due to their temperature, through the everyday process of thermal emission. •5 GHz or 2.4 GHz electromagnetic radiation. These are the radio waves given off by the WIFI antenna in the laptop, which are used to connect to a wireless network. •2.4 GHz electromagnetic radiation. These are the radio waves given off by the Bluetooth antenna in the laptop, which are used to connect wirelessly to peripheral devices such as a cordless mouse. •Low frequency electromagnetic radiation. These...

How do trees give earth all its oxygen ? •All of earth's oxygen does not come from trees.  •Rather, the atmospheric oxygen that we depend on as humans comes predominantly from the ocean.  •According to a study, about 70% of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from marine plants and plant-like organisms. •These ocean-living plants release molecular oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis (as do most plants). •In photosynthesis, plants capture sunlight and use its energy to split carbon dioxide and water, making sugar for itself and releasing oxygen as a by-product. •The dominance of ocean life as earth's top oxygen producer makes sense when you consider that the majority of the earth is covered with ocean. •Of the different types of marine life providing oxygen, the dominant class is phytoplankton.  •Phytoplankton are microscopic photosynthesizing organisms that live in water.  •Phytoplankton includes cyanobacteria, green algae, diatoms, and dinoflagellate...

Clouds are just water vapor , so why do they move ? •Clouds are not water vapor. Water vapor is the gas state of H 2 O and is invisible.  •The air around you on a humid summer day is chock full of water vapor, but you don't see any of it.  •On the other hand, there is very little water vapor in the air during the cold of winter, yet you can easily make clouds with your breath.  •Clouds are collections of liquid water droplets or ice that are small enough to float.  •When the water vapor in the air gets cold enough, it condenses back into liquid in the forms of droplets.  •But the condensation is not automatic. It takes a bit of matter – a condensation nucleus – in order to jump start the process. Dust, salt, and ice in the air do the trick by providing a surface for the water to condense on to.  •Clouds are white because the water droplets making the cloud are the right size to scatter light resonantly according to Mie scattering.  •Mie scatte...

How do magnets heal ? •Magnets have no healing properties. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) employs very strong magnetic fields, far stronger than a household magnet can produce, and yet MRI's have no direct effect on the health of the patient (an MRI may have an indirect effect as a diagnostic tool). •The iron in our blood is in far too low of a concentration to be affected by the weak magnetic fields of household magnets.  •Furthermore, the iron atoms in our blood are bound in heme molecules. The chemical bonds that hold the iron atom in the heme molecule interfere with the state of its electrons, causing the iron atom to lose its usual ferromagnetic properties. •The lack of healing properties for magnets has been established multiple times through controlled experiments. •For instance, M.S. Cepeda and colleagues found that static magnetic fields had no effect on pain levels. •A study performed by M.H. Pittler reviewing multiple experiments also confirmed the in...

Why is plastic not used in home construction ? •Plastic materials are used in several ways in home construction. Plastic has useful properties such as water resistance, corrosion resistance, electrical insulation, and durability. •Here we are using the common meaning of the word "plastic": a synthetic moldable solid. Among the uses of plastic in home construction are: •Sewage pipes. These are increasingly being made out of plastic such as PVC instead of metal because PVC is cheap, corrosive resistant, light, and somewhat flexible. •Water supply lines. These are increasingly being made out of plastic such as PEX because PEX is cheap, strong, and flexible. The relatively high flexibility of PEX leads to better water flow and quicker installation. •Fuel supply lines. •Electrical conduits. These are channels that carry various electrical wires. •Insulating coating on electrical wires. •Housewarp. This is the weather barrier that is placed just behind the...

Why are stars not blurred even though the earth is moving ? •Stars are blurred when viewed from earth. We just don't notice it much with our naked eyes because of the high temporal and low spatial resolution of the human visual system. •Take a glow stick, sparkler, or flashlight and spin it very quickly in the dark. You don't see an individual object anymore, but see instead a circular blur of light. •The reason for this is that the spin rate is faster than the rate at which our eyes can discern distinct images.  •The distinct images of the object get smeared together in a process known as motion blur.  •So why don't the stars look like spinning glow sticks? The rotation of the earth does cause the stars to spin in the sky, but the spinning is much slower. •Whereas it takes the stars one day to trace out a circular path in the sky, it takes tenths of a second for the glow stick to spin in a circle.  •Our eyes can mostly keep up with the motion of the stars becau...

Why do car tires protect you from lightning strikes ? •Car tires do not protect you from lightning strikes. Although the rubber in a tire acts as an insulator at low voltages, the voltage in a lighting bolt is far too high to be stopped by tires or air.  •No matter how thick your tires are, they don't stop lightning, according to scientists. •A study states that inside a car can be a safe place to wait out a lighting storm, but it's not because any materials are blocking the lightning. •Rather, if the car is struck by lightning, its metal frame redirects the electrical current around the sides of the car and into the ground without touching the interior contents.  •The ability of a hollow conducting object to protect its interior from electrical fields and currents is one of the fundamental principles of electromagnetics.  •Such an object is called a Faraday cage. For this reason, riding around in a convertible, on a motorbike or on a bicycle duri...

How do tractor beams work ? •Up until recently, tractor beams (beams of light that tow objects) existed only in the world of science fiction. •While large-scale tractor beams that can tow space ships are still machines of the future, microscopic tractor beams are here today.  •The idea at first seams to defy physics. Shoot light at an object and the light's momentum should push the object away from the light source according to the law of conservation of momentum; not pull it closer like a tractor dragging its cargo. •But what if you managed to create a situation where upon striking the object, the light gains forward momentum instead of losing it.  •In that case, the law of conservation of momentum tells us that the object will lose momentum in the forward direction, even to the point of going backwards, towards the light source. •So there is a way to make a tractor beam without violating any physics, if you can get the light to ga...

Why is lead used in pencils even though lead is poisonous ? •The core of a pencil does not contain lead and never has. Pencils contain a form of solid carbon known as graphite.  •According to a study, the graphite pencil was first developed and popularized in the 1600's.  •The first users of graphite simply dug this mineral out of the hills and discovered it could be sawed into sticks and used as an excellent writing tool.  •During the 1600's, no one knew the chemical nature of this material, as chemistry itself was still in its infancy. •Since this writing material behaved similar to metallic lead, but had a darker color, people began calling it "black lead".  •Eventually, the name of the core of the pencil got shortened to "lead". In 1779, German chemist K. W. Scheele finally determined pencil lead to be composed of pure carbon.  •A decade later, A. G. Werner decided that this carbon material needed a new name and proposed the name "graphi...

Why don't dark-skinned people get sunburns ? •Dark-skinned people do get sunburns. While it's true that the higher pigment levels that make certain people's skin look dark helps protect against sunlight, the pigments do not block 100% of the light. •The skin pigment melanin is produced by special skin cells called melanocytes to protect the body from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light.  •Higher levels of melanin means less sunburn and less skin cancer. •But even the darkest-skinned person is not protected 100% from sunlight. •A study found that 13% of black women and 9% of black men reported getting at least one sunburn in the past year.  •Furthermore, 38% of Hispanic women and 32% of Hispanic men reported getting at least one sunburn in the past year.  •For comparison purposes, the average value across all ethnicities and genders was 50.1%. While dark-skinned people definitely get fewer sunburns, they still get them.  •When a dark-skinned person g...

Why does chocolate cause acne ? •Chocolate does not cause acne. Acne is caused by overactive sebaceous glands.  •Sebaceous glands are microscopic glands connected to the hair follicles.  •Their job is to secrete skin oil (sebum), which travels up the shaft of the hair and out onto the skin in order to waterproof the body.  •If the glands secrete too much skin oil, the channel along the hair's shaft becomes clogged.  •As a result, a buildup of skin oil and dead cells occurs in the glands and the hair follicle.  •This stagnant, clogged mass just below the skin's surface becomes infected with bacteria and turns into a pimple.  •Sebaceous glands accelerate their secretions in response to high levels of sex hormones, such as present during puberty.  •The causes of acne are therefore: 1) elevated sex hormones, 2) sebaceous glands that are overly sensitive to sex hormones, and 3) the presence of bacteria that take advan...

Why do diamonds last forever ? •Diamonds do not last forever. Diamonds degrade to graphite, because graphite is a lower-energy configuration under typical conditions. •Diamond (the stuff in wedding rings) and graphite (the stuff in pencils) are both crystalline forms of pure carbon. •The only difference is the way the carbon atoms are arranged and bonded in the crystalline lattice. •In diamond, each carbon atom is bonded to four neighboring carbon atoms in a closely-packed three-dimensional grid. •In graphite, each carbon atom is strongly bonded to three neighboring carbon atoms in a plane and the planes of atoms are loosely bonded to each other. •The degradation of diamond to graphite is a simple case of the atoms internally rearranging and relaxing to a lower energy state. This process requires no chemical reaction with an external material. •Although graphite is a more stable form of crystalline carbon than diamond under normal conditions, there is a significant kinetic ...

How do carrots help you see in the dark ? •Carrots do not help you see in the dark. Carrots do provide Vitamin A (in beta-carotene form)which is used by your body to maintain normal eyesight. •But eating excess Vitamin A does not lead to better-than-normal eyesight.  •Most Americans get sufficient Vitamin A in their diet and therefore have the best eyesight that carrots can provide.  •This myth was created by the British during World War II to hide a secret weapon, according to the book " The Invention That Changed the World " by Robert Buderi. •During the war, the British Royal Air Force had been intercepting night-time Nazi air attacks at surprisingly good rates.  •In an effort to conceal the secret weapon that was giving them such success, the British pretended their high night-time spotting rates were a result of their pilots eating large quantities of carrots.  •The real cause of their success was a then cutting-edge technology known as radar...

Why doesn't the planet Uranus explode if it contains so much hydrogen and methane ? •The planet Uranus indeed contains a significant amount of hydrogen and methane, both highly flammable gases. •However, the burning of methane or hydrogen requires oxygen. Simply but, there is no free oxygen on the planet Uranus.  •On earth, we are so immersed in oxygen that we tend to take it for granted. Many chemical reactions that require oxygen seem to just happen automatically on earth: metals rust, forests catch fire, and candles burn. •We may be tempted to ignore oxygen's role in a chemical reaction since it seems to be always there.  •But oxygen is not always present. If I place metal in a jar containing only argon, it will not rust. If I place a lit candle in a jar with no oxygen, its flame will go out.  •There is an easy demonstration you can do at home to convince yourself of this fact.  •Get a bowl and fill it about a quarter full with bakin...

Why is the sky not blue as seen from space ? •The daytime sky is indeed blue as seen from space. Look closely at any color-accurate photograph of earth taken from space and the blue tint of everything on the day side is unmistakable. This blue tint is the sky. •The daytime sky as viewed from space is not a solid, uniform blob of blue for two reasons: (1) there are white clouds in the sky which can be seen just as well from space as from earth's surface, and (2) the sky is not opaque. •Earth's atmosphere consists mostly of nitrogen molecules and oxygen molecules bouncing around as a gas.  •Air is close to perfectly transparent. It's a good thing, because the transparency of air is what allows you to see your computer screen and breath at the same time.  •However, air is not perfectly transparent. A very small amount of the light that passes through air is scattered in all directions instead of being allowed to continue traveling on in the forward directi...

Hello everyone, here we are going to talk about Swiss Bank. When a person hear the name of this bank the only thing that come to our mind is Black Money. When any kind Fraud occur we hear the name of Swiss Bank and Government also tell that he is going to bring all the black money from Swiss Bank. Swiss Bank is located  in Switzerland and was established in 1872 as Basler bankverein. According to Switzerland banking law bank officials cannot disclose the name of account holder name unless and until Swiss court order them. Swiss court give the order only when there is a criminal charge on account holder name for example money laundering, fraud etc. The account in Swiss Bank are secretive account. Anyone who open a bank account in Swiss Bank he has to complete his KYC as normal bank do. But they never reveal the identity and address of account holders name. The account is in coded digits. In bank statement the account holder name is also not disclosed to any one. Here Swi...

Does the back of a rainbow look the same as its front side ? •A rainbow does not have a back side. If you were to walk completely to the other side of the mist cloud that is creating the rainbow and turn around, you would not see a rainbow.  •You have to realize that a rainbow is not a stationary physical object. Instead, it is a pattern of light that becomes a stable image only when you look at it from the right angle.  •You may not have noticed it, but every time you look directly at the center of a rainbow, the sun is directly behind your head. This is the only angle at which the light pattern that constitutes the rainbow can enter your eye and therefore lead you to see it. •The sun is always in the opposite part of the sky from the center of the rainbow. This is because a rainbow is actually just sunlight which has been refracted and reflected.  •Refraction occurs when the sunlight enters and leaves the small spherical water droplets that co...

How can we unlock the 90% of our brain that we never use ?  •Healthy humans use all of their brain. There is no part of the brain that goes unused. Certain tasks work certain parts of the brain more, but they all play important roles.  •Brain maps, as found in modern anatomy books, indicate that each part of the brain has a specific function essential to a healthy human.  •If there were a part of your brain that really went unused, then you could safely damage that part in an accident with no ill effects. But decades of medical records show that damage to any part of the brain has severe effects.  •If 90% of the brain were not used, then 90% of the brain tumors would cause no problem. Imagine brain doctors telling 90% of their cancer patients, "I have good news and bad news. Bad news: you have a brain tumor. Good news: it's in the part of the brain that you will never use." The thought is absurd. •If the 10% myth is instead supposed to mean...

Why do my fingers absorb water and become wrinkled? •Human finger tips do not become wrinkled, because they absorb water.  •Skin is a fairly good barrier that keeps out most of the external water. •If our fingers did absorb a significant amount of water after staying in the pool or bath for several minutes, then our fingers would swell to round, plump shapes, which is the opposite of wrinkling.  •The wrinkling is actually caused by a reduction of fluid inside the finger tips. •How can our finger tips experience reduced fluid internally when exposed to increased fluid externally? •From a physical perspective, this effect seems to be a paradox. The answer is that the wrinkling of wet finger tips is an active biological response, rather than a passive physical effect. •Scientists have known for almost a hundred years that nerve damage in the hand can result in a person no longer being able to get wet-induced finger wrinkles. Finger wrinkling is there...