12 (More) Answers To Life Questions You Didn't Even Know You Had | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

12 (More) Answers To Life Questions You Didn't Even Know You Had

The more you know.

83
12 (More) Answers To Life Questions You Didn't Even Know You Had
Google

Last week I wrote the article, 12 Answers To Life Questions You Didn't Even Know You Had, but with a world this big and beautiful, there are so many things to learn and discover everyday, so it's impossible to dwindle life's curiosities into 12 questions. So with that, here are 12 more answers to keep your knowledge growing!

1. Why does the moon seem to change sizes each night?

Some nights you might look up into the sky and admire how big the moon is, whereas other nights it looks like a tiny speck in the sky. The moon isn't getting any bigger or smaller, so what gives? People often assume the moon is just closer to earth on the nights that it's bigger. While this could be true as the moon is on an elliptical orbit, you can't tell the difference from the naked eye. In reality, our mind is just playing tricks on us. The "Moon Illusion" as it's called, happens when we take cognitive cues from our world and make assumptions about the size and position of the moon. The moon looks larger when it is closer to the horizon because it is backdropped against trees and buildings; things we perceive as large. However, when the moon is high in the sky, it only contrasts with things like birds and airplanes, things we perceive as small (or far away), making the relative size of the moon seem much larger when it's closer to the horizon.

2. How do boomerangs work?

It's the perfect toy when you don't have a friend to play with you. It gets you outdoors and also makes you look significantly less weird than chasing after a frisbee you threw to yourself. Boomerangs aren't magic. They simply work with a little bit of physics. Boomerangs don't fall to the ground because one edge is curved while the other is flat, causing a difference in air pressure between the top and bottom of the boomerang (this is essentially the same way airplane wings work). In addition, a boomerang is thrown vertically. As it travels through the air, the top wing is always moving faster than the bottom wing. It's this difference that causes a torque and changes the plane of rotation, causing the boomerang to come back to you in a circular motion.

3. Why do people cry?

Your childhood pet dying, your boyfriend dumping you or Donald Trump becoming president are all good reasons to cry, but that doesn't explain why our body's reaction to sadness, anger or even happiness is so often having water come out of our eyes. When you cry, your emotions trigger your limbic system, which activates your tear production system. Theories suggest that crying is a way to gather social support in a time of need or as a sign of vulnerability or submission to an attacker. Tears caused by emotions contain leucine enkephalin, a natural painkiller.

4. Why does skin wrinkle in water?

Sometimes all you need is a good bath, but who knew you would come out of it with the hands and feet of a 90-year-old? The wrinkling is caused by blood vessels below the skin constricting. The wrinkles work as channels to whisk away water and give us a better grip on submerged objects, suggesting this may have been used by our ancestors to gather food from streams or wet vegetation.

5. How does energy get generated?

We all know burning coal or spinning wind turbines can generate energy, but what exactly is is energy and how does that get to our homes? The answer is surprisingly simple and contains three major parts: magnets, copper wire and a spinning movement. Energy in the form of electricity is generated by large magnets turning within copper wire. This motion causes electrons to move into the coils of the wire and cause electricity.

6. Why do leaves change colors in autumn?

All summer trees use chlorophyll to convert sunlight into food. Chlorophyll is what gives leaves their green color in the summer. Carotenoid is another pigment found in leaves during the summer. Carotenoid is yellow or orange, but this pigment is covered up by the chlorophyll for most of the year. As the trees react to shorter days, they prepare for winter and stop producing chlorophyll. The carotenoid in the plant then begins to shine through. A third pigment, anthocyanin, produces a red color in the fall. Anthocyanins allow trees to recover nutrients from the leaves before they fall off. They are affected by temperature and cloud cover however, which is why trees may differ in colors from year to year.

7. Why does helium make your voice high pitched?

You've probably tried it. Sucking in helium from the balloons at a birthday party was the most BA thing you could do in elementary school. Helium is lighter than air, causing sound waves to travel through it much faster than the air we breathe all the time. This change in mass is what causes you to literally speed up the sound of your voice in vocal tract by changing the type of gas molecules located there.

8. Why do we sometimes get "sleep" in our eyes?

The sandman didn't visit us in our sleep, but you're going to wish he did when you find out what the sleepy sand we sometimes get in the corners of our eyes actually is. It turns out, its nothing more than mucus, oil, dead skin cells and other debris that gather in our eyes while we're asleep. During the day, this debris is constantly flushed away by our blinking, but at night gathers in the corners of our eyes to be washed away in the morning.

9. Why is chocolate bad for dogs?

When Fido looks at you with those puppy eyes while you're eating a Kit Kat, it's hard to resist, but you know you shouldn't give them a taste, as much as they want you to. Chocolate is bad for dogs because it contains a toxin called theobromine, which can be easily digested by humans. Dogs however, digest it much slower, which can cause a toxic buildup in their bodies and make them sick or even kill them.

10. Why do golf balls have dimples?

Golf balls didn't always have dimples. In fact, they used to be smooth. However, when golfers discovered their old balls with nicks and dents in them seemed to fly farther, the ball itself changed. The dimples cause the ball to go farther because they cause turbulence in the layer of air around the ball, minimizing drag.

11. What causes the northern lights?

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are one of the coolest natural wonders you can experience, and the reason they exist is even cooler. When the sun has a storm, it sends charged solar particles through space and when the earth collides with these particles, atoms in our atmosphere are excited and light up, causing beautiful displays of dancing lights.

12. What causes side aches when running?

So you finally decided to get in shape. Good for you, but it probably didn't last very long when you experienced excruciating pain in your side a quarter mile in. Side aches or side stitch, is actually a strain in your ligaments connecting to your diaphragm. When you run, you often exhale while your foot hits the ground. This mean your diaphragm is going up, while all your other organs are being pushed down, causing wear and tear on your diaphragm and a sharp pain in your side. Tell that to your friend who tells you to keep running because it's "just a side ache."

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

15 Times Michael Scott's Life Was Worse Than Your Life

Because have you ever had to endure grilling your foot on a George Foreman?

408
Michael Scott
NBC

Most of the time, the world's (self-proclaimed) greatest boss is just that, the greatest. I mean, come on, he's Michael Freakin' Scott after all! But every once in a while, his life hits a bit of a speed bump. (or he actually hits Meredith...) So if you personally are struggling through a hard time, you know what they say: misery loves company! Here are 15 times Michael Scott's life was worse than your life:

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

15342
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

3137
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments