Stranger in a strange land. May 10, 2011 4:45 PM Subscribe
Juxtaposer.
In my day to day life, I'm generally well regarded as a fairly intelligent person. However, more and more I find myself hanging around Metafilter like the slightly unawares guy at the watercooler or the pub, trying to be seen with the smart kids and picking random bits of knowledge to share later with no apparent background.
For example, "The bulk modulus of Pb is 46 GPa, so a pressure of around 1100 bar will reduce its volume by around 0.2%, its cross section by about two-thirds of that."
This thread makes me love you guys. Keep it up.
In my day to day life, I'm generally well regarded as a fairly intelligent person. However, more and more I find myself hanging around Metafilter like the slightly unawares guy at the watercooler or the pub, trying to be seen with the smart kids and picking random bits of knowledge to share later with no apparent background.
For example, "The bulk modulus of Pb is 46 GPa, so a pressure of around 1100 bar will reduce its volume by around 0.2%, its cross section by about two-thirds of that."
This thread makes me love you guys. Keep it up.
I don't know if Mapes is all that smart. Everyone knows you can't get a grade point average that high, especially not if you're peanut butter.
posted by katillathehun at 4:56 PM on May 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by katillathehun at 4:56 PM on May 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
ho ho, carsonb.
posted by boo_radley at 5:10 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by boo_radley at 5:10 PM on May 10, 2011
I used to feel that way, but then I realised that whenever I see a really impressive bit of knowledge, the person writing it is likely a specialist or has a special interest in that area. And when measuring your own intelligence against the aggregate intelligence of Metafilter, you're always going to come across as a bit of a noob.
posted by Paragon at 5:13 PM on May 10, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Paragon at 5:13 PM on May 10, 2011 [4 favorites]
Every comment you read on Metafilter is written by infallible experts and above reproach, with the rare exception of the ones about topics you happen to have firsthand knowledge of.
posted by Ian A.T. at 5:19 PM on May 10, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by Ian A.T. at 5:19 PM on May 10, 2011 [9 favorites]
The guy who wrote that indicates he is a PhD candidate in engineering at MIT. The knowledge exhibited in his response to the OP doesn't seem unusual given that background....
posted by dfriedman at 5:41 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by dfriedman at 5:41 PM on May 10, 2011
Sigh. Except subject-verb agreement, apparently.
It's okay, I rarely agree with anyone.
posted by verb at 5:44 PM on May 10, 2011 [26 favorites]
It's okay, I rarely agree with anyone.
posted by verb at 5:44 PM on May 10, 2011 [26 favorites]
I come for the witty banter and snark, I stay for the insight from PhD candidates at MIT.
posted by TomMelee at 5:47 PM on May 10, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by TomMelee at 5:47 PM on May 10, 2011 [9 favorites]
Bulk moduli of common materials and how that relates to pressure was in my undergraduate-level physics course. That said, I don't think I could recite either the value for lead, the pressure at the bottom of the Marianas trench or do that calculation in my head on demand.
Actually, isn't this problem pretty easy? It's obviously going to reach some "terminal" velocity which will be slowly reduced as the depth increases. To a first approximation, I would think the reduction would be linear. So just figure out what it is at the top and bottom of the column and taken an average. Then just divide the distance by that average terminal velocity to get a time.
I'll leave the rest of the problem as an exercise for the student.
posted by DU at 5:48 PM on May 10, 2011
Actually, isn't this problem pretty easy? It's obviously going to reach some "terminal" velocity which will be slowly reduced as the depth increases. To a first approximation, I would think the reduction would be linear. So just figure out what it is at the top and bottom of the column and taken an average. Then just divide the distance by that average terminal velocity to get a time.
I'll leave the rest of the problem as an exercise for the student.
posted by DU at 5:48 PM on May 10, 2011
did ya step into the sphere?
posted by clavdivs at 6:02 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 6:02 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Man, I really gotta start using the word 'negligibly' more often.
posted by hot soup girl at 6:17 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by hot soup girl at 6:17 PM on May 10, 2011
Yeah, that's a fun thread. Weighting with bated breath for the definitive answer.
I say, we all throw five bucks in a hat (all Metafilter members that is) and finance an expedition to actually drop a fuckin' lead ball into the actual Marianas Trench, because that's the only way we're going to know the answer to this for sure.
posted by philip-random at 6:44 PM on May 10, 2011 [6 favorites]
I say, we all throw five bucks in a hat (all Metafilter members that is) and finance an expedition to actually drop a fuckin' lead ball into the actual Marianas Trench, because that's the only way we're going to know the answer to this for sure.
posted by philip-random at 6:44 PM on May 10, 2011 [6 favorites]
The best trick if you find yourself feeling overawed by somebody's esoteric knowledge is to remind yourself that they probably can't identify a common mushroom variety.
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:49 PM on May 10, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:49 PM on May 10, 2011 [5 favorites]
And have somebody waiting at the bottom with a stop watch?
posted by brundlefly at 6:52 PM on May 10, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 6:52 PM on May 10, 2011 [4 favorites]
All this intelligence and yet they keep leaving the yogurt out on the counter overnight.
posted by bondcliff at 7:31 PM on May 10, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 7:31 PM on May 10, 2011 [3 favorites]
I had thought that the resistance to movement in water doesn't only depend on frontal area but also on wetted area and smoothness (and that counter intuitively a rough surface can have a lower resistance than smoother surface (see for example shark skin). The WA equation is using .47 for the CD. Be interesting to know if that is a generally accepted number for a sphere in water and what assumptions were made in deriving it. Wetted surface is cube vs a square for area so it doesn't seem possible to have a general CD number for a sphere that doesn't depend on diameter or surface finish.
brundlefly writes "And have somebody waiting at the bottom with a stop watch?"
Inertial sensor in the sphere with radio transmitter to send back the time when the sphere stops moving. You'd have to mess around with adulterating the lead with a denser element to compensate for the volume of the electronics package.
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 PM on May 10, 2011
brundlefly writes "And have somebody waiting at the bottom with a stop watch?"
Inertial sensor in the sphere with radio transmitter to send back the time when the sphere stops moving. You'd have to mess around with adulterating the lead with a denser element to compensate for the volume of the electronics package.
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 PM on May 10, 2011
A radio transmission from the bottom of the Mariana Trench? If you an accomplish that, the navies of the world would like to talk with you.
posted by drdanger at 7:45 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by drdanger at 7:45 PM on May 10, 2011
The question as stated seems like it wouldn't happen; you would get lateral drift from currents, so any attempt to calculate a real world temporal value for the scenario (at least getting as specific as deformation of the material due to pressure affecting the dropping speed) would depend on the impact of curren...
Wait, can we actually be certain that CPB isn't James Cameron's Avatar, attempting to surreptitiously self-link/drum up word of mouth/get people talking about the region as some sort of convoluted long-game viral marketing for Avatar 2, and his awesome obsession with the undersea?
No? Yes? If so, well played sir, I'm not even mad, someone needs to hip people to how important it is that we develop skills not only at "space exploring", and show how we can perfect those "living-sans-earth-atmostphic amenities/in tin-cans" skills at home, without the "precursor costs" of building rockets, garnering public support, simultaneously sidestepping massive "publicity" costs associated there, for now, humans explore and learn to live sustainably undersea & robots explore space, taking networks, and building a space internet in their wake; perfect rocket tech with robots on board... then reverse roles. It's really not rocket science.
Should one consider the reality of gravitic anomalies (Canadian low-gravity anomaly [this is where Canadians invented Basketball, also where Canadians invented the ability to dunk on regulation nets]) to impact on calculations, being mafic or basaltic, more dense, Oceanic Crust is generally 'heavier' than continental crusts (which is why subduction operates, sending oceanic crust under the continental crusts when they collide [but also thinner layers of it... so I don't know where this leaves the question, but these resources seem to shed light on these questions, and may help real math people, who are not me])..
Gravitic studies can play an important role in leading modern prospectors to mineral rich crust.
Are the numbers given accounting for internal waves [inside the ocean]?
Related Links:
How-did-the-military-survey-Afghans-mineral-deposits-from-airplanes
Worlds-richest-nation-would-you-believe-Afghanistan
A paper on the mapping process in Canada, same general thing happens there, government finances schools, high-schools, universities, producing in the process top quality geologists, mineralogists, technologists, petrologists, Rock-Docs, engineers, great people, the government then pays for mineral studies, and agencies, and a large variety of other studies, even the basic infrastructure that supports and allows the operation in remote areas, also health-care so employers needn't worry about that... and then a company comes in, pulls the diamonds out , tells us it means forever, releases their haul in a trickle, stifling supply, and agitating demand, and people pay several times the 'cost', plus a margin... somehow it feels like something something coming and going.
Recently a highly detailed Gravity map was released, the story of how this data is acquired is really cool.
Nat-geo story on the tools, some images of the data for the region being asked about, the ESA page discussing the project, here is a page relating to the updating of oceanic current data in light of this gravitic data, and the updated definition of gravity that arises from such studies.
Do "simple physics" problems like this one here account for such variations?
Forgive me, I may be on a totally wrong path; I come primarily for the water-cooler.
posted by infinite intimation at 7:46 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Wait, can we actually be certain that CPB isn't James Cameron's Avatar, attempting to surreptitiously self-link/drum up word of mouth/get people talking about the region as some sort of convoluted long-game viral marketing for Avatar 2, and his awesome obsession with the undersea?
No? Yes? If so, well played sir, I'm not even mad, someone needs to hip people to how important it is that we develop skills not only at "space exploring", and show how we can perfect those "living-sans-earth-atmostphic amenities/in tin-cans" skills at home, without the "precursor costs" of building rockets, garnering public support, simultaneously sidestepping massive "publicity" costs associated there, for now, humans explore and learn to live sustainably undersea & robots explore space, taking networks, and building a space internet in their wake; perfect rocket tech with robots on board... then reverse roles. It's really not rocket science.
Should one consider the reality of gravitic anomalies (Canadian low-gravity anomaly [this is where Canadians invented Basketball, also where Canadians invented the ability to dunk on regulation nets]) to impact on calculations, being mafic or basaltic, more dense, Oceanic Crust is generally 'heavier' than continental crusts (which is why subduction operates, sending oceanic crust under the continental crusts when they collide [but also thinner layers of it... so I don't know where this leaves the question, but these resources seem to shed light on these questions, and may help real math people, who are not me])..
Gravitic studies can play an important role in leading modern prospectors to mineral rich crust.
Are the numbers given accounting for internal waves [inside the ocean]?
Most people think of waves as a surface phenomenon, which acts between water (as in lakes or oceans) and the air. Where low density water overlies high density water in the ocean, internal waves propagate along the boundary. They are especially common over the continental shelf regions of the world oceans and where brackish water overlies salt water at the outlet of large rivers. There is typically little surface expression of the waves, aside from slick bands that can form over the trough of the waves.I bet smart people could do neat stuff with this too.
Internal waves are the source of a curious phenomenon called dead water, first reported by the Norwegian oceanographer Fridtjof Nansen, in which a boat may experience strong resistance to forward motion in apparently calm conditions. This occurs when the ship is sailing on a layer of relatively fresh water whose depth is comparable to the ship's draft. This causes a wake of internal waves that dissipates a lot of energy.
Related Links:
How-did-the-military-survey-Afghans-mineral-deposits-from-airplanes
Worlds-richest-nation-would-you-believe-Afghanistan
A paper on the mapping process in Canada, same general thing happens there, government finances schools, high-schools, universities, producing in the process top quality geologists, mineralogists, technologists, petrologists, Rock-Docs, engineers, great people, the government then pays for mineral studies, and agencies, and a large variety of other studies, even the basic infrastructure that supports and allows the operation in remote areas, also health-care so employers needn't worry about that... and then a company comes in, pulls the diamonds out , tells us it means forever, releases their haul in a trickle, stifling supply, and agitating demand, and people pay several times the 'cost', plus a margin... somehow it feels like something something coming and going.
(pdf)
the systematic regional gravity mapping of Ontario was initiated in 1947, by the Dominion Observatory of Canada (Innes, 1960). By 1964, uniform survey coverage of most of the province had been achieved, at a relatively coarse station spacing of 10 to 15 km, and the resulting Bouguer anomaly maps published at a scale of 1:500,000. Later surveys by the Earth Physics Branch of Energy, Mines and Resources, Canada, increased the density of coverage in certain areas of the province.
The metavolcanic-metasedimentary belts of Ontario are perceived to be regions of high economic mineral potential. Prospecting and geological mapping in these regions are hampered by inaccessibility, difficult terrain, and extensive areas of thick glacial overburden. The importance of gravity data as a reconnaissance tool in such areas led the Ontario Division of Mines, in 1970, to initiate systematic, detailed gravity surveys of these belts. The results of the surveys have been used to outline areas warranting detailed follow-up exploration (Gupta and Sutcliffe, 1990), and have proved an effective aid to geological mapping (Gupta and Ramani, 1982).
Recently a highly detailed Gravity map was released, the story of how this data is acquired is really cool.
Nat-geo story on the tools, some images of the data for the region being asked about, the ESA page discussing the project, here is a page relating to the updating of oceanic current data in light of this gravitic data, and the updated definition of gravity that arises from such studies.
Do "simple physics" problems like this one here account for such variations?
Forgive me, I may be on a totally wrong path; I come primarily for the water-cooler.
posted by infinite intimation at 7:46 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
This is why I stick to RelationshipFilter and cat questions.
posted by desjardins at 7:53 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by desjardins at 7:53 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Of course, they could be banking on our ignorance and making all this shit up in attempt to hoodwink us and steel our beer.
posted by jonmc at 8:07 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by jonmc at 8:07 PM on May 10, 2011
"In my day to day life, I'm generally well regarded as a fairly intelligent person."
Me too, mostly because of all the clever insights and witty quips I steal from MetaFilter discussions to use in my IRL conversations. :D
posted by Jacqueline at 8:23 PM on May 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
Me too, mostly because of all the clever insights and witty quips I steal from MetaFilter discussions to use in my IRL conversations. :D
posted by Jacqueline at 8:23 PM on May 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm at the bottom of the trench with a stopwatch. Will call you guys when the ball gets here.
posted by staggernation at 8:23 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by staggernation at 8:23 PM on May 10, 2011
This is why I stick to RelationshipFilter and cat questions.
I come hoping for cute demotivationals. I often leave disappointed.
posted by chemoboy at 8:29 PM on May 10, 2011
I come hoping for cute demotivationals. I often leave disappointed.
posted by chemoboy at 8:29 PM on May 10, 2011
So, there's lots of cool knowledge dropped in that thread, and it's a lot of fun to read, but it's classic hypothetical chatfilter, and I'm frankly a little surprised it wasn't deleted. I mean, if it's not a "made up "what if" science [question]", I don't know what is. Not that I mind that it stayed up-- like I said, it was fun to read-- I'm just surprised it did.
posted by dersins at 9:14 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by dersins at 9:14 PM on May 10, 2011
Are you reading from a script or something?
posted by carsonb at 9:44 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by carsonb at 9:44 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
I like your thread title.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:02 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by lazaruslong at 10:02 PM on May 10, 2011
And I'm pretty sure you owe me a nickel or something.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:02 PM on May 10, 2011
posted by lazaruslong at 10:02 PM on May 10, 2011
dersins i writes "t's classic hypothetical chatfilter"
No it isn't, there is a definite correct answer that could be determined via experiment if necessary. No different than asking how long it would take to drive from Toronto to LA. Now if the question was "if the Mariana Trench was was filled with jello how long would it take for it to stop jiggling after a lead ball was dropped in the trench" that would be unanswerable chat filter. As it is the asker has defined the question pretty well in a spherical chicken sort of way (no will it take off on a treadmill ambiguity) and an answer should be possible. Fluid dynamics is hard enough that it might not be a simple answer but I'm sure if we had the right expert to respond they could provide a decent answer.
posted by Mitheral at 10:14 PM on May 10, 2011
No it isn't, there is a definite correct answer that could be determined via experiment if necessary. No different than asking how long it would take to drive from Toronto to LA. Now if the question was "if the Mariana Trench was was filled with jello how long would it take for it to stop jiggling after a lead ball was dropped in the trench" that would be unanswerable chat filter. As it is the asker has defined the question pretty well in a spherical chicken sort of way (no will it take off on a treadmill ambiguity) and an answer should be possible. Fluid dynamics is hard enough that it might not be a simple answer but I'm sure if we had the right expert to respond they could provide a decent answer.
posted by Mitheral at 10:14 PM on May 10, 2011
Somebody did an experiment more than 20 years ago where they dropped metal spheres (I think they were ball bearings) out of an airplane at high altitude and contrived to observe them as they fell.
Without exception, their trajectories developed into helices with an axis perpendicular to the ground. I can't see any reason why Cool Papa Bell's leaden sphere should fail to do the same.
I would have mentioned it in that thread if I could have found a citation. It was in an old Scientific American, but in the Science and the Citizen column rather than as a stand alone article, and that discouraged me from trying to find it through the SA site.
posted by jamjam at 10:28 PM on May 10, 2011
Without exception, their trajectories developed into helices with an axis perpendicular to the ground. I can't see any reason why Cool Papa Bell's leaden sphere should fail to do the same.
I would have mentioned it in that thread if I could have found a citation. It was in an old Scientific American, but in the Science and the Citizen column rather than as a stand alone article, and that discouraged me from trying to find it through the SA site.
posted by jamjam at 10:28 PM on May 10, 2011
I say, we all throw five bucks in a hat (all Metafilter members that is) and finance an expedition to actually drop a fuckin' lead ball into the actual Marianas Trench, because that's the only way we're going to know the answer to this for sure.
I would love to see a Mythbusters episode dedicated to weird theoretical AskMe threads. How many 5 year olds *could* Jamie take?
this would of course be the end of MeFi, but hey nothing lasts forever and this would be a pretty sweet finale
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:57 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
I would love to see a Mythbusters episode dedicated to weird theoretical AskMe threads. How many 5 year olds *could* Jamie take?
this would of course be the end of MeFi, but hey nothing lasts forever and this would be a pretty sweet finale
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:57 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
How many 5 year olds *could* Jamie take?
I figure at least one.
posted by fleacircus at 11:09 PM on May 10, 2011
I figure at least one.
posted by fleacircus at 11:09 PM on May 10, 2011
> Actually, isn't this problem pretty easy?
Wow, way to read the thread, DU.
I was a bit surprised by the answers, I have had a long standing belief (and I have no idea where I got it from) that something weighing just one kilogram wouldn't reacht the bottom, but would stop and hover at some point deep down.
posted by bjrn at 11:53 PM on May 10, 2011
Wow, way to read the thread, DU.
I was a bit surprised by the answers, I have had a long standing belief (and I have no idea where I got it from) that something weighing just one kilogram wouldn't reacht the bottom, but would stop and hover at some point deep down.
posted by bjrn at 11:53 PM on May 10, 2011
So my question is this: If you sink a hollow column all the way to the bottom of the trench (made of some miracle material, let's skip that part), is the atmospheric pressure at the bottom significantly different than that at sea level? Dangerously so?
posted by maxwelton at 12:18 AM on May 11, 2011
posted by maxwelton at 12:18 AM on May 11, 2011
Anybody heard from staggernation yet? It's been almost 3 hours - supposed halfway point - shouldn't he have checked by now?
posted by likeso at 12:19 AM on May 11, 2011
posted by likeso at 12:19 AM on May 11, 2011
No, damn, it's been over 3 hours. Okay, now I'm worried.
posted by likeso at 12:21 AM on May 11, 2011
posted by likeso at 12:21 AM on May 11, 2011
how's he hold his breath that long? Mefites are amazing.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:07 AM on May 11, 2011
posted by From Bklyn at 4:07 AM on May 11, 2011
TomMelee: " In my day to day life, I'm generally well regarded as a fairly intelligent person. However, more and more I find myself hanging around Metafilter like the slightly unawares guy at the watercooler or the pub, trying to be seen with the smart kids and picking random bits of knowledge to share later with no apparent background."
When I was 13, I posted from time to time on Usenet. I was using Prodigy, and I wasn't really fully aware of what I was doing. I thought they were just simple message boards with other 13-year-olds, not a global messaging system populated (at that point) mostly by college students. I was in a conversation about some sort of electronics thing that was way over my head, and I made some bonehead statement and I was corrected in a way that made me feel bad for not just being stupid but being so obviously stupid.
Someone else piped up in the thread told me something that has stuck with me, especially now that MetaFilter is such a big part of my life. Everyone's great at something different. TomMelee, you're probably a really smart guy in, er, let's say, chalkboard engineering. I'm really great at some weird subset of programming. Clearly, there are people in that thread that are really good at fluid mechanics. AskMe makes it clear that there are experts here in just about every field, from research to chemistry, to relationships, to chopping up a dead body. Because of the nature of the place, some of us get a chance to show off our skills pretty regularly. Some of us have to wait for that one special post or question.
Don't worry, TomMelee. Someone's gonna post about chalkboard problems (metaphorically) any day now, and that'll be your time to shine.
posted by Plutor at 4:39 AM on May 11, 2011 [2 favorites]
When I was 13, I posted from time to time on Usenet. I was using Prodigy, and I wasn't really fully aware of what I was doing. I thought they were just simple message boards with other 13-year-olds, not a global messaging system populated (at that point) mostly by college students. I was in a conversation about some sort of electronics thing that was way over my head, and I made some bonehead statement and I was corrected in a way that made me feel bad for not just being stupid but being so obviously stupid.
Someone else piped up in the thread told me something that has stuck with me, especially now that MetaFilter is such a big part of my life. Everyone's great at something different. TomMelee, you're probably a really smart guy in, er, let's say, chalkboard engineering. I'm really great at some weird subset of programming. Clearly, there are people in that thread that are really good at fluid mechanics. AskMe makes it clear that there are experts here in just about every field, from research to chemistry, to relationships, to chopping up a dead body. Because of the nature of the place, some of us get a chance to show off our skills pretty regularly. Some of us have to wait for that one special post or question.
Don't worry, TomMelee. Someone's gonna post about chalkboard problems (metaphorically) any day now, and that'll be your time to shine.
posted by Plutor at 4:39 AM on May 11, 2011 [2 favorites]
Actually, isn't this problem pretty easy?
This is the same kind of statement that gets artists all huffy when you say, "My kid could do that!"
So, in short, no.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:32 AM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
This is the same kind of statement that gets artists all huffy when you say, "My kid could do that!"
So, in short, no.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:32 AM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd just like to say that I rocked the dinner party last night by introducing the table to a novel concept: is cereal soup? First they couldn't believe people would argue about that, then they started arguing about that. So thanks Metafilter.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:00 AM on May 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:00 AM on May 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
No it isn't, there is a definite correct answer that could be determined via experiment if necessary.
Not so—the OP specifically excluded the effects of currents, waves, or other interference, so actually dropping said ball over the Challenger Deep would not provide an experimental answer to the question as asked.
That said, there's been sort of a back-and-forth in how much HypotheticalFilter is allowed in AskMe over time—from the very early days where it was clearly allowed, to a pretty strong prohibition against it, to the current somewhat weakened version of it (still in the guidelines, but it's one of the looser and more-often superseded guidelines.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:45 AM on May 11, 2011
Not so—the OP specifically excluded the effects of currents, waves, or other interference, so actually dropping said ball over the Challenger Deep would not provide an experimental answer to the question as asked.
That said, there's been sort of a back-and-forth in how much HypotheticalFilter is allowed in AskMe over time—from the very early days where it was clearly allowed, to a pretty strong prohibition against it, to the current somewhat weakened version of it (still in the guidelines, but it's one of the looser and more-often superseded guidelines.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:45 AM on May 11, 2011
It also helps that it was presented basically as a "help me understand this physics/dynamics thing" rather than "imagine an aaaaaaalien planet where...". Because, yes, on the one hand there's a certain whammy in the "assume a spherical cow" details, but ignoring complicating factors ("frictionless plane!") for the sake of clarifying a basic question isn't an unfamiliar tack in working out basic concepts.
That people can clarify in the thread why some of those handwaves may be problematic for an understanding of the actual physical behavior is a good thing, as far as that goes, though it's neither here nor there for the merits of the question.
I know wacky is subjective, but in the cases where someone has an ostensibly answerable hypothetical science question the degree to which they manage to eschew wacky framing is a factor.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:04 AM on May 11, 2011
That people can clarify in the thread why some of those handwaves may be problematic for an understanding of the actual physical behavior is a good thing, as far as that goes, though it's neither here nor there for the merits of the question.
I know wacky is subjective, but in the cases where someone has an ostensibly answerable hypothetical science question the degree to which they manage to eschew wacky framing is a factor.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:04 AM on May 11, 2011
My kid could do that problem.
/Charlie Babbitt's Dad
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:16 AM on May 11, 2011
/Charlie Babbitt's Dad
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:16 AM on May 11, 2011
Speaking of imagine an alien planet, anyone have a link to that deleted AskMe question where a person wanted to know what would happen if there were a planet made of people? I believe he called it "The Ultimate Question." Some answers included "Ultimate suffocation, you prune" and "The planet would not have enough marijuana to get you as high as you are now," iirc. It was deleted for a good reason, I admit, but I kind of want to show it to a friend.
I don't know how to Google deleted questions.
posted by mccarty.tim at 9:44 AM on May 11, 2011
I don't know how to Google deleted questions.
posted by mccarty.tim at 9:44 AM on May 11, 2011
Everyone's great at something different.
Sadly, my areas of greatness are at kitty scritching, telling birds to "shut the hell up" in creative ways, and building doomsday devices.
None of which are really all that useful in any of the various subsites around here.
So I have to fall back on my slightly more imperfect expertise of lazily laying around and watching TV.
posted by quin at 11:37 AM on May 11, 2011
Sadly, my areas of greatness are at kitty scritching, telling birds to "shut the hell up" in creative ways, and building doomsday devices.
None of which are really all that useful in any of the various subsites around here.
So I have to fall back on my slightly more imperfect expertise of lazily laying around and watching TV.
posted by quin at 11:37 AM on May 11, 2011
pb's working on the MetaKittyDoomsdayDevices subsite as fast as he can.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:42 AM on May 11, 2011
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:42 AM on May 11, 2011
there is a definite correct answer that could be determined via experiment if necessary
Provided you're smart from the very beginning, of course.
posted by nickmark at 11:42 AM on May 11, 2011
Provided you're smart from the very beginning, of course.
posted by nickmark at 11:42 AM on May 11, 2011
...kitty scritching, telling birds to "shut the hell up" in creative ways, and building doomsday devices.
None of which are really all that useful in any of the various subsites around here.
I would think "building doomsday devices" would be in huge demand around here, given how many MeFites seem to like talking about stuff that's going to cause the end of the world and/or the fall of western civilization. Have you checked Projects lately?
Also, the birds have been behaving but I've got some squirrels around here that could use a good talkin' to.
posted by mstokes650 at 1:06 PM on May 11, 2011
None of which are really all that useful in any of the various subsites around here.
I would think "building doomsday devices" would be in huge demand around here, given how many MeFites seem to like talking about stuff that's going to cause the end of the world and/or the fall of western civilization. Have you checked Projects lately?
Also, the birds have been behaving but I've got some squirrels around here that could use a good talkin' to.
posted by mstokes650 at 1:06 PM on May 11, 2011
I'd say that you're too deep to be juxtaposer.
why, yes, I will be here all week
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:32 AM on May 12, 2011
why, yes, I will be here all week
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:32 AM on May 12, 2011
My kitty could use scritching.* That's always useful.
* That is not a metaphor, euphemism, or come-on. It just looks and sounds like one.
posted by maryr at 1:57 PM on May 12, 2011
* That is not a metaphor, euphemism, or come-on. It just looks and sounds like one.
posted by maryr at 1:57 PM on May 12, 2011
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by carsonb at 4:53 PM on May 10, 2011