5 Things I Don’t Understand
There are a number of things that puzzle me on a regular basis but I’ve never thought to ask anyone or make any effort to find out the answers.
#1. When the moon isn’t full and you can see a half moon or crescent of some sort, is that because there is a planet in front of it, or because of the angle of the sun behind the Earth, or someother reason I haven’t thought of?
#2. What is the internet. Yes I understand that it’s this amazing connection around the world via computer and that it’s all written in code, but how does that work? How does all that code become the internet? *I realise the answer to all that is somewhat beyond me.
#3. How do you pronounce macabre?
#4. When the tide is flowing, how does it stop? All that water, the colosal amount of water of all the oceans in the world all moving at the same time, why doesn’t all that water just keep going under it’s own momentum and keep forever flowing in one direction?
#5. Why doesn’t it hurt when you pinch the end of your elbow but if you bang it on something it hurts like a bastard?
Are there any things you feel you should know but don’t?
I'm Heather, an ex expat, now back in blighty and living in Lancashire. Which is just like Lapland only less snowy...and stuff.
*Whistles* Em dunno… well I do know macabre. It's french so the As are flat and the R is like a grunt! Hope that helps!
1) the shadow on the moon is caused by the earth.
2) the internet is just lots of computers all over the world all connected together. Every web site you visit is on a computer somewhere – most in big corporation who make their money selling space on their computers to host the web sites.
3) either macab-re or macab-er – both are fine.
4) the tides are pulled to and fro by the gravitational forces of the moon and the earth acting against each other – kind of a brace and relax technique.
5) sod's law.
Ooo! I can answer the first and the last two. As for the rest. Eh…chalk 'em up to life's mysteries!
1. When the moon is half fall (or any other fraction) you are correct in saying that the Earth is between it and the sun. So essentially what you are looking at when you look at a half moon is the Earth's shadow. That has always blown my mind somewhat!
4. If the moon exerted a constant pull in one direction, then yes, all the water would keep flowing one way. But because the Earth is turning, and the moon is fixed in relation to the Earth, the direction of the pull exerted by the moon will change. It's tricky to explain but I'll try: imagine that you have a ball filled with a magnetic liquid. And that you have a strong magnet. If the ball and the magnet are not moving or spinning, then all of the liquid in the ball will be pulled towards the magnet. Now, if you spin the ball like a spinning top (but slowly!), without moving the magnet, the liquid inside it will 'flow' to try to move towards the magnet. With me so far? OK BUT, the magnet's field will only reach the closest half of the ball. As the ball spins, the liquid (i.e. water in the oceans etc) is moved out of the magnetic field (i.e. gravitational pull). There is some momentum which keeps it moving in one direction; but then the ball (i.e. The Earth's) own gravity begins to take over, AND the ball continues to revolve around back towards the pull of the magnet. But now, the magnetic field's direction is reversed and so the liquid will 'flow' in the other direction.
Does that make sense? I think it's right. Clever people out there please correct my mistakes!!
5. When you pinch your elbow you pinch the skin only. When you bang it on something, you usually bang your 'Funny Bone'. This is actually a nerve that runs on the outside of your elbow, between the bone and the skin. That's why it hurts so much when you bang it one something. And it's not very funny either.
I know how to answer all of these!
1) It is the shadow of the earth on the moon that causes it to give the appearnce of half moon etc.
2) Think of your family, all of your family. Each one of you individually is one person together you are a family. Now pretend you are all computers. Each one of you is a computer together you are the internet… try reading Where Wizards stay up late, its a really good book about the start of the internet.
3) Depends where you come from.
4) You know that force that keeps you from floating into space… gravity thats the one well add it to the gravitaional pull of the moon and you know why the sea moves.
5) Its something to do with the skin and nerves and stuff….
Ok, number one: it's simply in shadow. The earth's. It's still there, just as you could see a new moon if you shined a large enough light at it (which is all the sun does, after all). And number four: it's that ol' moon again. The water doesn't really have its own momentum (although it gets a bit from the spinning of the earth) – the gravitational pull of the moon is what makes tides ebb and flow.
Ah… just realised I needn't have bothered. Damn!
But while we're on about it, have you ever thought how utterly amazing it is to be living on a planet just the right size and just the right distance from it's only major satellite to completely occlude it at a total eclipse? Must have blown our ancestor's minds, dude!
“When the moon isn’t full and you can see a half moon or crescent of some sort, is that because there is a planet in front of it, “
What like Saturn or Mars has strayed over our way and thought let's make it dark on the moon?
Lol at elbow one. I have a vague idea of some of those things, but not enough to go educating someone. I never thought about them much, but NOW I will lol. Jen
Lots of people, lot's of good answers. I have one answer for you. Wikipedia.
Unfortunately, I only know the answer to #3. It's pronounced ma-cawb
No. 1, something about the position of the earth to the sun/moon etc. No.2 would probably blow my brain. NO. 3 Macarb? No. 4. Tide flows in the opposite direction and is due to gravitational pull of moon (I think). No. 5 – Dunno (pinching elbow)?
Probably should have read further down before I bothered with my pathetic replies….lol
LOL!
I have these ponderings all the time!
I was going to reply to some of them but I see you have many, highly intelligent, folks replying all ready!
ROFL!
Why is the number 13 so bad and evil? (That's why I commented … I couldn't read this and then leave it with 13 comments … hmmm, maybe that's the way to get me commenting more …
)
3) Unless you're an actor like my dad, it's basically 'macahb'! But he makes a funny noise at the end that I can't do…
I am the font of all wisdom. 1) The moon being a fraction is when the galactic cheese monster gets hungry and takes a bite. THat'll explain why it's never a perfect fraction. Not sure how it gets back to being the full wheel of cheese, but it's something to do with Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus and an abundance of Milky Way.
2)The Internet is Satan's favoured method of communication. Binary code really is a combination of 666 or rather 666 is actually a misrepresentation of the zeros in binary code.
3)Macabre – requires the French rrrrrr sound otherwise it doesnt sound so spooky!
4)But it doesn't flow in one direction. As we all know in New Zealand and Australia it flows anticlockwise – duh!
5)Cos you're a wuss. I never hurt. I burnt out the ends of my nerves after years of stress. I'm now immune to pain.
Next question….
Everyone has already answered, but I just wanted to say that I totally knew the answers to all those questions.
I don't understand the stumble-run, when someone nearly falls down but saves themself at the last minute and then does a little jog thingy for a few paces to cover it up. Makes more sense to be proud of the save don't you think, maybe not a full sprint down the high street with your shirt pulled up over your head like you've just scored a goal, but a wee bit of pride would make more sense.
The elbow thing seems sort of self-evident. Can you pinch your elbow as hard as you can bang it? Also, to activate the “funny bone” pain, I think you have to hit the end of the elbow, which pinching doesn't do.
Why is life so complicated? (your five prove my point)
And the moon one. Isn't that because someone has taken a great big huge bite out of the cheese?
I think macabre SHOULD be pronounced like Wonderbra. Macca-bra. There's a marketing idea in there somewhere.
Mac-car-bre. That's the only one I know the answer to.
Wow what clever readers you have my dear! I don't know the answer to any of these questions. What I want to know is why is that when you turn the tv on and find a show you have only watched once before it's always the same episode that is on again. That always happens to me. Always. And it's annoying. Okay.
Thank you, it does! I don't know why i don't know how to pronounce it, i
mustn't have ever heard anyone saying it. Maybe everyone has the same
problem?
and you see, the answer to number 5 was the only one i understood.
Joking…JOKING! thank you, I feel much better now that I know!
wow, the answer to number one is quite mind blowing isn't it! And makes
total sense, how i never reached this understanding on my own i'll never
know. Doh.
it's all very scientific stuff huh? lol. That book sounds interesting…i
may give it a go. thanks!
It's not something I'd ever thought about, this living in the perfect place
thing, until I read Bill Bryson's book (or actually just the first third) -a
short history and then yes, i did. and sometimes whilst i'm off doing
stuff, especially when I'm about in the countryside, it hits me again.
Magnificent isn't it?
Yeah, all right, so I didn't think that through properly. *blushes*
It's amazing what you can go through life not really understanding, isn't
it?
But wikipedia's not half as much fun!
I'm so glad it's not just me that didn't know these things, was starting to
feel a bit dumb. lol
It is amazing what you can go through life only have a vague idea about,
isn't it? i mean, really, we ought to know this stuff, shouldn't we?
there are some very clever folk around here, huh?
I shall cunningly recode my blog so that it always shows 13 comments and you
wont be able to stop yourself! But yeah, no idea, why is 13 so 'bad'?
oooh, i don't think i could do that, but thank you for the tip!
you know, those answers make the most sense to me!
the stumble run embarrassed save thing is odd. normally if I stumble i
laugh at myself for being a klutz, after I've picked myself up off the floor
because I inevitably fall down.
but when you pinch it you don't feel *any* pain, it's not just that it
doesn't hurt as much as banging it but it doesn't hurt at all and yet
banging it is the *worst* pain ever, second only to stubbing you toe.
that's why it confuses me.
Dunno. wish i knew the answer to that one!
Could well be…but how big would they have to be? that's quite scary! and
how does it grow back?
It so should! that's exactly how I've always secretly pronounced it in my
head! a marketing idea for a goth bra, perhaps?
oooh, a conflicting answer. Others have said Macahb…why is life so
complicated?
That is really really fucking annoying! Happens to me all the time. you get
all excited 'oh, I like this show, I've only seen one episode' about it and
then *smack* it thumps you in the face with the one you've already seen. i
do wonder if some shows only ever made one episode…
Yes, yes, yes. A black sinister goth maccabra!
with bits of cream lace at the edges and possibly a red skull painted on it