NewScientist The Last Word - Tag 'technology' details

Tag 'technology' details

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In Olympic swimming events, the winner is the first person to touch a pressure-sensitive wall at the end of the pool. How does this pad know that a person has touched it, rather than just registering the pressure of splashing water? If a swimmer just brushed it, would it fail to register their finish?I know that in the men's 100-metre butterfly event, the equipment was called into question when Michael Phelps of the US won his seventh gold medal of the games. How did officials know it had operated successfully?And finally, it's easy to judge the victor in a race taking place out of water - such as running - because a sensor beam can scan the finish line. But in the pool how can they ensure that all the wall pads are exactly in line at both ends of the pool? Are they aligned before water is added to the pool, and if so, how?Kelly Clitheroe, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, UK

(1 vote) average rating:4

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-07-08 17:01:09

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Categories: Technology.

Tags: technology, weather.

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Thinking person's crumpet

A little while ago we froze a packet of those pancake-like products that in these parts we call crumpets. At the time, the sealed plastic packet seemed to contain a lot of air, but after four months in our freezer it had contracted tightly against the crumpets, which had also shrunk. After two more months at room temperature, the whole package appeared to have shrunk still further, though with no sign of mould or decay (see photo, left).The ingredients are listed as flour, water, yeast, raising agents, E450, E500, salt, sugar, preservative, calcium propionate. What's going on?Chris Greenwood, Ettington, Warwickshire, UK

Editorial status: In magazine.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-07-01 17:28:59

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Categories: Domestic Science, Technology.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, technology.

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Leaf me alone Why does my dishwasher have such difficulty cleaning spinach from my plates?Frank Schanze, Stuttgart, Germany(Image: MLON, stock.xchng)
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-06-10 17:01:00

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Categories: Domestic Science, Technology.

Tags: unanswered, domestic science, technology.

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Taste tribulation

This is a question that my husband, Jon Richfield, cannot answer to my satisfaction. I find the taste of certain common spices quite horrible. The nasty flavour I get from all of them seems, to me, quite similar.The spices that taste this way are aniseed, caraway, cumin, fennel and coriander. Tarragon, cardamom and capers also taste awful in the same way.I wonder if there is a food scientist who knows what they have in common, or what my aversion might be. I should add that I am not a fussy eater in general.Bess Richfield, Somerset West, South Africa

(2 votes) average rating:4

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-06-03 17:50:18

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Categories: Domestic Science, Human Body.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, technology.

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Monkey business

My son has a game in which you hang small plastic monkeys and gorillas from a plastic network of tree branches. The branch network is attached to an overhanging trunk by a magnet. As more monkeys are hooked on, the network becomes more unsteady until the magnet can hold it up no more. The player who breaks the bond is declared the loser.The game depends on a magnet of a clearly defined strength. But how is this strength determined so accurately during manufacture that it can hold almost all the monkeys (but not quite)?Pavel Sypchenko, Kiev, Ukraine

(1 vote) average rating:3

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-06-03 17:48:22

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Categories: Domestic Science, Technology.

Tags: animals, unanswered, domestic science, technology.

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Point the way

When the Apollo and other similar space capsules were returning to Earth, it was important for the larger end of their bell-shape to face downwards. This is because the protective shield, that resisted the intense heat created on re-entry by atmospheric friction as the spacecraft slowed, was positioned there.How were the capsules designed so that they would always keep the larger, protective face towards the Earth and not flip over so that the pointed end faced earthwards? It seems to me that this would be likely to happen as this orientation would minimise air resistance. Or is my grasp of space flight a bit flimsy?Bill France, Leicester, UK(The photo shows the Apollo 13 Command Module after splashdown (Image: NASA))

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-13 17:17:32

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Categories: Transport, Technology.

Tags: human body, unanswered, technology, transport.

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Wheels of death I heard the car is the deadliest weapon created by humans and that the number of lives it has claimed exceeds the death toll from atomic weapons, guns or bombing. Is this true? And what are the grisly figures involved?Thomas Elling, London, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-04-22 17:23:24

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Categories: Human Body, Transport, Technology.

Tags: human body, animals, technology, transport.

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High ball cocktail

When I lived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I played badminton and squash. The reduced air resistance at 2600 metres altitude makes a perceptible difference to the flight of a shuttlecock: it travels much further.Should there also be a noticeable difference to the flight of a squash ball? If there is an effect it is less noticeable, but my squash partners and I would like to think that it exists, rather than admit age and a lack of fitness are slowing us down?Mark Harvey, London, UK(Image: a_kartha, stock.xchng)

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-04-15 17:00:00

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Categories: Technology.

Tags: animals, domestic science, technology.

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Clear waters After an electrical storm, the water in my father's small fish pond is crystal clear, having previously been full of green algae. Similarly, my parents' drinking water comes straight from a nearby reservoir and often contains organic matter, but a storm also appears to clean it up. What could cause this?Michelle, Johannesburg, South Africa(Image: enrika79, stock.xchng)
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Asked by damian
on 2009-04-09 12:55:48

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Categories: Planet Earth, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, technology, plants, transport, planet earth.

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Net rage When a thread or topic is started on a user-generated forum on the internet, it isn't long before one of the contributors makes a seemingly unprovoked attack on a total stranger. What is it about non-face-to-face contact of this kind that makes this more common than it would otherwise be?John Anderson, Warsaw, Poland
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