Rob’s Megaphone

Simple stir stick prevents superheated explosion

by Dr. Jerry D. Wilson,
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Lander University

Question: I recently read a story about a boy being burned while trying to boil water in a cup in a microwave oven. When removed, the heated water in the cup was not boiling, but suddenly “blew up” into his [...]

Moon “phased” by changing positions
 

by Dr. Jerry D. Wilson,
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Lander University

A couple of questions, one technical and the other better-rounded.
Question: The moon goes through phases – new, first-quarter, full and third- (or last) quarter. Yet, when we see a first- or third-quarter moon, the face of the moon we see is one-half [...]

Tumblin’ tumbleweeds are a pain in the west. 

by Dr. Jerry D. Wilson,
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Lander University

Here are a couple of “What is” questions.
Question: What is tumbleweed? (Asked by some curious dude.)
Reply: “Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds” (Sung by Sons of the Pioneers, if you’re old enough to remember).
 I guess we’ve all seen tumbleweed [...]

by Dr. Jerry D. Wilson,
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Lander University

A touch of the grape may be good for the heart 

 
Question: I heard on the news that grape juice may help prevent heart attacks. How is this?  (Asked by a curious column reader.)
Reply: What’s good and bad for you seems to change every day, and it [...]

Twelve Interesting Words
 How many words are in your vocabulary? The average high school graduate is said to know about 10,000 words. The average 4-year college graduate is said to know about 20,000 words. Do you have room for any more words in your vocabulary?
Here are some interesting words, which you may not know.
Upon learning an interesting [...]

July 30
On this day in . . .  
1619 – In Jamestown, Virginia, the first representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convenes for the first time.
1729 – Baltimore, Maryland is founded.
1932 – Walt Disney’s Flowers and Trees, the first Academy Award winning cartoon and first cartoon short to use Technicolor, premieres.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOadTflvdBg]

1954 
Elvis [...]

by Dr. Jerry D. Wilson,
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Lander University
 

Curiosity corner: The tale of two kiwis  — bird and fruit linked by looks
Question: Are the kiwi bird and the kiwi fruit related?

Reply: Well, not really. You don’t usually cross a bird with a fruit. However, there is a correlation, or perhaps a resemblance. The one [...]

The information for this post was sent to me by a friend to run on Rob’s Megaphone. 
I thought it was really interesting, so I dug a little.  I discovered that this post had made the rounds in the blogosphere – more than once. What I found most interesting was that more than 200 sites ran this history from the [...]

I am proud to announce that Curiosity Corner has found a home away from home in the blogsophere right here on Rob’s Megaphone.
                                                                         

by Dr. Jerry D. Wilson,
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Lander University
 
Question: Somebody recently mentioned “Zeno’s paradox.” Would you please explain this?  Thanks. (Asked by a curious and bashful column reader.)
Reply: First let’s define paradox. [...]

The world’s most difficult word to translate loses much in translation
 
In an article published by the BBC on June 22, 2004, “ilunga” was deemed the world’s most difficult word to translate. According to the article by Oliver Conway, “ilunga” topped a list compiled by 1,000 linguists as the “hardest word to translate.” It was [...]