Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with density

Is there a regulation in Montreal setting a mimimum distance between bars?

ManInSuit — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:17:08 -0800

Is there a regulation in Montreal setting a mimimum distance between bars or restaurants? I’m doing some research on how different cities regulate the density of bars in different areas. I’ve come across a couple of sources that seem to mention, in passing, that there are regulations in the city (maybe just specific areas, maybe city wide) that specify that bars must be at least 75 metres (or 100 metres, or 50 metres) apart from each other.

While the sources I came across were reasonably reliable (two articles from the Gazette, and one mention in a document on the City Hall site), they all provided very little information, just in passing, and were also around 10 years old.

I want to find out something more definitive and/or more recent and/or more informative.

Can anyone point me to information about this? I’m hoping for something like the text of a specific bylaw that states the regulation- that would be amazing. But less definitive stuff would be helpful too: a newspaper article that states plainly that such a regulation existss, or even a blog where someone gives some detail about it. I’ve put tons of time into trying to find something, but have been coming up blank.

Any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

(And – if anyone has information on similar regulations in Montreal – not specifically minimum-distance requirements, but general restrictions on where bars can be – that would be helpful, too… But the distance regulation is the main thing I’m trying to track down).

Could there be a planet so big that it is bigger than itself?

blue_beetle — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:02:22 -0800

Would it be possible to have a planet with significantly more surface area than the earth and similar gravity (at ground level) by decreasing its density? I know that gravity decreases with the square of the distance, so does that mean that the earth is in the sweet spot for the size/density necessary to produce 1G? Or could that be scaled up to double or triple the surface area and still have a viable (livable) planet?

Help me buy a foam mattress on a budget

fermion — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:12:16 -0800

How can I find the best foam mattress on a limited (<$400) budget? I'm in the market for an inexpensive mattress--$400 is about my upper limit, but I'd be happy if I could find something workable for less. The extra money could go toward a fancy mattress topper.

Ideally I'd like to get a foam mattress--not memory foam, just plain old foam--but I'm having a lot of difficulty figuring out how to comparison shop effectively. I went to a local foam supplier, and they offered to sell me a full-XL-mattress-sized slab of foam for $330; they tell me foam of that particular grade will last 5-7 years. But then I find something like this foam-based futon mattress that seems like a much fancier product for a similar price. Is it really a better buy? Are there other places where a basic polyurethane foam mattress can be had for less? How can I figure out which mattresses are worth the money?

What is a dense/heavy transparant oil or inert/safe non-water-based liquid?

-harlequin- — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:28:15 -0800

I need a crystal-clear transparent liquid that is as heavy (dense) or heavier than water, not dangerous, and not difficult to obtain. The heavier the better. The catch - it can't be water-based. I'm trying to suspend (or at least swirl) a non-soluble coloured powder in a liquid as part of a gift, but I can't use water as this will react with and ruin the powder over time. Oils preserve the powder nicely, but the density of the two that I've tried (baby oil, and liquid paraffin) is too low - they are too light to float the powder for very long and so it settles to the bottom fairly quickly. I can't choose a lighter or more durable powder either, so I'm looking for a heavier liquid.

This list of the density of 150 liquids helps a little, but I don't recognize (by chemical name) most of the liquids, even though some I might already have around the house, so I was wondering if you have any insights.

As with water, reactive chemicals like acid will ruin the powder. (Also, acids are a too much of an irritant/danger to want to put into a gift)

I'm hoping for something I could buy at the local department store or hardware store. I don't really want to order something from a specialist or chemical supplier.

Realistically, I suspect my best bet is a heavy but transparent oil, so it probably won't even be as dense as water, but at least something denser than baby oil. Any idea what that might be?

And if you were wondering, it turns out that paraffin floats on baby oil :-)

Get thee to some Vitamin D!

suzeQ — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:40:49 -0800

What is the best way to get Vitamin D (other than sunshine!) to support optimum calcium absorption? I suffer from a loss of bone density and take Fosamax weekly. In addition, I have increased the amount of calcium in my diet.

My doctor recommends that I take 400-800 mg of Vitamin D each day to increase the rate of calcium absorption. He told me an over the counter variety of Vitamin D in pill form would be fine to take.

As I react negatively to calcium tablets and am gaining my calcium through food, I need a plain old Vitamin D tablet to work with my food/calcium - not a calcium with Vitamin D tablet. Or is there another way to get some Vitamin D? Any recommendations?

Density? I'm dense.

beta male — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:28:34 -0800

Is there a chemical explanation for the density of an element or is it simply an innate physical characteristic? I can't seem to find an explanation of density that relates to something on the atomic level of an element. It doesn't seem to follow with an increase in atomic mass, number, radius, etc (Noble gases generally refute these possibilities). Is this something that is just inherent to each element?

Hopefully some of you are more hardcore science savvy than I am. Thanks in advanced.

DIY Neutral Density filter?

sidereal — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:18:58 -0800

Photography: How to make your own DIY Neutral Density filter? I'd like to make my own neutral density filters at home. They are sold at the photo store, but are a little pricey. Has anyone successfully attempted making their own neutral density filter, no matter how silly it looks?

I want my bones back!

stormygrey — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:46:06 -0800

Something bad has happened with my bones, now what? I have been on Depo Provera a couple months shy of a decade. I have been a little Depo missionary, I thought it was amazing. I loved not having a period for a decade, it was freeing and I had no noticible side effects.

Warnings started to come out, but my doctors said that as long as I ate enough calcium I would be fine, for good measure throw in some exercise. I eat more dairy than anyone I know, I love it. I am pretty active too.

The more I read the scarier it sounded so I asked my doctor for a DEXA scan. Everyone acted like I was crazy. I was 27! Why would I want a bone density scan?!

My doctor fudged some things to get the test covered by insurance and there is was" Lumbar Spine t. score -1.4 Fracture Risk: 3x 0s" Osteopenia is clinical bone loss it is defined a -1 to -2.5 with Osteoporosis being -2.5 or less. So I am well into clinical bone loss. I am sad and irritated and mad and scared.

The question is what do I do now? I think the protocol on this needs to be changed so young women will monitor themselves better and they will know what their real risk is. I have seen some lit. around that weight bearing exercise doesn't affect the density of the lumbar spine.

What exercises, what diet, what class action, what new shows, how do I right this for me and for other women on this drug?

Population Map?

hermitosis — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 18:39:46 -0800

Where can I find a world or US map where the size of each country/state reflects its population? For example, China and India are enormous and distended and Canada is shrunked and tiny, etc?

Google searching (and Metafilter searching) has provided a wealth of maps that are not what I'm looking for. I don't want anything that factors in election results or anything-- just a geographic map distorted by population. I'd like something both attractive and printable, as I'll be using it for a presentation at work.

Thanks so much!!