"There are only two types of motion in the universe: oscillation or rotation and you can't have exclusively one without a trace of the other. That's the reason machines wear out." Does this statement statement have any basis in fact and can you tell me where it might have originated? [more inside]
posted by bonobothegreat on Sep 18, 2009 - 17 answers

Why is a 2cm gap between window panes optimal? [more inside]
posted by unmake on Mar 6, 2009 - 7 answers

ThermodynamicsFilter: Assume I have a perfectly insulated room, a battery with a fixed amount of power, and an air-conditioning/heating unit..... [more inside]
posted by zachawry on Feb 23, 2009 - 26 answers

I made (delicious!) mashed sweet potatoes in a conventional stove-top pot, covered the pot with Reynolds aluminum foil, then put it in a still warm but off-position oven (simply to save stove-top and counter space for the moment while wanting it to stay at room-temperature). Retrieving the pot a few hours later, I found that the inner surface of the foil had turned a light brown. It was also moist from the condensation, but had remained clean, unoiled, unburnt. I've cooked quite a bit and never seen this. What could be causing such discoloration, and is it a worrying symptom (of, say, toxins in the foil)? [more inside]
posted by taramosalata on Dec 14, 2008 - 6 answers

How high above the flame should I have my Wok/frying pan/etc? Is full blast always the hottest setting? [more inside]
posted by Jsn7821 on Dec 14, 2008 - 5 answers

Does temperature (ambient) affect the reading of an analog bathroom scale? [more inside]
posted by knave on Jun 8, 2008 - 9 answers

explain further The Second Law of Thermodynamics [more inside]
posted by complience on May 31, 2008 - 17 answers

I can't stop thinking about fridges and winter. Would it save much energy to freeze gallon containers of water outdoors and put those in the fridge now and then? It's Minnesota winter over here and I want to make the most of it ;)
posted by advicepig on Feb 21, 2008 - 17 answers

ScienceFilter: Creationists, crystals, and thermodynamics. [more inside]
posted by XMLicious on Feb 6, 2008 - 19 answers

Can someone please explain the The Second Law of Thermodynamics to me, with examples? [more inside]
posted by complience on Feb 5, 2008 - 29 answers

What is the correct thermodynamic explanation for the fact that all monosaccharides with 5 or more backbone carbon atoms occur predominately in their cyclic form in solution?
posted by perissodactyl on Dec 12, 2007 - 5 answers

There's a name for the principle stating that the bulk properties of a substance are a consequence of the ensemble average of the behaviors of the individual molecules comprising that substance. What is it? [more inside]
posted by mr_roboto on Aug 18, 2007 - 21 answers

So I just bought a can of Coke from a machine, and it came out hot so how long will it take to chill it in the freezer? [more inside]
posted by zeoslap on Nov 30, 2006 - 22 answers

Science question. Why is it that when you kill the heat to a pot of boiling water, it suddenly emits lots of condensation clouds? Shouldn't it be making those "steam" clouds while it boils?
posted by zek on Oct 24, 2006 - 3 answers

When cooking with tinfoil, why do you put it with the shiny side towards the food? [more inside]
posted by nebulawindphone on Jun 17, 2006 - 17 answers

Why does blowing on food make it cooler? [more inside]
posted by macinchik on Mar 30, 2006 - 16 answers

My old apartment had extremely leaky single-pane windows, so in the winter my roommate and I would always cover them with tightly sealed heat-shrink plastic film. Why would the plastic nearly always be bulging inward? [more inside]
posted by Galvatron on Dec 10, 2005 - 18 answers

It's obvious that none of the current energy producing methods we have has enough power to make say space travel affordable and fast for everyone. So no Star Wars / Jetsons type flying spaceships and cars for now. But are there any up and coming energy sources that will be able to do this? [more inside]
posted by riffola on Aug 9, 2005 - 8 answers

When something burns it uses up it's fuel/calorific content and turns into a small blob of black which is known to chemists as 'carbon' and to the rest of us as 'bugger'. This I can cope with.

If you stick the same item (or an unburnt relative of said product) into a deep fat frier and heat it for too long, it goes black and creates this same black substance. There has been no oxygen for the the energy to burn with. Where did the energy go?
posted by twine42 on Jan 22, 2004 - 10 answers