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Ordinary science we overlook 
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Post Ordinary science we overlook
We take things for granted, and one of those things is science. There is science going on all around us that is so commonplace that we don't even see it. A traditional mouse trap springs to mind. It is usually followed by a better mouse trap. And in that manner, science progresses.

The other day, I was repairing the small electric motors in the $1 electric toothbrushes that I have purchased in the past. They are cheap at $1, and they last a long time, but eventually they quit working. I usually just buy another, since they are only $1, which is what everyone else would do. But now, I wanted to see why they fail, and if they can be repaired. Of the four failed motors I tackled, three are now working as good as new. The fourth can be repaired with the right part, but I was satisfied with my success rate and left it for more desperate times.

The amazing thing is that those cheap little electric motors contain awesome technology. That technology was only "invented" about 180 years ago. And yet in each toothbrush was a powerful miniature version of a DC electric motor that now evidently costs much less than $1 to produce. Given their intricate design and exquisite materials, I don't see how it is possible to crank these little motors out for 25 cents or whatever they actually cost, but it is absolutely miraculous to me.

Another thing I find miraculous is getting a monster airplane weighing 575 tons at take-off (that's 1.15 million pounds) to transport 800 people through the skies in high safety and reasonable comfort. There's a ton of everyday science involved, needless to say, that we just take for granted. See for yourself.




Airbus A380 Richard Hammond Documentary HD 1080
(duration 1:16:38)

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Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:18 am
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Post Re: Ordinary science we overlook
Science can be simple and still be mysterious. Entertaining too!

Simple, of course, is relative. As is mysterious.



This is how you lay bricks! Wait for it...

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Sun Jan 15, 2017 7:46 pm
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Post Re: Ordinary science we overlook
How does a Crookes radiometer work? How does light make the vanes spin? What kind of light makes it spin? Is our explanation for the very real phenomenon correct, or is it just a story we tell ourselves so we can feel comfortable with our understanding?





First Time Ever Seen: Secret of Light: 140 Year old mystery solved! Crookes Radiometer
(duration 15:36)



One of the comments to the video was quite humorous, if you watch the video first and observe the human behavior. The main idea of the comment is related to our need to feel comfort at the expense of truth.

TeamYellow wrote:
I had a theory that his ego is what caused the radiometer to move. I had to abandon that theory because the radiometer would have reached many thousands of revolutions per minute if his ego was driving it.

:lol:

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Sun Aug 04, 2019 4:32 pm
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