It has always been my belief that if I go outside and it’s raining, chances are I will get wet. I have never associated a “science” with how drenched I will get! I find it fascinating that there are factors that can actually influence how much rain will pour down on me. Studies have shown that if you minimize the surface area you present to the oncoming rain, you will not get as wet. This would be a bit of a challenge because it is said that the ideal situation would be to lie down on a skateboard through the rain. That is really not possible. I also always assumed that if I dash or run through the rain, I would get less wet. Yet scientific studies have shown that you will only get 10 percent wetter if you walk briskly as opposed to running at sprinter-like speed. The trick is to slant your body parallel to the rains path. Most people only consider the rain that’s falling on top of them, but you also have to consider the rain drops that you are running into. This why lying on a skateboard would be the best way to minimize the amount of water falling on you—you don’t have to consider the drops you’re running into because its only about a 30cm wall your gliding into. Then again, who carries a skateboard everywhere they go in preparation for rain.
dibs
ReplyDeletedibs
ReplyDeleteHello Kat,
ReplyDeleteHere are some of my thoughts about your blog and novel. Your site is very intriguing by the way!
Chapter 1: When reading this chapter, I continuously thought about one recent day in my life. It was pouring outside and I needed to get to my car, so I ran to the vehicle. Once I got into the car, I felt as though I had just jumped into the lake. Water was dripping everywhere and I came to the conclusion that by running, I made myself a lot wetter. I assumed the reasoning was due to the greater amount of water droplets I was running into. Katrina’s explanation about surface area is very clear and has perfect logic. People do not usually think about the rain hitting them on an angle, but rather just the rain hitting the top of their head. It would be very humorous to see people travelling on skateboards on a rainy day to reduce the amount of rain that falls on them.
Chapter2: Chapter 2 has touched upon an awkward topic for males and has come out with interesting results. Being a female, I would not know how a male would deal with the situation of peeing beside a person they know. This question has completely stumped me and I see it has stumped Katrina as well. The result that Katrina concluded with doesn’t match what I originally thought. I assumed that one would pee much faster if put in an awkward position because they would want to shorten the overall duration of time being in the awkward position. I would not have suspected one to take longer and place themselves in even double the amount of time required.
Chapter 4: With Chapter 4, I agree with Ingram and his idea that male dominance takes over the armrest in planes. I believe that the media is a result of male dominance. The media stereotypes males and females and promotes male dominance. Since the media shows the public men with higher power, it is assumed that males receive the armrest over females.
I completely agree with Katrina when she states that when in different surroundings, our needs for personal space are different. I have been on the subway and had strangers literally one inch away from me. I have found myself just pretending they were objects because it is a relief when dealing with personal space.
Chapter 6: This chapter is my ultimate favorite chapter in this blog! I have always thought that blinking just dealt with a flap of skin covering your eyes for a very short period of time. Who would have known that your visual awareness shuts down and your last scene just lingers until you open your eyes. I was never aware that I blink so often, until I read this entry.
Chapter 7: After reading this chapter, I just proved myself wrong and have declared this chapter my ultimate favorite! I cannot wait to try to make sparks with lifesaver gum! I just wonder who was in their closet, eating a lifesaver and holding a mirror to their face?
Chapter 8: I believe that this chapter deals with focus. One hears what they want to hear. If they are focused on someone, they will listen to them and recount what they are saying. If someone is alone in a room, they will listen to the little things around them because there is no noise above the little cracks.
Katrina, you did a wonderful job with your blog. Your computer skills are fantastic and your novel was extremely interesting and easy to follow. I was able to understand everything you were explaining. The topics you chose to write about pertained much too very day life. I could easily relate each topic to my thoughts, mysteries, or experiences. Great work Kat!
Dearest Kat,
ReplyDeleteI have chosen to explore your book “The Science of Everyday Life” for two reasons: the first, Katrina Hartley is extraordinary, and the second, Mr. Barry hates Jay Ingram.
In the first chapter of your blog you discuss the most effective way to dodge rain while trapped in a rain storm. I understand and appreciate how lying on a skateboard would be the most realistic way to avoid rain if you had to get to a destination for a particular time. But if time was not a factor I would defiantly align myself parallel with the direction of the rain droplets, wait out the storm, and then move along again. I know from personal experience that this method would prove to be most effective. Sometimes when I partake in daily shower rituals, I place my hand, parallel to the nozzle and the waters trajectory and my hand tends not to get as wet as when I place it perpendicular. This experiment and conclusion by Jay Ingram demonstrates that something that actually came out of Ingram’s head, has proven to be a useful fact while in the rain.
Learning about bathroom etiquette was… well was not really related to physics or science but these tid-bits of information are quite interesting. I would agree that social status is the main reason why 90% of users when observed by someone in the bathroom wash their hands. Knowing that not washing your hands may paint a unwanted image of yourself in the mind of another is an embarrassing thought, and many strive to avoid it.
The topic of “When the Moon Hits Your Eye” fascinated me in the fact that I myself had a theory to why the moon is larger at dusk than it is midday. I believe that in a sense it is because the world is not flat, but round, creating an illusion when the light strikes our eyes. I also somewhat believed it was due to gravity. When the moon is parallel to the Earth’s surface, the emitted light reflecting off the moon is acted on by the force of gravity, therefore stretching it downwards. It was satisfying to learn that it is nothing but an optical illusion in the brain!
Fascinating how candy can create a miniature lighting storm. Everything around us is composed of protons and electrons so I would not be surprised if many other glucose based candies could perform this task? I also wonder if this spark could possible ignite a fire? These are questions only experiment will answer.
Tongue-showing is something I have never noticed before. After reading about how it is a powerful tool in showing human concentration, I have realized that humans can now understand emotion without truly understanding. There seems to be an invisible bond between human’s emotions.
This blog has really taught me information that I can use everyday in order to show off intelligence and maintain conversation. I really appreciate the writers of this book. Although Jay Ingram is stated as the author, we all know his Masters in Microbiology from U of T does not mean he can write a book:) Great job Kat on an excellent blog. Cheers! <3 Joe