Scientific Myths You Probably Believe about the World
There are always myths on almost everything in this world, but there are as many myth-busters too. Here, we have some of the most bizarre myths about science that everyone ought to know and understand. If you don’t, perhaps you should consult your tutor or join a physics tuition class now! Here are some of the scientific myths you probably have believed once in your life.
Lightning Never Strikes Twice at The Same Place
Seeing as how the Empire State Building is recorded to be struck by lightning almost 100 times annually, we’d have to say this myth is a bust. Lightning searches for the fastest way to the ground, and this makes the tallest points in any area the most favourable targets, regardless if they have been hit before. It’s certain that many points have been struck multiple times, and furthermore, lightning conductors are created specifically to attract lightning and be hit multiple times.
Matter: The Solid, The Gas & The Liquid
You forgot plasma, buddy. You know, the stuff that fires, lightning, and the Sun are made of. It is super-hot electrons and ions, and when chilled it transits to gaseous state but with different properties. So, if you superheat most elements and chemical compounds the molecules will disintegrate, turning to ions and electrons and you’ll convert them into plasma; the fourth state of matter. That’s the stuff to tell your O Level physics tutor to make them proud!
The Earth’s Rotation is What Causes Us To Have Seasons
With a distance of 93 million miles between us and the Sun, a little tilt on the earth’s rotational axis bringing it closer or farther from the sun doesn’t make much of a difference to the heat we are already receiving. The seasons are actually caused by of the tilt towards or away from the sun. As a matter of fact, what determines the summers and the winters, is the angle at which the sunlight hits the Earth. So, if it’s straight on, you got summers, and the opposite would bring on the horrible cold!
Lethal Coin Drop
Ever heard about the one where a harmless coin dropped from a great height could crack your skull open and kill you? Well, you can stop worrying about that as it’s entirely untrue. The fact is, the coin would reach a maximum acceleration depending on its mass and the air resistance it encounters and then stay at the same speed regardless of the distance it travels vertically which would be around 25 miles/hour. That might cause a sting and a lot of annoyance, but it wouldn’t be enough to kill unaware passers-by.
We Only Use 10% of Our Brain
Contrary to popular belief, we use a lot more than 10% of our brain. Even a small mundane activity lights up a lot more than that in an MRI of the brain. So yeah, we do use almost all our brain, all throughout our life till the day we die. The organ takes up a whopping 20% of all oxygen and glucose we consume.
A point in case is that if we were using only 10%, then head injuries, even minor ones wouldn’t have such devastating effects in every instance and we would have heard at least a few cases where a person diagnosed with a tumour got off easy because a tumour was somewhere in the 90% region they weren’t using!
Now that you’ve read the article, hopefully, you understand better regarding scientific myths and the popular sayings that accompany them. Be sure to do your research as actual Science will often disprove these myths!