GingerAle

Season’s greets, Mr. BB:

‘Tis the season to . . .

Deck the halls with boughs of BLARNEY Troll-la-Troll-la-Troll, la-Troll-Troll, Troll.

There is nothing wrong with this Yule time question.  It does require advanced, grade-school mathematics skills to answer it, though.

\(500000 + \underbrace{ (200*300)}_{\scriptsize \text{Portion tied to profits}} + (17*500) = 568500 \\ \dfrac{(200*300)}{568500} = 0.1055 =10.6 \mathbf{\%} \)

GA

Asking this is like asking how much the Pacific Ocean sea level would raise if 300ml of water were added.

I really like questions like this, though. It’s easy to see that a few weeks ago a young person put away his bubbles and comic books and then read a few pages of text on quantum physics. It’s easy to see that he’s a bright young person, because he immediately gleans enough information to ask brilliant and complex questions.   It’s really, truly impressive that he can skip over the piddly minutia of reciprocal and circular harmonic motion; electromagnetic and  acoustical resonance, plus  finite quantum  oscillation, thermodynamics, blackbody radiation, single energy state domains, etc, etc, etc . . .. Nope, he didn’t need any of that.

 Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of the top questions that help explain the nature of the universe. These questions are not all-inclusive nor are they listed in any particular order, because once you’ve reached a state of quantum entangled stupid, spooky dumbness at a distance applies, and order doesn’t matter.  

Some of these questions are intentionally obtuse and some are serious. 

Question 1:  How do I get bubblegum off my face? (Chemistry)

Question 2:  What is the speed of dark? (Physics)

Question 3:  If I pour water on a fire, wouldn't that make the fire stronger because fires need oxygen to burn and there are oxygen atoms in water molecules? (Chemistry)

Question 4:  Why doesn’t Earth lose all its air when the space shuttle punctures our atmosphere? (Earth science)

Question 5:  I learned that the human DNA is formed by the letters A, C, G and T: what about the DNA of people who don't use our alphabet, like Russians, Chinese, Japanese and Muslims? Can their DNA be formed by ideograms or be replicated from right to left? (Biology)

Question 6:  I wanted to taste mercury. Should I go for the organic kind or the store brand stuff? (Food Science)

Question 7:  The sun is made of flammable hydrogen gas, so what would happen if we set fire to it? (Phyisics)

Question 8:  So if helium lifts things like balloons into the air do they have like negative gravity? (Physics)

Question 9:  My heater is making a horrible noise (metal on metal grind). If I use WD-40 it will reduce the friction.  But friction causes heat which is why I need it. so how can I fix it without breaking it? (Technology)

Question 10:  What happens to Bruce Banner's di*k when he turns into the Hulk? (Radiation physics)

Question 11:  Why didn't Isaac Newton win the Nobel Prize even though he invented Gravity? (History)

Question 12:  If they discovered oxygen in 1772, how did people breathe before then? (Physiology)

Question 13:  Why do meteors always land in craters? (Physics)

Question 14:  If car at 3000lbs moves constant speed of 30 mph, what frequency does it make? (Physics)

While we’re researching your question, perhaps you could answer some of these, Greg.

GA

This is Mr. BB.  He probably won’t be signing up anytime soon. 

Race has two general definitions: one based in biology and the other in sociology. The biological traits for race determination in the human genome are nebulous and very subtle. One little-known fact is the genetic sequences used to determine race have never included skin color.

In sociology, it does include skin color.

In any case, attributing race to the color of a ball is an absurd extension of the anthropomorphic fallacy. I suppose explaining this to them may seem pointless, as it would fall on deaf ears, because such thinking processes had to have been instilled from an early age. Even so, a quick pointing out of the absurd nature of the comment may instill a logical seed that grows enough to persuade some to abandon this incongruous train of thought.  Those who you persuade will also do the same. This may seem slow and cumbersome, but the fallacy probably started with this very method.

If you have the ear of your audience beyond a quick comment, you might try an absurd rejoinder. Something like this:

“Yes, many who teach statistics and combinatory counting methods are now using green and purple balls. That will have to change too, though; it seems the purple balls are accusing the green balls of being homophobes.” 

GA

Late yesterday, or early this morning, someone posted an ethnic joke in the form of a riddle on the forum. It was a fusion of a “change a light bulb” and “in a bar” type of joke, with a diverse list of ethnicities and races. The joke was one paragraph and totally readable without clicking on it, with only 4 views until JB posted a reply indicating that the answer depended on whether the bartender was a (derogatory name: Italian) or (derogatory name: Irish). The view count started jumping noticeably after JB’s post. 

JB is a troll and his interest is in humor, not racism. I figured he choose those two ethnicities because he’s of Italian heritage and I’m Irish. I thought his reply has to be funnier than the punch line of the joke. That remains to be seen, though, because I still don’t know the punch line, but I have a good guess. 

Lancelot Link told me that during the initial re-sequencing processing for his genetic enhancement, he awoke one morning to notice he’d become black.  He said during the first life-changing moments while he looked in the mirror, he heard Rod Sirling’s voice, “For your consideration, Mr. Lancelot Link, formerly a mutterer of racial slurs and ethnic jokes; now, an Ebony reader in the Twilight Zone.”  OMG! LMAO! _{Is it racist of me to think that funny?}  

Donut, your joke is simply a pun.  It couldn’t be racist because Russians are not a race; it’s not an ethnic joke because it does not focus on the ethnicity of your friend.  It simply focuses on the alliterative rhyming relation between the verb “rushin(g)” and the noun “Russian.”   

Your friend may have responded as he did because he’s hypersensitive to the current social constructs in society.  In this case, the social construct is race and ethnicity—often used interchangeably.  He may have been “bully-ragged” over a “racist” remark, and he’s probably seen others so castigated for similar offenses. He then would feel compelled to pass it on to you, possibly as a type of catharsis, or believing this lessens his “offence” if he’s not the only one who is “guilty.” 

There are physical laws of the universe that can destroy us if we violate them, such as trying to occupy the same space as a larger mass—like a train. I’ve seen this twice in my life, and I can say the result is gruesome and messy. Likewise, violating social or moral laws can destroy us too. Transgress either law, and you’re in for a world of misery and doom.  For the physical laws there are precise and measurable limits that are repeatable every time; for the social laws the consequences are arbitrary and nebulous, and very as much as the individuals who exercise the judgment. These laws change from one generation to the next, and of course, from one culture to the next. 

GA

Actually, that is the professional way of doing it, when you’re teaching concepts. 

Here’s a LaTex formatted, reproduction from

I represent that remark!

Solution (and precipitates):

\(\text {Solve and balance the equation to determine the reaction ratio. }\\ \text{ }\\ Ni(NO_3)_2 + K_2CO_3 \Rightarrow NiCO_3 + 2KNO_3 \small \text { Note that the ratio is 1:1}\\ \small \text {Determine the number of moles in the solution of 85ml with a 0.55 molar concentration of potassium carbonate. }\\ 0.25 * 85*10^{-3} L = \small \text{moles of potassium carbonate }\\ \small \text{Divide this by the 0.55 molar concentration of nickel (II) nitrate }\\ 0.02125/0.55 = 0.0386 L \\ 38.6 \text{ml} \small \text { of 0.55 molar nickel (II) nitrate } \)

.

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Easy as pealing a high potassium banana

GA

A question of Ethics:

^{You know, you could just say it's rude to delete your post blab blah etc jabber on and then post back my question right? But no, you didn't.}

Oh, But I did. I did that very thing. I said its rude then jabbered on; then posted back your question. 

^{Instead, you acted like ginger. Very bitter, and nasty.}

Yes, I did act like Ginger.  That’s who I am.  Generally, it’s only adolescents and adults who act like little bratty children that of think of me as bitter and nasty.  So, it’s easy to understand why you think so. 

 ^{What you're telling me, is that if CPhill or Melody weren't going to hide unethical comments as such, why would you want to make them in the first place?}

Your question is a non sequitur.  I’ll answer it, though.

It’s not unethical to sound a fire alarm if there is a fire. It’s not unethical to sound the Ahole alarm if there is an Ahole nearby. 

However, it is unethical to vandalize a post. Once you make a post and it is answered, it’s no longer your post—it belongs to the forum. Over time, potentially thousands of students can learn from these posts. However, that can never happen, because you effectively destroy them.  That is unethical and it is petty; so yes, I would curse you. The only reason I didn’t, is because a moderator would likely hide the post and you would not be able to read it. That would be kind of pointless, wouldn’t it?