What if we went back to making car/house sized computers like back in the 70s? Refrigerator sized computers? AskScienceDiscussion

I was just thinking about the fact that our current computer technology does appear to be tremendously affected by how tightly we can fit the same things in it. From smart watches to cell phones to tablets to laptops to desktops, their processing power is limited by their size... but we restricted the size to small dogs.

So what if we increased the upper limit of the physical size of our computers?

What if computer engineers used everything they have today, or maybe with an additional several years of planning and research to accommodate for this newly introduced size? What then would the common "home" computer be capable of? Can anyone guestimate any figures, or paint a picture in my head how certain things would change?

Submitted October 07, 2017 at 11:37PM by Jon_FUCKIN_Harvey http://ift.tt/2gkbCwN AskScienceDiscussion

What factors contribute to water pooling in the bottom of a fridge? Does leaving the door open play a role? AskScienceDiscussion

It seems that leaving a fridge door open (for, say, 20-30 seconds) does not contribute to a significant loss of energy. This thread dispels that myth: http://ift.tt/2tviIpW

However, I've also heard the argument that leaving the door open makes it more likely for water to pool in the bottom of the refrigerator. Is this plausible?

I'm inclined to say no, because on the timescales involved (20-30 seconds) I can't see much significant happening. But it could also depend a lot on the design of the fridge. I used to have a fridge that filled with water when a valve at the back got clogged. It was a shitty design and came with a special tool for unclogging the valve. My present fridge has no such problem, but still occasionally forms pools. I assume it's more an issue to do with the contents of the fridge – but could it be that the door contributes in any way?

Submitted July 01, 2017 at 05:49PM by lexipenia http://ift.tt/2scLuHW AskScienceDiscussion

Question about Vitamin C from the drugstore. AskScienceDiscussion

I have some Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that has been stored in the refrigerator under cold, dry conditions for some months. It has a March 25, 2017 expiration date.

I feel that this is still good, and would like your imput on this. It was manufactured in early 2016 and has been stored under the conditions described. Specifically, how many more years or months, more or less, will it still be in an effective chemical form and effective for humans? Me, specifically.

Submitted March 24, 2017 at 04:14AM by Albacorewing http://ift.tt/2mWi5OT AskScienceDiscussion

Refrigerators in sub-zero environments. AskScienceDiscussion

How would these affect the surrounding space, would a refrigerator cooling it's contents to say 6c, heat up a room it's sitting in that has an ambient temperature of -20c?

Could a household refrigerator technically be used a heater in sub-zero environments?

Submitted October 06, 2016 at 03:21PM by DraumrKopa http://ift.tt/2e4OqTC AskScienceDiscussion

Could I build a refrigerator if I time-travelled to the middle ages without any modern tool? AskScienceDiscussion

Sometimes I think about how I would build modern technology by myself in some scenario where there is basically no technology.

I chose the middle ages for convenience's sake because there is more or less all technology that I think I could eventually manage to make by myself without much help, but it would take me just a lot of time.

Would I (an average person) be able to make enough electricity and use it for that purpose?

Would I be able to find all the needed materials, including the gas needed for the compression, and somehow store it for later use?

If not an average person, could a trained engineer be able to do it on their own?

Submitted August 02, 2016 at 03:06AM by 2Punx2Furious http://ift.tt/2aY0Fgu AskScienceDiscussion

Operating absorption-cycle reefer: now start removing Hydrogen molecules. What happens? AskScienceDiscussion

Let there be in front of us, an operating, ordinary heat-fired, Platen-Munters type (absorption-diffusion cycle) refrigerator.

Then let there be emplaced somewhere in the pipework, a Maxwell's Demon. A little guy who allows an H2 molecule to "leak out" once a second with no other disturbance.

What is the sequence of events/conditions/statuses we will see with this refrigerator?

Submitted February 21, 2016 at 11:51AM by anotherswingingdick http://ift.tt/1KzKg1r AskScienceDiscussion

What are the differences in tap vs bottled water filtration? AskScienceDiscussion

Basically, I always grew up drinking water from water bottles and from the refrigerator. I never knew that people can drink straight from the sink until a few days ago. Now, I want to convince my parents to let me drink tap water but they are afraid that it is dangerous. My dad thinks it will give me cancer. What argument can I present to them so that they let me drink tap water?

Submitted January 25, 2016 at 10:02PM by ProfessorRigby http://ift.tt/1Umnl9A AskScienceDiscussion

How can Powerade freeze on a hot day? AskScienceDiscussion

I wouldn't believe this unless I saw it with my own eyes, and I can't come up with any explanation. I was golfing this past summer (July or August) in South Georgia, 100+ degrees. Midway through the round, my brother and I each picked up a Powerade at the pro shop. The drinks were cold from being stored in a refrigerator indoors. After both opening our drinks and taking a few sips, my brother's drink began freezing. After 2-3 holes (roughly 30 minutes) his Powerade was frozen solid. Can someone please explain how this is possible?

Submitted January 08, 2016 at 08:42AM by sogaguy http://ift.tt/1K0Y1QL AskScienceDiscussion

How can Powerade freeze on a hot day? AskScienceDiscussion

I wouldn't believe this unless I saw it with my own eyes, and I can't come up with any explanation. I was golfing this past summer (July or August) in South Georgia, 100+ degrees. Midway through the round, my brother and I each picked up a Powerade at the pro shop. The drinks were cold from being stored in a refrigerator indoors. After both opening our drinks and taking a few sips, my brother's drink began freezing. After 2-3 holes (roughly 30 minutes) his Powerade was frozen solid. Can someone please explain how this is possible?

Submitted January 08, 2016 at 08:42AM by sogaguy http://ift.tt/1K0Y1QL AskScienceDiscussion

Why isn’t evaporative cooling technology utilized on devices that generate heat? AskScienceDiscussion

Why isn’t evaporative cooling technology utilized on devices that generate heat? “Swamp coolers” seem like they could be utilized in many different ways, but they aren’t. Their applications certainly vary depending on climate; but if we make some assumptions for the sake of science it would seem they have a clear benefit almost everywhere. Take a generic swamp cooler, just wet material and air flow. (none of that fancy bong or evap cooler, this is just indirect style) For our hypothesis assume we are in an air conditioned building, say it’s 74 degrees; something comfortable. We are in a reasonably nontropic environment. Maybe our air conditioned air is at 30-40% humidity. We have a refrigerator running and its kicking off exhaust MUCH warmer than 74 degrees, and given our air is conditioned our humidity is relatively low, so we have say, 100 degree air at 30-40% humidity. By directing that warmish, dryish exhaust through a very simple swamp cooler, couldn’t we effectively reduce the exhaust temperature through the phase change? Wouldn’t this simultaneously increase the humidity of the air, allowing the air conditioner to work even more effectively? This slightly cooled, moist air would at least feel much better. I understand that for most industrial applications the reason this isn’t used is simple; the heat generating units are roof mounted so the components never affect the inside air. It seems so clear that it would be effective; why don’t we see these products more often in homes? Why is evaporative cooling not built into modern appliances? Maybe there is something key I am missing?

Submitted September 29, 2015 at 01:55AM by curiosityconnoisseur http://ift.tt/1Lhw9O0 AskScienceDiscussion

Does ice stay ice longer in a container in the fridge if you empty the water when it melts? I'm trying to prolong getting a new refrigerator by stocking it with sealed containers of ice..gallon jug, large Gatorade™ and juice jugs. AskScienceDiscussion

I may be in the wrong group asking this....if so, I apologize.

Submitted September 16, 2015 at 11:29AM by eMJayEeGee http://ift.tt/1QEY8pi AskScienceDiscussion

Body Armor Possibility? AskScienceDiscussion

so i brainstormed about this idea, and since i have no access to the materials i'm wondering if anyone could attempt this for me

Borosilicate Glass Ceramic Trama Plates Crystallized Resin Fiberglass Mesh

Create the glass, insert trama plates in glass while its still melted Encase it in Crystallized Resin, cover with Fiberglass Mesh

Or

get Ceramic material and create the Trama plates but fuse it with the Crystallized Resin, encase in Borosilicate glass, cover with Fiberglass mesh

I've never worked with Crystallized resin in my life so i've no idea how it works but all i know is it solidifies after awhile

not sure if it would melt under sunlight or in contact with a body so maybe a refrigerator unit/AC unit to keep it solid?

Someone with actual Knowledge on this kind of thing tell me if it can work out, also test it to see if it's any better then Kevlar

i've heard Kevlar breaks after a few encounters with 9mm bullets, so the real question is whether it'll survive more rounds then a standard kevlar vest

if anything happens with good results contact me please

Submitted September 05, 2015 at 03:34AM by Daesama http://ift.tt/1N8fUBo AskScienceDiscussion

Could you air condition the planet (Or even something as large as say, Texas)? AskScienceDiscussion

We already have structures millions, if not billions of cubic feet in size that are kept below 75* Fahrenheit. What kind of impact could humans have if they collectively (refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners alike) attempted to cool down the atmosphere of something THAT scale? could it be done to any degree in the first place???

Submitted August 21, 2015 at 02:27AM by Well_With_My_Soul http://ift.tt/1U1cwsi AskScienceDiscussion

What would be the difference in damage done to your foot, if you dropped 200 pounds of hard weight from your hands, on earth compared to on the moon? AskScienceDiscussion

I'm currently reading pushing ice by Alistair Reynolds. He mentions the inertia of an object being very dangerous when people are carrying very heavy loads in a low gravity environment, even though the object is light to carry. I get that inertia would cause damage, like if I was hit by a fast object in zero gravity it could still kill me as a bullet doesn't need gravity to kill me on earth, but if a massive object has a low weight, light enough to carry it, why doesn't it do the same damage as a light object on earth would? Where am I going wrong?

Edit: Got back home to get the quotes because I probably botched my explanation/question without providing them. My question is terrible. I meant to convey that it was the same object with the same mass from earth to the moon but on Earth it weigh something like 200 lbs.

There are two separate occasions so far. I figured because of that it cant be a mistake, and because he did his homework for the book, he has more credibility than i do, even in my own mind.

She heaved at the slab until it lurched free from the ice in which it >had buried itself. It came up easily then, although it still felt heavier >in her hands than anything she had ever handled under Janus's >gravity. "Feels like a slab of concrete, or something. I don't want to >even think about what this would weigh under a gee. We've got to >be talking tonnes"

"Be careful with it" Thale said. "It'll still have inertia. If you drop it >on your foot, you will feel it"

Second instance: two people fight over a large aquarium filled with water and fish

For a moment Svetlana had it, but while she could manage the >tank's weight easily enough, it still had a tonne of inertia. In that >one fumbling instant it had picked up dangerous speed. It was like >trying to catch a falling engine block.

The Tank slipped from her grip. She tried to catch it, but it was >already on its way to the ground, picking up momentum with every >second it fell. The stiff articulation of the suits made it impossible for >them to dive down and catch it. All they could do was watch as the >tank rammed the floor like a rudderlocked supertanker.

I guess i just don't get the dropping part. I understand if the thing was to get up to speed falling, but under low gravity, it shouldn't fall very fast if its light enough to be picked up right? Or does that depend on the atmosphere, like if you dropped a feather in a vacuum? If gravity on earth was severely reduced, to the point where I could easily raise my refrigerator to the ceiling and let it go, would it slowly crash through my floor(assuming a fridge could do that under normal circumstances being dropped from that distance)?

Submitted February 07, 2015 at 07:45AM by bruceangusburns http://ift.tt/1zZ9vmm AskScienceDiscussion