Surprising figures or statistics?

[67Dino]

On a different thread, we just had the following exchange. Seemed it deserved its own thread, so here it is.

RizzoTheRat said:

Shuvi McTupya said:

67Dino said:

For those who were wondering (or was that just me?), the Earth Moon distance at 384,400km is 28% of the diameter of the Sun at 1,391,016km. So the sun wouldn’t fit there by some margin, quite apart from making it distinctly toasty on Earth if it were.

Wow, thanks I love trivia like that.

I had to check it of course and I just discovered that when you ask google 'how big is the sun' it tells you the bloody radius! Since when was that the measurement that people judge the size of things by?? You don't order a pizza by radius, or a tyre or anything else that's round...

You can however fit all the other planets in the solar system in the gap between the earth and the moon for something like 60% of the moons orbit, it's a bit too low at periapsis

[67Dino]

Here’s another one:
If Saturn’s rings were the size of a dinner plate, they’d be too thin to see side on

[Peanut Gallery]

I'm impressed that the main rings of saturn are only 10 meters thick! (other parts much thicker)

[Beati Dogu]

For 2001 A Space Odyssey, they switched planets from Saturn to Jupiter because the rings of Saturn would have been way more work for an already overworked special effects team. It remains Saturn (actually it's moon, Iapetus) in the book however.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

If London was the sun and Inverness was Uranus, Jupiter, the planet before Uranus, would be Milton Keynes.

Sorry, Jupiter is 2 in from Uranus.

Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Wednesday 6th February 21:30

[Zetec-S]

I always remember being told in a school physics lesson that if the Earth was shrunk to the size of a ball bearing, it would be the most perfectly spherical ball bearing ever made.

(whether is is/was true or not I have no idea?)

[Terminator X]

The distance between your elbow and wrist is the same as the length of your foot

TX.

[Flibble]

Zetec-S said:

I always remember being told in a school physics lesson that if the Earth was shrunk to the size of a ball bearing, it would be the most perfectly spherical ball bearing ever made.

(whether is is/was true or not I have no idea?)

Sadly not true, a high grade ball bearing expanded to Earth size would have a sphericity of around 20 metres (i.e. it would be 20 metres from a perfect sphere). The Earth is actually pretty oblate, to the extent that you can see it, hence is far less spherical, it's actually about a thousand times less spherical.

[Beati Dogu]

Terminator X said:

The distance between your elbow and wrist is the same as the length of your foot

TX.

The span of your arms outstretched (from longest finger to longest finger) is normally the same as your height.



Multiple medal winning swimmer Michael Phelps' wingspan is about 3 inches longer than his height.

[Flibble]

Beati Dogu said:

The span of your arms outstretched (from longest finger to longest finger) is normally the same as your height.



Multiple medal winning swimmer Michael Phelps' wingspan is about 3 inches longer than his height.

Known as your ape index, mine is +2 inches (i.e. arms longer). Not uncommon to be up to around 5 inches either way.

[anonymous-user]

Flibble said:

Beati Dogu said:

The span of your arms outstretched (from longest finger to longest finger) is normally the same as your height.



Multiple medal winning swimmer Michael Phelps' wingspan is about 3 inches longer than his height.

Known as your ape index, mine is +2 inches (i.e. arms longer). Not uncommon to be up to around 5 inches either way.

Yep, mine is c+5,which is fun when buying off the peg suits

[Zetec-S]

Flibble said:

Zetec-S said:

I always remember being told in a school physics lesson that if the Earth was shrunk to the size of a ball bearing, it would be the most perfectly spherical ball bearing ever made.

(whether is is/was true or not I have no idea?)

Sadly not true, a high grade ball bearing expanded to Earth size would have a sphericity of around 20 metres (i.e. it would be 20 metres from a perfect sphere). The Earth is actually pretty oblate, to the extent that you can see it, hence is far less spherical, it's actually about a thousand times less spherical.

although this would have been back in the 90's if that makes any difference?

[Gary29]

Flibble said:

Sadly not true, a high grade ball bearing expanded to Earth size would have a sphericity of around 20 metres (i.e. it would be 20 metres from a perfect sphere). The Earth is actually pretty oblate, to the extent that you can see it, hence is far less spherical, it's actually about a thousand times less spherical.

Not true. Everyone knows the Earth is flat.

[coldel]

I work in a building on the Strand in London which is next to the Savoy hotel. There is a road running down the middle of it called Carting Lane, it is home to the only sewage powered lamp post in London. It goes down into the sewer that runs under the Savoy and uses the methane it produces to burn 24 hours a day - so yes powered by well-to-do farts. I have been told Carting Lane is known to the locals as Farting Lane.

[irocfan]

coldel said:

I work in a building on the Strand in London which is next to the Savoy hotel. There is a road running down the middle of it called Carting Lane, it is home to the only sewage powered lamp post in London. It goes down into the sewer that runs under the Savoy and uses the methane it produces to burn 24 hours a day - so yes powered by well-to-do farts. I have been told Carting Lane is known to the locals as Farting Lane.

This is why I love PH

[thebraketester]

coldel said:

I work in a building on the Strand in London which is next to the Savoy hotel. There is a road running down the middle of it called Carting Lane, it is home to the only sewage powered lamp post in London. It goes down into the sewer that runs under the Savoy and uses the methane it produces to burn 24 hours a day - so yes powered by well-to-do farts. I have been told Carting Lane is known to the locals as Farting Lane.

Well it always smells like st on the strand so at least it’s being put to good use

[m1dg3]

Continuing the planetary-scale facts, the Earth's atmosphere is proportionally thinner than the skin of an apple.

[coldel]

irocfan said:

coldel said:

I work in a building on the Strand in London which is next to the Savoy hotel. There is a road running down the middle of it called Carting Lane, it is home to the only sewage powered lamp post in London. It goes down into the sewer that runs under the Savoy and uses the methane it produces to burn 24 hours a day - so yes powered by well-to-do farts. I have been told Carting Lane is known to the locals as Farting Lane.

This is why I love PH

Science in action!

[Terminator X]

coldel said:

I work in a building on the Strand in London which is next to the Savoy hotel. There is a road running down the middle of it called Carting Lane, it is home to the only sewage powered lamp post in London. It goes down into the sewer that runs under the Savoy and uses the methane it produces to burn 24 hours a day - so yes powered by well-to-do farts. I have been told Carting Lane is known to the locals as Farting Lane.

The entrance road in to the Savoy, whilst very short, is the only road in the UK where you can legally drive on the RHL.



TX.

[thebraketester]

I thought that was a slight myth but cannot remember the details....