/u/mynameishere's posts in /r/askscience

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If gold was a common element, like lead or aluminum, what kinds of industrial or commercial uses would it have?

964 upvotes

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How do human vocal cords hit such low notes when strings and wind instruments have to be many, many times larger to do the same? Put another way, why are there no tiny bass instruments?

101 upvotes

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Can unsolved games have skill/luck ratios? It seems that games like Monopoly are 100 percent luck, given the simple strategic choices, but a very poor player could change that. Likewise, what advantage does a great player at poker have over an average player, who relies mainly on luck?

40 upvotes

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Why do right-handed people play stringed instruments in a way that puts most of the hard work on the left hand?

14 upvotes

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What was the speed of sound through the material comprising the universe in the first moments of the big bang? Could it have been faster than light?

6 upvotes

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Can hand clapping cause a sonic boom?

3 upvotes

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Why do the SpaceX people use the word "nominal" so much? The dictionary offers no help. That word is usually used to indicate the phoney price of money compared to the past.

3 upvotes

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How could a human voice possibly be louder than the front row of a rock concert?

2 upvotes

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Why do space companies use radiation-hardened components, rather than just wrapping microprocessors (etc) in lead containers?

1 upvotes

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In a thousand years (or some large amount of time) will teeth be viewed like the appendix is today: Unnecessary and removed at the signs of disease?

1 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
If gold was a common element, like lead or aluminum, what kinds of industrial or commercial uses would it have?	964
How do human vocal cords hit such low notes when strings and wind instruments have to be many, many times larger to do the same? Put another way, why are there no tiny bass instruments?	101
Can unsolved games have skill/luck ratios? It seems that games like Monopoly are 100 percent luck, given the simple strategic choices, but a very poor player could change that. Likewise, what advantage does a great player at poker have over an average player, who relies mainly on luck?	40
Why do right-handed people play stringed instruments in a way that puts most of the hard work on the left hand?	14
What was the speed of sound through the material comprising the universe in the first moments of the big bang? Could it have been faster than light?	6
Can hand clapping cause a sonic boom?	3
Why do the SpaceX people use the word "nominal" so much? The dictionary offers no help. That word is usually used to indicate the phoney price of money compared to the past.	3
How could a human voice possibly be louder than the front row of a rock concert?	2
Why do space companies use radiation-hardened components, rather than just wrapping microprocessors (etc) in lead containers?	1
In a thousand years (or some large amount of time) will teeth be viewed like the appendix is today: Unnecessary and removed at the signs of disease?	1