Hello there. I go by "Nitrogen" on most forums I'm on.

I like bringing science to the ignorant.

The incident that made me finally join and say hi to you folks went like this:

You know those esurance commercials talking about how people put 2 tons or whatever of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

Some wingnut on another board I know was going off about how that would take way more than the average driving. He was assuming that a gallon of gas, weighing 6lbs made 6lbs of co2. Then when I told him, no, its more like 20 lbs of co2, he went haywayre. "THAT VIOLATES CONSERVATION OF MASS HOW CAN YOU MAKE MORE WASTE THAN EXISTS???"

Uhh.

Apparently I passed 5th grade chemestry, and he didn't. I tried to explain how oxygen weighs more than hydrogen, and how the chemical reaction works, etc...

Sometimes, facts have a liberal bias I guess.

Anyway, HI everyone.

Hey, Welcome to BAUT.

I know how it feels. In high school I had to "prove" to a classmate the Weak Equivalence Principle using David Scott's method. The experiment was about pendulums and she thought the mass of the bob affected its period, reasoning stubbornly "A fat person would fall faster than a thin person". Needless to say neither the equations I showed nor the practical experiment I did convinced her, and I gave up.

You really shouldn't waste your time when people actively refuse to accept science.

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And so it was, however late . . .

I don't remember "5th grade chemistry"---what school was this?

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*

Welcome to BAUT.

I remember trying to explain that it was Newtons third law that gave a rocket it's thrust, and not the "flame pushing against the ground" as this woo woo claimed.

But surely if what you are saying is correct I replied, when the rocket reached
the the maximum extent of it's Exhaust/flame it would hover at that point until all the fuel was spent, and then it would fall back to earth.

Dont be silly they said by this time the rocket is moving fast enough for the flame to push against the air.....

Remember Moore's second law, once a fruitcake always a fruitcake!

Enjoy the forum

David

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But you're sure the astronauts are lying; you just don't seem to know what they're lying about: Jayutah


I are Learnding.

Hi Nitrogen, welcome to BAUT. Mind if we just call you "N2"?

Bringing science to the masses is a noble cause, but it is an uphill battle. Enjoy the fight.

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009

Welcome, it's always good to hear about someone promoting good science!
Actually, bias is non-denominational. People all over the political spectrum have been twisting science to promote their agendas and ideas for as long as there's been science, the liberals don't hold a patent on it.

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"If this were play'd upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction."
Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
Illuminati's Razor-The most complicatedly evil answer is usually the most correct answer. - Fazor
"Every book is a children's book if the kid can read." - Mitch Hedberg
"Distance doesn’t matter much in space, where if you just start a thing off with the right kind of shove, sooner or later it will get where you want it to go." -Frederik Pohl, Mining the Oort

Welcome also from Germany!

He I know what you mean. As I am into sport shooting since more than 20 years: How often do you think I tried to explain the bullet starts falling to the ground from the very same moment it leaves the barrel. And that, if fired horizontally it needs exactly the same time to reach the ground as if simply dropped from the same height. Sighhhh....

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Andre

"They did not know it was impossible, so they did it!"
Mark Twain

Only if his last name is Molecule

Well, actually, air resistance and the spin of the bullet causes it to lift slightly immediately upon leaving the barrel. Plus, curvature of the Earth means that the surface drops away from the bullet as the bullet travels away from the gun.

So a fired bullet actually does take longer to hit the ground than a dropped bullet would...

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SeanF

"Ask to understand, but don't challenge unless you have the knowledge."--NEOWatcher

The contents of this post are ©2008 by SeanF and may not be copied or retransmitted in any form without the express written consent of SeanF

How does it come that I knew someone would nitpick on air resistance? But I never would have gone so far he would also bring up curvature of the Earth!

Again Nitrogen: Welcome to BAUT!

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Andre

"They did not know it was impossible, so they did it!"
Mark Twain

Yeah.... I uhh... I think the curvature of the Earth would only come into play if it was a REALLY BIG GUN...

Or if the Earth was absolutely flat. But it isn't...

Are you a bot for the oil companies?

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

Well, "exactly the same time to reach the ground" demands a locally flat topography, so don't blame me for the "absolutely flat" requirement. As for the curvature, I would think it would come into play literally within millimeters - although the effect is certainly very small over very small distances.

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SeanF

"Ask to understand, but don't challenge unless you have the knowledge."--NEOWatcher

The contents of this post are ©2008 by SeanF and may not be copied or retransmitted in any form without the express written consent of SeanF

Ask any Navy ship's gunner or heavy artillerist if the Earth's curvature makes a difference. It does to them.

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"If this were play'd upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction."
Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
Illuminati's Razor-The most complicatedly evil answer is usually the most correct answer. - Fazor
"Every book is a children's book if the kid can read." - Mitch Hedberg
"Distance doesn’t matter much in space, where if you just start a thing off with the right kind of shove, sooner or later it will get where you want it to go." -Frederik Pohl, Mining the Oort

I guess those guns are already called cannons. Ok than here we go:

Radius of the earth: 6370 km (rounded, and yes I know it can be different depending where you are because Earth is not a sphere.

length of hand gun shooting range in my local club: 25 m

I am to tired to do the math now. Maybe tomorrow.

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Andre

"They did not know it was impossible, so they did it!"
Mark Twain

Hi, nitrogen! I like to bring science to the ignorant as well. Someday, I hope to bring archeology to millions like Zahi Hawass.
I'm sure you'll love BAUT!

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"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"Carl Sagan sent a message to ET,
Neil Armstrong walked in the Sea of Tranquility
Steve Squyers built Spirit and Opportunity
Dan Haylen upchucked in zero gravity." -Brent Simon, The Space Camp Song

As I recall, about 8 inches in the first mile, around two feet in the second mile, and of course it grows quickly.

I get 0.00005 meters. Of course, the question is how much longer it will take for the bullet to fall to the ground, and it's not going to do that in 25 meters.

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SeanF

"Ask to understand, but don't challenge unless you have the knowledge."--NEOWatcher

The contents of this post are ©2008 by SeanF and may not be copied or retransmitted in any form without the express written consent of SeanF