AS A MATTER OF FACT - share your random but interesting facts!

alwaysadub

NothingMan wrote: »

So then there skin is white? Or is supposedly a reflection of the snow? In which case why are they still white in the zoo?

Fur. Polar bears’ fur consists of a dense, insulating undercoat topped by guard hairs of various lengths. It is not actually white—it just looks that way.
Each hair shaft is pigment-free and transparent with a hollow core that scatters and reflects visible light, much like what happens with ice and snow.
Polar bears look whitest when they are clean and in sunlight, especially just after the molt period, which usually begins in spring and is complete by late summer. Before molting, oils from the seals they eat can make them look yellow.
In zoos, polar bears have been known to turn green due to colonies of algae growing in their hollow hair shafts. This happened at the San Diego Zoo in 1979. No harm came to the bears, and zoo veterinarian Phillip Robinson restored the bears to white by killing the algae with a salt solution.
Skin. Polar bears have black skin under which there is a layer of blubber that can measure 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters) thick. This and their fur prevent bears from suffering nearly any heat loss. In fact, adult males quickly overheat when they run.

• Scientific Finding. Scientists used to think that polar bears’ hollow hairs acted like fiber optic tubes and conducted light to their black skin. In 1988, Daniel W. Koon, a physicist at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, and graduate assistant, Reid Hutchins, proved this false.

Their experiments showed that a one-fifth inch strand of polar bear hair conducted less than a thousandth of a percent of applied ultraviolet light. So, the black skin absorbs very little ultraviolet light. Instead, Koon believes keratin, a basic component of the hair, absorbs the ultraviolet light.

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears/bear-essentials-polar-style/characteristics/fur-and-skin

Adyx

NothingMan wrote: »

So then there skin is white? Or is supposedly a reflection of the snow? In which case why are they still white in the zoo?

No there skin is black as Midnight_EG said, I presume it just reflects light in general (mixing the primary colours gives white).

It didn't seem right to me either, but every site I've checked says the same thing.

Canard

50% of female polar bears also have a penis.

If a quiz is quizzical, what's a test?

If French is full of Frenchness, what's P.E full of?

Prof.Badass

kingofthe3rdyrs wrote: »

Jesus wasn't born in 1 A.D

Jesus wasn't born ever .

Indubitable

Prof.Badass wrote: »

Jesus wasn't born.

(or created in any other way) .

So my fact was correct?

artanevilla

Snorlaxes can only be awoken by playing a flute.

Midnight_EG

artanevilla wrote: »

Snorlaxes can only be awoken by playing a flute.

And be put asleep by the same flute

rubadub

The theme tune of some mothers do ave em is the words "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" in morse code.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl42Gbr6y0I

ctrl-alt-delete

Terri26 wrote: »

and "H" got bored looking for more letters

No, H was second in the queue.

stupidusername

BumbleB wrote: »

ok got it wrong ,pidgeons explode if you feed them semtex.

FACT: The correct spelling of pigeon does not contain any 'd'.

BumbleB

stupidusername wrote: »

FACT: The correct spelling of pigeon does not contain any 'd'.

I can spell anal retentive.

stupidusername

BumbleB wrote: »

I can spell anal retentive.

well at least that's something . . . .

bonzodog2

rubadub wrote: »

I used to own a goat called Rubadub. Not many people know that !

EverEvolving

The word gullible is not in the dictionary...

Praetorian Saighdiuir

FACT:

Theres no point shouting at bees!

messymess

If you were to take a river as it meanders and elongate it, so it is completely straight. The length would typically be pie times the length of the river as it is in its normal state from source to finish (when one draws a straight line to directly connect the points).

Woow_Aqualung

There's no such colour as pink!
(Or so some thread on Boards said)
And I'm not to sure about black.

bleg

58% of internet facts are made up but only 32% of internet users know this.

needaname

You cant blink with your eyes open.

All polar bears are left handed.

The average life expectancy of a toilet is 60 years.

orourkeda

grahams law states that the diffusion rate of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its density.

the density of your farts and belches will determine how quickly they spread

baldbear

10 million a year is given to British people in benefits who are too fat to work.

Standard Toaster

orourkeda wrote: »

grahams law states that the diffusion rate of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its density.

the density of your farts and belches will determine how quickly they spread

Graham Norton, clever lad for a ghey

bnt

Everyone knows what Momentum is, I hope: mass times velocity (p = m v). When an object with a Mass moves at a certain velocity, it has a Momentum. The units are kilogram.metre/second. So far so good.

When there's a change in Momentum (Δp), however, you can look at it in a totally different way by calling it an Impulse (I). An Impulse is a Force multiplied by a Time (I = Δp = F t). The units are still the same; but for any given Impulse, if you increase the Force you decrease the Time, or vice versa.

What does this mean? If you drop an egg on to a surface, it has a certain momentum just before it hits - and it's about to lose it all (Δp). If the surface is hard, the egg gets stopped quickly (the Time is short), and so the Force must be high: the egg breaks. If the surface is soft (e.g. cushion), it takes longer to stop, and therefore the Force will be lower: the egg doesn't break.

You'd think the Mythbusters would be all over this, given how often they bang things against other things, but I've never heard them use the word Impulse. Blah. :cool:

BumbleB

a tomato is not a vegetable

Midnight_EG

BumbleB wrote: »

a tomato is not a vegetable

A smart man knows a tomato is a fruit, a wise man knows not to put a tomato in a fruit salad

delaad

Gresham's Law says "Bad money drives out good"

BumbleB

Old chinese proverb; Man who goes to bed with itchy bum wakes up with smelly finger.

cooperguy

Prof.Badass wrote: »

Jesus wasn't born ever .

Im pretty sure its proven he was around, its whether he could walk on water and the like is whats not

Kxiii

A hozzle is the name of the bit that connects the head to the shaft...

...I am of course talking about Golf clubs;)

The thing to remember about statistics is
Just because 1 in 4 babies born are Chinese.
Doesn't mean your next one will be.

--Kaiser--

Smcgie wrote: »

Its impossible to lick your elbow

Whilst this thread is full of lies, damned lies and complete bollox this is by far the stupidest

LittleLebowski

Bears **** in the woods!

AKA pat sheen

If there are children present ask them to leave the room.

Mickey Mouse was a drug dealer!!

sensibleken

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Whilst this thread is full of lies, damned lies and complete bollox this is by far the stupidest

thalidomide aside?

Banned Account

bnt wrote: »

(I = Δp = F t).

This ^^ looks like science for 'Fap'

BumbleB wrote: »

Old chinese proverb; Man who goes to bed with itchy bum wakes up with smelly finger.

And he who walks sideways through airport door is going to Bangkok.

funk-you

bnt wrote: »

Lots of math....

Huh?

-Funk

jackiebaron

Sykk wrote: »

No word in the english language ryhmes with purple, silver month, or orange.

When you sneeze, all your body functions stop, even your heart.

Chickens can’t swallow while they are upside-down.

Well if a German person were to say "silver" it would rhyme with "pilfer"

jackiebaron

pickarooney wrote: »

PERPETRATOR (but my keyboard is French )
PROPRIETOR on an English keyboard I think
or PERPETUITY

POORQUEER

rubadub

bonzodog2 wrote: »

I used to own a goat called Rubadub. Not many people know that !

Until somebody heard my cries and helped me to escape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgAXZHMi_ws

jackiebaron

spottyelephant wrote: »

It sure is. Same gravity force acting on the same body of metal. Doesn't matter that the shot bullet has travelled sideways during that time.

The deviation in milliseconds comes from minor height adjustments of the shot bullet from air currents. Or curvature of the earth if its a really strong gun!

Tis true. A bullet fired from a gun is actually falling in a parabolic arch. It takes the exact same time to hit the ground as the spent casing ejected from the side of the gun....providing both objects begin their journey travelling horizontally and at the same time.

You can demonstrate this to your self quite easily. Put two coins some distance apart at the edge of your kitchen table. Get a ruler and position it so that it will hit both coins at the same time but one will be whacked with a decent force while the other will just be tipped off the table...you know what I'm talking about...hold one end of the ruler and pull back the other end and release.
The two coins will be struck.....one will just drop from the table while the other will be belted several feet outwards.....but you'll hear them clink against the floor at exactly the same time.

Exact same laws apply to the gun scenario.

kev250

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.:eek:

--Kaiser--

kev250 wrote: »

Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.:eek:

We have a new winner

dr.bollocko

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

We have a new winner

Do you work for the ministry of truth? Cos I did not expect the public sector to be this efficient. :pac:

recylingbin

Chinese food isn't nice after the first 6 bites.

jackiebaron

kev250 wrote: »

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.:eek:

My girlfriend suffers from hayfever.....no wonder she's so thick.

--Kaiser--

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Do you work for the ministry of truth? Cos I did not expect the public sector to be this efficient. :pac:

This thread is proof that a lie can get halfway around the world before the truth has got it's pants on

jackiebaron

kev250 wrote: »

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.:eek:

Why do dogs hump your leg then?
They're surely not stupid enough to think it will lead to procreation, no?

Banned Account

Bonobo monkeys ride for pleasure too








Well, at least I think she enjoyed it

IITYWYBMAD

It is possible to be accelerating, while slowing down.

sensibleken

Burning human flesh smells like bacon

mathie

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

It is possible to be accelerating, while slowing down.