FunStuff Playlist 08: Can Absurdly Big Numbers Be Useful?

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FunStuff Playlist 08: Can Absurdly Big Numbers Be Useful?

FromBrainStuff

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Length:

6 minutes

Released:

Mar 19, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

The bigger that numbers get, the harder they are for us to conceive of -- but that doesn't mean they can't be useful. Learn about some just ridiculously huge numbers in this episode of BrainStuff.
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Released:

Mar 19, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.

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How Perceiving Earth as a Sphere Works: Is there any way that people could know the world is sphere while standing on the earth? Learn more about perceiving earth as a sphere in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by BrainStuff
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What is the Difference Between a Carat and a Karat?: Carats are used for diamonds, while karats are used for gold. Learn more about the difference between carats and karats in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by BrainStuff
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How much fuel does an international airplane use for a trip?: A Boeing 747 uses approximately one galloon of fuel per second -- over the course of a ten hour flight, it might burn 36,00 galloons of fuel. How does this compare to a car? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about airplane mileage. by BrainStuff
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How Car Thermostats Work: Any liquid-cooled car engine has a thermostat that blocks the flow of coolant to the radiator. Learn how the thermostat works to reduce wear, deposits and emissions in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. by BrainStuff
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How the Corvette ZR1 Works: The 2009 Corvette ZR1 combines several technical innovations to produce a turbo-charged, eight-cylinder engine. Learn more about the Corvette ZR1 in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by BrainStuff
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How Gun Silencers Work: The sound of gunfire is incredibly loud, and it is amazing that anything is able to silence a firearm. However, the principle behind a gun silencer is surprisingly simple. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about silencers. by BrainStuff
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How Activated Charcoal Works: If you look on the label of a water filter, you'll often see the filter contains activated charcoal -- but what exactly is this stuff? Tune in as Marshall Brain explains the nature of activated charcoal in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. by BrainStuff
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Do the humps on camels hold water?: The camel's hump is a giant deposit of fat that lets the camel survive up to 2 weeks without food. Learn more about camels in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by BrainStuff
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How Catapults Works: There are three different technologies that fall into the catapult category: the ballista, the trebuchet and the catapult. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the differences between catapult technologies. by BrainStuff
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How Breathing in a Submarine Work: For air in a submarine to remain usable, three things must happen: The oxygen must be replenished as it is consumed, the carbon dioxide must be removed from the air, and the moisture in human breath must also be removed. by BrainStuff
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How Maple Syrup Works: The clear, thin sap of Maple trees must be boiled down to create maple syrup -- it takes about 30 to 40 gallons of sap to create one gallon of syrup. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about Maple syrup. by BrainStuff
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How Vacuums Work: If a balloon was filled by a vacuum -- rather than helium or air -- would it float? Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn the science behind balloons and vacuum. by BrainStuff
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How does SETI at home work?: SETI -- the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence -- is an enormous, global undertaking meant to detect signs of life beyond our solar system. Learn how you can help from home in this podcast from HowStuffWorks. by BrainStuff
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How the Virtual First-Down Line Works: Virtual first down lines are used to indicate where play resumes in football -- but how do they work? Listen in as Marshall Brain explains how the technology superimposes a virtual line in this podcast on HowStuffWorks.com. by BrainStuff
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Are florescent bulbs really more efficient?: Customers are increasingly choosing long-lasting alternatives to traditional incandescent lights. But are florescent lightbulbs really more efficient than traditional lightbulbs? Listen in and find out in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. by BrainStuff
1 min listen
Why the Sky is Blue?: As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, particles in the air scatter blue light more efficiently than any other color in the light spectrum, creating a blue sky. Learn more about the sky and light in this Brainstuff podcast. by BrainStuff
2 min listen
How Fountains in Rome Work: Built before the invention of electric pumps, fountains in Rome were powered through an ingenious system of gravity, cisterns, and aqueducts. Learn more about fountains in Rome in this HowStuffWorks podcast. by BrainStuff
1 min listen
Is it harmful to breathe 100 percent oxygen?: Oxygen is a necessary component of the air we breathe; but in its pure form, it can be hazardous to one's health. Marshall Brain explains how breathing pure oxygen harms the human body in this episode. by BrainStuff
4 min listen
What is an MRE?: An MRE -- or meal ready to eat -- contains precooked, sterilized food originally made to nourish soldiers. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the retort packaging that makes MREs possible. by BrainStuff
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How do satellites orbit the Earth?: In this episode of BrainStuff, Marshall explains the physics behind satellites and orbits. by BrainStuff
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How long can a germ live in a room?: How long can a germ last outside the body? It depends. Tune in to this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com to find out how different germs fare outside the body. by BrainStuff
2 min listen
Marshall Brain's News Roundup No. 1: What's the deal with the UFO sighting in Jerusalem? Will the high schools of the future be filled with telepresence robots? Tune in and join Marshall Brain as he reviews the week's most fascinating news. by BrainStuff
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Can grilling meat really cause cancer?: Lots of people like to grill their meat, but this popular cooking method has been linked to cancer. Discover how chemical reactions make grilled meat potentially carcinogenic in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. by BrainStuff
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Marshall Brain's News Roundup: April 15th, 2011: With billions of people on the planet and millions of astonishing events happening each day, it's tough to keep track of everything. Luckily, Marshall's here to keep you up-to-date with the latest news in his weekly news roundup. Tune in and learn more. by BrainStuff
17 min listen
How do they backlight LCD screens?: In this episode, Marshall explains the two technologies that are used to backlight LCD panels. by BrainStuff
4 min listen

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Discover this podcast and so much more

FunStuff Playlist 08: Can Absurdly Big Numbers Be Useful?

FunStuff Playlist 08: Can Absurdly Big Numbers Be Useful?

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from BrainStuff

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