Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 May 4

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May 4

HOW ?

Those who do not believe in GOD, how do they explain law of conservation of energy and law of conservation of matter? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.220.222.140 (talk) 00:55, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Using physics? Of course, many people, whether they are religious or not, are unable to explain these laws. Warofdreams talk 02:33, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Does this count as soapboxing? If not I have a follow up question; how do those who believe in God explain the conservation violations caused by magically making things? Paragon12321 (talk)

The whole point is that only a Supreme Being could explain what they see as deviations from the laws of physics. Creationism generally focuses on discrediting scientific explanations of our origins. When belief is on your side, you don't have to explain everything in terms of lawa they same way scientists do. Generally, Creationists will say "The law of conservation of matter and energy was established after Creation was complete and cannot be applied prior to that, because matter and energy are both objects of Creation." Naturalists would say, "The totality of matter and energy has always been the same, the Big Bang simply saw a change from energy to matter". Rockpocket 08:08, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Quite easily as they are proved facts.hotclaws 13:54, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

It's simple: the amount of energy stays the same, and the amount of matter stays the same, and neither of these conservations are caused in any way by a supernatural being. They just are there. 'Those who do believe in "GOD" (and CAPITALIZE every OTHER freaking WORD) should explain how he exists even though there are hundreds of years of scientific evidence pointing to the opposite. For example, if the Earth is only 6000 years old, how come our knowledge of geology makes sense? If evolution is not a fact (it is), how come there is perfect (alright, near-perfect) evidence in fossils? How come stars are in existence when if the universe really was only 6000 years old we would still be a superheated cloud of hydrogen gas? Instead of trying to disprove valid scientific evidence, why not try to prove god? See Burden_of_proof. Ilikefood (talk) 16:20, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Just a note that the vast majority of theists are not creationists. I'm a Christian, and you can't say something just is, what created it? Nothing cannot cause something.--193.120.116.177 (talk) 20:30, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Whose saying nothing caused something? I never said that something came from nothing. I said that something happened and was not influenced by a supernatural being. And, assuming that the big bang theory is correct, there wasn't a "nothing", its just that everything was compacted into an infinitely dense point before it exploded outward. Ilikefood (talk) 00:29, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Anyway, the point is, if you really try and put yourself in the viewpoint of someone whose beliefs are different than yours, you'll see that those people aren't total morons either. It's not really hard to see either the non-believer (or Creationist, or whatever) viewpoint if you give it an honest try. It doesn't mean the viewpoint is correct or is compelling to you, but pretending it can't be conceptualized is just intellectual laziness, no matter who is doing it. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:23, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't - special relativity turned them into a single law: conservation of mass-energy, and general relativity managed to break even that (a photon in an expanding universe redshifts with no emission of energy). Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 05:04, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Conservation laws arise from symmetries; see Noether's theorem. -- Coneslayer (talk) 15:09, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

A more popular question might be how those who don't believe in God explain those things - in other words, if there is no intelligence behind creation why should there be any form of order or regularity at all? DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:18, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Which is, by an amazing coincidence, exactly what the OP asked in the first place. Malcolm XIV (talk) 23:43, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

If the question is, from a scientific viewpoint, why is there order in the universe rather than chaos (or perhaps more accurately, why is there complexity rather than chaos), this is a field of great interest to physicists. The timeline of the Big Bang gives some idea of how various forces became distinct from others over (very brief) periods of time. One could also, of course, ask why an infinite god should decide to create a universe. Warofdreams talk 09:49, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Digitigrade bipeds

Would that even be possible? They stand on a smaller area than plantigrades, and probably the "tip-toe" stance would strain the muscles more than plantigrades. I'm guessing it would be pretty hard just to stay balanced for a while. 24.6.46.92 (talk) 02:59, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Birds spring immediately to mind, they are digitigrade bipeds; perhaps by bipeds you were wondering about heavier creatures such as mammals. Mhicaoidh (talk) 03:22, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at Terrestrial locomotion in animals and macropods. Kangaroos look quite digitigrade when they are at speed.Mhicaoidh (talk) 03:34, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

And "traditionally bipedal dinosaurs have been viewed as strict digitigrade walkers" according to this academic paper [1] whereas reptiles are apparently plantigrade (until they pick up speed!). cursorial relates to that. Mhicaoidh (talk) 04:07, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

I suppose birds count, but I was thinking of more like a wolf's paws. My main question is if it is even practical to have digitigrade legs on a biped and be able to run/walk/stand normally. 24.6.46.92 (talk) 20:41, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The answer then is yes,even if you are big and heavy like a dinosaur. It helps you hop, leap and/or run fast BUT you need a counterweight / support such as a tail, which we see in kangaroos, dinosaurs, birds...and werewolves! Mhicaoidh (talk) 23:51, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't understand from the article whether they are walking on the whole of their toes, or just the tips of them. If it is the whole of the toes, I tend to run and sometimes walk like that without any trouble balancing.HS7 (talk) 18:39, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Cookies or bars

Which was invented first, Cookies or bars(like brownies, special K, and lemon bars)?

Cookies - see the history section of that article. Rmhermen (talk) 03:21, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

I need this question answered ASAP.......thanks

I am seeking employment and the position I am applying for, has a questionaire attached. I must answer 10 questions so the person hiring me can get a better feel for any seriously interested candidate. The question I am stuck on is: "if you could get rid of any of the US states, which one would it be, and why? Can you believe it? And this is a position for a dental office a manager. Thank You for your help. Maybe you can help me in the direction of where this is going. JudieJudith Stew (talk) 04:44, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The state of nerves?--Artjo (talk) 06:43, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Thats a seriously inappropriate question and in my country you wouldnt be allowed to ask it, as your answer could be seen to reveal your personal views on all sorts of things such as politics, religion and so on. The dental firm is a business therefore I would avoid giving a direct answer eg Vermont! New Jersey! and instead discuss your reasoning, after all the job you are applying for is manager. Perhaps the state that contributes least to the US economy? mind you I'd imagine such an impoverished region would be full of dental problems and thus need your dental service. But would they be able to pay for it? And that would be your problem as manager; so then start talking about your skills... Mhicaoidh (talk) 07:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Florida: the biggest player in the US sugar industry contributing 21.4% of the total (from sugarcane and beets combined) sugar produced in the United States. Get rid of Florida, the simplistic theory goes, and the price of sugar goes up, sweet foods that rot teeth get more expensive and less people will buy them. Thats great if the goal is to improve the teeth of the nation, but the ultimate consequence of that could be less business for the dentist. Thus perhaps you should choose the State that contributes the least to the US sugar or high fructose corn syrup industries!

Alternatively, you could be controversial and say "Iraq: because since its acquisition it has cost the rest of the country $3 trillion to maintain". A pretty clever choice if the dentist is in San Francisco, less so if it is in Texas. Rockpocket 07:33, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

You could say "Get rid of the United States.", but that means that Mexico and Latin America loses its Health coverage and has to sponge off of Europe. 205.240.144.214 (talk) 07:55, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Why don't you sign your posts anymore, Martial Law ? And why is it most racist attacks are anonymous? Mhicaoidh (talk) 11:41, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

I've been having computer problems, and some ass got on MY terminal. I'm in a R. Lee Ermey kind of mood right now. I'll attempt a sig test as soon as MY ISP gets fixed. 205.240.144.214 (talk) 18:58, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

For your info, this government site lists state by state oral health reports and might interest you [2] Mhicaoidh (talk) 08:33, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

So we don't get caught using our actual accounts you...where are you from anyway?--193.120.116.177 (talk) 20:34, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

The question is probably intended to test your wit. Whatever you do, don't propose a serious answer (unless, perhaps, it's related to dentistry as above; that would at least show you had done some homework).--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:36, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The question is worded so you have a choice. If you could... which one would it be... So why not choose to keep them all ? Demonstrate loyalty and avoid accusations of bias, racism, etc.86.209.29.33 (talk) 13:45, 4 May 2008 (UTC)DT

Perhaps choose the state in which you are applying for the job. That way maybe you'd have some kind of remote chance at a decent health care system to work in; something with universal national health insurance. Or maybe that would be a little pessimistic for a manager. Hmm. --Prestidigitator (talk) 06:03, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

God Being an Angel

Please reply to this edit only if you are not a Christian.

In the novel The Amber Spyglass of the series His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, God, the Authority, is false, fake, and fraud, not really God or a god, but is actually an angel. Could it be possible that God is false, fake, and fraud, not really God or a god, but is actually an angel, in reality, in the real world, in real life?

When the story His Dark Materials said that God is not really God or a god but is actually an angel, it meant and was talking about the Christian god. But Christianity is just one of the many different religions that exist in the world today. There are so many different religions in the world today. There are some people who claim and believe that Allah, the god of Islam, is false, fake, and fraud, not really God or a god but is actually an angel. Did you know that? See section 29 in page 20 of the article Islam - A Case Of Mistaken Identity.

Bowei Huang (talk) 06:12, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

It is possible that a Christian God is false, fake and fraud in "real life". He could, in reality, be an angel or he could, in reality, not exist. It is also possible that an Islamic God is false, fake and fraud in "real life". He could, in reality, be an angel or he could, in reality, not exist. The probability of each of those possibilities is a matter for debate elsewhere. Rockpocket 07:05, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Why are we still feeding this one? BH is setting up for the one true religion on the Humanities desk again. Julia Rossi (talk) 08:53, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Bowei, this is not a good question. There are many different beliefs regarding god/gods. We may think of a religion as a set of beliefs. So when you ask "Could it be possible that God is false...?", you need to specify which set of beliefs you're refering to.

Asking the refdesk whether it knows that some people believe that the muslim god is false is not appropriate and doesn't belong here.

Zain Ebrahim (talk) 11:06, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Bowei, you are asking about questions of belief. Each person has their own beliefs which they may be able to share in parts with others. None of this is testable in ways that are applicable to the stuff that a reference desk deals with. You could find some much more appropriate forum to ask this kind of question. SaundersW (talk) 16:10, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

For a set of belief systems that bear some similarities to the situation posited in His Dark Materials, Bowei may want to look at Gnosticism. Deor (talk) 16:44, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Or what if the other angels are just less powerful gods, under a diferent name? That would be basically the same thing.HS7 (talk) 18:13, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

A popular idea in Christian theology has been that Satan is a fallen angel and is quite capable of convincing people that he is the Christian God. Warofdreams talk 09:53, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

This concept is also seen in Gnosticism, see Gnostic#Demiurge. This question really belongs on the humanities desk. --Random832 (contribs) 17:59, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Why does it cost Ford a billion dollars to develop a car but Tesla Motors can pop one out on $40 mil startup?

Lotsofissues 13:27, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

1. Where's a source for Ford needing a billion bucks? Or is that just a turn of phrase? Similarly, where's Tesla's $40 mil? Tesla Motors suggests more like $150 mil has been dropped into the company.
2. Tesla is developing with other people's money and effectively has nothing (or at least comparatively little) to lose. They can take risks that an established car company, be it Ford or Toyota, can't.
3. Depending on what is classed as a development cost, Tesla isn't attempting to build in volume. If you call a car's $10000 worth of parts "development", and Ford makes 100,000 to Tesla's 10, then there's your difference. — Lomn 14:05, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Tesla is building upon an existing Lotus platform.

Atlant (talk) 21:21, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Tesla is a new company. They don't have to pay retirement money to people who used to work for them. They only pay pension insurance for the people they've hired so far. [3] Tesla's design doesn't have to fit existing mass production facilities. If they build a bumper they don't have to figure out how to reconfigure their metal press from the previous model. --Lisa4edit (talk) 18:51, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Reconfiguring equipment is not a problem: stamping machines and the like are designed to be reconfigured. Ford and Telsa will have about the same design costs there (Ford might spend more on dies because they've got a higher production volume, but that's not a design cost). The difference is probably in indirect costs like advertising, market research, management, and the like. --Carnildo (talk) 22:15, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

also, tesla hasn't actually built a car yet. Gzuckier (talk) 16:52, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, one or two, but they certainly haven't entered "high volume production" yet ;-).

Atlant (talk)

TENZE

i'm a 21 year old young kenyan.i recently got hired on one of the biggest call centres in Africa.I'm currently doing transcription services for the company.i'm just about to end my training and i'm to hit the live floor, where i'll be doing live messages in the next few days.We are doing canadian voicemail transcriptions.First question,Anybody know a site i can go to or a tutorial i can download to learn how canadians speak.Cos their accents is so fast, i make lots of major errors.Question two-Incase i do a trnscription wrongly is there someone who checks my messages before they go to the receipient?Cos where i work only three to five messages are checked daily.And you do like 30 messages daily. 3.I want to learn about the canadian culture.Not the general stuff like provinces,cities..i want the grassroot stuff.Like the hottest band, The hottest mall, clubs, roads.Common stuff i'm likely to encounter while doing my transcriptions.PLEASE HELP> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.49.87.164 (talk) 13:34, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Culture of Canada and the many links therein might be useful. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:53, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi. Canadian English and the WikiTravel Guide to Canada may also help you. Thanks. ~AH1^(TCU) 18:02, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The last bit is going to be hard. You can check for Canadian billboard ratings for songs, but really most of the culture stuff you simply pick up. Maybe Google.ca news, and other news sites? It's a big, diverse country, so there's no simple "popular mall/street/clubs", unless you're doing a specific city of small region of the nation. 206.126.163.20 (talk) 03:25, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Storing Meat

How would I store meat without a freezer? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 14:29, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Keep the animal alive instead? Astronaut (talk) 15:10, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

By using some sort of preservative? You might salt or smoke the meat, for example. Algebraist 15:16, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

store it in salt —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.18.34.51 (talk) 15:23, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Drying the meat can also preserve it. Dried meat or Jerky might help.

Atlant (talk) 21:19, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

If you live in a cold place you could just leave it outside. You'll probably need some sort of animal-proofing. --Sean 13:40, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Meat can be preserved by canning. Follow all directions from a reputable source such as the Ball company. Edison (talk) 18:58, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Maintenance Ration

I have been reading a book about cattle and it keeps talking about the maintenance ration. What is this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 15:19, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

I think it's the amount of food or nutrition that's necessary for sustained existence of an animal, neither growing nor starving. A google search yields many pages which look like they explain this. —Steve Summit (talk) 16:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

From Google books: 'A maintenance ration may be described as that which will maintain an animal that is in a resting and non-producing condition and in good health, in the same condition and at the same weight for an indefinite period.' It is contrasted with the production ration, 'that part of the daily diet which is given in excess of maintenance requirements, and which is available for being converted into energy, as in working horses, or into milk, or into fat or wool, or is used for growth.' Algebraist 16:06, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Rx

Why do many medical sites (particlularly those "pharmacies" based in North America) feature the letters "Rx" prominently in their name or logo. As a brit, it seems odd to me that these letter would have anything to do with the medical profession at all. Astronaut (talk) 15:39, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

It's a symbol (℞) for "prescription". Our article on Medical prescription has some theories about the symbol's history. —Steve Summit (talk) 16:00, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The Medical prescription article has a big "US centric" tag on it. Not surprising since the Rx symbol does not exist (in common usage) here in the UK. Here, a precription is an order you get from your doctor so the chemist shop can issue you with a prescription controlled drug, for which the patient is charged a fixed (by government policy) fee. In common with most pharmacies in Europe, the chemist shop often has a sign incorporating a green cross - No Rx in sight. Astronaut (talk) 16:52, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

It actually stands in its abbreviated form for "Recipe" - and it most certainly is used in British medicine and pharmacology. 92.8.196.184 (talk) 10:18, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

The possibility that it stands for "recipe" is one of several alternative theories listed at Medical prescription#Format and definition -- and they're all marked "citation needed". If you have some definitive evidence here, please mention it! —Steve Summit (talk) 11:12, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Crop Yield

Is there a chart that shows how much an acre of a crop will yield? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 17:20, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

No, because that will vary widely. What crop?, what kind of seed?, what fertilizer?, what type of soil?, how much rain?, unseasonable weather?, etc. Some of these factors vary over a scale as small as an individual field. You could find tables of average yields for specific regions for specific crops in certain years, however. Rmhermen (talk) 03:28, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Your IP address indicates you are from Michigan. Check for publications or web postings by the Michigan department of agriculture. Edison (talk) 02:24, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

[4] should help--193.120.116.177 (talk) 20:39, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

How does the pitcher beat the baserunner to first?

Im familiar with the geometry of baseball (Hell, I played in a lot of games) and it doesnt seem logically possible for the pitcher to beat the baserunner. He cuts an angle, but he covers more ground. Please wow me with the complex mathematical formula that makes this happen.Baseball and and and Popcorn Fanatic (talk) 17:39, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Er, he covers less ground, not more. The pitcher's mound is closer to first base than home plate is. Maybe you could still be a popcorn fanatic? Matt Deres (talk) 18:19, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

The distance from home plate to first base is 90'. The distance from home plate to the pitcher's mound is 60'6". That would make the distance from the pitcher's mound to first base about 67'. So, the pitcher has about a 23' head start on the batter. If the ball was hit as a line drive back at the pitcher, he'd probably be able to catch it before the batter even put his bat down. Dismas|^(talk) 21:53, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

But if he caught it, he wouldn't have to race the batter to first base. Useight (talk) 06:06, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Ah, yeah... Sorry about that... Must have been sleep-typing again.  :-) Dismas|^(talk) 08:40, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Er, sqrt((90/sqrt(2))^2+(90/sqrt(2)-60.5)^2) feet = 63.717 feet = about 63'8½". (67 feet would be about right for second base.) Of course, the distance the better has to run isn't exactly 90 feet anyway; it depends on whether he's right- or left-handed. --Anonymous, 04:28 UTC, May 5, 2008.

World War II English spy: Code Name, Christopher Robin

Hello, A number of years ago, we read a book about a World War II English spy that worked with Churchill and was code named: Christopher Robin. Neither my husband nor myself can remember the name of the book or the spy's real name. We would very much like to get the book again. Can someone help us?Sbignrnt (talk) 19:40, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

You might find the book 'The Paladin' published by Simon & Shulster in 1980 is what you are looking for. Good luck in your hunt!--Artjo (talk) 20:01, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

how many books in the series?

Resolved

This page shows 144 results in the Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics series. Does the series really have 144 titles? Kushal (talk) 20:06, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Why wouldn't it? Springer's website ought to know, and it's not like it's an unrealistic number for a series to have (my Modern Graph Theory lists 230 books in the Graduate Texts in Mathematics series). Algebraist 23:25, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. I just wanted to make sure I was not spewing random numbers onto Wikipedia articles. I try to be a good example to other Wikipedians on campus here so I try to stay really careful. Thank you once again. Kushal (talk) 00:40, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

For the "Did You know that....." section of Wikipedia

Did you know that if you took the word POLITE, crosses out certain letters in that word, you'll have the word LIE? Can someone place this in the proper area of Wikipedia? 205.240.144.214 (talk) 20:35, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, I fail to see why that is significant. · AndonicO ^Engage. 20:37, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

That seems like a simple coincidence. Many words contain letters from other words. --S.dedalus (talk) 20:43, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Don't take 205 seriously, his "discovery" is clearly a joke - Adrian Pingstone (talk) 20:54, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry man, its no joke. Some local newspapers have weird word puzzles in them. 205.240.144.214 (talk) 20:57, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Now, can someone place this? Its not often that the word "polite" is associated with the word "lie", and the "brutally honest" find that amusing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.240.144.214 (talk) 21:12, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Forgot sig. Just getting senile. 205.240.144.214 (talk) 21:13, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm afraid the answer to your question is probably "No". (I certainly can't.) —Steve Summit (talk) 23:40, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Especially since trivia are discouraged by policy. Kushal (talk) 00:42, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

I think he means he wants this factoid put in the "Did you know..." section on the Main Page, in which case, no, because those facts are taken from wikipedia's newest articles. If you create an article focused around this pit of information (possibly an article about those word puzzles, though you'll want to check this page to be sure the article does not already exist), then this factoid would be qualifiable for inclusion in that section. --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 01:02, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

"Did you know that "if" is the middle word in "life"? Lol I love apocalypse now--193.120.116.177 (talk) 20:41, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

"Dog" is "God " backwards.hotclaws 01:57, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

And "Mother-in-law" is "Woman Hitler." --^LaPianista! 23:31, 8 May 2008 (UTC)