Why ?

Q: Why do bulbs usually fail just as you switch a light on?

A: "The surge of electricity passing through a bulb's filament when you switch on is up to 14 times higher than the normal current," explains Anna Phipps of bulb manufactures Osram.

Less than ten percent of the energy running through a filament is converted to light - the rest is converted to heat -so the filament is gradually melting and thinning from the first time you switch the light bulb on.

"The higher current eventually causes the filament to split in half, breaking the circuit and causing the bulb to fail." The "Ping" you hear as you turn the light on is a fuse blowing in the base of the bulb to switch off the current safely.

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Q: Why do elephants have big ears?

A: Elephants can't sweat, so when overheated, they pump blood into their wide, flat ears from which heat easily escape into the surroundings atmosphere. 

The bigger the ears, the more hot blood can be pumped into them, so African bush elephants have bigger ears than Indian varieties from more temperate climates. The elephant's cousin, the Siberian mammoth, had no problems staying cool in its freezing environment so only developed small, furry ears.

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Q: Is it true that we only use ten percent of our brain capacity?

A: Neuroscientist Professor Susan Greenfield explains: "It's impossible to measure accurately exactly how much of someone's brain is being used at any one time.

"Although only about ten percent of neurons (brain cells) may be firing at once, other 'silent' brain cells might still be fulfilling an important role even though they are not sending electrical signals. The human brain is certainly capable of more than we use it for and the more we actively engage our mind, the more connections between brain cells flourish.

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Q: Why do golf balls have dimples?

A: It all happened by accident! In the early 1850s, British golfers using smooth balls discovered that they flew further after they had been nicked or marked during play. Soon players were deliberately carving patterns into balls, ranging from concentric circles to maps of the world. William Taylor patented the dimple design in 1905. This was the most aerodynamic pattern of all, able to increase a balls distance from 100 to more than 250 metres. By 1930, it was the industry standard. 

Smooth balls are slower because air flowing over them creates a wake behind, dragging them backwards. Dimples break up this air, sending it in different directions, reducing the wake and any subsequent drag.

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Q: Whatever happened to the Bermuda Triangle?

A: This area of ocean bounded by imaginary lines connecting Miami, San Juan and Bermuda has claimed some 50 ships and 20 aircraft. Unproven theories explaining these mysterious disappearance have ranged from pockets of ,ethane gas bubbling up from the ocean floor, to alien abductions.

However, the Bermuda Triangle mystery is running out of stream. The US Navy points out  this is one of the world's most heavily trafficked areas of ocean, so the accident rate is bound to be relatively high. Experts agree that most disappearances within the area can be attributed to unpredictable weather, the powerful Gulf Stream and human error.

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Q: Why do we catch someone "Red-Handed" ?

A: The term comes from a 15th century Scots phrase "red hand," or "reid hand." To be "tane (taken) reid hand" meant being caught with blood on your hands having just committed a violent crime and thus being irrefutably guilty.

By the nineteenth century "red-handed" was common parlance in English, meaning caught in the act of any crime or misdemeanor.

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