Rookie Guru

It happens to all of us, young and old, short and tall. When that late afternoon hits and then the yawning frenzy begins. Sometimes or should I say many times we yawn when we feel tired.  But why is it the body has the need to do this?  Why do we yawn?! There are many theories as to why we yawn. Like many things about the human body, science can't quite explain it or just have theories and no real answers.  So here are some of the theories: We yawn because our brain needs oxygen This has been a theory for some time, but there is no real evidence this is the case We yawn to cool the brain Some theories are this is the way the brain regulates temperature.  When we yawn we draw in are to cool the bottom of the brain stem and cool our head down. We yawn to wake ourselves up Theory is that yawning is the bodies counter measure to wake itself up when too tired.  By the body doing this, it causes muscles to contract and blood to flow waking you up. ...

You may have not thought about this much, but why does ice float in water? It is water itself right?  Did you know water is the only liquid this will happen to? (At standard temperatures that is)  If you froze some alcohol and put it in its liquid self, it would sink... So why is water so unique? The simple answer?  Water expands when freezing making it less dense when in its frozen state.  So if an object is less dense than the liquid you are putting it into, it will float! Why does water become less dense when frozen?  Well, water is a polar molecule which means it has a positive and a negative side.  This is because it's a bit off balance having 2 hydrogen atoms and only 1 oxygen atom. This causes water molecules to be attracted to each other almost like little magnets. As water cools below 4 C, the hydrogen bonds adjust to hold the negatively charged oxygen atoms apart. This produces a crystal lattice, which is commonly known as 'ice'.  This...

This is one of the most beautiful things on earth!  When I was going to college there was a canyon called Sardine Canyon near by that had all kinds of colors.  It was one of the most most beautiful things to see. So why do these leaves change from green to all these amazing colors?  Well to answer that, lets first discuss why leaves are green.  The purpose of tree leaves are to gather nutrients for the tree.  They do this by absorbing CO2 from the air and gathering sunlight to change that CO2 and water into carbohydrates to feed the tree. The thing that makes this possible is called chlorophyll, a green pigment that does the magic of absorbing sunlight and gathering all that energy.  But along with this pigment, the leaves also have other pigments that range in colors from orange, yellow purple, red etc... These are masked in the spring and summer by the green chlorophyll.  When the days get shorter and colder, the green stuff dies off and ...

If you are ever getting something off the clearance rack, chances are you may have accidentally bought a button up shirt from the opposite gender.  You can tell pretty quick because the buttons are on opposite sides for men and women.  Women's buttons are on the left side of a shirt while Men's are on the right.  So why is this the case?  Are all men right handed and all women left handed?  Absolutely not... But there is a reason or theory at least. So there isn't really proven fact as to why but the most accepted theory is that it is based on historical ways that women dressed. Buttons were invented around the 13th century and like any new technology were expensive.  Only the wealthy could afford clothing with these buttons.  On top of that, the wealthy women did not dress themselves. As said before not all women are lefties, nor men righties, but in general more people are right handed than left.  So for that reason these rich arist...

Man, I love me some cold soda! Ever wondered why the plastic soda bottles have those bumps/ridges on the base?  Is it just to make it look cool or is there some other reason?  Well RookieGuru is here for you to let you know! So why do they have these bumps?  Well, the short answer is to make the bottle stronger.  First thing is that this portion of the bottle is usually a bit thicker too.  But forming that shape makes the base more rigid and strong.  It is the same concept used for corrugated roofing.  Bending any material increases its strength and rigidity. These ridges are not only for the standing stability of the bottle, but keep the bottles from deforming under pressure. Since soda cans are under some decent pressure, especially if they are shook up, these ridges keep the bottle from bulging at the bottom.  This would not be so good for standing up! A plastic soda bottle can withstand anywhere from 80 PSI all the way up t...

Your sitting there and all of the sudden the carol of the bells is going off in your ears. I think this has probably happened to almost every person, even if for just a moment.   So why does this happen? First off the condition is called Tinnitus.  The most common cause is from noise induced hearing loss.  This accounts for roughly 90% of cases.  Prolonged exposure to loud noises can cause permanent damage to the cochlea, a spiral-shaped organ in the inner ear. But there are other causes, some of which can just be temporary. Other Causes: Age related hearing loss A single exposure to a loud noise can also cause it to happen. Can be permanent or temporary. Too much ear wax Certain medications such as: Asprin, Antidepressants, Antibiotics, NSAIDs, and Cancer Drugs Ear and Sinus infections TMJ Blood Pressure The scientific reason is still mostly unknown.  One theory is it could be because the brain tries to fill in the gaps in the absence of ...

If you are a golfer, you may know the answer to this, but many others may wonder.  Well, you are about to find out.  How many of us have ridden in a car or plane?  The same engineering theories that apply to drag and lift also apply to a golf ball.  So the simple answer to this question is having the dimples decrease drag and increase lift.  This allows the ball to travel farther.  A ball without them would only be able to travel half the distance. This has nothing to do with dimples, but looks cool! via GIPHY Drag When an object is moving, it has a higher pressure on the front side.  Along with this, it also has turbulent area left behind as it disturbs the surrounding air while traveling through it.  These two things slow the object and create resistance.  So how do you fix this?  Well, in cars and airplanes they make them more aerodynamic.  In other words, they make it so the air passes over them with less resis...

So who doesn't like money?  We use it every day, although nowadays I think I mainly just use my debit card.  Very rarely do have actual cash.  But we all like a little jingle in our pockets.  And with that jingle, have you ever wondered why some coins have ridges on the edge and some are smooth?  Well there is a reason and answer! Let me start out by saying that except for a few coins, today the ridges really aren't needed.  So why have them?  Well it was to keep people honest back in the day.  Back in 1792 the Coinage Act established the US mint.  Along with that they specified coin values and materials they were to be made from.  Back then coins were  made at face value in a specific precious metal.  That also is the reason coins come in varying sizes.  They were literally their weight in gold and silver.  That's great right?  Wrong! They soon learned people were schemey (don't think that's a real word,...