User:FaviFake

N	Date	Thumbnail	Title	Reader's question	Randall's answer
1	2012-07-10		Relativistic Baseball	"What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light?"	TOOSHORT-The result would be some kind of nuclear explosion, and possibly a ruling of "hit by pitch".
2	2012-07-100w later		SAT Guessing	"What if everyone who took the SAT guessed on every multiple-choice question? How many perfect scores would there be?"	TOOSHORT-No one would get a perfect score
3	2012-07-171w later		Yoda	"How much Force power can Yoda output?"	TOOSHORT-First regular release. From here on standard release day was Tuesday. It's about 19.2 kilowatts, or 25 horsepower.
4	2012-07-241w later		A Mole of Moles	"What would happen if you were to gather a mole (unit of measurement) of moles (the small furry critter) in one place?"	TOOSHORT-As a mole is such a high number this would be tricky. They would condense into a pressurized sphere of meat that would freeze and occasionally explode from gases.
5	2012-07-311w later		Robot Apocalypse	"What if there was a robot apocalypse? How long would humanity last?"	TOOSHORT-Humanity would survive if the robots cared about keeping themselves alive as well. If not, then we all die.
6	2012-08-071w later		Glass Half Empty	"What if a glass of water was, all of a sudden, literally half empty?"	TOOSHORT-As in a vacuum? It would explode if the vacuum was on the bottom, but if it's on the top the air rushes in and it becomes normal water.
7	2012-08-141w later		Everybody Out	"Is there enough energy to move the entire current human population off-planet?"	TOOSHORT-No, at least not without starving to death quickly and leaving our pets, belongings and everything else behind.
8	2012-08-211w later		Everybody Jump	"What would happen if everyone on earth stood as close to each other as they could and jumped, everyone landing on the ground at the same instant?"	TOOSHORT-Earth would be unaffected but the human race would be wiped out due to everyone trying to get home at the same time.
9	2012-08-281w later		Soul Mates	"What if everyone actually had only one soul mate, a random person somewhere in the world?"	TOOSHORT-Almost nobody would find their soul mate.
10	2012-09-041w later		Cassini	"What would the world be like if the land masses were spread out the same way as now - only rotated by an angle of 90 degrees?"	TOOSHORT-Mass biosphere collapse.
11	2012-09-111w later		Droppings	"If you went outside and lay down on your back with your mouth open, how long would you have to wait until a bird pooped in it?"	TOOSHORT-195 years. Assuming you are in a area with a reasonable amount of birds. But why would you want to catch bird poop in your mouth?
12	2012-09-181w later		Raindrop	"What if a rainstorm dropped all of its water in a single giant drop?"	TOOSHORT-The surrounding area would be obliterated and there would be mass panic for many following years.
13	2012-09-251w later		Laser Pointer	"If every person on Earth aimed a laser pointer at the Moon at the same time, would it change color?"	TOOSHORT-Not with regular lasers, but with more power, you could destroy the world.
14	2012-10-021w later		Short Answer Section	"How long would the Sun last if a giant water hose were focused upon it?"	TOOSHORT-
14	2012-10-021w later		Short Answer Section	"What if you shined a flashlight (or a laser) into a sphere made of one-way mirror glass?"	TOOSHORT-
14	2012-10-021w later		Short Answer Section	"If Michael Phelps could hold his breath indefinitely, how long would it take for him to reach the lowest point in the ocean and back if he swam straight down and then straight back up?"	TOOSHORT-
14	2012-10-021w later		Short Answer Section	"In the first Superman movie, Superman flies around Earth so fast that it begins turning in the opposite direction. This somehow turns back time [... ] How much energy would someone flying around the Earth have to exert in order to reverse the Earth's rotation?"	TOOSHORT-
14	2012-10-021w later		Short Answer Section	"How fast would you have to go in your car to run a red light claiming that it appeared green to you due to the Doppler Effect?"	TOOSHORT-
14	2012-10-021w later		Short Answer Section	"What would happen if you opened a portal between Boston (sea level) and Mexico City (elev. 8000+ feet)?"	TOOSHORT-
14	2012-10-021w later		Short Answer Section	"When my wife and I started dating she invited me over for dinner at one time. Her kitchen had something called Bauhaus chairs, which are full of holes, approx 5-6 millimeters in diameter in both back and seat. During this lovely dinner I was forced to liberate a small portion of wind and was relieved that I managed to do so very discretely. Only to find that the chair I sat on converted the successful silence into a perfect, and loud, flute note. We were both (luckily) amazed and surprised and I have often wondered what the odds are for something like that happening. We kept the chairs for five years but despite laborious attempts it couldn't be reproduced."	TOOSHORT-
15	2012-10-091w later		Mariana Trench Explosion	"What if you exploded a nuclear bomb (say, the Tsar Bomba) at the bottom of the Marianas Trench?"	TOOSHORT-It would warm a small patch of the ocean and not do much. With a bigger bomb, it could destroy the world. Again.
16	2012-10-161w later		Today's topic: Lightning	"How dangerous is it to be in a pool during a thunderstorm?"	TOOSHORT-
16	2012-10-161w later		Today's topic: Lightning	"What would happen if you were taking a shower or standing under a waterfall when you were struck by lightning?"	TOOSHORT-
16	2012-10-161w later		Today's topic: Lightning	"What would happen if you were in a boat, plane or a submarine that got hit by lightning?"	TOOSHORT-
16	2012-10-161w later		Today's topic: Lightning	"What if you were changing the light at the top of a radio tower and lightning struck? Or what if you were doing a backflip? Or standing in a graphite field? Or looking straight up at the bolt?"	TOOSHORT-
16	2012-10-161w later		Today's topic: Lightning	"What would happen if lightning struck a bullet in midair?"	TOOSHORT-
16	2012-10-161w later		Today's topic: Lightning	"What if you were flashing your BIOS during a thunderstorm and you got hit by lightning?"	TOOSHORT-
17	2012-10-231w later		Green Cows	"If cows could photosynthesize, how much less food would they need?"	TOOSHORT-4% less. There just isn't enough area.
18	2012-10-301w later		BB Gun	"In Armageddon, a NASA guy comments that a plan to shoot a laser at the asteroid is like “shooting a b.b. gun at a freight train.” What would it take to stop an out-of-control freight train using only b.b. guns?"	TOOSHORT-40000 people and some magic. Stopping an asteroid with a laser on the other hand is a lot easier.
19	2012-11-061w later		Tie Vote	"What if there's LITERALLY a tie?"	TOOSHORT-
20	2012-11-131w later		Diamond	"If a meteor made out of diamond and 100 feet in diameter was traveling at the speed of light and hit the earth, what would happen to it?"	TOOSHORT-Nothing made of matter can travel at the speed of light, but at the closest speed observed (99.99999999999999999999951% of the speed of light, the speed of the Oh My God Particle), the Earth would explode with enough force to obliterate the entire solar system.
21	2012-11-201w later		Machine Gun Jetpack	"Is it possible to build a jetpack using downward firing machine guns?"	TOOSHORT-Yes, but you need to talk to the Russians to do it right.
22	2012-11-271w later		Cost of Pennies	"If you carry a penny in your coin tray, how long would it take for that penny to cost you more than a cent in extra gas?"	TOOSHORT-Never.
23	2012-12-041w later		Short Answer Section II	"If my printer could literally print out money, would it have that big an effect on the world?"	TOOSHORT-
23	2012-12-041w later		Short Answer Section II	"What would happen if you exploded a nuclear bomb in the eye of a hurricane? Would the storm cell be immediately vaporized?"	TOOSHORT-
23	2012-12-041w later		Short Answer Section II	"If everyone put little turbine generators on the downspouts of their houses and businesses, how much power would we generate? Would we ever generate enough power to offset the cost of the generators?"	TOOSHORT-
23	2012-12-041w later		Short Answer Section II	"Using only pronounceable letter combinations, how long would names have to be to give each star in the universe a unique one word name?"	TOOSHORT-
23	2012-12-041w later		Short Answer Section II	"I bike to class sometimes. It's annoying biking in the wintertime, because it's so cold. How fast would I have to bike for my skin to warm up the way a spacecraft heats up during reentry?"	TOOSHORT-
23	2012-12-041w later		Short Answer Section II	"How much physical space does the internet take up?"	TOOSHORT-
23	2012-12-041w later		Short Answer Section II	"What if you strapped C4 to a boomerang? Could this be an effective weapon, or would it be as stupid as it sounds?"	TOOSHORT-
24	2012-12-111w later		Model Rockets	"How many model rocket engines would it take to launch a real rocket into space?"	TOOSHORT-About 65,000, give or take a few.
25	2012-12-181w later		Three Wise Men	"The story of the three wise men got me wondering: What if you did walk towards a star at a fixed speed? What path would you trace on the Earth? Does it converge to a fixed cycle?"	TOOSHORT-No, but it does make some really cool patterns. (Also, Randall misspelled Bethlehem)
26	2012-12-312w later		Leap Seconds	"Every now and then we have to insert a leap second because the Earth’s rotation is slowing down. Could we speed up Earth’s rotation, so that we do not need Leap Seconds?"	TOOSHORT-The first two weeks Christmas break.
27	2013-01-081w later		Death Rates	"If one randomly chosen extra person were to die each second somewhere on Earth, what impact would it have on the world population?"	TOOSHORT-Not much. The world just has too many people.
28	2013-01-151w later		Steak Drop	"From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when it hit the ground?"	TOOSHORT-From the very edge of the atmosphere and even then it might not be fully cooked.
29	2013-01-221w later		Spent Fuel Pool	"What if I took a swim in a typical spent nuclear fuel pool? Would I need to dive to actually experience a fatal amount of radiation? How long could I stay safely at the surface?"	TOOSHORT-As long as you don't touch strange things and you don't swim too close to the fuel rods, it would be just like a regular pool. Except for the fact you would never make it to the pool.
30	2013-01-291w later		Interplanetary Cessna	"What would happen if you tried to fly a normal Earth airplane above different Solar System bodies?"	TOOSHORT-It would be difficult to fly on Mars, so you would crash. The gas giants also have this problem, and you would freeze and tumble. Titan and Venus are the best bets, but Titan is cold and Venus is full of sulfuric acid.
31	2013-02-051w later		FedEx Bandwidth	"When - if ever - will the bandwidth of the Internet surpass that of FedEx?"	TOOSHORT-NEVER!!!
32	2013-02-121w later		Hubble	"If the Hubble telescope were aimed at the Earth, how detailed would the images be?"	TOOSHORT-A smudge of colour.
33	2013-02-191w later		Ships	"How much would the sea level fall if every ship were removed all at once from the Earth's waters?"	TOOSHORT-Less than a human hair's width.
34	2013-02-261w later		Twitter	"How many unique English tweets are possible? How long would it take for the population of the world to read them all out loud?"	TOOSHORT-Forever, literally.
35	2013-03-051w later		Hair Dryer	"What would happen if a hair dryer with continuous power was turned on and put in an airtight 1x1x1 meter box?"	TOOSHORT-Bad things. Like lava, and the burning of North America.
36	2013-03-121w later		Cornstarch	"How much cornstarch can I rinse down the drain before unpleasant things start to happen?"	TOOSHORT-Define unpleasant. Megan seems to be having fun.
37	2013-03-191w later		Supersonic Stereo	"What if you somehow managed to make a stereo travel at twice the speed of sound, would it sound backwards to someone who was just casually sitting somewhere as it flies by?"	TOOSHORT-Assuming the stereo is indestructible then yes.
38	2013-03-261w later		Voyager	"With today's technology, would it be possible to launch an unmanned mission to retrieve Voyager I?"	TOOSHORT-We could possibly spend a ton of money and resources to get a probe to Voyager. Getting it back is another story.
39	2013-04-021w later		Hockey Puck	"How hard would a puck have to be shot to be able to knock the goalie himself backwards into the net?"	TOOSHORT-This is another impossible scenario.
40	2013-04-091w later		Pressure Cooker	"Am I right to be afraid of pressure cookers? What's the worst thing that can happen if you misuse a pressure cooker in an ordinary kitchen?"	TOOSHORT-The worst thing? Science.
41	2013-04-161w later		Go West	"If everybody in the US drove west, could we temporarily halt continental drift?"	TOOSHORT-Not even by a bit.
42	2013-04-231w later		Longest Sunset	"What is the longest possible sunset you can experience while driving, assuming we are obeying the speed limit and driving on paved roads?"	TOOSHORT-95 minutes at the right place at the right time.
43	2013-04-301w later		Train Loop	"Could a high-speed train run through a vertical loop, like a rollercoaster, with the passengers staying comfortable?"	TOOSHORT-No, not even if we change the requirements to just the passengers staying alive.
44	2013-05-071w later		High Throw	"How high can a human throw something?"	TOOSHORT-16 giraffes.
45	2013-05-141w later		ISS Music Video	"Is this the most expensive music video ever?"	TOOSHORT-No. Just no.
46	2013-05-211w later		Bowling Ball	"I've been told that if the Earth were shrunk down to the size of a bowling ball, it would be smoother than said bowling ball. My question is, what would a bowling ball look like if it were blown up to the size of the Earth?"	TOOSHORT-The finger holes would collapse and then not much would happen.
47	2013-05-281w later		Alien Astronomers	"Let's assume there's life on the the nearest habitable exoplanet and that they have technology comparable to ours. If they looked at our star right now, what would they see?"	TOOSHORT-
48	2013-06-041w later		Sunset on the British Empire	"When (if ever) did the Sun finally set on the British Empire?"	TOOSHORT-It hasn't set and it won't for thousands of years.
49	2013-06-111w later		Sunless Earth	"What would happen to the Earth if the Sun suddenly switched off?"	TOOSHORT-We would see a variety of benefits across our lives but we would also freeze and die.
50	2013-06-181w later		Extreme Boating	"What would it be like to navigate a rowboat through a lake of mercury? What about bromine? Liquid gallium? Liquid tungsten? Liquid nitrogen? Liquid helium?"	TOOSHORT-As with a lot of these answers, just don't
51	2013-06-251w later		Free Fall	"What place on Earth would allow you to freefall the longest by jumping off it? What about using a squirrel suit?"	TOOSHORT-Mount Thor would allow the longest fall an-AAAAAAAAAAA...
52	2013-07-021w later		Bouncy Balls	"What if one were to drop 3,000 bouncy balls from a seven story parking structure onto a person walking on the sidewalk below? Should the person survive, what would be the number of bouncy balls needed to kill them? What injuries would occur and what would the associated crimes be?"	TOOSHORT-The release date in the archive is the wrong month June.
53	2013-07-091w later		Drain the Oceans	"How quickly would the ocean's drain if a circular portal 10 meters in radius leading into space was created at the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest spot in the ocean? How would the Earth change as the water is being drained?"	TOOSHORT-NETHERLANDS RULE!!! P.S., everyone dies, new islands everywhere.
54	2013-07-161w later	100px	Drain the Oceans: Part II	"Supposing you did Drain the Oceans, and dumped the water on top of the Curiosity rover, how would Mars change as the water accumulated?"	TOOSHORT-it would split into many islands and the Netherlands will take over.
55	2013-07-231w later		Random Sneeze Call	"If you call a random phone number and say “God bless you”, what are the chances that the person who answers just sneezed? On average, not just in spring or fall."	TOOSHORT-1 in 40000
56	2013-07-301w later		Restraining an Airplane	"If you wanted to anchor an airplane into the ground so it wouldn't be able to take off, what would the rope have to be made out of?"	TOOSHORT-Whale hair.