Useless Factoids

[opinionista]

Glass is made of sand.

And someone told me glass is classified as a fluid; like water. Does anyone know if that's true? I tried looking it up, but I didn't find out anything about it.

Answer:

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass.html

[Kelda]

The common goldfish is the only animal that can see both infra-red and ultra-violet light.

Emus have double-plumed feathers, and they lay emerald/forest green eggs.

The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.

Roosters can't crow if they can't fully extend their necks.

The underside of a horse's hoof is called a frog. The frog peels off several times a year with new growth.

The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at all times.

Dogs and humans are the only animals with prostates.

A group of geese on the ground is gaggle, a group of geese in the air is skein.

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

The cheetah is the only cat in the world that can't retract it's claws.

[MaineWriter]

Did you know there are 293 different ways to make change for a dollar?

HD=Half Dollar,   D=Dime,   N=Nickle,   Q=Quarter,   P=Penny

1 dollar coin
 

I was intrigued by this, thinking I had seen it before (and a debate) and realized I had. First off, rather than listing all 292/293 permutations, I tried to figure out the mathematical basis. I had the rudiments of the formula and was able to confirm it on the web:

(1-x)(1-x⁵)(1-x¹⁰)(1-x²⁵)(1-x⁵⁰)(1-x¹⁰⁰)

293 (Dottie's answer) is the coefficient of x^100 in the reciprocal of the formula. Reading this triggered my mind to the debate (which I also confirmed on the web) ... is a one dollar coin really "change" for one dollar? Some argue no. Webster's New World Dictionary defines change as "a number of coins or bills whose total value equals a single larger coin or bill." If you buy this argument, then the correct answer for the number of ways to make change is 292. You would also eliminate the first piece of the formula, ie, (1-x).

Here's another question I found from the same website:

"About three years ago I went to a Citibank ATM in midtown Manhattan to withdraw some cash. The machine rejected my request with the following message:

    I cannot give you $130 because I only have bills in $50 and $20 denominations. Please choose another amount."

The ATM could have given $130...anyone want to tell us how?

L

[David In Indy]

I was intrigued by this, thinking I had seen it before (and a debate) and realized I had. First off, rather than listing all 292/293 permutations, I tried to figure out the mathematical basis. I had the rudiments of the formula and was able to confirm it on the web:

(1-x)(1-x⁵)(1-x¹⁰)(1-x²⁵)(1-x⁵⁰)(1-x¹⁰⁰)

293 (Dottie's answer) is the coefficient of x^100 in the reciprocal of the formula. Reading this triggered my mind to the debate (which I also confirmed on the web) ... is a one dollar coin really "change" for one dollar? Some argue no. Webster's New World Dictionary defines change as "a number of coins or bills whose total value equals a single larger coin or bill." If you buy this argument, then the correct answer for the number of ways to make change is 292. You would also eliminate the first piece of the formula, ie, (1-x).

Here's another question I found from the same website:

"About three years ago I went to a Citibank ATM in midtown Manhattan to withdraw some cash. The machine rejected my request with the following message:

    I cannot give you $130 because I only have bills in $50 and $20 denominations. Please choose another amount."

The ATM could have given $130...anyone want to tell us how?

L

2 50's, and 20 and then tear another 20 in half? 

Couldn't the machine give just one 50 dollar bill and 4 20 dollar bills? 

[MaineWriter]

2 50's, and 20 and then tear another 20 in half? 

Couldn't the machine give just one 50 dollar bill and 4 20 dollar bills? 

Exactly, David!

Aren't you an accountant?

L

[David In Indy]

Exactly, David!

Aren't you an accountant?

L

Well, that's one word for it! 

Yes I am Leslie! 

[pettifogger]

Did you know A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out?

A crocodiles tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth.  Also the scales of a crocodile are made of ceratin, the same substance that hooves and fingernails are made of.

[pettifogger]

Did you know Almonds are a member of the peach family?

The fresh, greenish fruit of an almond (Prunus amygdalus) contains the familiar one-seeded endocarp (unshelled almond) that is commonly sold in supermarkets during the holiday season. Each hard-shelled endocarp contains a single seed.

A 'California' peach (Prunus persica), is composed of three distinct layers: An outer skin or exocarp , a fleshy middle layer or mesocarp , and a hard, woody layer (endocarp) surrounding the seed. The lower pit (removed from another peach) has been sectioned to show the thick, woody layer or endocarp  surrounding a single seed .

[pettifogger]

Did you know Butterflies taste with their feet?


A butterfly's feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in nectar, letting the butterfly know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also taste host plants (using organs on their legs) in order to find appropriate places to lay their eggs.

These receptors (called chemoreceptors) are nerve cells on the body's surface which react to certain chemicals. We have similar receptors in our nose and on our tongue.

[pettifogger]

Did you know A dentist invented the Electric Chair?    

In 1881 Dr. Albert Southwick, a dentist and former steamboat engineer, sees elderly drunkard touch terminals of electrical generator in Buffalo, New York. He is amazed at how quickly and apparently painlessly the man is killed and describes episode to friend State Senator David McMillan.  McMillan speaks to Governor David B. Hill. Hill asks state legislature to consider how modern day electricity might replace hanging.