Today's Radio Solution from 4BC

30 January 2008

Today we had another great question on 4BC. This one was from Riley who goes to Guardian Angels School at Wynnum.

She asked - are the colours of a rainbow always the same and if so why?

Well to answer this we need to know a few facts about how rainbows are made.
The rainbow's appearance is caused by dispersion of sunlight as it goes through raindrops. The light is first refracted as it enters the surface of the raindrop, reflected off the back of the drop, and again refracted as it leaves the drop. The overall effect is that the incoming light is reflected back over a wide range of angles, with the most intense light at an angle of 40°–42°.

The water droplets in the air act like tiny prisms. The "white" light we see is actually made up of a combination of different colors so when the light passes thru these tiny prism droplets at the proper angle it breaks the white light into its basic color components (its color spectrum).

What makes rainbows the colours they are and in the same order is because angle of deviation is different for the two colors at either end of the rainbow because blue/violet coloured light is bent or refracted more than is the red light. The red light is refracted at around 42 degrees and we see the blue light on the inner part of the arc because we are looking along a different line of sight that has a smaller angle (40 degrees) for the blue. All the colours in between are at slightly smaller angles from the red. The diagram below from this informative site shows the red and blue light going through the water droplet.

To see a rainbow, one has to have rain and sunshine. A rainbow does not actually exist at a particular location in the sky. It is an optical illusion whose position depends on the observer's location and the position of the sun. The position of a rainbow in the sky is always in the opposite direction of the Sun with respect to the observer, and the interior is always slightly brighter than the exterior. The bow is centred on the shadow of the observer's head.

Unfortunately due to this the Irish leprechaun's secret hiding place for his pot of gold is usually said to be at the end of the rainbow. This place is impossible to reach, because the rainbow is an optical effect which depends on the location of the viewer. When walking towards the end of a rainbow, it will move further away.

Today's Radio Solution from 4BC

29 January 2008

Today on 4BC we had a great question from Hayley from Mt Alvernia College at Kedron.

Hayley asked why her white cat has two different coloured eyes?

It is actually a feline form of heterochromia and believe it or not, it does occur in humans as well as some animals. Some famous humans who have this condition are Alexandra The Great, Dan Akryod, Jane Seymour and Christopher Walken. On further research it seems that whilst David Bowie's eyes may appear to be different colours, it is because he has a permanently dilated (enlarged) pupil which makes his blue eye look green or brown depending on the light, and not heterochromia.

Now back to white cats. In cats, the odd-eyed colouring is caused by one of two genes:

1. The dominant white gene, which actually has the ability to mask any other colour genes and turns a cat completely white, or
2. The white spotting gene, which is the gene responsible for bicolour cats - white being one of the colours.

The white or white spotting gene has the ability to prevent pigment granules from reaching one eye during development, resulting in a cat with one blue eye and one green, orange or yellow eye. This rare eye colouring is most commonly found in white cats, although it can be found in any coloured cat in which the white spotting gene is present.

As all cats are blue-eyed as kittens, the differences in an odd-eyed kitten's eye colour might not be noticeable other than they have a different shade of blue in one eye, which can only be picked up on very close inspection. The colour of the odd eye changes over a period of months, for example, from blue to green to yellow, until it reaches its final, adult colour.

There is a common misconception out there that all odd-eyed white cats are born deaf in one ear. This is not true, as about 60%–70% of odd-eyed white cats can hear. White cats with one or two blue eyes do, however, have a higher incidence of genetic deafness, with the white gene occasionally causing the degeneration of the cochlea, beginning a few days after birth.

Tips and Tricks

Tip #3

When using Google, did you know that behind the Google Home page are stacks of other useful search tools? On the top left hand side where your options for images etc are, choose the last option "more" and then select "even more". This opens up a world of search help tools. There are plenty of options here, but to find even more scroll to the bottom and select "Web Search Features". My favourite is Q&A.

Have a look around - there is a lot more to Google than meets the eye!

From Cows to Wedding Rings

What happens to cows that aren’t milked. Do they swell up and get mastitis?
Dairy cows have been selectively bred over the years so that they produce 20 times more milk than their calves need. Dairy cows usually have a calf each year in order to produce milk. Cows, like humans, need to have a baby to produce milk.

However, cows used to breed beef cattle produce just the right amount of milk for their calves and like wild cows, they have tiny udders, not the huge ones you see on dairy cows. Like humans, once the calf doesn’t require as much milk the milk supply starts to dwindle. They don't usually have any problems, but Dairy cows are susceptible to Mastitis due to the large volumes of milk they produce.

Why is the wedding ring worn on the 2nd last finger on the left hand?

There are many theories as to why this particular finger came to symbolize marriage.

Both the ancient Romans and Egyptians believed that a vein - called the vena amoris in Latin - ran directly from that finger to the heart. Science has since disproved that theory, but it is still romantic to think that our wedding rings are on a direct path to our hearts.

In medieval England, a bridegroom would slide the ring part way up his bride's thumb, index and middle finger, saying "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost" as he passed each one. He then put the ring on the next available finger - the third finger of the left hand. This practice was finally formalized in the 1500's when Henry VIII's son authored The Book of Common Prayer, which gives English modern Protestant wedding vows and decrees on which finger our wedding rings should go.

However, in some parts of continental Europe it is and always has been worn on the right.

True or False #2

Let's bust a couple more of those "Amazing Facts" doing the internet rounds. Whilst researching for this I found a similar blog by Frankie Roberts which is worth a look if you like this kind of stuff. http://www.popularmisconceptions.com/blog/

Coca-Cola was originally green. This one appears on most all of those "Amazing Facts" lists. It is totally ... FALSE!

Coke was invented quite by chance when John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, was inspired by simple curiosity. One afternoon, he stirred up a fragrant, caramel-colored liquid and, when it was done, he carried it a few doors down to Jacobs' Pharmacy where they mixed it with carbonated water and gave samples to the customers who all agreed -- this new drink was something special. Jacobs' Pharmacy put it on sale for five cents a glass. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, named the mixture Coca-Cola®, and wrote it out in his distinct script. To this day, Coca-Cola is written the same way. Coke is, was and always will be a caramelly brown colour - never ever green!! There's lots more about the history of Coca-Cola here:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/ourheritage.html


It is impossible to lick your elbow ... FALSE!

I think this is included on these lists just to make people try it for themselves rather than being there as a real fact. I bet you just tried it! Do a search on http://www.youtube.com/ and you will find plenty of videos of pepole doing it. How? you might wonder as you are trying to lick your own elbow and not succeeding.

The basic essential is a rather long tongue, but failing this, if you have very flexible arms or can easliy dislocate your shoulder you could also do it. The average person might not be able to do it, but if you have any of the criteria above you probably can.

In fact, The Guiness Book of Records were receiving at least 5 claims per day from people who can do this. It is NOT a category and the only way they could get into the book was if their tongue was longer than the current record holder, which is an incredible 9.5cm long! You can see a picture of his tongue here http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/human_body/extreme_bodies/longest_tongue.aspx

Can classical music really make you smarter?

Today an interesting question came up about whether or not listening to classical music actually helped you learn by helping the memory retain facts?


Apparently there have been studies done that show listening to classical or jazz music while studying can enhance memory and the amount of information you retain. It is known as the "Mozart Effect". There is even a site dedicated to this http://www.mozarteffect.com/ffect.com/ Studies show that music with at least 60 beats a minute will increase your heart rate which will relax your muscles and open your mind allowing the memory to expand ... hmm not sure, more research needed here.


However there are also skeptics out there who debunk this theory see www.skepdic.com/mozart.html The jury is still out and I will continue my research into this. If you have any theories or facts please let me know!

My Favourite Sites

I have many favourite sites I visit regularly when researching my Radio Solutions answers. Three of my favourites are:

www.howstuffworks.com

www.wisegeek.com

www.answers.com

Again - remember - always research thoroughly and don't rely on the first answer you come across as being correct.

I will be posting lots of favourite sites as the weeks go on. Come back and visit often - you might find yourself a new favourite!

From the Coat of Arms to Sundown

Why are the Kangaroo and Emu on the Australian Coat of Arms and not other Australian animals?

The Red Kangaroo and Emu that support the shield are the unofficial animal emblems Australia. The reasons they are picked rather than other Australian animals is:

• that they are native to Australia, and are found only in Australia (except in zoos, wildlife parks etc in other countries)


• neither animal can walk backwards, and because of this they have come to represent progress and an unwillingness to back down.

The initial coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912. The current version differs from the original as it has a spray of wattle behind it and the shield shows symbols of each state of Australia.

The term ‘coat of arms’ refers to the 11th to 15th century custom of displaying the arms on a tunic or coat worn over armour.

If dawn is the coldest part of the night why isn’t sundown the hottest part of the day?

The hottest part of the day is around 2 hours after noon because the heat doesn’t come directly from the sun but from the rock and soil re-radiating the heat. This means when the sun is at its peak at noon it still takes a couple of hours for us to feel its full strength. As the sun starts to go down again after noon, the heat from the sun diminishes so by the time it is sunset the earth has started to cool down due to less heat coming from the sun.

Ever wondered?

• What hair colour they put on the passports of bald men?
  
• If infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
  
• If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
  
• Why a person who plays a piano is called a pianist, but a person who drives racing cars is not called a racist?
  
• Why noone ever says "it's only a game" when their team is winning?

Tell me what you wonder about? I'd really like to know!

From Rugby to Singing

When a player crosses the line to score in Rugby games why do they call it a TRY?

In the very first games of rugby you could only score points from kicking the ball from a spot over the cross bar. You earned the opportunity to 'Try' and kick for goal by carrying the ball over the 'Try-Line'.

In the late 1800’s this changed and the act of scoring the “TRY” earned points which changed the objective of the game away from just scoring goals.

A great site for Australian Rugby Union is www.aru.com.au and for loads of information about current and past Rugby League facts etc www.australianrugbyleague.com.au

Why don’t singers have strong accents when they sing?

It's all to do with how the vowels are pronounced. The bulk of the identity of a regional accent lies in the vowels, not the consonants. There are certain ways to form vowels that are common to every sung language. When singing, vowels are articulated more openly than normal and with greater length, so regional distinctions are usually disguised.

Speech and song are controlled by two different areas of the brain and this also makes stuttering disappear when singing.

Tips and Tricks

Tip #2 - Search Words Part 1

Be creative with your search words. For example if you want the answer to a question, type the question in the search box - you will be very surprised how many people have asked that very same question in one of the many Question and Answer sites on the web. It's a great starting point. Just remember - many of the answers are incorrect as they are just everyday people giving their opinion. You will need to research your answer further, refer to Tip #1.

Creative Googling always gets a result!

From Chickens to Olympians

Why are some chicken eggs white and some brown - is it because of the colour of the chicken?

The colour of a chicken's eggs is determined by the colour of her earlobes. If the earlobes are white, the hen will lay white eggs. If the earlobes are red, she will produce brown eggs. The pictured chook will lay brown eggs because of the red earlobes - the earlobes are that bit of flesh to the left of the wobbly bits under the beak.

Was there an Olympic Champion female who turned out to be a man?

Yes and No. Stella Walsh was a dominant sprinter of the 1930s and 1940s who emigrated to USA. She competed for Poland at the 1932 Olympics and won gold in the 100-meter dash. She continued to compete as an amateur until 1954 and was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975. Five years later she was killed by a stray bullet at a Cleveland shopping center.

An autopsy surprised everyone by showing that Walsh had male genitals and both male and female chromosomes -- a condition known as mosaicism.

Today's Radio Solution from 4BC

16 January 2008

Why do they put Maru at the end of the name on Japanese ships?

In Japanese, Maru means circle or something that is loved - the word maru is often part of boys names in Japan to indicate how much a boy is loved. There are still disputes in Japan as to the actual origin in regards to ships and 2 of the more popular possibilities are:

• Ships were thought of as floating castles and the word maru referred to the defensive "circles" that protected the castle (like a moat around the castle)
• The legend of Hakudo Maru - a celestial being that came to earth and taught humans how to build ships. It is said that the name Maru is attached to a ship to gain the protection of and show gratitude to Hakudo Maru

Who was the oldest cricketer in Australia to make his test debut?

Bob Holland from NSW made his test debut at the age of 38 in the test match against the West Indies in Brisbane in 1984/85. He was a spin bowler.

Where does the saying "the world is his oyster" come from?

The proverb first appears in Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" in 1600.

Falstaff: I will not lend thee a penny

Piston: Why then the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open

In this context it was used as a threat when Falstaff refuses to lend Pistol a penny, Pistol promises to use his sword, if not on Falstaff, then on other helpless victims to pry open their purses. These days it means someone is young, good looking, fortunate and somewhat arrogant and they are claiming that the world's riches are yours to leisurely pluck from the shell.

Tips and Tricks

Tip # 1 - Not everything on the Internet is FACT

The internet is a wonderful research tool, however it needs to be used correctly. Just because it's on the internet it doesn't make it true or accurate. Never take the first answer you find as fact. If it sounds plausible, research it further to prove it's authenticity.

Happy researching!

True or False #1

I thought I'd do something different today ... you all know those random lists of hard to believe facts that are always being sent by email ... well, do you often wonder whether they are true or not? Lets have a look at some!

Pope John Paul II is an honorary member of The Harlem Globetrotters
TRUE: The pontiff was made an honourary member of the comedic basketball troupe at Vatican City November 2000. The Pope met with the Globetrotters owner and chairman Mannie Jackson, plus five players wearing their trademark red, white and blue warmup suits.

He was presented with an autographed basketball and his own named and numbered jersey, No. 75, and posed for photographs.

The average person eats 12 spiders in their sleep during their entire life
FALSE: Spiders don't actually like our warm breath and will stay away from our faces when we are sleeping. As well - who stayed awake and sat with a person while they slept their entire life to count how many spiders they ate? Who has ever woken up with spider remains in their mouth? Finally, why would a spider crawl into a wet damp mouth that was moving and making noises?

Female ferrets can die if they go into heat and cannot find a mate
TRUE: Ferrets, like cats, are induced ovulators. An induced ovulator is any animal that stays in heat until they mate. Once they mate they will ovulate. They do not necessarily need to become pregnant to go out of heat, but they must mate. Female ferrets are prone to severe anemia if allowed to remain in heat for long periods of time. This has been reported to be fatal for the unaltered female. In addition, the immune system of female ferrets in heat is usually lower, making them prone to infection and disease.

Another interesting Ferret fact is that ferrets are the only animals that can catch colds and flu from humans. TRUE!!

The bubbles in Guiness Beer sink to the bottom rather than float to the top like all other beers. No one knows why.
FALSE: This phenomonen does not only happen with Guiness - it happens with other beers. And people do know why ... it has been scientifically proven. See the video here: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2004/march17/beer-video-317.html As explained in the video, the bubbles go up more easily in the center of the beer glass than on the sides because of drag from the walls. As they go up, they raise the beer, and the beer has to spill back, and it does. It runs down the sides of the glass carrying the bubbles -- particularly little bubbles -- with it, downward. After a while it stops, but it's really quite dramatic and it's easy to demonstrate."

From Groom of the Stool to Navel Lint

What is a Groom of the Stool?

The Groom of the Stool was a male servant who had the task of tending to King Henry VIII's nether region after a number 2. Apparently it was a prized job as it allowed the lucky servant to spend time alone with the King and only the most trusted male servant was chosen.
Henry's successor, King Edward VI, abolished the position.

Why is belly button lint always blue?

In 2001, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki undertook a systematic survey to determine the ins and outs of navel lint. He found that navel lint consists primarily of stray fibres from a person's clothing, mixed with some dead skin cells and strands of body hair. Navel lint's characteristic blue tint is due to the existence of blue fibres found in most clothing - a large proportion of underpants and trousers have blue fibres. You can visit Dr Karl's official site here (http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/)

Graham Barker has been collecting his own navel fluff since 1984 you can view this at http://www.feargod.net/fluff

Window shades on planes to Flies & Mossies

Why do they tell you to put the window shades up when a plane is landing?

Window shades have to be up on landing so that if the plane crashes the emergency services can see inside the plane and check for survivors and work out what needs to be done first. If they can't see inside they don't know how injured people are.

Where do flies go at night and where do mozzies go during the day?

Flies go up elderly men's nostrils at night ... you can see their legs hanging out the bottom!

Seriously ... flies hang on the underside of leaves, or in dark crevices etc and become dormant as their body temp cools down. When the sun reappears they move to a warm surface and bask until their body temp reaches a level at which the flying muscles will function.

Mosquitoes rest in grass and weeds when they aren’t buzzing around looking for a blood meal. Most species of mosquitoes are at their most active in evenings (sunset) and stay up most of the night until sunrise and certain mosquito species are active during daylight hours if disturbed.

From Orchestras to Dart Boards

Why don’t they have left handed violinists in an orchestra?

Violin teachers usually instruct all of their students to play right handed whether or not they are naturally right handed. Most people are right handed, most violins are made right handed and most violin teachers are right handed.

If a left hander has aspirations of playing in an orchestra they have to learn to play righthanded. However there are left handed violins and you can learn to play lefthanded but you won’t usually be able to play in an orchestra because you will not synchronise visually or functionally with the rest of the violin section.

Why are dart boards numbered the way they are and not 1 to 20 in a row?

The sequence was devised by Brian Gamlin in 1896 to make dart throwing more of a skill rather than a game of chance. Generally high scoring segments are placed adjacent to low scoring segments so inaccurate throwing is penalised. For example, either side of 20 is 1 and 5. If 18, 19 & 20 were all together and you aimed in the general direction of 20 you would still get a high number and it would be more about chance than skill.

From Tsunamis to Shoe Tossing

What is the difference between a Tsunami and a Tidal Wave?

Tsunamis are caused by an earthquake, a landslide, an exploding volcano, or even a meteorite impact which causes a large displacement of water resulting in a surge when it hits the coastline.

A Tidal Wave is a "shallow" water wave caused by the gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth.

In short - if it is as a result of the tides alone it is tidal, but if another force is involved it is a Tsunami ... simple really!

Why do we see shoes hanging over telephone lines? What does it mean?

The official term is called “shoe tossing”. They were originally "tossed" to indicate an area where a drug dealer would be doing his business, or to mark gang territory, however these days it’s become quite “the thing” to do and is considered the “new graffiti” and the shoes are like tag lines. You might find your shoes missing from your front verandah as some kids help themselves to your shoes for tossing – they don’t usually use their own shoes in these instances.


In the States it can be done to celebrate special occasions like weddings, graduations etc. You can also find “Shoe Trees” along the highways – there are 76 of them in the states and they look quite amazing. This one is in Nevada and has literally hundreds and hundreds of shoes hanging from it.

From Hair to Dutch Ovens

Why does the hair on our head keep growing and growing but hair on other parts of our body only grows to a certain length?

Hairs keep growing as long as the follicle is active. The "lifespan" of follicles, or hair growth cycles, differ depending on the location on your body.

For example, scalp hair has a growth cycle of about 7 years, but this varies widely from person to person. The idea is then that your hair can grow and grow for seven years! Then, it stops growing, and it can stay in the follicle for a while before it finally falls out. The hair on your face and nether regions has about a 1 month lifecycle, and your leg and arm hairs, are only a certain length because the follicles are only active for a few weeks. These time frames can vary from person to person and are dependant on health/lifestyle etc.

There are however exceptions to this rule as the world's longest beard belonged to Hans Langseth of Norway, whose whiskers stretched an incredible 5.33 m (17 6 in) when measured upon his death.

What is the origin of the Dutch Oven in bed?

Dutch oven cooking is the practice of cooking stews and other foods with a cast iron pot. Dutch oven cooking pots also have tight lids for the proper cooking of the food. When you take the lid off, the aroma from the pot is really intense ... a similar experience one gets when fluffing the covers over a partner’s head after passing a bit of gas ... the bed acts as a dutch oven.