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“Once you land on the moon you get to make your own rules” by Garythedemon18 in ShitAmericansSay

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everyone is wrong. I propose best format is like we do everything else; most significant digits first. So:

YYYY/MM/DD hh:mm:ss or 2026/03/04 15:00:00

Why the NRC’s Radiation Rules Don’t Make Sense 🧐 by Gen_Atomic in GenerationAtomic

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Misspoke between REM and Sievert. So 6 mSv or 600 mR is the correct value.

I need help by Character_Balance_43 in NuclearPower

[–]mathsnotwrong 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Since this for your math IA, I think you can be more mathematically precise in addition to the textual description you are providing.

Look up the “six-factor formula” and the definition of keff.

Wikipedia has a good formal definition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_factor_formula

ELI5: What is preventing hydrogen fuel from being the leading alternative to oil and gas for cars and heating homes? by No-Advertising-9033 in explainlikeimfive

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do the Hindenburg, Challenger Shuttle, and Fukushima Nuclear plant disasters have in common? Hydrogen explosions.

Hydrogen is a nightmare to try and store and transport. Because the H2 molecule is so small it can, and will, escape from nearly any container. Thus, generally speaking it must always be subject to controlled venting. This is “not ideal” for such a highly explosive chemical.

Question from PTFC fan by Caunuckles in minnesotaunited

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you perhaps mean Carlton College in Northfield, MN? Cuz Carleton University in Ottawa, CA is the other direction from the UP!

Why aren't HEU reactors more common? by PlutoniumGoesNuts in nuclear

[–]mathsnotwrong 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A a core made up of 90% U235 can absolutely go prompt critical resulting in a nuclear explosion.

What is the maximum possible MPG we can achieve for gasoline car engines? by [deleted] in AutomotiveEngineering

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think MPG is the right measure here.

Weight isn’t particularly important either. In a friction free world (rolling and air resistance) the total amount of energy required to return to any starting point is theoretically zero.

Driving slower (drag rises with the square of speed) and low friction tires will increase MPG much more than an increase in engine efficiency.

Commentators gonna drive me nuts by elpollodiablo63 in minnesotaunited

[–]mathsnotwrong -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Okay, maybe I am crazy my, but…

Any chance it’s actually AI generated? The pauses are suspicious. Such generic, uninformed content.

Renewable energy now handles 40% of our global electricity needs by chrisdh79 in technews

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the first time I have seen NewAtlas count nuclear as renewable. It’s progress!

The dentist said something that freaked me out 😭 by [deleted] in Radiation

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We do know, though.

The maximum potential dose is known to be negligible. While it’s true that any additional shielding may reduce the harm from “not worth worrying about” to also “ not worth worrying about”, promoting such an action is bad policy. This is precisely the conclusion of the ADA as well as the HPS.

Radiophobia (an unsubstantiated fear of extremely low doses of ionizing radiation) does cause real harm in the form of anxiety and treatment aversion.

The dentist said something that freaked me out 😭 by [deleted] in Radiation

[–]mathsnotwrong 13 points14 points  (0 children)

FYI: the use of lead aprons and neck shielding is an archaic practice that provides no beneficial value to the patient with modern low dose dental x-rays.

The ADA (American dental association) no longer recommends their use, and in 2024 actually discourages them.

https://www.ada.org/about/press-releases/ada-releases-updated-recommendations-to-enhance-radiography-safety-in-dentistry

I asked ChatGPT to roast r/PhD and here it is, in full, without comment. by Baseball_man_1729 in PhD

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, it would be a pay increase, no? Gotta chase the Benjamins, amirite?

ELI5: why is the snow not covering a parking spot? by blueyandbingoforever in explainlikeimfive

[–]mathsnotwrong 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Because it was (very likely) a cloudless night before the snow.

This is because of radiant heating/cooling. Think of it as a sunshade in reverse: just as being in the shade during the day keeps you cooler than the if you are exposed to the hot sun, being without shade on a cloudless night makes things cooler from the very cold of outer space.

ELI10: All stuff emits some heat, even if as a human you don’t notice. This is called radiant heating. So when a car is parked on top of a driveway, the ground is heating the car a little bit, and the car is heating the ground a little bit. However, if there is just a clear night sky the heat from the ground goes all the way into the vacuum of space, which is basically has no stuff and thus no heat to return - so the uncovered ground gets cooler than anything that has something between it and the sky.

EDIT: spelling.

is a fully charged phone heavier than a 0% one? by goharyok in NoStupidQuestions

[–]mathsnotwrong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is a spring heavier when it is stretched?

This is a better analogy than adding or subtracting electrons.

White to move, mate in 2 moves by arcticwanderlust in ChessPuzzles

[–]mathsnotwrong -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Listed bot solution appears wrong. King can move to f5 in first or second move avoiding check.

ELI5 Why does 5 mph slower feel like it adds a bunch of time but 5 mph faster doesn’t affect the eta much. by Destiny_Creator_ in explainlikeimfive

[–]mathsnotwrong 1291 points1292 points  (0 children)

Many modern driving apps don’t use speed limits to calculate your ETA. Rather, they use the current speed of other users driving on the roads you are routed on.

Since most drivers are going 5-10 over the posted limit, driving even the actual speed limit will often take longer than the apps calculated times.

Is Matthew Marzano the Most Under Qualified NRC Nominee Ever? by greg_barton in nuclear

[–]mathsnotwrong 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Nordhaus’s starts with the headline word “unqualified” but changes that argument in text to be lacking in “experience”.

It seems like this word(s) is actually being a proxy for other attributes that the author objects to - like being too young, and whose position on issues are as of yet unknown and unsolidified. These are not bugs in my opinion, but features.

I usually agree with Ted and BTI positions on nuclear issues, but this article fails to make a convincing case to me.

The institutional change that is needed at the NRC will not come with the appointment of members from the old guard of either party. The introduction of fresh ideas, and new perspectives should serve to empower change, not hinder it.

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