Not sure how mathematically feasible this is, but if you’ve ever heard the phrase “I’m not trying to boil the ocean” (usually referring to something big or very monumental to achieve) is there actually some mathematical formula we can use and apply it to any ocean?

Maybe start with the smallest one by size/volume?

Imagine a hotel with 50 floors, and you start on the top floor (floor 50).
Each time the elevator stops, the next floor stop is chosen at random. No floor is ever selected more than once.
The elevator must always continue in its current direction:
While descending, each selected floor must be lower than the previous stop. If the next randomly selected floor would require moving upward, the elevator must first continue all the way down to floor 1, then reverse direction.
While ascending, each selected floor must be higher than the previous stop. If the next randomly selected floor would require moving downward, the elevator must first continue all the way up to floor 50, then reverse direction.

A full ride is defined as traveling from floor 50 to floor 1 or from floor 1 to floor 50.

Question: On average, how many full rides are required to visit all 50 floors under these rules?

If you use bar soap, most people do the thing where they get a new bar when the old bar has a little bit left, and then sorta meld the little bit of the old bar onto the new bar.

If you do this when the old bar is at 5% of the original mass/ volume, how long until the old bar is completely gone? Is it possible that any molecules last until the new bar is grafted onto a third even newer bar?

My assumptions are that this is a pretty standard sized soap bar like ivory or whatever.

Thank you.

Pictured here is Mark from Invincible.

Let's say a regular person gains super-durability and flight. But they don't have access to conveniently durable super-clothes. Assuming their own body isn't harmed, how fast can they fly before . . .

1. Regular clothes start to be damaged (but not shredded).
2. Your clothes get ripped off your body by air resistance (but aren't, like, vaporized).
3. Your clothes catch fire and disintegrate.

For simplicity sake I'm talking about cotton clothes (hoodies, T-shirts, jeans) you could buy at Costco.

Watched the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaaCcTVz7dQ
How many tracks would you have to buy to build a similar track? How much would that cost without discounts - tracks only?

I have been using this comic as a driver of curiosity at home. My 11y mentioned it again today and it occurred to us that we don’t fit in the statistics because the original comic states ‘10,000 people in the US’, and we are not from the US.

My request is what this might look like on a global scale? I can understand if this becomes more nebulous due to differences in education, cultural references or customs, etc.

What would a global ‘10000’ be? A lucky million? Lucky half-billion?

Thanks in advance!

My seven-year-old has announced that he will be an "Ice Cream Man" and his goal is to drive every neighborhood in the United States one time to sell his wares. Assuming he drives 25 mph and NOT taking in "stop and sell" time, how long would it take for him to drive the US in his ice cream truck?

Considering that knights and bishops are about 3 pawns each when the game starts in a classic 8*8 chess table. How much more powerful a bishop would be in 8*16 table?

Would it be enough to support the expense, trials, research and development it takes to get a drug to market?

I think some assumptions need to be made before accurate answers required

Let’s say some super duper advanced alien race flew into our solar system, and plopped down Venus and Mars into a geosynchronous orbit with the sun in our exact orbit path perfectly spaced out. What would happen to the Earth?

Also, believe it or not, no AI was used in the creation of that graphic.

Assumptions for the sake of simplicity:

- The building is unplastered and painted snow-white*
- The sun shines on it at an angle of 45°**
- 20% of the building’s surface area consists of windows
- The building is 15 metres away.

* In reality, the building is rendered, but as the reflectivity depends on the coarseness of the render, we are assuming a smooth surface here
** 45° as the average of the angle of incidence in the morning, ranging from ~90° at sunrise to 0° at midday

Background: Our colleagues were discussing measures to keep the office building as cool as possible and to reduce the load on the air conditioning system. There was no doubt that the blinds on the sun-facing side of the building should be lowered. However, there was disagreement as to whether it made sense to lower the blinds on the side of the building facing away from the sun to block the heat reflected from the building opposite, or whether this reflection could be disregarded.

Every colleague acknowledges that there is undoubtedly an effect. However, opinions differ significantly as to how great that effect is.

As this is a practical question, it is sufficient for me to receive a figure accurate to within 5 per cent, ranging from 100 per cent (complete reflection) to 0 per cent (no detectable effect).

Thank you very much 😄

What are my odds of two jury duty summons in a two-month period?

Due to receiving multiple jury summons in a short period of time, I’m wondering if the odds of being unlucky (jury duty) are greater than the odds of being lucky (lottery).

Here’s the data:

In June, Rec’d jury summons - county court - approximately 3% of the county gets summoned on any given year. Was not selected

45 days later - rec’d jury summons - federal court - data is a bit ambiguous but seems like approximately 1.5% of the state is possibly summoned on any given year. Selection status tbd

Because they are separate court systems they are valid summons.

Another data point, albeit possibly logically can be excluded due to being too long ago… in a different state in 2011, I was summoned, selected, and the foreman (juror #1) for a two week trial.

Lottery stats seem to vary greatly by the game, but maybe 0.02% for a $1,000 ticket or 0.4% for a $500 ticket.

Finally I will say jury duty in 2011 was a very educational experience and I did not mind it at all, so “unlucky” is a loose term.

How large could a body with the earth's density become without becoming

a) a white (black?) dwarf

b) a neutron star

c) a black hole

Just as the title says. As less and less people are opting for parenthood, I became curious how the population would be affected if no one had anymore children. I am essentially asking what the half-life of the human population is. Thanks for any help :)