CULTURAL QA 03-2023-20

Q1           Why are water tanks round?

A1           Naveed Iqbal, M.S. in ManagementEngineering, Politecnico Di Milano 
(Polimi) (Graduated 2018)Updated 6y

Circular shape has the most uniform stress distribution.The stress generated by 
fluid in the tank distributes equally in alldirections. In caseof rectangular 
or square shapes, the stress concentration would be too high incorners.This is 
the prime reason that most of the large storagetanks are made in round shape.

Fact: water wells have also been made in round shape sincethe start of history 
for the very same reason :-) I hope thatanswers your questions quite clearly.

My note- I have seen many wells in Chennai forwatering fields are square shape. 
In Rajasthan also I have seen most wells insquare shapes in pictures.

In homes depend onconvenience overhead tanks are sometimes hexagonal. 

Q2           How come NYC doesn't have moreskyscrapers?

A2           Steven Haddock,Studied at YorkUniversity (Canada)Mon

New YorkCity has a weird geology. It explains both why it was suchan important 
settlement for Europeans and why the biggest skyscrapers aregenerally found in 
clusters mid-town and downtown.

Most of the geology of the U.S. eastern seaboard isalluvial soil left behind by 
millions of years of rivers flowing into the oceanfrom the nearby mountains and 
thousands of years of glaciers scraping the landand then retreating. New York 
being at the mouth of ariver and having been covered by glaciers in the past 
generally has loose soilslike glacial till or even sand. Like many low-lying 
cities at seal level, this means the soil is verysoft - not the best place to 
build an incredibly heavy skyscraper.

But there areexceptions. ThroughoutManhattan and the greater New York area 
there are outcrops of very hard rock calledSchist. Walk through Central Park 
and you can see bits of it peeking out fromthe ground. Schist is very stable 
rock - it hasn’t moved in as longas geologists can tell - no fault lines and no 
shifting. It’s the perfect place to build askyscraper.

Although thisschist is found in a lot of places, it’s closer to the surface in 
mid-town anddowntown, so you only have to dig down a dozen meters or so to hit 
solid rock.Other places, it’s much deeper. For example, they tried to put the 
Manhattanpier of the Brooklyn Bridge on Schist (the Brooklyn Pier does sit on 
Schist)but after months of digging the foundation on the Manhattan side and 
stillfinding no rock (it’s several hundred feet under the current foundation) 
theyjust let it sit in the sand. Luckily, it seems to be stable.

But lots of New York City has really poor soils. Forexample, the Coney Island 
neighbourhood is essentially a barrier islandmade entirely of accumulated sand. 
Frankly, so is most of Long Island. Sure,you can build fairly tall buildings on 
it, but it’s cheaper to build them onthe solid rock of Manhattan.

Q3           What are the benefits of being poor?

A3           Srinath Nalluri.Most Viewed Writer inBehavioral, Social & Human 
Psychology Mar 10

A dhobi who doesironing in an apartment suddenly bought a house.

‘Lottery?’ oneresident asked.‘No.’

‘Robbery?’‘Never.’ ‘Forgery?’‘Notat all.’

‘Then how?’‘I have been saving for this for the last tenyears.’

‘But your earningsare low, no? ’‘But my spendings are also low, you know.’

‘Again, how?’He andhis whole family travel by bus. They don’t feel small. There 
is no compulsionto buy a car or bike. So no EMI, fuel or parking expenses.

He can get away bywearing the same clothes every day.  Hisfamily stays in a 
small house inside the residential complex. He has no spaceto put a fridge, big 
wardrobe, or variety of utensils.

His son asks for abicycle to go to school. He gets him a used one from a 
resident. His son nevercomplains as he is not insutled for not being able to 
afford new one.

No one expects him to give gifts or wear expensive clothesat weddings.   No one 
expectshim to serve 25-item meal or give 250 bucks wedding card for his 
daughter’swedding.

One advantage thepoor have is their lifestyle is known to everyone. They are 
not under any spotlight.

So they don’t haveany pressure or compulsion to do things beyond their level. 
Part of theirexpenses go to fulfil their needs and the rest goes to their 
savings.Furthermore, their small house in a small area brings down the desire 
for manyclothes and more items.

For the middle class, however, They are under constantpressure to look rich as 
they fear they might be assumed poor by others.

This beautiful line from Njan Prakashan shows thedifference in lifestyle 
between the poor and middle class.

Q4           How is it that ancient civilizationssuch as Rome couldn't build 
buildings higher than two stories, but we can noweasily go higher than ten 
stories high with no problem?

A4           Claire Jordan,Degree in biology andfolklore; programmer, shop 
owner, secretary on newspaper Wed

The Romans did actually build multi-storey tenements, butthey tended to 
collapse. The Romans were great atmasonry, but crap at carpentry. Meanwhile, 
Edinburgh in the 15th/16thC had stone tenements of up to 16storeys (there are 
some of 11 and 12-storeys still standing), and Mediaeval Bologna in Italy had 
anabsolute mania for tall slim towers.

Q5           What is an interesting fact ofhistory that most people don't know?

A5           Alexander Brown, Freelance Writer(2018–present)Updated 6mo

 In 1922, Scientists Entered A Ward Of Dying Children, All In ComatoseDiabetic 
Ketoacidosis, And Injected A New Drug (Insulin) Into Them As FamiliesWere 
Already Beginning To Grieve

Before they hadinjected the last person on the ward, the first woke up. One by 
one, all of thechildren awoke from their diabetic comas. A room of death and 
gloom, became a place of joy and hope.

Q6           What are the important considerationswhile renting a laptop?

A6           Sayan Dey, Sr. Editor at CMR &PCQuestFeb 22

The reputation and size of vendor you're purchasing itfrom is extremely 
important, because only a large vendorwill be able to provide you what you 
need. Can the vendor provide you with thelatest generation components in the 
laptops? It won't make any sense if thevendor provides you the latest 
configuration, but all the components inside areof very old generation. Soopt 
for a vendor who can give you the latest generation components in thelaptops. 

What are the termsof the service agreement and how transparent are they? Please 
keep a close eye on those.What's the policy on giving you service and support 
after you've rented thelaptops? While renting laptops, you are putting your 
trust and laying yourtechnical dependency on the rental company. that's why all 
these factors matter.If you have security concerns, then go with laptops 
without a pre-installed OS.Renting a brand new laptop instead of a used one 
will ensure better performanceand battery backup.

Finding an optimalsolution fulfilling all the above criteria is really hard to 
come by. Very fewoptions are there. Forinstance check out the Lease with ease 
from HP. They are one of a kind rentalservice provider who offers brand new 
laptops for rental instead of used oldgen laptops. The company also has lots of 
service centers in eachcity to ensure owner-like customer support even on 
rental.If you want to knowmore about laptop rentals, visit Lease With Ease 
Website.

Q7           Why will there be only AC coaches inhigh speed trains?

A7           Abhijit Sen, Chegg Tutor , Travel 🚉 and Computer  Professional1y

Requirements of ACcoaches in high speed trains running above 130 km/h:

 Wind and Weather factors. Onemost important factor is wind

1You can't resistso much high wind blowing at your face, when the train is 
running at such aspeed. Just for an experiment, stand at the doorstep of 
Rajdhani Exp for a few minutes, when the trainis picking up acceleration. You 
can't stand after some, due to wind blowing,when the train is running at high 
speed.

2. Clean fresh airsupply.

3. Heating andcooling inside coaches, for changing weather conditions.

4. A/CBuffet/Pantry Car is better for high speed trains.

5. When train isrunning at high-speed the air surrounding rubs against coach 
surface. In non accoaches open windows cause turbulance and the coach becomes 
unstable. Ac coaches are closed hence airresistance is reduced and high speed 
is feasible.

6. Enormous amountsof dusts would enter into the non-AC coaches, and ,there by, 
causing serioushealth hazards to the passengers.

7. Supplying cleanfresh air at a controlled uniform temperature.

8. Providing forheating as well as cooling on a train that travels through 
areas of widelydiffering climate during its journey.

9. In non-AC coaches windows and doors are open whichcreate air resistance 
during motion of train. In AC coaches windows are sealed and doors are usually 
closed as theyare reserved and due to less crowd. So, due to sealed windows and 
closed doorsin AC coaches no air resistance is created during motion of train. 

It helps the trainto move in high speed. So, there will be only AC coaches in 
high speed trains.

Q8           How do tigers find their cubs in thewild?

A8           Snock Lock, I just love animals. Mar13

If the cubs become separated from their mother, they willoften call out to her 
in distress until she comes tofind them. Tigers have a keen sense of hearing 
and can locate the calls oftheir cubs even from a distance. Additionally, 
tigers have a well-developed sense of smell and can usetheir sense of smell to 
locate their cubs if they become lost orseparated.

Q9           Why do American trains have"noses" at the front of the locomotives 
but European, for example,don't?

A9           Robert Clouse,Disable Veteran atCincinnati, Ohio, USA 
(2000–present)Jan 22

I think you mean the cowcatcher.

Cowcatcher -Wikipedia

A cowcatcher , alsoknown as a pilot , is the device mounted at the front of a 
locomotive to deflect obstacles on thetrack that might otherwise damage or 
derail it or the train. Leadingtruck and cowcatcher on the John Bull In the UK 
small metal bars calledlife-guards , rail guards or guard irons are provided 
immediately in front ofthe wheels. They knockaway smaller obstacles lying 
directly on the running surface of the railhead.

Historically,fenced-off railway systems in Europe relied exclusively on those 
devices andcowcatchers were not required, but in modern systems cowcatchers 
have generallysuperseded them. 

Instead of acowcatcher, trams use adevice called a fender . Objects lying on 
the tram track come in contact with asensor bracket, which triggers the 
lowering of a basket-shaped device to theground, preventing the overrunning of 
the obstacles and draggingthem along the road surface in front of the wheels. 
In snowy areas the cowcatcher also has thefunction of a snowplough . 

Invention Edit Thecowcatcher was invented by Charles Babbage in the 19th 
century, during hisperiod of working for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . 
[1] However,Babbage's invention was not constructed, and it is uncertain 
whether latermanufacturers were aware of Babbage's idea. On a mainline 
locomotive, thecowcatcher has to successfully deflect an obstacle hit at speed. 
The design principle is to pushthe object upwards and sideways out of the way 
and not to lift the locomotiveon impact. The typical shape is a blunt wedge 
with a shallow V-shapein plan. In the later days of steam locomotives , the 
front coupler wasdesigned to swing out of the way also, so it could not get 
caught up; this wascalled a 'drop coupler pilot'. Early on, cowcatchers were 
normally fabricatedof bars mounted on a frame; later on, sheet metal 
cowcatchers were often usedfor their additional smoothness, and some cast steel 
cowcatchers were employedfor their mass and smooth shape. Early diesel 
locomotives followed the sameplan. Cowcatchers on early shunting locomotives in 
the US often had steps(called "footboard pilots") to allow yard workers to ride 
with thelocomotive. In some countries, footboard pilots are outlawed for 
safetyreasons, and have been removed. Modern locomotives often have front and 
rearplatforms with safety rails, or deeply recessed steps, where workers can 
ride.Modern cowcatchers Edit Most modern European rail vehicles must 
havecowcatchers with a snowplough function and rail guards. The required 
strength ofthe system is 30 kN (3,059 kp) in the middle of the track and 50 kN 
(5,099 kp)near the rails. [2] ModernUS diesel locomotives have flatter, less 
wedge-shaped cowcatchers, because adiesel locomotive has the cab near the 
front, and the crew are vulnerable toimpact from obstacles pushed up by the 
cowcatcher. Anti-climbersEdit An anti-climber on the front of an Australian NR 
class diesel locomotiveTo protect the crew and passengers, most modern

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowcatcher

American trains going across the plain had to deal withhitting large animals 
like cattle and buffalo, so they used this to protect thetrain.

Most modernEuropean trains do have a cowcatcher today. “Most modern European 
rail vehiclesmust have cowcatchers with a snowplough function and rail guards. 
The requiredstrength of the system is 30 kN (3,059 kp) in the middle of the 
track and 50 kN(5,099 kp) near the rails.”

The mainreason for the cowcatcher was to prevent anything large hit from going 
underthe train and pushing it up off the rails.

Q10         What is the difference between bacteriaand viruses?

A10         Claire Jordan, Degree in biology andfolklore; programmer, shop 
owner, secretary on newspaper15h

Bacteriaare living cells - whole tiny organisms which eat and reproduce and 
havemetabolisms.

Viruses arestray wisps of RNA or DNA in a protective shell. They have no 
separate life:they live and reproduce only by being swept up into a host 
organism,when the shell pierces the skin of a cell and injects the DNA or RNA 
into the infectedcell, where it uses the host cell’s mechanisms to make copies 
of itself.

Q11         What are some examples of countrieswhich went rapidly from rich to 
poor?

A11         Wirawan Winarto, Indonesian.Ex-engineer at Microsoft, Samsung, & 
Intel Updated 7y

Thanks for the A2A.The one I can think of is Myanmar.

Back in the 1960s, Myanmar income per capita was one of thegreatest in South 
East Asia. It was US$ 250 at that time,twice of Thailand and around four times 
of Indonesia. Only slightly belowMalaysia.

Myanmar was one of the richest and a very influentialnation. It is one of the 
founders of the Asia-Africa Union along with Indonesiaand India. But then it 
closed down its economy, led bymilitary junta, and the rest is history.

Fifty years later, it is the poorest nation in SouthEast Asia, with the GDP per 
capita around US$ 1,000.Only a quarter of Indonesia and even lower than Laos 
and Cambodia.

Other examples, I think would be Nauru and Afghanistan.

All the above QA are from Quora  website  on   23-03- 2023. 

Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers .

Compiled and posted by R. Gopala krishnan, former ITS,  on 24-03-2023

 

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