Page 37 - How It Works - Book Of Amazing Answers To Curious Questions, Volume 05-15

Environment

Leopard
Jaguar
Is there sound
in space?

ound exists as waves that travel
S through air, but in space there’s no air
through which these waves can travel.
The larger rosettes However, in 2013 a NASA physicist
on a jaguar’s coat
often have small announced that he had recorded sounds
dots inside in interstellar space. Don Gurnett used an
instrument that detects the
What’s the difference between electromagnetic vibrations that electrons
make as they travel through plasma. They
a jaguar and a leopard? aren’t sound waves, but they do pulse at
similar frequencies. Once the data was
recorded and processed, it could be heard
as sound. Gurnett was seeking proof that
t can be difficult to tell these two big cat Another way to tell the difference is by their

I species apart, but usually you can look body shape and size. Leopards have longer Voyager 1 had left the heliosphere. It
closely at the patterns on their fur. Both tails and longer, leaner bodies, while jaguars picked up audible tones that were very
jaguars and leopards have rosette patterns, are usually more compact and have broader low at around 300 hertz as it travelled
but the rosettes on a jaguar’s coat are heads. Jaguars live in South America, inside, thanks to bursts of plasma called
usually larger, and tend to have spots inside while leopards can be found across Africa solar storms. Once the ship left the
of them (unless they’re melanistic, or black). and Asia. heliosphere and began travelling through
interstellar medium, the frequency
changed to between two and three
kilohertz because the gas there is denser.
So there is not true ‘sound’ in space, but
Why is hot you can hear something if you have the
right knowledge and instrumentation.
water better

for washing up

than cold?

ot water works better than cold
H water when doing the dishes for
the same reason that sugar dissolves
faster in a cup of hot tea. According to
the second law of thermodynamics, as What causes the
the temperature rises, the water
molecules gain more energy. They wet dog smell?
Why are moths move around more quickly and bash
into your dishes at higher speed, he smell of wet dog is pretty
attracted to light? making it easier for them to pull T unpleasant. This distinct aroma
particles into the dishwater. When
washing your clothes though, hot water actually comes from the excrement of
e know moths as a species are small microorganisms, such as yeast and
isn’t always better. Old-style
W positively phototactic, which means bacteria, which live within the animal’s fur.
detergents use chemical machines
they are naturally drawn toward light. When these organisms come into direct
called enzymes to break down the dirt
However, exactly why they’re attracted has contact with water, it breaks their
on your clothes, and these work best at

yet to be scientifically proven, but there are chemical bonds, which in turn releases
around 30-40°C (86-104°F). However,
a few likely theories. In fact, a behaviour musky molecules into the air. Leaving a
new detergents are designed to work
called transverse orientation could explain wet dog to air dry can make the odour
just as well at lower temperatures.
the phenomenon. This is where an insect will considerably more pungent. This is
Turning your washing machine’s
use a distant natural source of light, such as because when water evaporates off a
temperature down saves both energy
the Sun or Moon, as a reference point to surface it creates a relative humidity
and money, while keeping your clothes
help them navigate. So it’s possible that a around it. As humid air can hold more
looking their best for longer.
moth can be disorientated by artifi cial light molecules, this means you will get a much

and fly toward it in confusion. stronger whiff of wet dog.
How It Works 37