science: physics

I used to believe…

Not really Physics this one but...

Iused to believe that living things were made out of cells and non-living things were made out of molecules.

A wonderful theory until you realise that molecules are a LOT smaller than cells!

I used to believe…

When I was a kid, I used to believe that the sky was the surface of a solid sphere and that we were inside this sphere.

I think the fact that the sky is usually blue and satellite pictures showed the Earth as being blue led me to belive this.

I was never able to figure out the knotty problem of how rockets managed to pierce through this solid wall of sky to make their way into space though.

I used to believe…

As children, my best friend (who will remain anon because he is now a respected Engineer) tried to convince me that raising the seats on our bicycles actually made them heavier, because there is more metal showing.

I used to believe…

At the age of ten, I had a fantastic idea for walking on water. I put inflatable arm-bands around my ankles and stepped 'onto' the swimming pool. Luckily my dad was there to rescue me as I dangled upside-down under water :)

I was told that diamonds were made out of coal, crushed under the earth. So I put a piece of coal under a brick in the garden, and checked it regularly. I knew I didn't have enough pressure for diamond, but I figured I'd get something good - possibly chocolate.

I used to believe…

My older brother told my cousin that while laying down, if you tried hard enough, you could lift your entire body off the floor by an inch-or-two, supporting yourself with only the back of your head touching the floor. - My cousin tried it and of course failed...

I used to believe…

When I was 8 my elder brother told me that due to the spin of the Earth, if anyone faced exactly east they would fly off into space, when I questioned this he said very few people had ever done it because it was almost impossible to exactly face east.

I used to believe that if I spun around really fast in the living room and then fell to the ground I'd feel the world spinning as I held onto the floor. At times I experienced a similar sensation in college after drinking too much.

i and also my friends used to believe if we put a ironsegment on the rails and after train goesover it the iron will become magnet.

I used to believe…

As black is the opposite of white, I used to believe that blue was the opposite of red. Also, bannanas were the opposite of apples, and giraffes the opposite of elephants. It's not such a bad analogy, when you think about it.

I used to believe that when people walked, the ground was like a treda-mill for each person. Essentially, I thought each person stayed still, and the earth moved! After some careful thought, I realised that not everyone could be achieving this at the same time...!!

I used to believe…

My dad used to get annoyed with me opening the car windows on the motorway, he told me that if we were driving fast and the window was open, the air pressure would make the car lift up of the road and we would flip over. I still have a thing about opening windows in cars.

I used to believe…

An older girl in school once told me that electric fuses were actually the most super powered batteries in the world - and if you held them for too long you would float away. Still careful with them.

I used to think that if I put small piles of rocks in the road, I could make cars jump through the air like on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Then I tried it and the unsuspecting driver threatened to call the police.

I used to believe…

When I was around 5 my parents warned me several times that if I fell from a height then I would break my neck.

I figured that since my body was heavier than my head, my body would fall faster than my head and the two parts would seperate at the neck while falling.

I used to believe…

That if two spiders could levitate in the air if they walked on each other's feet in perfect symmetry (similar to how they climb up walls, but using each other's feet for support)