Myth you would like to see tested

[Wes14]

i got another one!

that a plane on a conveyor belt myth thingy.

[midnight Target]

heh..

lazs beat me to it.

[AKIron]

Here's one: dead men don't wear plaid. You shouldn't have much trouble disproving that one with a visit to Scotland. I always suspected Steve Martin wasn't a serious actor.

[Tachus]

Ok, ok, I'll give you a good one.

You can disprove one of the many myths about human hair. I'll give you a list, and you can just pick the one you like the best.

Shaving your legs makes your hair grow back thicker and darker (This is false)

Shaving your face makes your hair grow back thicker and darker (This is false)

Men lose their hair when they go bald. (This is false. Baldness is NOT the result of losing hair, the hair follicle actually still produces hair, but the hair is like the hair on your forehead, which is very hard to see.)

People have as many hairs on their forehead per square inch as they do on their head. (this is True)

After you cut you hair it grows faster. (This is false)

If you never cut your hair, it will just keep growing. (This is false, even the hair on your head grows through a growth cycle, and will only get some long before it falls out.)

If you don't cut your hair it will stop growing because of the split ends (This is false, hair grows from the follicle not the end)



BTW, the post I made about boiling water in a paper cup is NOT a myth, I have done it many times, including once a couple of weeks ago for my daughters.

Best regards,
--Tachus

[mrmidi]

The myth that 2 weeks is 14 days... ;-)

[texasmom]

Originally posted by JB88
life lines on palms. morgue would be a good place to start.
 

LOL!

[gunnss]

It is true,
40 years ago in the Scouts I used to boil eggs in a paper cup on the campfire... Cup has to be paper, Styrofoam is right out.
Regards,
Kevin

Originally posted by Tachus
I don't know whether it is a myth or not, but it's pretty cool.

Boil water in a paper cup. You can use an open flame to do it. Any "paper" cup will work.

It is impossible (under normal pressure) to heat water past it's boiling point, which of course is about 100C (depending on the ion content of the water), and the flash point of the paper is significantly higher. So the water keeps the paper cool enough it won't ignite.

Best regards,
--Tachus

[Angus]

Try the moviemyths. Like pooring petrol into a saucepan and dumping a cigarette into it
Then you can do various alcohol tests. Pour liquor into a teaspoon and see at which % it will catch fire

[Tac]

Originally posted by C(Sea)Bass
As a part of my Biology I class I have to test a myth. I have absolutlely no ideas as to what to do. I was hoping you people would have some ideas for me. It can be anything but since I am but a lowly college freshman, my resources are limited so I cant do anything overly complicated.
If I see an idea I like I will use it and inform you of the results.

Spank you all,
     CBass

Well if its for a biology class I assume it has to be related to ..well.. biology not physics (boiling water in a paper cup I dont think falls under a biology class).


I'd suggest something simple and that you 'bust/prove the myth' in an experiment.

Myth: Swallowing chewing gum will clog your digestive track because it takes a very long time to dissolve in the stomach.

For the most part the myth is true. Yes, chewing gum, if swallowed, will stay in your stomach because it does take about 2 weeks for your stomach acids to break the thing down.

However, you'd need to be swallowing a couple of packs of chewing gum a day to clog your stomach.

You can do the experiment easy by putting chewing gum in a container that has acids similar to those in the stomach (mostly hydrochloric acid) and documenting how long it takes for the wad of chewed gum to dissolve.

[C(Sea)Bass]

I like that one. If I can get the acids I may try it. Despit being for Bio it doesn't have to be related to bio. THe example the class was given that was done last year is the myth "blondes have more fun".

[Tachus]

Originally posted by C(Sea)Bass
I like that one. If I can get the acids I may try it. Despit being for Bio it doesn't have to be related to bio. THe example the class was given that was done last year is the myth "blondes have more fun".

Actually, gum doesn't have to be broken down in the stomach. We eat a great many things that are never broken down in our stomach, and we simply pass them through, gum is much the same way. (Watermelon seeds for example) Corn is also a great example of this. I can't remember the proper name, but there is a plant fiber that we can not break down, because we lack the proper enzymes for doing so. (It's what makes up the hull of corn).

You could still use this myth, but I don't think acid is the way to go about it, unless you simply want to demonstrate that the acid will break it down, fairly quickly.

Best regards,
--Tachus

[texasmom]

Originally posted by Tachus
We eat a great many things that are never broken down in our stomach, and we simply pass them through...Corn is also great example of this. I can't remember the proper name, but there is a plant fiber that we can not break down, because we lack the proper enzymes for doing so. (It's what makes up the hull of corn).

That's disgusting. I probably could have done without knowing the scientific reasoning behind that.

[Tachus]

Originally posted by texasmom
That's disgusting. I probably could have done without knowing the scientific reasoning behind that.

Sorry TxMom, I tried to be as G rated as possibly.

--Tachus

[texasmom]

Originally posted by Tachus
Sorry TxMom, I tried to be as G rated as possibly.

 It's A-OK, was mostly dramatics there on my part.

[LEADPIG]

The myth that people with uh-hmmm larger feet have certain larger organs of the male anatomy.

































Uh-hmmmmm........Size 14,