Quora @Quora

How effective was dazzle camouflage at confusing submarines? Answer by Richard Meakin: "During WWI, dazzle camouflage involved painting allied shipping with bold geometric patterns to disrupt the perceptions of enemy submariners. This was perceptual camouflage intended not to hide the ship but to deceive the enemy submarine as to the ship’s heading, range and speed..." quora.com/How-effective-…

What are some examples of interesting symbiotic relationships between different species of mammals? Is mutualistic relationship the same thing as symbiotic relationship? Answer by Gary Meaney: "Neighbouring mammals often either compete over similar resources, or have a predator-prey relationship. That said, there are a select few cases where mutualism has happened..." quora.com/What-are-some-…

How do the really giant vehicles (like pit mine trucks) that are obviously too large for road transport, get to the location where they are used? Answer by Christopher Pellerito: "When Cat delivers a new 797, it arrives in pieces aboard 12 semis, which is to say, 'some assembly required...'" quora.com/How-do-the-rea…

Why does the Starship's approach to stage separation allow for virtually no delay, and what risks does this involve compared to the Saturn V? Answer by Frank Norris: "Hot staging decreases the gap between acceleration significantly, which increases payload capability..." quora.com/Why-does-the-S…

Why, in respect to the accident at LaGuardia, is it reported that the plane hit the truck, indicating that the plane was in the wrong, whereas it appears that the truck hit the plane? Answer by Chuck Cobb, former flight instructor with over 2,000 hours: "Airport traffic management is subject to a much higher level of control than automotive traffic and the ATC controller has absolute control over the movement of all aircraft and vehicles on the airport..." quora.com/Why-in-respect…

Is it true that modern technology would struggle to cut stone so precisely as the ancient Egyptians did? Answer by Joel Schlecht: "You can get Egyptian accuracy by pulling string taut between two stands and use a pillar in place of the indicator to make sure there is no visible space between the pillar and the string..." quora.com/Is-it-true-tha…

What's the difference between going to an Oxbridge uni and a normal uni in UK? Answer by Michael McEllin: "As a post graduate I saw a different aspect of the university: you had chances to meet anyone who was anybody in your field. Distinguished academics from everywhere liked to drop in at Oxford and Cambridge and give a seminar, or attend a conference..." quora.com/Whats-the-diff…

What was everyday life like in medieval Europe? Answer by Dimitris Almyrantis: "The medieval period was defined by dispersed, definitely un-fortified settlement patterns. That's why English has these words—thorp, hamlet—that describe the old type of settlement that once defined the English countryside." quora.com/What-was-every…

Do you support the insanity defense? Answer by Anthony Zarrella, Attorney/Councilor: "A successful insanity defense does not mean the defendant walks free. It means they are committed to a 'locked ward' psychiatric facility against their will..." quora.com/Do-you-support…

Could zombies exist according to science? Answer by Ken Saladin, Author, Anatomy & Physiology: "One year not long ago, a member led a workshop on the biology of zombies. By studying impossibilities and the reasons they’re impossible, one can learn a lot about the reasons behind the realities of nature..." quora.com/Could-zombies-…

Why are tapeworms not digested in human intestines? Answer by Tyson Hanry, former doctor: "My first case of tapeworm as a junior doctor, and the question my patient asked me, after the initial shock had passed, is the question I have remembered most from my medical career. He looked at the clinical photograph I probably should not have shown him and looked up at me and asked, 'But why doesn't the stomach just dissolve it?'" quora.com/Why-are-tapewo…

Why doesn't Canada have a major professional hockey league if hockey is their national sport? Answer by Steven Haddock: "The 'Stanley Cup' is not the 'Stanley Cup'. Technically, it's the 'Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup'." quora.com/Why-doesn-t-Ca…

Why was the C programming language named "C" and not A or B or maybe even D? Answer by Rich Jensen: "So the story begins with CPL, a programming language that was cooked up initially at Cambridge in the UK, and later expanded to include the University of London..." quora.com/Why-was-the-C-…

Does this type of scenario exist anywhere in today's software industry? Answer by Alan Kay: "The nature of the funding (and funders) that made the ARPA/Parc research community possible no longer exists anywhere in the world as far as I can tell..." quora.com/I-have-heard-s…

Do pilots know what absolutely every single button and switch in the cockpit does? Answer by Jim Guibault: "As an airline captain with tens of thousands of hours, I'm going to take a bit of a contrarian stance here..." quora.com/Do-pilots-know…

Why does being an organ donor appear on my driver's license? If I'm incapacitated are people really going to start ripping out my organs? Answer by Saguaro Heart: "I was a trauma intensive care unit nurse for 30 years. Let me fill you in: nobody looks at your driver’s license when deciding whether or not you should be an organ donor..." quora.com/Why-does-being…

How would a data center in space make sense? Answer by Bill Otto: "The cooling requirements in space for this venture are difficult. But they can be solved. The question is: why take on such an engineering problem with little or nothing to gain from it." quora.com/How-would-a-da…

Why are fighter jet parts so expensive? Answer by Larry Ciummo: "Everything for aircraft is expensive. Everything for military equipment is expensive. Everything for military aircraft is exceptionally expensive..." quora.com/Why-are-fighte…

Why do airline pilots tend to prefer long haul flights over short haul ones? Answer by KP Schroer, Former Captain: "Some pilots prefer lots of takeoffs and landings, after all, that’s the fun part of flying. But it’s more complicated than that..." quora.com/Do-airline-pil…

In which situations will the ER take a person in immediately? Answer by Lydia Collins: "We call it the “ABC”’s of assessment/triage: airway, breathing, and circulation. Basically it's a short list of the things that will kill you, in the order in which you'll die the most quickly." quora.com/In-which-situa…