Did you know...

[Tillerman]

The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

On the Budweiser: quite an achievement for this Czech company !! No surprise to me, as I happen to know they brew the absolutely best tasting Pilsner beer in the world...

http://www.budweiser.cz/budvar/budvar-web/corporate/prvni_en.cms

Tillerman.

[Legend_Airlines]

Oh Mythbusters, how I love ye

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html

[slate]

Ok but look at the size of that paper, If after 11 folds it is still about 9x18inches, it had to be 50ftx50ft to begin with. I hadn't considered that size of page.

[indian airlines]

While it may or may not be possible to fold paper 7 times I seriously doubt it can be done 12 times. Even if the original page was 12ftx12ft after 11 folds, it would be 4.5inx2.25in but it would be 2048 pages thick or about 8 inches, you try folding that one more time lol. I think even the mythbusters need busting once in a while.

The function

gives the loss function for folding paper in half, where L is the minimum possible length of the material, d is the thickness, and n is the possible number of folds in a given direction. This formula indicates how much "normalized" paper has been lost for n folds, and thus sets a limit for the number of times things of finite thickness can be folded in one direction (Pomona Valley Historical Society). For n = 1, 2, ... the sequence gives 0, 1, 4, 14, 50, 186, 714... The formula was derived by high school student Britney Gallivan in December of 2001. Britney then proceeded to set a new world record by folding first gold foil and then paper in half a whopping 12 times in January of 2002, thus debunking the assertions of Math@Home and PBS Kids that paper cannot be folded in half more than eight times.

SOURCE: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Folding.html

[slate]

Time for some mythbusting.


No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times.
FALSE: The claim is based on the mathematical concept of geometrical progression. On the seventh fold, there are 128 sheets (two on the first, four on the second, eight on the third, 16 on the fourth, 32 on the fifth, 64 on the sixth, 128 on the seventh). That would certainly be difficult to fold, but not impossible.In January 2002, a high school junior, Britney Gallivan, folded paper in half 12 times.

While it may or may not be possible to fold paper 7 times I seriously doubt it can be done 12 times. Even if the original page was 12ftx12ft after 11 folds, it would be 4.5inx2.25in but it would be 2048 pages thick or about 8 inches, you try folding that one more time lol. I think even the mythbusters need busting once in a while.

[Van Hoolio]

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

The Earth rotates clockwise...if you look at it from above the South Pole. Who's to say which side is "up"?


Mike

[slate]

The last I heard, it was proven by some research organization that a duck's quack does indeed echo...will have to get back to you on that. I think it was on that site which proves or disproves urban legends, etc. The name is on the tip of my tongue but I can't get it out...

Yeah, I saw the duck's quack one on Mythbusters, along with the toothbrush one. Some of the stuff (maybe most) in these lists is always untrue, but some is real and that is why these lists are amusing.

Hey Babypurin I think you and I go to the same sites, everytime you post one of these type lists I had seen it a few days earlier somewhere else. Where did you get it?

[indian airlines]

Mythbusting

Time for some mythbusting.


No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times.
FALSE: The claim is based on the mathematical concept of geometrical progression. On the seventh fold, there are 128 sheets (two on the first, four on the second, eight on the third, 16 on the fourth, 32 on the fifth, 64 on the sixth, 128 on the seventh). That would certainly be difficult to fold, but not impossible.In January 2002, a high school junior, Britney Gallivan, folded paper in half 12 times.


Donkeys kill more people annually than airplane crashes.
FALSE:There is no organization that keeps track of deaths per year by donkeys. Even the World Health Org., with its sophisticated mortality tables, does not quantify “death by donkey.” To make such a claim you would have to know how many people are killed each year by donkeys, and that figure is not available. According to the NTSB, there were 62 fatalities in 1999 in airline accidents (including commuter airlines and air taxis) and 628 general aviation fatalities. Not even counting aviation fatalities worldwide that the NTSB does not investigate, you would have to document more than 690 donkey-related deaths to prove they are more dangerous.


You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
FALSE: According to the American Heart Association and HopkinsUniversity, a 150-pound person burns 71 calories watching TV for an hour, and 64 calories sleeping for an hour. Even at eight hours, sleeping burns fewer calories.


Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
FALSE: According to the USDA, the White Oak generally starts producing acorns at age 50. However, on good sites, it may produce seed as early as 20 years of age. The Northern Red Oak first bears fruit at age 25 or as early as 10 years on favorable sites. Seed production on the Chestnut Oak begins when the tree is about 20 years old. The Canyon Live Oak first flowers between 15 and 20 years of age. The California Black Oak, beginning at age 30.


The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.
SOMEWHAT FALSE: According to UK's University of Manchester, the king originally did have a mustache, but it was removed centuries ago due to copying errors, and that mistake has been carried forward to today.


Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
FALSE: An article on airborne allergens by The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases itemizes the contents of house dust as: fibers from different types of fabrics, cotton lint, feathers, other stuffing materials, animal dander, bacteria, mold and fungus spores, food particles, bits of plants and insects, and microscopic mites.


The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.
SOMEWHAT FALSE: This might have been true if the “Marlboro Company” existed. Marlboro’s are produced by the Philip Morris Company. It's owner was Philip Morris, Esq. His cause of death is unknown.


The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
FALSE: From a study done in 2002 by Business Week, the top three were Coca-Cola, MicroSoft, and IBM. Marlboro was number 9. Budweiser was number 24.


A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
FALSE: This one has been disproven left and right. I don't want to go looking for information now.

[ATLcenter]

The last I heard, it was proven by some research organization that a duck's quack does indeed echo...will have to get back to you on that. I think it was on that site which proves or disproves urban legends, etc. The name is on the tip of my tongue but I can't get it out...

But other than that, really cool. It'd be nice to know the science of some of them though. Perhaps another research project coming up?

[babypurin]

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for
blood plasma.

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times.

Donkeys kill more people annually than airplane crashes.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. So did the first "MarlboroMan."

Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. (I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)

And the best for last.....

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

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Yes, these facts are old but are always fun to read. If you have any post some!