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Common misconceptions: The things we know are just not

by Philip Yaffe

We all live with misconceptions about the world. This is quite normal. No one can be expert in everything, so learning to simplify our easy to remember fragments, which are often very close to the truth, but never there.

In general, our misconceptions are negligible and little damage. Sometimes they are very important and a lot of damage.

For example, many people believe that when they leave the house in winter, do not put the fire out completely, but lower it a few degrees. If you typically maintain a temperature of 20 ° C, when the country when they leave, you should turn the thermostat to 15 ° C. Why? Because we insist on leaving the house very cold when they are away, and then heating back to return, consuming more energy than keeping it at a moderate temperature throughout the day.

I've heard this for years but never paid much attention to it, largely because when energy prices were low, there really is not much difference. But now we face a severe power shortage and the potentially devastating effects of climate change. So recently when I heard someone say this, he replied: "As a physicist, I can not see why This would be true. "

Do not insist that the idea was wrong. As a scientist, I know that the general principles ("physical laws") can not be applied in any manner to the specific cases, because it ignores local conditions may mute its impact or cancel altogether. Therefore decided to investigate the subject on the Internet.

No matter how man different keywords or keyword combination I tried, I could not find any website even discussed the idea. Apparently, or so widely accepted was not necessary to debate, or so patently ridiculous that experts never even considered. After about half an hour of fruitless efforts, I landed at the site of the Department of Energy United States has found it necessary to comment on the subject (www.eere.energy.gov / EREC / chips / thermo.html).

Based on years of research, concluded that "the fuel required to heat a building at a temperature comfortable is approximately equal to the fuel saved as the building is reduced to the lowest temperature. You save fuel between the time the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. "In other words, the colder you let your house get when you're not there, the more energy save.

Also related was a mistake. That is, the higher the thermostat, the more heat the furnace went out. Therefore, if you want the house is heated to 15 ° C to 20 ° C quickly as possible, you must set the thermostat higher degrees. However, because the oven has to work harder hard, you risk damaging.

Also not true. Horn "put the same amount of heat, no matter how high the thermostat is set. The variable is time must remain to reach the set temperature. "

In short, by turning the heat up when they leave the house, saving valuable energy without damaging the oven. The great danger is not completely shut.

As noted above, the most common errors do little harm. Here are some of my favorite misconceptions. Up to you to determine the significance or insignificant they may be in your own life. If in doubt, do some research.

NUTRITION

Eating at night does not cause weight gain. Is the total calories that count. If your body needs 2,000 calories a day for normal operation, so if you take in 2100 calories you will gain weight and if you take in 1900 calories you lose weight. Many diet plans recommend eating small meals throughout the day to avoid overeating at night, which is almost certainly more calories in their decision the needs of your body.

Fasting does not help rid the body of toxins. Fasting can give the perception of "cleaning" the impurities, but no evidence scientific evidence that this actually happens. It's more a question of mind over stomach.

"Low fat" does not mean low calorie. The low-fat foods often have the same calories or more than the regular versions, especially for fat-free products. To keep the flavor, fat-free foods often contain added sugar. Read the label.

Olive oil has no fewer calories than other oils. Like others, olive oil is 100 percent fat and has essentially the same energy content, about 120 calories per tablespoon. "Light" olive oil refers to the flavor, not calories.

Fresh vegetables are not necessarily more nutritious than frozen. Freshly picked vegetables do have more vitamins and minerals, but gradually loses nutrients the longer they are stored. Flash-frozen vegetables soon after harvest did not lose their nutrients. So if you prefer fresh vegetables, eating immediately, otherwise you eat ice cream.

Searing a steak does not "seal" their juices, which can actually make the meat a bit dry out. Fire is composed of a short cooking both sides of the meat to a very high temperature, then reducing the temperature to complete the cooking process. Devastation converts the surface of the meat sugars and amino acids in a caramelized crust, which enhances its flavor. That is its purpose.

HISTORY

Viking warriors were not wearing helmets with horns. Horned helmets were used in religious rituals Celts. Because it easily could have been caught in the arms helmets were unfit for combat.

Christopher Columbus did not try to prove that the world is round. The sailors and navigators of the time and knew that the world was flat, like the ancient Greeks. Columbus' goal was to find a shortcut to India, which proved to be much farther than he had calculated. Upon landing in the Americas, native peoples called "Indians" because he thought he had reached his goal.

The 13 American colonies did not independent from Britain in 1776. This was the year the colonies declared their intention to achieve full separation of the motherland. However, the War of Independence (American Revolution), which began in 1775, continued until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The United States of America was officially born as a state federal union in 1789.

The words "separation of church and state" do not appear in the United States Constitution. The phrase was first used Thomas Jefferson once to reassure religious minorities would be protected by the Bill of Rights, the collective name for the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The First Amendment actually says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Napoleon Bonaparte was not abnormally short. Upon his death in 1821, his height was recorded 5 feet 2 inches. However, these were the French feet and inches, corresponding to 5 feet now 6.5 inches (1.69 meters). Napoleon was slightly higher than an average Frenchman of his time. Most historians believe that his nickname "out soon" (Le petit corporal) had nothing to do with his height.

King Christian X of Denmark did not wear a yellow Star of David during World War II World, defying a Nazi decree that his Jewish subjects would have to do it. Jews in Denmark were not wearing the Star of David. It is true that the Danes were very active in help Jews flee the country to avoid persecution and deportation.

Charles Lindbergh was not the first man to fly nonstop across the ocean Atlantic was the first man to do it alone. The first nonstop transatlantic flight by a team of airmen was achieved by John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown in June 1919. Due to the incredible strength to accomplish the feat, Lindbergh's flight in 1927 alone, which lasted 33 hours and 32 minutes, became a hero international.

ASTRONOMY

The Great Wall of China is not the only manmade object visible from the moon. According to Apollo astronauts who went there between 1969 and 1972, no man-made object visible from the moon. The error originated in a conjecture for decades astronomers earlier that if any man-made object could be seen from the Moon, should be the Great Wall, which is not true.

The "dark side of moon is not dark. All parts of the surface of the Moon is illuminated by approximately half the time Sun The phrase uses the word "dark" in the sense of "unknown" or "alternative", as the dark side is never visible from Earth.

A meteorite is not hot when it lands on Earth. Seems to be burning as it flashes in the night sky only by friction with the atmosphere vaporizes the outer layers of ice. Since it is not frozen inside time to warm up, when a meteorite hits the ground can still be covered with frost.

Polaris, the North Star is the brightest star northern hemisphere. Sirius is. Sirius has an "apparent magnitude" from? 1.47 (the lower the number, the brighter the star). Polaris has a apparent magnitude of only 1.97, which means that about 50 other stars brighter than him. Polaris is so important because it is almost permanently fixed directly on North Pole, so you can always determine which direction is north to locate in the night sky.

PHYSIOLOGY

Human language is not divided into four distinct areas of tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour). Taste buds can detect all components of all taste on the tongue. The original "tongue map" was based on a misinterpretation of a poorly conducted experiment conducted in Germany in 1901.

People do not use only 10 percent of their brain. Although only a small minority of neurons are active at any given time, neurons also inactive play a role in controlling body functions and intelligence.

Shaving does not cause hair to grow thicker, coarser and darker. We received the impression because the uncut hair has sharp edges. Just haircut no sharp edges, making it look thicker and coarser. It may seem more dark because the uncut hair is often bleached by the sun. When cut, the lightest of the first layer is removed, leaving the darker layer underneath.

Hair and nails do not continue to grow after death. When a person dies, the skin dries out and shrinks away from the base of the hair and nails, giving the appearance of growth.

An unusually high proportion of body heat is not lost through the head. Although a study conducted military bad once said that 40 45 percent of body heat "is dissipated in this way, recent studies have shown that loss of the head is fully proportional to the loss heat in other parts of the body.

BIOLOGY

Exposure to rain or low temperatures increases the chance of a cold. Colds are caused by a virus, experiments have not produced any evidence that short-term exposure increases the susceptibility to infection. The increase in the number of colds during the winter is more likely to be changes in behavior, including increased time spent indoors with people who already have colds.

Humans can not catch warts from toads or any other animal. The knock on the toads are not warts. Warts on the human skin are caused by viruses that are specific to humans only (human papillomavirus).

Lemmings (a type of small rodent) not to participate suicide dives cliffs when migrating. Occasionally fall off the cliffs to venture into uncharted territory, but this is not intentional.

Bats do not are blind. Most use echolocation, a type of sonar, to enhance their vision. However, all species of bats have eyes and are fully capable to see.

An earthworm does not become two worms when cut in half. When cutting, only the front half, where the mouth is going to survive, other half to dry or starve.

It is true that more than half of all human beings of all time are still alive today. Or at least it is difficult substantiate this claim. Aside from biblical references, there is no definite starting point for the human race. Even taking conservative values ​​for the start of the humanity, population experts generally agree that much less than half of all people who have lived alive today.

OPHTHALOMOLGY

U so computers do not damage your eyes. Ophthalmologists say w orking on a computer for long periods may cause the tire eye and give the sensation of visual fatigue. But the eye is not damaged.

Eating carrots improves eyesight. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which is essential for vision, but so do many other foods. A balanced diet, with or without carrots, usually provides all vitamin A needed for good vision.

People with weak eyes should not necessarily avoid reading the fine print. The idea that the eye is like a muscle is incorrect, it is more like a camera. A camera does not wear out quickly, as it is used for photographing small objects.

EVOLUTION

The theory of evolution attempts to explain the origin of life. Not only refers to how species have changed over time, and therefore assumes that life already existed.

The theory of evolution states that humans evolved from apes or monkeys. Rather, he says that humans and other apes (Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, baboons, etc.) have a common ancestor that lived about 7 million years ago. In other words, apes are like branches of a tree, all from a single trunk, but then go their separate ways.

The theory of evolution does not claim that changes in species must necessarily take millions of years to show its effects. The rapid evolution has been observed many times, both in controlled laboratory experiments and in nature.

The theory of evolution does not proclaim "the survival of the fittest", ie some species are considered "strong" are to eradicate the species is considered "weak." Any species, whose members are able to reproduce before death is considered "fit." In other words, the species will survive in spite of any weaknesses.

In science, the word "theory" does not indicate doubt. On the contrary, it reflects a clear set of principles that help explain and make the preaching of the events in the physical world. A hunch or suspicion is not yet a test called "Hypothesis." Thus, the theory of evolution, the theory of gravity, the theory of relativity, and a number of other theories are considered have scientific validity.

GENERAL SCIENCE

The electricity does not flow through a wire to the speed of light, if "Electricity" which means "electrons." Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles. When an electric current in a wire, the electrons move slightly, but the electrical impulse (electrical signal) travels from one end into the other at high speed. It is rather like what happens when touches one end of the pier. The momentum was almost immediately at the other end, however, the individual coils of the spring stay more or less where they are.

The blue color of lakes and oceans is not a reflection of blue sky. When water molecules are light, they absorb red frequencies more easily than blue frequencies. Blue reflects, what we see. Because the effect is small, the blue color becomes apparent only when the water is quite deep. water shallow seems colorless.

Aircraft that fly long distances do not take less time going from west to east than from east to west due to Earth's rotation. The effect is caused by the jet stream and the trade winds, which generally flow eastward.

The belief that there is no gravity in space is not correct. Astronauts float and some aspects of weightlessness experiences as they are in orbit. Scientists call this effect "microgravity" or "simulated zero gravity." A similar feeling was experienced briefly during the skydiving and the rapid descent of an elevator. Gravity is everywhere in the universe, although in some places can be very light and difficult to measure.

A "north wind" is not blowing to the north. It is called a north wind as it comes from the north, but really blows south. The same is true of all the other winds. A "south wind" coming from the south and north of strokes, an "east wind" comes from west to east and blows, etc.

The frequency and intensity of earthquakes are not increasing. At least, people who study these things say so. What may be true is that their destructive power is increased because, due to world population growth, more and more people are living and building buildings where earthquakes occur.

RELIGION

The Bible says that the forbidden fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden Eden was an apple. It's simple, says that ate the "fruit of the tree." The belief that an apple was probably comes from the similarity of the words Latin malus = bad "and malum = apple. Moreover, until as late as the 17th century, in English "apple" was a generic term for all sorts of other berry fruit.

The Bible says that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. In fact, very little is said about it at all. She was a prostitute is an interpretation made by the sixth century Pope Gregory the first.

The term "immaculate conception" does not refer to the conception of Jesus by the Virgin Mary, but rather to the Roman Catholic teaching that Mary herself was conceived without original sin.

"Allah" is not a Muslim god other than Christianity. It is simply the Arabic word for God. Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews also refer to God as "God."

The word "jihad" does not mean a holy war against Christians, "but simply a struggle or effort. One can have an internal jihad, holy war of the family, religious or holy war, does not necessarily mean doing violence to non-Muslims. The same Thus, "cross" is not a war, "jihad against" Muslims, but a struggle or effort as a crusade against child abuse, a crusade against pornography, a crusade against poverty, etc.

A fatwa is a death sentence issued by a Muslim cleric, but rather an interpretation Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. This popular belief, probably the result of the death sentence pronounced in 1989 as a fatwa on writer Salman Rushdie, whose book The Satanic Verses was deemed blasphemous.

INVENTIONS

Johannes Gutenberg did not invent the printing press with movable type, which were already used in China centuries ago. It was the first European to use a press with movable type, probably invented without any knowledge of what the Chinese had already done.

Thomas Edison did not invent the electric light, the idea was already well known. What he did was to invent a gas-filled bulb that lasted long enough to make electricity commercially viable lighting.

Henry Ford did not invent the automobile but he invented a method for making them at a drastically reduced cost. Before Ford, cars were only for the rich. Ford has made available to everyone.

SEVERAL MISCONCEPTIONS

The "black box" used to help determine the cause of airplane accidents is not black. It is bright orange to make it easier to find and recover from a crash site.

A black belt is not a sign that the holder has achieved supreme mastery of a martial art. There are several levels of belt black. While a black belt means to achieve progress, it is still possible for an incumbent to be more (or less) proficient than another.

The term "language romance "is not derived from the word" romance "which means a romantic relationship. It derives from the Latin" Roman ", meaning" Roman. "

Frankenstein was not a monster. Victor Frankenstein, in fact, the creator of the monster in the novel 1818 by Mary Shelley. Even the monster was not a monster. As described in the book, which was quite soft, but obligated to defend fiercely against those who attacked him for his frightening appearance.

A cold nose not mean that a dog is healthy. dogs often lick the nose, why is wet. Evaporation of this moisture in turn makes the cold nose. Therefore, a sick dog with fever can still have a cold, wet nose.

Philip Yaffe is a former reporter / feature writer the Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His book recently published in the "I" of the storm: the Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).

For more information, contact:

Philip Yaffe

Brussels, Belgium

Tel: +32 (0) 2 660 0405

1. Email: phil.yaffe @ yahoo.com, @ phil.yaffe gmail.com

About the Author

Philip Yaffe is a former writer with The Wall Street Journal and international marketing communication consultant. Now semi-retired, he teaches courses in persuasive communication in Brussels, Belgium. Because his clients use English as a second or third language, his approach to writing and public speaking is somewhat different from other communication coaches. He is the author of In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional. Contact: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com.