Elite Engineer

Most math in chemistry is basic algebra. Unless you're taking/ focusing on physical chemistry, then you need calculus I-III..but who uses that shit? ((P-chem is trash).

The single OH groups retains more electron density to itself making it more strongly polar, and therefore more prone to an electrophilic attack. The OH on the carbonyl group has less electron density from the carbon, because some of it is shared with the double bonded oxygen (R=O). You will have some product where the C=O group is attacked, but it is a minor product. ~EE

This is highly subjective, however I would say FEAR is the most important emotion. Yes, fear in the absolute basic sense keeps us at a distance from death. However, fear is not just a single dimensional emotion only meant for avoiding death. As Michael Douglass said in the film 'Wallstreet'...greed is good; fear is essential. Fear makes you work, in that you fear on not paying the mortgage. Fear helps you advance yourself, as you may be afraid of remaining in an unsatisfying job. Fear keeps you prepared so you won't be embarrassed or misfortuned. Fear makes you socialable so you're not alone. Fear makes you look attractive, because you fear judgement. Fear keeps you to update, so you're not left behind. Wonder comes after one has fortified themselves from fear. Empathy is a product of fear. If fear is not the most important emotion, then in the very least it is the most necessary.

As of right now, this site has 907,674 posts. On average, how many posts are there a day? Perhaps we'll hit it before the New Year! ~EE

I do research for a diagnostics company. (BS in Biotechnology).

I have a personal belief that obsession over IQ is directly related to how narcissistic you are,. Men generally have stronger spatial intellect that women. It's been proposed because they hunted while the women gathered.

Just have some general questions regarding the two fields. My 24 year old friend is finally going to school after being out for 6 years. He's not sure what he should do, either go into research (scientist) or engineer. Questions: 1.)- Is the occupation of "scientist" strictly limited to the life sciences (i.e. biology, chemistry)...or does it stretch into physics and computers. B/c whenever I read science article, it involves a biologist or chemist..very rarely a computer scientist or engineer. 2.) - Generally, engineering pays more...correct? 3.) - Does becoming a real scientist require a PhD? 4.) - Science careers are not as easy to obtain as engineering careers? 5.) This is a personal one. I work as a research "associate" for a diagnostics company. Can I say I'm a research "scientist" or is that stretching the truth a bit? ~EE

this is what i said, yet no +1 for me. I'm not mad tho

Do you have access to any solvents? I know you said you cant heat anything, but can you at least boil water? Stearic acid is not soluble in water. So you could add water to the mixture, and the stearic acid will float to the top. At that point you just scoop it off. Now, the NaCl and Benzoic acid are soluble in water, so you're best bet would be to boil off the water..but this will only get you a mixture of NaCl and Benzoic Acid. Benzoic acid may be less soluble in cold water. So after you remove the stearic acid, cool the water considerably..around 4-5 Celsius. The benzoic acid should precipitate at the bottom and the NaCl should be relatively soluble still so it should pour off with the water (use a filter for this part as well). That's your best bet. yes, i forgot this part, do this too.

It would help if you mentioned what your rocket fuel mixture was composed of. If it was just KNO3 and sugar, then it was just really really hot most likely in a small area of the reaction, and for an extremely short period of time. No, your mixture is not going to melt steel either. ~EE

Ya, but meat is the opposite of carbs

(Disclaimer: I thought of a answer to this when "ajb" proposed the question on a thread/ blog post about 2 weeks ago) What happens when pasta and anti-pasta collide?...-Carbageddon

Wow, thank you everyone for the information! I figured I was relatively safe given the fact that medical isotopes are short lived. Once again, I just had to hear it from someone with experience and far better knowledge than myself. ~EE

All I'll say is I went to a research university in Western New York state.

What I failed to mention (and I left out for public shaming) was there was a sign on the door, that said the room was used for radiopharmaceutical research. There were no signs saying "DO NOT ENTER", no "WARNING". I imagine it was for when the school was going to reoccupy the floor for general info on the room. My co-worker definitely did not lie about research on that floor. I just assumed that since there were no warning signs, and the doors were unlocked that it was ok. I only got concerned when he looked surprised when I told him I studied there. I do recall one time there was construction on a floor that had absestos exposed from the walls. They decorated the halls, entrances and exits of that building with signs to inform everyone not to go to that floor This information is very helpful. I figured most isotopes used in medicine have very short half-lives, I just had to hear it from someone else. Wow thank you! you know my college?

So a new guy was hired at my work, and him and I get to talking. Turns out he went to the same school as me and graduated a few years before me. So, we start talking about the places we'd study in school. I mentioned the 5th floor of a building that had vacant labs, that were COMPLETELY cleaned out (i.e. no test tubes, empty drawers, fume hoods completely off, no running water). Naturally I saw this as a perfect study spot as it was all empty. I checked for anything that might be harmful at first, and concluded it was safe. All in all I spent probably about 30 hrs a week on the floor, for about 2 years. I know for a fact I was NOT the only student to use these rooms, as I'd occasionally try to open the door and it'd be locked with the lights on..someone was using it too. When I told him this, he laughed nervously and said "you know those rooms did research using radioisotopes right?" I immediately got really tense and uncomfortable. He mentioned it was for radiopharmacology research. So my question here is: What radioisotopes are used in pharmacy research? Are they generally benign or deadly? The rooms were COMPLETELY empty. Nothing in there period. Could there be enough residual material still there to cause issues? Also, he mentioned the pharmacy department was moved to a different campus, and that the time I started using the rooms was roughly a 1-2 years after they moved. Should I contact the college? I'm very confused and a little scared to be honest. ~EE

I know some compounds are toxic when they are metabolized (i.e. amygdalin in apple seeds is converted to cynanide via digestion). But what would cause a protein to be toxic? They shouldn't be toxic because of what they're metabolized into, b/c they're mainly linked amino acids. Is their toxicity derived from their specific conformation/ properties..like ricin? I guess what i'm trying to ask is, are proteins nontoxic when they're denatured (i.e. no conformation) or are they still toxic even when denatured b/c of their metabolic product. ~EE

I would laugh harder if this weren't so true

Yes, this is what I was trying to articulate.

So I see the logic now of why it isn't 50/50. However, what if it were an unbiased bet on one of the teams for one game? In Brazil vs Steeple, you're comparing the statistics of two teams, and then making a decision with fairly reliable insight. If I had no idea about the stats of either team and just placed a bet for one game, would it still be 50/50?

Yes. If he was talking only about one team winning, and winning only.

I've heard of stories of people wanting to kill themselves for the remembrance, pity or "fame" people will have of them. I believe the comic Mitch Hedberg said (and I'm paraphrasing), "...If I died in 30 years no one would care. If I died tomorrow, I'd be on the front page". As you may know Mitch died at the age of 37, via coke OD. I get what Mitch was saying. This may be a similar motivation for suicidal people. They may think, "If I die today, by my own hand, I'll be mourned, and talked about..". In some cases the ultimate ego "high". However, there is one very pressing issue with this thought. How will you ever know the mourning, the praise, and the pity? To this day, my fiancee whom I have been with for 8 years, has no idea how much I love her, and vice versa. Yes I can say, "I love you an infinite amount".. But what does that mean? She can say the same to me, and I will still not fully grasp the reality of the amount she loves me. So, if you kill yourself, perhaps for lack of ego, or to gain posthumous ego...how will you benefit from it, if you're not there to be aware of it? ~EE

The total outcomes of the game are: Team A wins or Team B wins. The total outcomes of a coin toss are: Heads or Tails. Both outcomes are 50/50. However, predicting the probability based on events within in the game is nearly limitless, such as: What is the probability the ball will be intercepted? What is the probability the QB will get injured, etc. Each scenario would have a different number of outcomes. You would then take the sum of the probabilities to "predict" your chances. Really it comes down to "what" you are predicting. In this case it seems you were predicting who would win. Not who would win, BECAUSE of XYZ probabilities. ~EE

I like Neil, for 2 reasons: -Excellent at explaining advanced scientific ideas on a basic level, with unmatched charisma. -Smarter than Bill Nye (Astrophysics vs. Mechanical Engineer). At least I like to believe this. When the two are together talking science, Bill just kinda says really generic 101 explanations, almost like he knows the general idea of the concept, but not specific knowledge. Neil on the other hand goes deep and very articulate on his science explanations. No, I have no videos/proof to substantiate my claims. Also, it may be their personal style of presentation as well. ~EE