2008 14
Summer mysteries
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in General with No Comments
Why do I fly 7 hours and 30 minutes to get from Madrid to NYC and there´s a 6 hour difference while if I fly to Beijing is 12 hours, same latitude approximately and there is also a 6 hour difference?
Why do Americans work so many more yearly hours than the French and the average American lives like the average French?
Why are the most successful mammals on earth by number, other than humans, the ones humans eat?
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John Stokes on August 14, 2008 ·
Mystery one is intriguing – I’d suggest three issues come into play.
Firstly, China has no daylight savings whereas the US and Spain does – thus in winter, the time difference to NY is 5 hours whilst Beijing would still be 6 hours. Secondly, China has only one time zone for the whole of the country and so realistically the time zone in Beijing is rather “understated”. Thirdly, NY is less north of Madrid than Beijing is south.
andres on August 14, 2008 ·
Another mistery:
Why male humans have mammals (or nipples)?
Thibaut Thomas on August 14, 2008 ·
This yearly hours question is always fascinating, sociologist would say that french workers are more “effective” during work hours, althoug the average time working on a single task for executives is close to 7 minutes if I remember correctly. After that I guess we have coffee, cigarets, or we go out make love.
Have a nice holidays !
A french and long time reader.
Aitor on August 14, 2008 ·
rats and mice are the most succesful animals! and we kind of hate them
Antoin O Lachtnain on August 14, 2008 ·
Dogs. Dogs are the most successful race. They have spent the past 100 millennia turning homo sapiens into their slaves, who are forced to feed and groom the dogs in return for displays of affection. Rats have also thrived, but without having to bother with the affection part.
Libo on August 14, 2008 ·
I might be wrong, but I would say:
1) Coriolis effect
2) French do not compromise their private life in order to create over value for the companies they work for. Private life and over work require the same amount of life energy.
3) Humans are the only animals to know both the demand offer law and births control techniques.
Santiago B. on August 15, 2008 ·
I believe the first one is caused by the rotation of the Earth. The Earth rotates towards the East, so when you are flying Eastbound, the Earth below you moves in the same direction so part of your movement is compensated by that, adding more time to the trip, like your destination is running away from you.
When you fly Westbound, the opposite happens. It is like your destination is moving towards you.
Thibaut on August 20, 2008 ·
The first one is not about Coriolis effect (which creates a small force perpendicular to the speed to the right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere. It explains the rotation of whirpools and also why high speed train railways are more worn out on the left side than the right side in the northern hemisphere) but it is in a way link with the rotation of the earth.
In high altitude there are strong winds that run from west to east. That explains why it is longer to fly west than east. It could add 1 to a transatlantic flight and 1 hour to a Paris-Bangkok flight for example…. going west.
These winds are linked with the rotation of the earth (imagine a ball turning with one solid layer and one liquid layer).
So this does not explain at all your question cause it goes the other way 🙂
The fact that Beijing is not at the same latitude and that there is only one time zone in China is the key i d say.
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Pablo Moreno Galbis on August 14, 2008 ·
I have the answer to the last one:
Because we already ate all those mammals that were not successful in number. We are hungry people! ;-P