Why isn’t there a heated driveway that has electric heating components underground so that whenever it snows you can just turn it on and melt the whole driveway? Isn’t it nice you don’t have to shovel it?

You can have heated driveways. Retrofitting an existing driveway is difficult, but it’s easy to do if you are constructing a new driveway. This can be done by embedding electric heating coils in concrete. Another option is to place pipes in driveway concrete that transport hot water to melt ice. This is how it looked before they … Read more

Is it OK to splice an electrical wire?

If by “electrical wire” you mean home electrical wiring for a 120V or 240V system, then the safe, approved, electrical-code-conforming, and won’t-burn-your-house-down way of splicing an electrical wire is to install an electrical box (plastic is fine), put the two ends of the cut wire you want to splice into into the box, and put … Read more

Will manual transmission be seen in electric cars?

So here’s the thing: Transmissions are a hack. They’re an ugly, clumsy kludge to work around the greatest defect of internal combustion engines: poor torque management. Internal combustion engines have a narrow range of useful torque, and it’s at higher RPMs. At zero RPM, an internal combustion engine produces… …zero torque. This really sucks, for … Read more

What are the weirdest things said to a telemarketer?

He said, “Hello, this technical support is from Microsoft. Your computer has been infected. This is causing internet problems. Me: “$200” Him: “What?” Me: “I said $200.” Him: “What’s $200?” Me: “Pay $200 and I’ll fix your computer.” He (confused): “Why would you pay me $200?” Me: “Look, I’m the problem. Your computer is causing problems online. It … Read more

Do electric eels have predators?

The simple answer to this question is… NO! It’s impossible! Let me tell you why. Image by George Grall, National Aquarium [1] A fully grown, healthy electric eel can be taken by no other predator. They are not correctly named eels. They are a separate species of fish and are not related to any other eels. True eels … Read more

Why is Arshad Warsi in the news?

Arshad Warsi received a huge electricity bill from Adani-owned company. They replied, asking him to refrain form making any personal remarks. He also requested that people buy his paintings to help pay his electric bill. Now hopefully the situation is resolved.

Should safari cars be electric to avoid disturbing the animals as best as possible?

It is interesting to note that the first electric safari vehicles have scared and disturbed the animals more than the traditional petrol- or diesel-powered jeeps. Many safari lodges have experimented with electric safari vehicles. It is possible to use the technology and overcome challenges such as range and power in 4×4 driving conditions. They are like … Read more

If rotating magnets create electricity, and Earth has a magnetic field and is rotating, then why can’t we use Earth’s magnetic field to create electricity somehow?

It is possible, but it has been achieved! Satellites equipped with electrodynamic tethers can drag a wire through a magnetic field to produce electricity. It’s difficult to do this on Earth’s surface because you have to expend more energy to move the wire. This makes it not worthwhile.

What are the disadvantages of electric cars?

These are the only ones: Range. It’s almost a common problem for car buyers: “RANGE ANXIETY!” “RANGE ANXIETY!” is a condition where people think that an electric car’s range will be so limited that it will be impossible to drive. Electric car owners don’t feel this problem, so it’s a completely imaginary disadvantage. Up-front cost. This is a relatively … Read more

Why do cruise ships ask you to turn off lights and electric devices, since they all run on power created as a byproduct of the engines running while at sea?

You don’t really understand cruise ship engineering if you think electricity is just a side effect of running engines to propel the ship. The engines of the ship are designed to produce electricity. There are many uses for electricity, but only one is to power electric motors that propel propulsion. Cruise ships do a lot … Read more

How are electric cars better for the environment if they use electricity generated by non-renewable resources?

While I don’t like Tesla or electric cars as a whole, I do believe that there are some benefits to their eco argument. They remove pollution from cities. Utility plants are generally located far away from cities, so they don’t pose as much health risk to the public as vehicular pollution. While we may still be … Read more

Why did Indonesia not distill water from the sea/ocean or reverse osmosis while they can actually? There will be a drought for the next 3-5 months or a year. (Don’t say it is about electricity.)

It is all about electricity. Electricity is expensive. Desalination needs large amounts of electricity. Desalination is expensive because of this. Okay, fine. It’s not about electricity, don’t you think? It’s about money. It all comes down to money. It’s expensive. Electricity is expensive.

Why do people think electric cars are more environmentally friendly? Do they not realize that the power to charge the battery comes mainly from power plants that are just as bad for the environment as vehicle emissions, or worse?

Originally Answered. Why do people believe electric cars are better for the environment? Is it not obvious that the power that charges the battery comes mainly from power plants, which are as harmful or worse for the environment as the vehicle’s emotions? This is a common misconception, but it’s false. This answer is going to show … Read more

“You can’t see electricity but you know it’s around; same goes for gods”. What do atheists think of this argument?

You don’t see electricity, what do you mean? This is a plasmaball: Those little blue tendrils that run down to the glass’ pink ends are what you see. All of that is electricity. Do you also know what they are? Tesla coils. The first is Nikola Tesla’s original. The second is a modern, more recent photo taken … Read more

If water is a good conductor of electricity, then can we use it as wires (water pipes)?

Water is an inefficient conductor of electricity. Pure distilled water is a good insulator. Conductivity is caused by the dissolved salts found in water. When talking about electricity transport, it is important to consider the electrical resistance of the material. The higher the resistance, the lower the current that reaches your destination. Learn the Electrical Conductivity & Resistivity … Read more

Does electricity travel at the speed of light?

No. No. Electricity moves very slowly. It’s really, really slow. Consider feet per second. It’s actually inches per second. It is slower than your car. It is even slower than your car. Are you joking? It’s not true. Drift velocity is the speed at which electricity or electrons travel in a conductor. The wavefront of the charge is what moves fast … Read more

Why are electric vehicles so expensive?

One word: Batteries This battery will give you an idea of how much it will cost. It’s a rechargeable lithium ion cell… and quite a bit larger than an AA. It will cost $12 to buy 8 AA rechargeable lithium-ion batteries from Walmart. So – $1.50 per AA cell. It is easy to see that … Read more

In a sinking ship, when the water rushes in, the lights are kept on since one cannot evacuate in the dark. How does one manage to keep the electricity running without getting an electric shock, as water is a good conductor?

Here’s a hint: Salt water conducts electricity much better than the human brain. In such circumstances, electricity will flow through salt water and not through the human body. Electrical accidents caused by faulty wiring in a dock are a problem in saltwater environments but not in freshwater environments. I don’t know if electrical shock is a … Read more