11 How do ships anchor themselves in really deep waters? Do they need 10k feet of chains if they are anchored in 10k-f00t-deep oceans?

The answer to that is that they don’t. Anchoring in very deep seas is not possible due to the depth. The primary force that holds an anchored ship in place is the weight of the chain on the bottom of the sea. All anchors need to rest on the seabed. The wind may push the vessel, but the chain will always stay in place. How deep an anchor goes depends on the depth of the sea combined with the length of the chain.

As a rule, you usually need a chain whose length is 5-7 times the depth of water. Therefore in 20-f00t-deep water, the ship needs at least 100 feet of chain. Therefore, it is not possible to anchor in very deep seas because, practically, it is impossible to carry that much chain.

But there are other ways to anchor ships on deep seas. Ships usually use a sea anchor or a storm drogue to keep the boat in a certain position on the ocean. They are used during bad weather when it’s unsafe for the crew to be steering the boat. A sea anchor, which is parachute shaped, is deployed from the bow, while a cone-shaped storm drogue is deployed from the stern. These prevent the vessels from taking the waves from the side. (1, 2)

12 Why don’t birds get electrocuted by electric wires?

Hundreds of birds chitchatting on electric wires are a sight familiar to all of us. But why do these birds not get electrocuted? This is because a bird’s body, made of cells and tissues, is not a good conductor of electricity. Their bodies are small and spherical and cannot store much electric charge. Therefore, though when a bird is on a wire, its feet are getting charged and discharged constantly, it is too small to cause any trouble. The nature of electricity is to flow through mediums with the least resistance possible. Therefore, when it comes to birds on wires, the electricity ignores the birds and continues to flow through the wire.

But by the same logic, if the bird touches anything solid, or a metal that is grounded, it can give the electricity a path to the ground and get shocked. So, our feather friends try to avoid the wooden pole and focus on relaxing on the wire instead. It is safer. (source)

13 Why do we have a bail system? Why should someone who should (or shouldn’t) be in prison have a way of buying their freedom?

Bail is an essential part of the justice system, even if, by logic, it feels wrong. A basic freedom or human right offered to all humans, whether guilty or not, is the assumption of innocence. Or, in the legal term, they are “innocent until proven guilty.” The main role of the justice system is not to imprison as many as possible but to protect the innocent and keep the public safe. Therefore, when someone is accused, it is not correct to assume he is guilty and keep him imprisoned for a long time without a conviction or a trial that proves him guilty.

But releasing the person without any kind of regulation is more dangerous. Hence, we have a bailing system. Bail is not freedom but a conditional release of a person on the understanding that he will appear for court proceedings before being convicted or proven innocent. Bail also reduces the expense of the state and, at the same time, keeps him in the custody of the court pending the trial. But this is a complex proceeding and has its pros and cons. Nevertheless, if not followed, we can get trapped in a potentially dangerous society where all will live in fear. (1, 2)

14 Why are prices increasing but never decreasing? For example, food prices, living expenses, etc.

This is because of inflation. In an economy that grows, prices of things increase, and so do your earnings. Imagine if you want more money from your boss. Your boss has to generate that money by asking for more money from the customers. This is a sign of a good economy. That is why eventually, all prices increase.

What if the opposite happened? If we knew that the price of a product, for example, a car, would reduce next year, everyone would wait and not buy cars before the next year. This would cause the economy to deflate. Deflation is worse than inflation and causes economic depression. Therefore, inflation in controlled and moderate amounts is always good. In simple words, prices tend to rise because of economic growth, and increased economic growth usually causes a small amount of inflation. (source)

15 How do trains not slip when it’s raining or when going uphill?

The most important thing here is the law of friction. For trains, the wheels and tracks are both made of steel, and hence not a lot of friction (In fact lesser than cars on roads). So, what helps the trains run faster? The wagons of trains are really heavy, which automatically creates a force between the wheels and the railway. That is also the basic reason why wheels don’t slip and easily go fast on flat tracks.

Most trains are also fitted with a wheel slip probe to help control slip, and a sander that puts sand on the rail to prevent the slide. But as soon as the train goes uphill, the weight gets distributed, and there is very little friction to grip the track. Therefore, most trains cannot climb steep gradients.

Mechanisms like simple rail adhesion, rack rails, and cable incline, help trains to go uphill, though the basic rule always is to avoid steep gradients. High-speed railways have stronger makes and more wheels that allow 2.5% to 4% gradient. But for freight trains, gradients should be gentle, preferably below 1.5%.

Trains usually have a limit on the maximum slope they are allowed climb. This prevents them from ‘slip and slide’ while maximizing their speed. Saluda Grade in North Carolina, the steepest in the United States has a 4.7% maximum slope gradient. (source)