Recent content by RickVS

WRT the Mississippi flooding, you see pictures of homes with levees surrounding them that the homeowners built. It keeps the water out. Here is my question. The ground beneath the flood waters has to be soaked. Wouldn't this water permeate the dry ground right next to it under the levee like...

I am interested to know what a metal's molecular structure is in the following stages: 1) Home from the store 2) After heating to orange glow 3) After quenching in oil (and why is it very hard but brittle at this stage) 4) After tempering in a hot oven for an hour. I've just always...

I've always been curious about the following: What would happen to water on a molecular level if water were frozen but was unable to expand? Would it just not freeze? Or would the molecules lose their physical properties, particularly in relation to one another? And what would happen to...

Can I get in on this thread? I'd like to know if there is a limit to how long a control rod can be effective. Do they at some point become unable to absorb more electrons? Is this a theoretical limitation (like maybe taking 10,000 years) or a practical one (like not lasting the life of the plant...