The Reason Why Golf Balls Have Bumps

Curiosities
11 months ago

Most baseball caps have small eyelets on the back. For one thing, they prevent your head from sweating too much. You can also use them to adjust the size of your cap. If it’s too big for you, run a string through the eyelets and tighten them. It may look a bit strange, but the cap will remain on your head even if the weather is windy.

Sneakers were originally invented for basketball players. And since they needed to lace their shoes in the most comfortable way, side holes were invented. Those helped players lace their sneakers in any way they liked and accommodate anyone’s foot. Additional side holes in Chuck Taylors do provide extra ventilation. But they were originally put there to lace the shoes more securely because these sneakers were made for and worn by basketball players.

Originally, golf balls were smooth. But some time ago, players noticed that overused balls with damages flew better than brand-new ones. At some point, they started producing balls with dimples.

The first basketballs were brown because they were made of brownish leather. But such balls were difficult to see both for players and for fans. To make the basketball more visible, they decided to make it orange. Ooh, like the traffic cones...

The black lines on the basketball make the game easier to play. They’re actually grooves helping you handle the ball. And since players need to move around the court while dribbling (or bouncing) the ball, control is crucial. The black lines allow you to grip the ball better. You can also easily steer it in any direction once it’s in your hand. If the basketball was smooth, you wouldn’t be able to do it. By the way, pebbled dots that cover the outside of the ball serve the same purpose.

Wimbledon tennis balls are always stored at 68˚F. The temperature can influence their bounciness. When the ball is warm, gas molecules inside it expand. This makes the ball bouncier. After the ball cools down, the molecules shrink. This decreases the bounciness.

If you ever played billiards, you must know that green table well. The game originated around the 14th century, five centuries before basketball! Back then, folks didn’t have pool tables, of course. Instead, they were playing it outside, on the green lawn. Later, people moved the game indoors, so they could play it even when it was raining. And they kept the nostalgic green to give it some lawn vibes.

There are sounds most people can’t stand, like the sound of a fingernail on a blackboard or someone scratching a window. Such noise irritates the amygdala. That’s a small part of your brain controlling your emotions — including fear and survival instincts.

Some cheeses have holes in them. They’re called “eyes.” These “eyes” are made by bacteria used in the process of production. When cheese is almost ready, these bacteria release carbon dioxide. And this gas forms bubbles that later become the cheese’s “eyes.” See?

When a surgeon sees red for a long time during the operation, their eyes reduce sensitivity to this color. Shades of red mix, and doctors can’t clearly see the nuances of the human body. But blue or green areas help refresh their vision. The eyes rest for a second, then return to red color again. If a doctor takes a look at the white coat during the operation, little green spots may appear in their eyes. You can check for yourself.

Look at something red for a few minutes, then turn your gaze to a white sheet of paper. You’ll see these spots of a greenish hue. So, doctors wear blue robes not to be distracted. Also, different hospitals may have their own rules. Robes can be of different colors according to the hierarchy. This is necessary to distinguish a doctor from a nurse or an intern. Meanwhile, hospital patients still have to wear that gown that’s open in the back. Careful what’s behind you!

Ever wondered why most doctors have sloppy handwriting? No, there’s no class in medical colleges on bad handwriting. The reason why it’s so common is that doctors are always in a rush, and they write as fast as possible to keep their momentum, so there’s no time to care about writing nicely. Also, keep in mind that you’re not the only person who they write a prescription for over the course of a day. Doctors do a lot of paperwork, working for 10 hours straight, and they’re just too tired most of the time to give you a properly written note.

You’ve probably noticed that train and bus seats are covered in fabrics with weird patterns. Have any idea why? They use these patterns to cover any germs and stains on the seats. The brighter the color and the more patterned it is, the harder it will be for a passenger to notice any stains and get grossed out. Also, the patterns are usually so ugly that no one even wants to look at them for long enough to spot any stains. So yeah, the pattern is there to make you look away, and if you look, to make it less noticeable. No bus will ever have plain white seats, that’s a guarantee.

Like, why don’t buses have seatbelts? Buses are overall way safer than cars because they were designed this way. The idea behind this is called “compartmentalization,” meaning that the seats have high backs that absorb energy. The seats are also placed close to one another, so there is less space to move in case of an impact. Also, on a bus, the passengers sit pretty high off the ground, and, in case of collision, the force is absorbed by the bus’s deck and not by people inside.

On top of that, a bus is way heavier than most other vehicles, and even if there is a collision, it distributes the force way differently than a regular car. Due to its weight, a lot of force is absorbed, and bus passengers don’t experience much crush force. So, small and light buses that can’t distribute the force as well actually do require seatbelts. And we have to remember that buses drive slowly, which minimizes the risk of an accident overall.

Also, buses have huge steering wheels. Buses are bigger than regular cars, and they’re also way heavier. So, it’s harder to turn a bus around, and way more strength is required to do so than when you drive a car. A bigger steering wheel that has a bigger radius allows the driver to turn the vehicle more easily, and it requires less force than if the wheel were smaller. Trucks have big steering wheels for the same reason.

But have you seen those stuffed toys are that some trucks have attached in front of them? Turns out, it’s just a way for truck drivers to customize their vehicles. It’s like a mascot that speaks about the truck or the driver. It’s also a way to communicate to the world that the truck driver isn’t all scary and tough, but a soft and harmless person that you shouldn’t be afraid of. At least that’s how some truck drivers explain it. In Asia, there’s also a belief that road accidents are caused by ghosts, and hanging toys are a way to distract the ghosts from causing harm to the truck.

If you buy a clock or see a picture of it, it’ll most likely show 10:10 by default. The only reason behind it is that it just looks nice. You can see both hands, and they don’t overlap. Also, it’s symmetrical and nice, and it frames the 12. And finally, it makes a smiling shape that gives off a positive vibe.

Mattresses usually have those decorative stitching patterns on them. If you’ve ever seen a behind-the-scenes video, you might have noticed that they click that clapperboard before each scene. This clap helps a lot at the stage of editing. The film and the audio are recorded separately, and then they’re synchronized.

The clapperboard makes that brief clap at the very beginning of a shot scene, and it’s easier to find where the scene starts to add the audio. Another reason is to give more details on the filmed piece. They add information about the scene and take number, the filming date, camera angle and other important stuff to the clapperboard that makes it easier to go through hundreds of video pieces later.

Triangular flaps on small juice cartons can help control unwanted spillage. If you flip them and use them as handles for the carton, you won’t press the package, so the juice won’t be squeezed uncontrollably.

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