| 1. Why do we yawn, and why is yawning contageous? |
We yawn to balance the air pressure on our eardrums.
But balancing the air pressure on our own eardrums tends to unbalance the air pressure on the eardrums of other people nearby, so they have to yawn too, until the air pressure on everyone's eardrums is OK. |
| 2. Where do those piles of tyres on the sides of some roads come from? |
Those tiny bits of rubber from skid marks will often
gather together to form new tires, which then roll to the side of the road. |
| 3. Why do socks often go missing in a tumble-dryer? |
The spinning action of a tumble-dryer creates a small
vortex into another dimension through which socks may easily pass. Somewhere there's a dimension containing only socks. |
| 4. Why are there so many fewer paper clips on the desk than we remember putting there, but so many more hangers in the closet? |
Unused paper clips will sometimes bond together to
form new hangers, and we may put them in our closets without realising we're doing it. |
| 5. Why are daylight hours longer in the summertime and shorter in the wintertime? |
Because heat causes things to expand, and cold causes
them to contract. |