Why is the sky blue and other random questions you always wanted to ask but never did

WHY IS THE SKY BLUE?
The first thing to note is that the sun is an extremely bright source of light. The second thing to recognize is that the atoms of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere have an effect on the sunlight that passes through them.

­The­re is a physical phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering that causes light to scatter when it p­asses through particles that have a diameter one-tenth that of the wavelength (color) of the light. Sunlight is made up of all different colors of light, but because of the elements in the atmosphere the color blue is scattered much more efficiently than the other colors.

When you look at the sky on a clear day, you can see the sun as a bright disk. The blueness you see everywhere else is all of the atoms in the atmosphere scattering blue light toward you. Because red light, yellow light, green light and the other colors aren't scattered nearly as well, you see the sk­y­ as blue.


WHY DO DRIVE-UP ATM MACHINES ALSO HAVE BRAILLE ON THEM?
ATM machines normally have braille dots on them so that even visually challenged people can use them. However, people who can drive aren't blind, so why would they have Braille dots? The answer lies with the production of the machines. Now, when these machines are produced, the company has to pay for each mould and the materials. If there were two different moulds, then the company would have to have two different designs and then make two different factories each producing a different kind of machine. However, this would cost a lot and not benefit many people.

Firstly, even though the dots might be taken away, no-one would be any the better. How many times do you get frustrated over there being Braille dots on machines or lift buttons? Nobody actually cares, and if the banks actually made them they would have incurred costs and a visually handicapped person came by in a taxi, they wouldn't be able to get their money unless they told the driver their PIN number, which is not the most appealing option to many people.

Also, there is a law to enforce there be Braille on all machines, but the above explanation is more interesting.


IF A CUP IS COMMONLY DEFINED AS 8 OUNCES, WHY IS THE SMALLEST CUP OF COFFEE LISTED ON STARBUCKS' MENU A "TALL", WHICH CONTAINS 12 OUNCES?
For about 10 years, Starbucks has served coffee in 3 sizes: Tall (12 oz) Grande (16), and Venti (20). Yet a cup of coffee is technically only 8 oz and c,an be as small as 6. Even Starbucks' own brewing instructions say "We recommend two table spoons of ground coffee for each six ounces of water". Why doesn't Starbucks sell a standard cup of coffee?

Actually, it does. If you ask for a Short, you will be served a traditional 8 ounce. However, it is not listed on the menu and only a few people know about it.

The Short is the most discounted cup of coffee Starbucks sells. It sells for less than a Tall but contains the same amount of expresso and has a richer taste.

Starbucks does this because it is a form of hurdle price discrimination. If you are price-sensitive, you will jump the hurdle and get the discount, while less price-sensitive customers will go on without the discount. The hurdle is that the customers just don't know about it. If you are a price-sensitive customer, chances are you would have found out about the Short from one of your friends, and a buyer who is less price sensitive will just have a 20 oz Venti. In this way, Starbucks gives discounts to people who care about them, while people who don't care don't get them. This way, Starbucks gets to squeeze more money out of the most people possible.

Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry if you were looking forward to a Schrodinger's cat though.

Cheers,
CY