this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2026
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[–] glimse@lemmy.world 77 points 2 weeks ago (10 children)

Probably not because it's extremely useless for 99% of people lol

Does the average person know that a stalagmite is mostly calcium carbonate?

[–] lagoon8622@sh.itjust.works 26 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Well no, why would they remember that? They've got to remember the chemical formula for one or two quartzes

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

I need that brain space for the Windows XP activation code

[–] Fermion@feddit.nl 8 points 2 weeks ago
[–] concerned@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I knew both! AuDHD for the win.

Umm...what were we talking about again?

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maps, I think? Or ships. Possibly trains...

[–] concerned@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I swear it was neutron stars.

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[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Or that tooth plaque is calcium phosphate?

I think you mean tooth enamel, not plaque

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[–] nylo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago

does that mean you could use a chunk of a stalagmite as a tums in a pinch? (I think that's what tums is maybe its a different calcium)

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[–] prex@aussie.zone 60 points 2 weeks ago
[–] Tiral@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

No. Most people think you can throw a lit cigarette or lighter on it and it will go up instantly too because of movies. I think Die Hard 2 was the worst lol, he like threw a zippo in the puddle of her fuel and then it followed the plane in mid air to blow it up.

I don't think people know how octane level works either. I think they assume higher octane is easier to combust when it's the exact opposite.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

And octane doesn’t grant magical horsepowers to your engine if you pour a can of octane boost in the tank.

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[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I bet the average person knows it can't melt steel beams.

[–] neidu4@piefed.social 37 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

And the average person should also know that steel doesn't need to melt to lose a lot of it's load bearing capacity. At 500-600 Celsius, only 50% of steel strength remains.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Because no one takes shop class and bends some steel stock.

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[–] chunes@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (6 children)

Does the average person know that it costs $2500 in fuel to get a boeing 747 off the ground?

[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 5 points 2 weeks ago

I would have guessed more, and I have a pilot license!

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[–] WesternInfidels@feddit.online 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't know how easily it blows up, I'm too cool to turn around and watch the explosion

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[–] snausagesinablanket@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Its high flash point also makes it hard to ignite making it safer than gasoline.

[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Damn, forgot my lighter...

*Pulls out electric baton

*Gas station explodes

From a comic by MoringMark about Knights of Guinevere characters

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

The entire point of jet fuel is that it DOESN'T "blow up easily", though.

unlike gasoline, It actually takes quite a bit of effort to ignite avgas in it's liquid form because it's designed to be aerosolized before being ignited.

[–] gastroglizzy@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

Avgas and jet fuel aren't the same thing. Avgas is leaded gasoline used in airplane engines. Jet fuel is specially formulated for use in turbines.

[–] expletivedeleted@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

And... Is this post about 9/11?

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No one mentioned 9-11. I'm not sure what you're getting at.

[–] nednobbins@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I assume it's a reference to one of the 9/11 conspiracy theories.

The claim was that jet fuel doesn't burn at a high enough temperature to melt steel. Therefore a bunch of burning jet fuel alone wouldn't have been enough to collapse the towers. Therefore someone must have put something else there.

Even XKCD got in on the joke. https://xkcd.com/966/

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[–] the_fuckler@nord.pub 8 points 2 weeks ago

Are we still doing 9/11

[–] daggermoon@piefed.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

I did not know, I must confess. I know now. Knowledge is power.

[–] luthis@lemmy.nz 6 points 2 weeks ago

Bro the average person doesn't even know you can compile software for different architectures.

They aren't gonna know about jet fuel which is almost as complex

[–] inlandempire@jlai.lu 6 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I personally didnt and now it makes me question whether it can melt steel beams

[–] Fallibilist@feddit.uk 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Melt, no. Compromize the structural integrity? Absolutely.

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[–] glimse@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't need to melt steel beams to destroy a structure. Don't need the jet fuel to be providing all the heat once the structure is on fire either.

You start the barbeque with a lighter but it's the charcoal that's cooking dinner

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[–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The average person probably has no idea what cracking is to begin with.

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[–] psud@aussie.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago

I knew, but only because I read a lot of cold war stories, and for war becomes hot stories. Running a jet on cooking kerosene was a plot point in one

I have since read about just engines and jet fuel

I don't work in that industry at all. I'm an IT systems analyst

[–] BlueEther@no.lastname.nz 4 points 2 weeks ago

This one did, at least in general terms

[–] Fallibilist@feddit.uk 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Probably not. Same as movie directors don't seem to know what happens when you throw a lit cigarette in gasoline: it puts it out. Diesel doesn't ignite even with a match.

[–] lntl@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago

It's taxed differently as well

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

No. I wager the average person thinks its some kind of super dangerous super powered liquid explosion magic, because the average person is kind of an idiot.

I, however, did know its fancy kerosene

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Likely not. I thought it was highly volatile until I learned it was basically kerosene.

[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think they do. I'm a person that likes aviation and I never think about jet fuel.

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[–] Octavio@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I’ve known it since the 7th grade and I ain’t particularly bright.

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[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

No. I'd guess a lot of people, who don't work with it, think diesel blows up, even.

What the basic kinds of petroleum are, and which vehicles they go in, is one of those things any reasonably educated person should know, but the majority of the population actually won't.

[–] lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I was in school training to be an aircraft mechanic when I learned that. I remember thinking, "that's crazy"

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