It must be very embarrassing to share a fun fact about science at dinner only to find out it was wrong because of a popular myth you believed. That’s why it’s time to debunk some myths, misconceptions, and misunderstandings around science.
1. Lightning never strikes the same place twice
We’ve probably all heard this phrase at least once but it’s wrong. Dangerously wrong. Lightning does often strike the same place multiple times, especially really high buildings.
For example, some skyscrapers like the Empire State Building in New York City get struck by lightning every time there is a storm. This building, for example, is hit 25 times per year on average.
2. Did an apple actually fall on Newton’s head?
The story of the apple hitting Isaac Newton, in 1666, on the head resulting in him having an “Aha!” moment is quite famous. However, there is no proof that an apple actually fell on his head.
Observing the fruit falling straight to the ground (and not sideways or upward), though, caused him to speculate upon the true nature of gravitation.
3. Einstein was bad at math
“He failed grade school math but still became one of the most important physicists of all time.” Well… Not exactly. He didn’t have any trouble in math but he did have trouble entering the Federal Polytechnic School in Switzerland.
In fact, Albert Einstein excelled in math as well as physics but had a bad score in non-scientific subjects. So he did fail the entrance exam, but not because he was bad at math.
4. We only use 10% of our brain
Even if there is still a lot to learn about the brain, fMRI scans proved that the simplest activities still require almost all our brains to be active. Various parts of the brain are active at the same time all the time which is far more than the “10%” people talk about.
But from where did this popular thought take its roots? The origin is unclear but some researchers suggest that it might have been influenced by neurological researches getting misunderstood or a famous and misinterpreted quote from the early 1900s “We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources” -William James, The Energies of Men
Not to mention that if we only used such a small part of our brain, we wouldn’t have evolved such large brains.
5. Water conducts electricity
Actually, pure water, which is rarely found, doesn’t conduct electricity, it’s even an excellent insulator. It’s the charged ions and impurities contained in water that make it a good conductor.
This way, getting electrocuted in seawater is less likely than in bathwater. In fact, if the water contains a large number of ions and solutes, the electrical current can ignore a human body in the water to stick to the masses of ions.
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