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Known for its uncommon common sense and youthful perspective, Dear PingPong provides free personal advice and opinion for you, receiving your cries for help and posting his responses on TeamNaptown.com. He will provide perspective on your problems and like a good neighbor, disinterested friend, or "a second father" he will call it as he sees it.

Dating, Spiritual, Parenting, Professional, Family Advice…PingPong does it all…

He provides solid and down-to-earth personal advice, information and resources. While results are not guaranteed, PingPong’s advice is guaranteed to be thought provoking. PingPong Usually posts his responses to your questions within 72 hours. He knows how hard you work on your questions and as such PingPong ALWAYS responds.

This is your special place. Your confessional booth, your living diary, your mom away from Mom, your trusted bartender, and your camp counselor that promises never to touch your “uh-oh spots” or make you feel “funny.”…Anonymous and confidential, you can ask questions you don't feel comfortable asking others and trust that you will receive an honest response. Have fun and good luck.

To submit your question for consideration, click HERE.

Question:

I filled two ice cube trays in my freezer 6 months ago. I went for some ice and now there is nothing in the trays!! A couple of mini-cubes exist but that's it. What happened to my ice?
Thanks,
G-Bone

Answer

Dear G-Bone,

Oh, sorry about that, I was thirsty…I came home drunk and sucked on them until they were almost gone, then returned them to the tray…I learned it from watching you!!!

Keep Bouncing,

PingPong

Question:

Why does gravity exist? More specifically, how exactly is the force of gravity created and how does it act on external entities? I'm a handicapped physicist, so I've done a lot of research in the matter, but I still can't figure it out.
Thanks!
Steve

Answer

Dear Steve,

This one will be taken by Puddin. Here you go.

Hey Steve! Love your work!!!! A great deal of this will be review for you, but it may interest some others. Here goes.....

There are many theories for the cause of gravity out there, but I will limit this discussion to the three that are most compelling to me. These are what I will refer to as the Einstein's Gravitational theory, the Fifth Dimension theory and the Neutrino theory.

Einstein's Gravitational Theory

To start, we will look at Sir Isaac Newton's thoughts on gravity, which laid the groundwork for all subsequent work on the matter. Most of you have most likely heard of Newton and have at least a passing familiarity with his Laws of Motion. What we are dealing with in this matter is his second law of motion, that which can be formally stated as

So, dissect that if you wish. What is important is the statement that is extrapolated from it, which states

So, you can see that as the mass of an object increases, its gravitational force increases in a proportional amount and as two objects move farther apart, the gravitational forces between the two decrease. Not too difficult, can really be applied in strict mathematical fashion to objects and measured. Right? Right. So, to calculate the force of gravity between objects 1 and 2 with mass m₁ and m₂, which are separated by distance R, this is the equation:

The constant G is a number that occurs in nature, and is known as Newton's Gravitational Constant. This equation is quite useful for describing the motion of local heavenly bodies. For instance, comparing the gravitational force at the surface of the Earth vs. the moon, we get

With the variables plugged in, this gives us a ration of 1/6, which explains the effect felt by the astronauts when they walked on the moon (or did they??? but that is a question for another time). So, basically, this theory states that gravitational attraction is a function proportional to mass and inversely proportional to distance. Got it? Okay. Now, this works in these localized areas, but falls apart for objects as they near the speed of light. One may ask, why does this matter? Well, because being right is better than being close. So, let's look at Einstein's Theory of General Relativity

Einstein describes gravitational phenomena vastly different from Newton's because it is the consequence of geometric space-time distortions, which were briefly addressed in a previous Dear PingPong question. We may have to go into a bit more detail here.

Classic physics is based on the concept of absolute space and time. This means that two synchronized clocks will remain synchronized wherever their respective locations in the universe. In addition, distance is an absolute, with the distance between any two points being measured as the same no matter where the observer is located or whether that observer is moving. Let us use the doppler effect as an example. As an ambulance gets closer, the frequency of its siren gets higher, reaches a peak as it passes, then gets lower as it speeds away. Why is this? Well, the siren itself creates sound waves of a certain frequency, which creates a sound of a certain pitch. If you have ever been in an ambulance, you know that this pitch stays constant. For that outside observer however, it increases as the ambulance approaches. This is because of the law of addition of velocities. Not only does the sound wave have a velocity, but the siren has a velocity, so when added together, the frequency becomes even greater. Got that? If not, sit back and think about it for a moment. Visualize it.... be it....

So now, let us look at how this creates a problem. Light. Yep. Our old nemesis, light. Through experimentation with an electromagnetic wave transmitter (light is an electromagnetic wave), it was determined that the speed of the light beam was the same, no matter the velocity of the transmitter itself. So, that law of addition of velocities does not apply and we have us a problem. This led to a new description of nature, the theory of special relativity. This states that all observers in the universe are equal to each other for the physics point of view, that it is impossible for a moving observer to assert whether he or his system of coordinate is effectively moving. The exception to this??? Come on, you know it..... Take a guess... then hold your left cursor button down after this colon and drag it across to the right to make the answer appear.....: LIGHT!!!!. That is, the speed of light is constant whether observers are mobile or not.

In the real world, no object can have a uniform speed since they are all subject to a gravitational field (except light of course, which does not have a constant velocity due to its curved path created by velocity). This means that special relativity cannot give us an appropriate description of nature. Due to this limitation of special relativity, Einstein extended the scope of the principle of relativity to accelerated bodies. The starting point for this reflection was the equivalence principle, which says that the concept of mass refers to two different categories of phenomenon: gravitation and inertia.

From the discussion of Newton's principles above, we know that more massive bodies create a stronger gravitational force. However, mass is also related to inertia, which is the resistance of the object to any modification to its motion state. Therefore, the more massive the body, the more inert it is. As such, momentum is defined as P where P=M x V, where M=mass and V=velocity. So, the concepts of gravitational mass and inertia mass are quite different. Therefore, their values may be very different. One can demonstrate that these masses are equivalent and proportional and that one can change the ration of the gravitational and inertia masses without affecting the physical phenomenon. Due to this, once can postulate that they are equal. That is the equivalence principle. Based on this, Einstein postulated that a uniformly accelerated system of coordinates is locally equivalent to a gravitational field. One cannot, by any means, distinguish both.

Now, how does this alter Newton's theory? Well, we no longer have the two objects directly reacting with one another. Instead, we have the actual space-time surrounding the object in question be distorted. These two ideas are shown in the figure below.

There is more detail involved in this, but I will leave it there. It relates back, again, to the discussion of time travel from an earlier question, but I do not wish to further bore or confuse anybody. So, I will move on to the other theories.

The Fifth Dimension Theory

You may recall from the earlier discussion that I have referred to time as the fourth dimension. We got close to discussing that again in the above section, but I tried to stay away from it. Unfortunately, we now have to move on to a fifth dimension to discuss another theory. This model incorporates the theory of relativity discussed above for planetary and orbital motions, but introduces a new consideration for surface attractions, such as what we feel on the surface of the earth. Most of you have probably heard of the big bang theory, which states that the universe started from a singularity of infinite mass in a very tiny space, basically, EVERYTHING out there was contained in an area the size of a dime. At the big bang, it reached a critical mass and exploded, causing chemical reactions and everything in the universe to be formed. The theory also states that the universe is still expanding. This relates to this theory for the simple reason that it defines it. As the universe expands, the objects in it expand. So, the earth itself is actually increasing in size. We are actually increasing in size. This is the fifth dimension. It is entirely unmeasurable or observable because it is changing the very nature of physical measurement. So, as the earth under our feet expands, it creates a force against our feet. But instead of moving away from it, due to the fact that it is a constantly increase, we merely stick to it as it pushes out. Interesting, but I don't know if I buy it.

The Neutrino Theory

This theory is quite difficult to explain without animations, which I do not feel like creating, so you are going to have to use your imagination. I briefly discussed inertia and momentum above. We are going to use those principles again here. Objects have momentum. The law of conservation of momentum states that momentum is neither created nor destroyed, but remains the same. It can be and in fact must be transferred, but cannot be destroyed. At one point, some character performed an experiment where he could not account for all of the momentum. He attributed this missing linear momentum to a tiny particle, which was later name the neutrino. The neutrino itself was finally detected in 1956, seen passing through, rarely catching anything and going about their business. They have a good chance of not hitting anything in a localized area because they are much smaller than even electrons. This theory takes the existence of these particles and suggests that they deliver to matter the linear momentum they have stolen from nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, in the form of gravity.

Imagine all neutrinos flying in one direction, this is not reality of course, but works to illustrate the model. As they approach a large planet, many will hit that planet, right? The rest will continue in the straight line around it. Now say a moon is on the opposite side of that planet. The planet has blocked those neutrinos from hitting that moon. This deficit creates a diminished repulsion on the side of the moon that faces the plant. Similarly, if you observe from behind the moon, it blocks some from hitting the planet. While some do make it around the smaller moon to hit the planet, many do not, againt creating a diminished repulsion on the side of the planet that faces the moon.

So, in this model, rather than gravity being an attractive force between two objects or a bending of space time or a matter of expansion, it is in fact a matter of diminished repulsion in a particular direction, between the two objects.

Hope that helps,
Puddin

p.s. Could you send me a signed copy of "A Brief History of Time". Much obliged.

Question:
Most likely Ping Pong, you've never been abducted by an alien, and you probably don't know anybody who's had a brush with bigfoot. But undoubtedly, you or somebody close to you has had the apparently paranormal experience of "seeing" the future or distant events. Most of us have dreamt something that eventually came true, had a correct hunch about an event miles away, or predicted an out-of-the-blue phone call from an old friend.
The experience is incredibly strange -- positively spooky -- but it happens all the time.
So what's going on here? How does that happen?

Answer

Dear Gives me the willies,

Puddin will be fielding this one due to a deluge of questions.

Dear WILLY,

First off, what kind of name is that. Come up with something a bit more fitting okay. That is a description. Now "Willy", that would have been interesting. Anyway....

First, let’s look at what time actually is. We think of ourselves living in a three-dimensional world, correct? We can locate any object in the world based on a three-dimensional model, with various axes, perpendicular to one another along each dimension. In a small space, where the curvature of the earth is negligible, this can be done in reference to a grid being placed upon the surface of the earth to serve as the first two dimensions and distance from that surface being the third dimension. On a grander scale, latitude and longitude may be used for the first two dimensions, with distance from the surface again supplying the third dimension. In fact, however, there is a fourth dimension. This fourth dimension is time. If you want to locate an object, referring to the three-dimensional model will tell you where the object is at this very moment. If you add that fourth dimension, time, into the equation however, the object can be in a very different place.

Now, whereas the first three dimensions can move in either direction and in fact the very point of reference for determining location can be randomized, time only flows forward… or does it?

To make a complicated matter fairly simple, only one theory will be presented here. Some of the world’s greatest minds have proposed that rather than strictly flowing forward, time meanders around like water in a river, slowing at some points and possibly even turning backward. Now, without even turning backwards, one theory goes that there actually exist parallel universes, based on the same quanta. While in one of these eddys where time is slowed down and just bumping around, the theory says that a wormhole could develop between the two universes, allowing travel from one to the other. This would indicate a physical possibility of time travel, although in reality the application has many pitfalls that make it a bit unrealistic at this point. But anyway, so goes the theory. Now, to change gears a bit…

How does the brain work? Yeah, I told you I was changing gears. Do we really know? Sure, we all vaguely remember high school…. Neurons, dendrite, axons, the dreaded myelin sheaths, etc… But does that really explain how the brain works? They say that we only use 10% of our brain’s capacity. If we knew how the brain worked, wouldn’t we be able to figure out how to get the rest of it to get to work?

We have all heard the stories about twins feeling the pain of the other twin. Coincidence? Unlikely. Apparently, based on this type of experience and others, there is something more to the brain than a mechanism to manage internal behaviors of the body. Perhaps it will be useful to think of this unknown capacity as being akin to a radio wave. It is transmitted through the air for anybody to pick up, but often it just flies right by. In the case of twins, however, there is such a genetic similarity that perhaps the receptors can actually pick it up.

So, let us assume that these waves are constantly flying around us. This could explain the phenomena of “I know I am being watched” and other “sixth sense” behaviors. Given this, let us tie back into the earlier discussion of time and wormholes.

In one universe, an event occurs and an individual’s brain sends out one of those waves with that piece of information. Somehow, this wave finds its way through a wormhole and ends up flying right into the receptors in that individual’s brain in a universe that has been delayed in one of the eddys. Due to this delay, the time is actually earlier in this universe. Now, keep in mind that while there is a strong genetic similarity between twins, which may explain the heightened acceptance of the waves, the brains in this case would be identical in each and every way. So, this wave from the parallel universe is received by the same brain at an earlier time, creating the premonition.

On the other hand, there is another school of thought. How many “feelings” does one experience in a day? How many random thoughts go through an individual’s head? Is it really surprising that something related to one of those thoughts will occur on occasion? Statistically, one would have to say that with some measurable rate of certainty, one could predict what percentage of “feelings” would actually come true.

Hope that enlightens you a little bit. Please feel free to address any follow-up questions to Puddin@teamnaptown.com

Question:
What makes the difference between rain, sleet, snow, hail, etc????

Answer

Dear Weatherman,

In these winter weather days, a fine question. Thanks for your entry: When cloud particles become too heavy to remain suspended in the air, they fall to the earth as precipitation. Precipitation occurs in a variety of forms; hail, rain, freezing rain, sleet or snow.

Rain develops when growing cloud droplets become too heavy to remain in the cloud and as a result, fall toward the surface as rain. Rain can also begin as ice crystals that collect each other to form large snowflakes. As the falling snow passes through the freezing level into warmer air, the flakes melt and collapse into rain drops

Hail is a large frozen raindrop produced by intense thunderstorms, where snow and rain can coexist in the central updraft. As the snowflakes fall, liquid water freezes onto them forming ice pellets that will continue to grow as more and more droplets are accumulated. Upon reaching the bottom of the cloud, some of the ice pellets are carried by the updraft back up to the top of the storm

As the ice pellets once again fall through the cloud, another layer of ice is added and the hail stone grows even larger. Typically the stronger the updraft, the more times a hail stone repeats this cycle and consequently, the larger it grows. Once the hail stone becomes too heavy to be supported by the updraft, it falls out of the cloud toward the surface. The hail stone reaches the ground as ice since it is not in the warm air below the thunderstorm long enough to melt before reaching the ground

Ice storms can be the most devastating of winter weather phenomena and are often the cause of automobile accidents, power outages and personal injury. Ice storms result from the accumulation of freezing rain, which is rain that becomes supercooled and freezes upon impact with cold surfaces. Freezing rain is most commonly found in a narrow band on the cold side of a warm front, where surface temperatures are at or just below freezing.

The diagram below shows a typical temperature profile for freezing rain with the red line indicating the atmosphere's temperature at any given altitude. The vertical line in the center of the diagram is the freezing line. Temperatures to the left of this line are below freezing, while temperatures to the right are above freezing

Freezing rain develops as falling snow encounters a layer of warm air deep enough for the snow to completely melt and become rain. As the rain continues to fall, it passes through a thin layer of cold air just above the surface and cools to a temperature below freezing. However, the drops themselves do not freeze, a phenomena called supercooling (or forming "supercooled drops"). When the supercooled drops strike the frozen ground (power lines, or tree branches), they instantly freeze, forming a thin film of ice, hence freezing rain

Progressing further ahead of the warm front, surface temperatures continue to decrease and the freezing rain eventually changes over to sleet. Areas of sleet are located on the colder side (typically north) of the freezing rain band.

Sleet is less prevalent than freezing rain and is defined as frozen raindrops that bounce on impact with the ground or other objects. The diagram below shows a typical temperature profile for sleet with the red line indicating the atmosphere's temperature at any given altitude. The vertical line in the center of the diagram is the freezing line. Temperatures to the left of this line are below freezing, while temperatures to the right are above freezing.

Sleet is more difficult to forecast than freezing rain because it develops under more specialized atmospheric conditions. It is very similar to freezing rain in that it causes surfaces to become very slick, but is different because its easily visible.

Progressing even further away from the warm front, surface temperatures continue to decrease and the sleet changes over to snow.

Snowflakes are simply aggregates of ice crystals that collect to each other as they fall toward the surface. The diagram below shows a typical temperature profile for snow with the red line indicating the atmosphere's temperature at any given altitude. The vertical line in the center of the diagram is the freezing line. Temperatures to the left of this line are below freezing, while temperatures to the right are above freezing.

Since the snowflakes do not pass through a layer of air warm enough to cause them to melt, they remain in tact and reach the ground as snow.

Acknowledgements: World Weather 2010 Project

Keep Bouncing,
PingPong

Question:
What is egg nog? And considering it tastes like crap, why do people drink it?

Answer

Dear Brian,

Well Brian… It’s nice to have ourselves a Christmas edition of Dear PingPong thank you for your submission… Let’s examine your question in two parts

Part 1: What is egg nog?

There are many different recipes for eggnog based mostly on regional tastes…The traditional beverage consists of milk or cream, beaten eggs, sugar, nutmeg and usually liquor of some kind. Rum was the spirit noted in early references to the drink, but brandy, cognac and whiskey are also common additions. It is served cold, usually in a punch bowl.

It all began in England, where eggnog was the trademark drink of the upper class. It descended from a hot British drink called posset, which consists of eggs, milk, and ale or wine. The recipe for eggnog (eggs beaten with sugar, milk or cream, and some kind of spirit) has traveled well, adapting to local tastes wherever it has landed.

It became most popular in America, where farms and dairy products were plentiful, as was rum. Rum came to these shores via the Triangular Trade from the Caribbean; thus it was far more affordable than the heavily taxed brandy or other European spirits that it replaced at our forefather's holiday revels."

In the American South, bourbon replaced ale (though nog, the British slang for strong ale, stuck). Rich, strong eggnog — the richer and stronger, the better — is no stranger to holiday celebrations in New Orleans, and at this time of year the drink takes its place alongside syllabubs on the traditional southern table. (Syllabub is a less potent mixture than eggnog but just as rich. Made with milk, sugar and wine, it straddles the line between drink and liquid dessert.)

Eggnog goes by the name coquito in Puerto Rico, where, not surprisingly, rum is the liquor of choice (as it is these days for many eggnog lovers in the U.S.). There the drink has the added appeal of being made with fresh coconut juice or coconut milk. Mexican eggnog, known as rompope, was created in the convent of Santa Clara in the state of Puebla. The basic recipe is augmented with a heavy dose of Mexican cinnamon and rum or grain alcohol, and the resulting drink is sipped as a liqueur. In Peru, holidays are celebrated with a biblia con pisco, an eggnog made with the Peruvian pomace brandy called pisco. The Germans make a eggnog or rather egg soup with beer (Biersuppe).

Part2: Why do people drink it?

The beverage was simply intended as a winter treat. (Remember without modern refrigeration an egg/milk concoction was just begging for a salmonella infection.). In the 1800s, eggnog was considered a social drink and was made in large quantities for holiday parties. An anonymous Englishman once espoused, "Christmas is not properly observed unless you brew egg nogg for all comers; everybody calls on everybody else; and each call is celebrated by a solemn egg-nogging...

One interesting tidbit comes from our “hons” in Baltimore. Apparently, young men would go from house to house to drink eggnog with friends on New Year's Day. But it was always common to toast to people's good health with eggnog on Christmas Day, and it seems that this is the only part of eggnog's history we have left. Even the American Egg Board can't tell me why we only drink eggnog at Christmas.

For more information about egg nog see these sites:

Webtender's Holiday Drink Recipes
What's Cooking America's History of Eggnog
Guam Diner's Eggnog Info
In Depth Info on Eggnog

Keep Bouncing,
PingPong