ARGH! Research

[alkatran]

Question on physics homework:
Estimate the mass of aluminium used in the manufacture of cans containing all the beer and soda-pop consumed by Canadians in an average day.

Does anyone know how much aluminium it takes to make a can of beed/soda pop? Or how much of those canadians drink? (I;m aware that the beer has a limit approaching infinity.. but the soda?)

[mendhak]

Go out and buy yourself a can of soda. Check out the net weight and gross weight and all those other statistics. Subtract, you get the weight of the can.

Assume that to be entirely aluminum.

Take the population of Canada.

For soda, multiply by 2.7 soda cans per day (that's the statistical average)
For beer, multiply by infinity cans per day. (That's the de facto standard)

For the final answer, present your teacher with a can of Bud Weis Er.

Have yourself a few.

Pass out.

Declare that the earth is composed entirely of aluminum and barley.

Puke.

Everything is porn.

Rhythm is the key as we open up the door.



PS: I just realized why those stats are on the soda cans... it's for homework!

[alkatran]

I need the weight to MAKE a soda can. There must be waste. This bugs me because the answer is given by computer, meaning there's probably only one "right" answer (BA! estimate?!)

Maybe these stats are in the book I haven't purchased yet.

[wossname]

rofl @ teh frog.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Originally posted by mendhak
Go out and buy yourself a can of soda. Check out the net weight and gross weight and all those other statistics. Subtract, you get the weight of the can.

Assume that to be entirely aluminum.

Take the population of Canada.

For soda, multiply by 2.7 soda cans per day (that's the statistical average)
For beer, multiply by infinity cans per day. (That's the de facto standard)

For the final answer, present your teacher with a can of Bud Weis Er.

Have yourself a few.

Pass out.

Declare that the earth is composed entirely of aluminum and barley.

Puke.

Everything is porn.

Rhythm is the key as we open up the door.



PS: I just realized why those stats are on the soda cans... it's for homework!

THAT WON'T DO AT ALL YOU MUTANT TWISTED FROG!!!

I'm an actual scientist, so I will tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that won't do!

You need a larger sample size than 1, or else you have no degrees of freedom. Therefore, the thing to do is:

1) Go get a large sample size of something that won't fill you up, but has all the alcohol. Keep in mind that the sample size must be in the hundreds.

2) Consume all of the beverage. Pouring it out simply won't work because of quantum physics.

3) Pee repeatedly.

4) By this step, the relevance and importance of the question will have dwindled to zero, which solves the problem far more thoroughly than getting a right answer would.

Oh yeah, you may not have any more degrees of freedom, or any other kind of degrees, after that, but you really won't care.

[dglienna]

Does anyone know how much aluminium it takes to make a can of beed/soda pop? Or how much of those canadians drink? (I;m aware that the beer has a limit approaching infinity.. but the soda?)

No, so your guess is as good as anyone elses.

Does "A LOT" work for you?

[The Dutch Dude]

I hereby magicly determine it to be 42,24. There. Who shall thwart my magic and blow up the earth and such?

[wossname]

Originally posted by Shaggy Hiker

4) By this step, the relevance and importance of the question will have dwindled to zero, which solves the problem far more thoroughly than getting a right answer would.

Can't argue with that logic. Its a strategy I often use a few hours before a deadline at work. Invite the boss to the pub and get him leathered and before you know it you are being promoted.

[Shaggy Hiker]

When I was working on a problem that was too boring or difficult for me at the moment, I suggested to my boss that we go out to eat. That usually managed to shoot the rest of the day. We would have a two hour lunch, and sit around for the rest of the day. It was great.

The only way anything got done at that office was because most of my work was field work, so I couldn't pull that trick very often.

[NotLKH]

Hmmm,

Consider if you're estimating 1 Million Cans, but done in 10 thousand batches.

If 60 percent of the aluminium in a ten thousand batch is recycled, ie.. used in a previous batch, then

you end up with a really tough challange!

[alkatran]

Originally posted by NotLKH
Hmmm,

Consider if you're estimating 1 Million Cans, but done in 10 thousand batches.

If 60 percent of the aluminium in a ten thousand batch is recycled, ie.. used in a previous batch, then

you end up with a really tough challange!

What are you talking about?? The sum of the geometrical series where
T(x) = a*.6^x

where x the number of previous batches and a the starting aliminium

S(x) = a*(.6^(x-1) - 1)/(.6-1)

[BodwadUK]

Work out the surface area of the two circles and the surface area of the sides