captainborgue

SUPER CUTE! I love the expression on Dashie's face. Priceless.

PONIES. IN. SOCKIES. Heart. All the heart. Heart heart heart.

LOL, sorry. Are you SURE it's a regular pony? If it were a tiny pony it'd be SO ADORABLE ZOMG

So your main criticism here is that I didn't factor in ANOTHER constant that would have made the figure you provided even MORE flagrantly incorrect? Really? And you harp at me for assuming unit values when YOU YOURSELF set 2m as a value AND 13lbs of weight as a value? Using the formula for a sphere changes very little, for one (since strawberries aren't spherical and I was nice enough to explain the pyramid to cube ratio, and even gave the figure for it using the arbitrary values YOU GAVE). But you know what? I'm such a goddamn sport, I'm going to do it ANYWAY. Volume of a sphere is V = (4/3)πr3. So, if 2m is the diameter (or 2r, putting r=1), we get: volume=4.19m3. Water has a density of 1000kg/m3, so we plug that in, and: a sphere with a radius of 1m would have a mass of: 4,190kg. Or, 9,237 lbs. Now, for YOUR math to be correct, that 13lb (or 6kg) strawberry, with a volume of 4.19m3, would have a density of: 1.4319809069212 kg/m3. Which is about a THOUSAND TIMES less dense than water (1000kg/m3), and only slightly more dense than air (about 1.225 kg/m3, depending on elevation and temperature), which means YOUR strawberry would be an actual balloon, but wouldn't float in air. YOU YOURSELF said it "weighed" 13lbs, so harping at me about mass vs weight is ridiculous, for two. And you mixed up units in imperial and metric and length and volume and mass and weight, for three. Not to mention, your claim includes ZERO formulas or sources. I provided formulas, links to verify said formulas, and the stated values in question. Now, I did use simplified ranges, since the difference between water's density (which, being the base measurement for ALL SORTS of metric unit standards) and the posted density of a strawberry (hey, look, a source I PROVIDED) is negligible. And crunching 25cm is much, MUCH easier than trying to find an average value for a strawberry length (since YOU, YOURSELF, IN YOUR POST used length, not volume). I didn't feel like rushing to the store and buying a pack of strawberries so I could measure them, then trying to determine if I should use mean, median, or mode average figures, THEN measuring mass and volume with a kitchen scale and a measuring cup. Math is easier. Want me to walk you through the calculations again? Want me to explain the square cube rule again? Because regardless of what "perfect shape" you use, there's NO FREAKING WAY 2m in any direction of mostly liquid water in any shape of container weighs (oh wait, has a MASS OF) 13lbs. Shall we really go into the difference between mass and weight, even though on Earth's surface under standard gravity the difference is basically semantics? I'll do it. I will pump so many goddamn numbers into this thread about a tiny horsie pushing a strawberry it'll look like a fucking Physics proof. For the record- it's OK to say "I was wrong" and leave it at that. It's a life skill. Getting snarky is only gonna bring more snark. Oh, and OP? Love it. I can't decide if it's cuter as a tiny horsie pushing a regular strawberry, or a regular horsie pushing a GINORMOUS strawberry. Which did you have in mind?

Not sure if teeny pony, or GIGANT0R strawberry. Both are good. Sorry, your math is off. Square-Cube law (or allometric scaling, to be specific). For example- let's say we have a cube where each side is 1 inch, and it has a volume of 1 cubic inch and weighs 1 lb. So it's density is 1lb/cubic inch. Now, let's scale it up to each side being 2 inches. It's not just twice as big. It's volume is now 8 cubic inches, and to keep the same density it's mass MUST be 8 lbs (m/v=d). Okay, let's go a little further. Each side is, say, 12 inches. Volume is now 1728 cubic inches, and that means it's mass is 1728 lbs. So it's not 12 times bigger, even though each side is. Now for our hypothetical 2 meter tall strawberry... This neat website ( http://www.aqua-calc.com/calculate/food-volume-to-weight) lets you search food items and pulls up their volume, density, and mass. That's helpful for number crunching. :-D So let's use nice, easy set of numbers. A good strawberry would be between 1-2 inches long or so, or 16-32 cm. Let's just say, 25cm. That's about right. So a strawberry 2m tall, would be 80 times taller than our original. So it's volume would be about 512,000cm3 (or 803)- which, being almost all water, would give it a density roughly the same as water (1g/cm3), so 512,000 grams. Which is the same as 512kg, or just over 1,128lbs. That's the actual mass of our 2m strawberry. What about our 13lb strawberry, you ask? LEt's find out! :-D For something 2m (6.5ft) tall to have a mass of 13lbs (or about 6kg), we'd need to know it's volume or it's density to finish number crunching. This handy site ( http://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/physics/density.php) lets you plug in any two values (mass, volume, density) to calculate the third- to make things easier, we'll just pretend our 2m strawberry is a 2m cube of berry goodness (so total volume is 8m 3). Plugging in the values, we get- 0.75kg/m3 which in g/cm3 converts to 0.00075g/cm3. Water is 1g/cm3. Room temperature air at sea level is 0.001225 g/cm3. Which means, the 2m tall strawberry weighing 13lbs is about 1.63 times LESS DENSE than air. Now, a strawberry isn't a perfect cube of course. It's more like a pyramid kind of thing. Using "perfect geometric shapes" numbers, a pyramid with a square base has the same volume as 1/3 of a cube where each side is the same as the pyramid base. That would put our "hypothetical strawberry" at a density of 0.00225g/cm3. Which, while denser than air, is still 444ish times less dense than water (which is about what a strawberry's density is). So, whatever that 2m tall, 13lb object is- it's not a strawberry. It could possibly be a strawberry balloon that is too dense to float, maybe. :-P

"It's a few days away still. I certainly hope it is entertaining and informative, that is the goal. I'll add you to the email list if you are interested. Every student has a university email address for official purposes, that's where all correspondence is sent," Kerrigan said politely. "Now then, my office hours begin in a few minutes. I will see you in class. And Tyra? Don't be afraid to speak up," Kerrigan said. *** Kimi had enjoyed breakfast with Blitz, though he seemed the more quiet sort. Her classes had gone fairly smoothly, no surprises thus far. She made her way across campus, trying to decide what to do with a chunk of free time in the middle of her day. She had not, however, expected to see a Tiger student. The campus diversity program was clearly working exceptionally well. "Wow, for once I'm not the tallest person on campus," Kimi said, smiling. "Name's Kimi Matozi. What's your handle?"

I keep 1lb-baggies of frozen peas and carrots in the fridge. There's two meals' worth in there for just me, so i cook one bag, pour half in a container and fridge that. Then, some gnocchi or some angel hair (takes about as long to cook as ramen, really- 10 mins at the absolute MAX), toss in the veggies, toss in a can of shredded chicken or tuna (after opening the can, use the lid to drain the liquid, pour in some hot water, shake it a bit, pour it out. gets rid of a LOT of the fat and salt they pack in there). So we've got pasta or gnocchi and veggies, and protein. a simple sauce made of olive oil and garlic, a dash of salt, some black pepper, and bam! Dinner. Microwave the veggies while the water is boiling, and it's done and ready to eat in 6-10 minutes, depending on how long it takes for the water to heat up. Bag of veggies is a dollar, so 50 cents per meal. Box of noodles is a dollar, or 50 cents a meal. A can of chicken is about two dollars. So, all told, three bucks for a quick and tasty meal.

"Ideally, yes. The purpose is to foster a neutral environment whereby members can learn about other cultures from a direct source, to foster a sense of understanding and curiosity, without the risk of engendering harmful stereotypes. There is also discussion of historical events, cultural fashions, cuisines, and so on. A colleague in the botany department provides the teas, though anyone wishing to bring cuisine from their homeland to share is more than welcome. I occasionally bring in baked goods as well, but for the most part it is tea and conversation."

"I should hope so. One cannot learn and grow if they are never challenged- though I certainly hope you are not afraid of it. Or me. And it's Miss Hannibal, actually, though I prefer Doctor Hannibal," Kerrigan said. "You know... your upbringing gives you a wealth of experience vastly different from most of the students here. There is an opportunity there to both teach, and learn, from the other students. I host the Historical Society club every tuesday in the lounge by my office. You are welcome to come by. Tea will be provided. It has no bearing on this course, but I find a good tea is quite helpful from time to time."

Valence nodded, "I can see how that would be useful. It can't be all that much fun scaring ponies, though. Or living all by yourself. Or maybe it is, I don't know enough about your kind to make those sorts of assumptions. Though I would love to know more. I'm not a biologist or anything, but the opportunity to learn something new is always welcome," Val said, smiling broadly.

Like her earlier class session, Kerrigan ended this session a bit early- she had covered the material intended for today, so there was no real need to keep them. After a brief review over how to access readings and a discussion of her office hours, Kerrigan dismissed them- all except one, that is. "Tyra, would you mind staying a moment?" Kerrigan said. "I cannot help but notice that you seem a bit perplexed. I imagine there's been a bit of a culture shock on top of your course load. As someone of the more predatory races who has lived among these equines for quite some time, I know how... odd they can seem. If you ever feel overwhelmed, or need assistance in this or any other course, let me know. There are a great deal of resources at this institution that can provide assistance, and I have quite a bit of insight myself."

Kerrigan looked up at the new arrival, who had come in several minutes early for the second class session, or an entire period late for the first. "Depending on which section you are enrolled for, you are either very late, or actually a bit early. I supppose we will discover which after attendance. Please, find a seat," Kerrigan said- it would not have been hard, this class session was substantially smaller in number than the first. The bell rang a couple minutes later, and Kerrigan waited about five minutes for the stragglers to inevitably come in. This was not something she would do later on in the semester, but it was still early on, so a few minor concessions could be made. "Welcome to Psychology 101 - Principles and Methods. I am Doctor Hannibal Kerrigan, Bey of the Psychology department here. As naming convention where I am from differs from the socially normative pattern here, I remind you all that my proper title is Doctor Hannibal, not Doctor Kerrigan. Those of you pursuing this as a career field will get to know me rather well, those who are seeking the general education requirement probably will not. Still, the skills you will learn here are applicable in almost every interpersonal interaction you will have from this point on, so it is in your best interest to put effort into internalizing them," Kerrigan began, with one of her tried and true introductory speeches. She passed out a stack of the course syllabus to the student at the far right of each row, and waited patiently for every student to have a copy. "You'll notice that there is no required text for the semester. Instead, you can find the required readings and course material online on the portal page. If you have trouble accessing it, let me know and I will provide hard copies. You;ll also notice that your grade has no homework component- instead, class participation in discussions and weekly review of the material will account for roughly half of your grade, with exams covering the other half. I want to stress that doing poorly on an exam will not ruin your grade, as every exam- except the final at the end of the semester- can be retaken at any time, as often as necessary. Really, the grade you will earn in my class will reflect how much effort you put into learning the material. My office hours, as well as the tutoring center hours, are posted on the syllabus as well as the portal page. Those of you advancing in this field, please take note that my advanced students volunteer as tutors, so there is plenty of assistance available if you require it. That being said, I'm not going to keep strict tabs on your performance, or assign seats, or ban food or drinks or gum in my classroom. It is up to you to retake exams and participate in class. You are all legally adults now, and while I am willing to help you, I will not hold your hands," Kerrigan added, sternly. "Lastly, I want to make absolutely clear that I do not tolerate any form of derogatory behavior towards myself, other faculty and staff, or other students. If you see or hear anything of a racist, speciesist, or otherwise disrespectful and unprofessional conduct- by anyone- I insist upon being informed so the matter can be addressed and corrected. Those of you who are nervous about doing so, please be advised that I am a certified and licensed psychotherapist, and maintain absolutely strict doctor/patient confidentiality, which I extend to any student seeing me in a capacity other than the course they are in. Which means, if someone calls you a derogatory slur and you come to me with it, it will be considered legally confidential." Kerrigan gave a pause to give students a chance to absorb what she had just said. "Now then, let's jump right into it. Psychology is the study of how the mind regulates behavior and interprets internal processes such as emotional states, in an attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual behavior, while also exploring the physiological and biological processes that underlie cognitive functions and behaviors. Psychotherapy aims to improve an individual's mental health and well-being, to resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills. You may have heard that it is not 'real' science. I can promise you that you will be using just as much math in my classroom as you would in a chemistry classroom- the difference being that I'm not going to bury you in specific formulas in the intro level course. Those of you pursuing this field, be advised that there is a mathematics requirement for future courses. To put it simply- psychology is the science of altering behavior by understanding what causes the behavior in the first place. While every individual is unique, there are well established trends and causal relationships between thought, behavior, language, and social structure that can be analyzed and adjusted to compensate for or eliminate negative behaviors, while encouraging positive ones. We will begin with conditioning- which is the process of creating new behaviors by repetition. This typically occurs in two ways- Classical and Operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is the process whereby a stimulus precedes a desired result, while operant conditioning is the process by which the desired result precedes the stimulus. To put it more simply, Classical conditioning is where you give your dog a treat to get them to sit, and operant is when they sit, then get a treat. Both methods can have the desired result, and often a combination of classical and operant conditioning is used," Kerrigan said, as she drew diagrams and the board. "Now, as Operant conditioning has a stimulus after the behavior- a consequence, as it were- it is the more easily utilized method. Who can tell me another example of operant conditioning?"

"According to Mom, anything can combust if you get it hot enough. So yeah, it works on anything. Something something physics, something something chemistry. I dunno," Nova said, blushing sightly. The day had taken an interesting turn. "Ok, so I don't normally do this- but since you've been pretty cool about 'stuff bursting into various colors of flames' thing, I figure what the heck. Here's my number," Nova said, blushing a little as she jotted it down on a scrap of paper. "I've gotta head to class, but we'll catch up later ok?"

"Huh. That's not at all how people usually react," Nova said, a little startled at his enthusiasm. "But I'm glad to meet someone who can appreciate random things bursting into flames. Or rather, rapid onset oxidation and/or catalysis resulting in an effect that mirrors the flame emissions of a mass spectrometer. That's what Mom says, and as smart as she is and with all those big words, se's probably right," Nova said, laughing. "Hey, you wanna see something really cool?" Nova said, with a conspiratorial wink. She took a banana out of her lunchbox, broke off a piece, and set it on the table, before eating the rest of it. "Okay, potassium. With me so far?" she asked, before pulling a small bottle out of a little first aid kit in her backpack. She dropped a single drop of the dark liquid onto the banana piece. "This is iodine. Now, this trick took me six months to figure out, ok? So no laughing," Nova said, focusing intently on the materials in the center of the table. She rubbed her hands together, and held them over the materials, concentrating intently, before the pile burst into a beautiful, lavender colored flame. A couple seconds later it fizzled out. "Tada! What do you think?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukubkvCAyA4

Kimi was taken completely aback, and spent a moment trying to think of how to respond. "Thanks. That's really sweet of you to say. Corny too, but still sweet," Kimi said, smiling. "Not at all what one thinks when they see a dragon. I like that. Bucking the trend," Kimi said. Blitz was making a good impression on her so far- and it would be nice to have a friend around here. 'Easy now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. So far, he is an interesting person, let's not go making besties just yet', Kimi thought to herself.

Nova grinned. "Only a little. Trick is not to read the scary ones at night. Or while trying to study. Especially Lovecraft. But in a well lit room on a gorgeous sunny day, the Old Ones are less likely to plant seeds in your brain," Nova said, laughing. "You know... I bet you could stick a rocket under it and really zoom!" Nova said, waving her arms enthusiastically- and inadvertently causing her coffee cup to burst spectacularly into greenish flames. "Oh! See, that. No big deal, right?" she said, laughing sheepishly and putting her hand over the cup, immediately snuffing out the flames.

"That's cool, though! I mean, the whole 'helping people' angle is neat and all. Altruism for the win and everything. But the having a family connection to it is neat," Nova said, smiling. "Not big on the head sciences myself. That's ok though, to each their own," Nova said, smiling. "I'm mostly into awesome things, like 'sitting on the floor reading a book' or 'eating peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon', that sort of thing. It's a non-stop thrill ride, but I get by ok," Nova said trying hard to keep a straight face.

Nova's ears perked up at the description. "So it's coffee, is it? I like strong coffee. All right, I'll try it," Nova said, taking a tentative sniff of the bag. It smelled wonderful, and made her nose tingly in a good sort of way. "Ok, so... how much do you know about chemistry? See, because my mom is like... a freaking prodigy. Like, her magic can, literally, take stuff apart at the molecular level and put it back together. So long as it isn't organic or radioactive, that is, since that kind of stuff that is constantly changing. And to DO that takes breaking atomic bonds- which releases energy- and recreating them, which costs energy," Nova said. "I've tried controlling my magic with that level of precision, but it doesn't seem to work for me. I can only break bonds, which releases energy- and usually that manifests as lighting things on fire. Though I mean technically, it's not actually fire per se. As far as majors go, I've been hoping to find something that I can actually use the magic I have. I'm good at blowing stuff up, and I've gotten better at doing it only on purpose. So I'm majoring in Chemical Engineering, with the goal of going into demolitions or pyrotechnics as a career field," Nova added, with a well rehearsed tone. She'd given a similar speech to her parents on numerous occasions. "All right, turnabout is fair play. What's your story?"

Kimi shrugged. "Not sure, really. Had to go somewhere, and this school has a certain reputation for being more open to unusual types of students. I like that I don't get a lot of stares here," Kimi said, smiling. "It's almost like just being one of the 'normal' ones. Not that I mind being different, it's just... I dunno, taxing, I guess." *** "Not at all," Nova said, smiling. "Fair warning though, I may or may not accidentally light something on a lot of fire. It's been known to happen. I guess that's why my folks named me Super Nova. Which is my awkward way of introducing myself, I guess. Huh. So, er, who might you be?" Nova said, haltingly. Part of her was a little put-off by the wolf in front of her. Wolves had BIG POINTY TEETH after all. But aside from that, he also had a nice smile, and had asked to sit down instead of just taking the chair or something. There was no need to be rude to him. And whatever he had smelled amazing, to boot. "That's either impressively strong, or some kind of radioactive acid explosive. I'm not awkward at all, obviously."