General Knowledge

All answers to questions you wouldn't ask yourself !

Archive for July, 2009

How to measure shoe size

Jul 22

Posted by Natasha Latysheva in Items | No Comments

Due to the astounding popularity of the article ‘How to determine bra size’, I’ve written this explanation of how to figure out your shoe size.
Pointure de chaussure
Shoes sizes are hardly globally standardized and there’s quite a bit ambiguity to be confused by. However, I’ll outline the standard procedure for finding shoe sizes in America and the UK. Knowing the correct shoe size is a boon for online shopping but it’ll also help you attain a more accurate fit even when buying in person.

American system:
1. Measure the length of your foot. It’s best to do this by setting your bare foot on a piece of paper and marking of the spots where your heel and toe touch, then measuring the distance between the two notches in inches with a ruler or tape measure.
2. Measure the width of your foot. With the same method, mark off the widest part of your foot and measure.

U.S. shoes are categorized by length. Here are two nifty tables for men’s and women’s sizes:
U.S. Men’s:
Size/Length (in inches)

* 6 = 9.25″
* 6.5 = 9.50″
* 7 = 9.70″
* 7.5 = 9.85″
* 8 = 10″
* 8.5 = 10.15″
* 9 = 10.25″
* 9.5 = 10.50″
* 10 = 10.70″
* 10.5 = 10.85″
* 11 = 11″
* 11.5 = 11.15″
* 12 = 11.25″
* 12.5 = 11.50″
* 13 = 11.70″

U.S. Women’s:
Size/Length (in inches)
* 5 = 8.70″
* 5.5 = 8.85″
* 6 = 9″
* 6.5 = 9.15″
* 7 = 9.25″
* 7.5 = 9.50″
* 8 = 9.70″
* 8.5 = 9.85″
* 9 = 10″
* 9.5 = 10.15″
* 10 = 10.25″
* 10.5 = 10.50″
* 11 = 10.70″
* 11.5 = 10.85″
* 12 = 11″

And if you’re based in the UK, or have an inordinate amount of interest in shoes sizes, here is the corresponding table of sizes based on foot length in cm.

Length of foot (cm)/U. K. shoe size

- 25,33 = 5.5
- 26,00 = 6.5
- 26,67 = 7.5
- 27,33 = 8.5
- 28,00 = 9.5
- 28,67 = 10.5
- 29,33     = 11.5
- 30,00 = 12.5
- 30,67 = 13.5
- 31,33 = 14.5
- 32 = 15.5
- 32,67 = 16.5
- 33,33 = 17.5

Happy shoe-ing.

Tags: , ,

How do you determine bra size?

Jul 22

Posted by Natasha Latysheva in Items | 2 Comments

If there ever was a topic that men knew nothing about then surely it’s the different models of bras.

Soutien Gorge

Here’s a bit of explanation to help you get a handle on the different measurements and categories of bras. Your new-found knowledge should definitely make your life easier the next time you go to buy fancy lingerie for your significant other.

Determining band size:

In most of Europe the band size is measured in cm, but in England and America it’s taken in inches. Two measurements must be taken to determine bra size. The first, the band width or band size, is simply the circumference of the thoracic cage taken just below the bust. This is the flat area that the bottom of your bra will fit around. If you’re European, add 12.5 cm to this number. If you’re English or American, add either a) 4 inches if the measurement you just took is even or b) 5 inches if this number is odd.

English bra sizes are manufactured in sizes in increments of 2 inches (32, 34, 36..) so to get a perfect, snuggly fit you’ll most likely have to fiddle a bit with the hooks.

Determining cup size:

The second measurement is called the cup size which is expressed by a letter, i.e. the A, B, C, D, or E. Take this measurement at the fullest part of your bust. The difference between this number and your band number (the one explained above) will give you the value that determines your cup size with a quick reference to the following table:

Difference of..
- 0in, your Cup size is A
- 1in. gives Cup size B
- 2in. gives Cup size C
- 3in. gives Cup size D
- 4in. gives Cup size DD
- 5in. gives Cup size E
and so on through F, FF and G

100% of the women surveyed during the making of this article didn’t know the method of calculating the size of their bras. From experience, I would not recommend this as a flirting technique at parties.

Tags: , , ,

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and zero are called Arabic numerals. Who invented them?

Jul 22

Posted by Natasha Latysheva in Geography, History | No Comments

Contrary to their name, it wasn’t the Arabs that came up with these numbers. Rather, it was the Indians!

In Europe, Roman numerals were used until up to the Middles Ages. So to write 138, you essentially had to write 100+10+10+10+5+1+1+1, i.e. CXXXVIII. With this system, arithmatic operations were inevitably extremely complicated.

At the same time in India,a much better system was in place: each number, including zero, was represented by a symbol. So then, to express the idea of ‘one dozen’, one only had to write the symbol ’1′ followed by  the symbol ’2′.

The Arabs, being ingenious mathmaticians and mighty travelers, immediately understood the inherent value in the Indian system; they adopted it and spread it up to the Middle East. It was here, in the 10th century, that Europeans finally discovered this system and adopted it for themselves.

ChiffresArabesIndens

Since these numbers were in use by the Arabs, the Europeans called them ‘Arabian numerals’, ignorant of their true Indian origin. For what it’s worth, these ‘Arabic numbers’ are in Arabic called ‘Hindu numbers’.

Tags: , , , ,

Why are there holes in cheese?

Jul 20

Posted by Natasha Latysheva in Nature | No Comments

cheese-holesWhere do the holes in cheese come from?

Children’s tales will tell you that they’re there because of little mice that come to nibble on the cheese at night, but the reality is a bit less fantastical.

In fact, the holes are simply carbon dioxide gas formed during the ripening of cheese. The gas is created by propionic bacteria present in the cheese who, under the effect of the wine cellar’s heat, profusely emit CO2 (more than 100L of CO2 per wheel of Emmental) which then forms the bubbles of air that you see. The higher the temperature of the maturing cellar, the more holes your cheese will have.

Note: Emmental cheese has holes but Swiss cheese doesn’t, contrary to what cartoons would have us believe.