Testwiki:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2024 November 27

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November 27

Right whales and Left whales

Why are there right whales, but not left whales? Someone who's wrong on the internet (talk) 09:05, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

Perhaps there's a naming dispute in the whale courts over brand names, a left vs wrong case. Sean.hoyland (talk) 09:32, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

You're thinking of the Narwhal. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:00, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

Not right versus left, but right versus wrong. This was the right species to catch. PiusImpavidus (talk) 10:10, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

Th answer is in the article you linked: Right_whale#Naming. Shantavira|^{feed me} 11:27, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

If a member of a group of whales manages to beach itself, and the others swim on, then the one on the beach would be a left whale. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:11, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

What is a wrong whale exactly? Someone who's wrong on the internet (talk) 23:19, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

The ones that don't fit the definition given in the article. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:42, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

There's also this:[1] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:45, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

Maybe Gregory and Syme got to them. Iapetus (talk) 12:01, 28 November 2024 (UTC)

Lawson Criterion: calculating energy density W

Lawson Criterion

The article states: Template:Blockquote However, there is no clear explanation given as to why the energy density equals 3nT, rather than 2nT or just nT. If the electrons and ions are in equal parts within the plasma, shouldn't it equal 2nT?

Is there any source that clears this up? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shouldputsomethinginterestinghere (talk • contribs) 11:28, 27 November 2024 (UTC) Shouldputsomethinginterestinghere (talk) 11:27, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

The energy density of a monoatomic gas is $E=\frac{3}{2}nT$. Both electrons and ions can be considered monoatomic gases, so the total energy density is double of that value. Ruslik_Zero 20:56, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

Depends on what n is precisely. If n is the ion density (equal to the electron density), then $2\cdot \frac{3}{2}nT$ is correct. If taken literally as "particle density" (i.e. ions and electrons combined), then it should still be $\frac{3}{2}nT$. I assume that the former is meant, but the formulation seems ambiguous. --Wrongfilter (talk) 21:39, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

stage 4 breast cancer

I'm not seeking medical advice, but stage 4 cancer means you're gonna die from it imminently, can someone confirm? Or is it wait, what?? Maybe I'm confused. Thanks. 2601:644:8581:75B0:0:0:0:6B00 (talk) 22:22, 27 November 2024 (UTC)

• According to breast cancer classification, Stage IV means the cancer has metastasized, that is, tumors that have "broken off" of the original tumor have appeared elsewhere in the body. "Metastatic breast cancer has a less favorable prognosis." Abductive (reasoning) 06:52, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
• "Template:Tq"^[2] So "imminently" is not generally correct.  --Lambiam 15:17, 28 November 2024 (UTC)