CULTURAL QA 03-2023-25 Q1 Intrains running on two engines, how is the operation of the second enginecontrolled by the first engine?
A1 Swagata SarkarTechnology and RailwayEnthusiast Updated 1y I will try to explain it to the best of myabilities. Steam locomotives,even though powerful were slowly succumbing to the rising demands of power tohaul freight and passengers. Engineers made the locomotives bigger but the sizeof the Locomotive was restrained by Railway tracks and curves. Soon we reached the limits ofsize and needed something that would increase the hauling capacity withouthampering the existing equipment. Since the advent ofelectronic equipment in locomotives, the engineers came up with “Multiple Unit" operationor MU for short. MU allowed locomotives (Diesel and Electric) tooperate similar models of locomotives as pairs, triples or 4 units. In multiple Unit operation, the leading locomotive that hasthe Loco pilot and ALP is called master Locomotive while the trailingLocomotives are called slave Locomotives. The master andslave Locomotives are connected via cables (called B C D jumpers) that carrythe necessary electrical signals to transfer operation commands from master toslave, these cables are called MU cables. Master and slave Locomotives are also connected via theBrake pipes for braking purposes .The inbuilt computer in locomotive recieves the signals from master Locomotiveand accordingly increases/decreases throttle, changes Taps in transformer orapplies brakes in the slave loco. The transfer of commands is instantaneous andhas no delay (increasing throttle in Master will instantaneously electronicallyorder the slave to increase its throttle too). Similar process happens indiesel locomotives. The signalstransferred are purely electrical and do not make any changes in the manualcontrols of the slave loco. For example moving the throttle or tap changer inmaster will only signal the slave to increase its throttle/tap changer but willnot mechanically move the control in the slave loco. Q2 What are some mind-blowing amazingfacts about the human body? A2 Mark Rhysand, Studies philosophy,humanities, anthropology and metaphysics Sun The human body produces enough heat in 30 minutes to boilhalf a gallon of water. Human bone is stronger than steel and can withstandpressure equivalent to that of granite. The human nose candetect over one trillion scents, far more than previously believed. The surfacearea of the human lungs is roughly the size of a tennis court. The human brain canstore an estimated 2.5 petabytes of data, the equivalent of three million hoursof TV shows. The human heartcan create enough pressure to squirt blood up to 30 feet away. Human beings shedapproximately 600,000 particles of skin every hour. The human eye candistinguish between 10 million different colors, and can process information ata rate of 36,000 bits per hour. The human digestive system is home to trillions ofmicroorganisms, collectively known as the gut microbiome,which play a crucial role in our health and well-being. Human hair isstrong enough to support the weight of two elephants. The human bodycontains enough fat to produce seven bars of soap. The human jaw iscapable of exerting a force of over 200 pounds, equivalent to the weight of anadult male gorilla. The average person produces around one to two liters ofsaliva per day, which helps to protect teeth and aid in digestion. The humanskin is the largest organ in the body, weighing approximately sixpounds and covering an area of 20 square feet. The human bodycontains enough iron to make a three-inch nail. My note- A few refreshing information are there along with new information. Q3 Why do some electric appliances say"Do not use with an extension cord"? A3 Gene Orlando, Worked at InternationalBrotherhood of Electrical Workers (1956–1997)2y Some counter-topappliances have a deliberately-shortcord to minimize moving it too close to the sink or close enough to the edge ofthe counter and then being knocked off onto the floor or into the sink whilestill plugged in. Additionally, many appliances use heavy currents, somanufacturers are trying to prevent the probable use of a cord that is toolight to safely carry the load, and that addsfire to the situation as well as possible electrocution. Not so often, the added length of a too-light cordadds more voltage drop, and may affect some electronic controls in theappliance. Using a zip cordtype of extension cord has several serious down sides: First one might betempted to remove the probable ground prong from the appliance plug, removingthe primary life safety design; next, because safe continuous current-carryingcapacity of the cord is probably not more than six or seven amps while the averagecoffee pot is draws nine, a toaster about the same same, a toaster oven ten oreleven, a fryer the same, a microwave twelve. In summary then, there are many reasons for manufacturerstelling you not to use extensions, so DON’T !! Q4 What innovations are making railwaysthe safest mode of transport? A4 Prashant Tiwari,Indian RailwaysEnthusiast Fri I won’t say thesafest but definitely the following innovations/steps have made the IndianRailways a much safer modeof transportation over the years:- 1. Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS): This is an advancedtrain protection system that helps to prevent accidents caused by the signalovershooting, excessive speed or driver error. 2. Anti-Collision Device (ACD): This is aradio-based device that helps to avoid collisions between trains. It sends outan alarm to the drivers of the trains in case they are on a collision course. It’s advanced version isKAVACH which protects from head to head collisions. It stops boththe trains well ahead if they are suppose to collide each other. Head to headcollisions are destructive which we all saw in Gaisal train accident. This technology wasrecently launched hence the installation is still under process. As of March,2023, Kavach has been installed over 3000 kms of route. 3. Fog Safety Device: This is a GPS-basedsystem that helps thedriver to know the exact location of the train in dense fog. It also warns thedriver if the train is about to cross a signal or a level crossing. 4. Electronic Interlocking System: This is a computer-based system thatcontrols the movements of trains at railway stations. It helps to preventcollisions between trains by ensuring that only one train occupies a particulartrack section at a time. 5. Automatic Fire and Smoke Detection System: This system isinstalled in the coaches to detect the presence of fire or smoke. It triggersan alarm in the driver's cabin and also activates the fire extinguishingsystem. 6. CCTV Surveillance: Indian Railways haveinstalled CCTV cameras at stations and in coaches to monitor the movements ofpassengers and identifyany suspicious activities. 7. Mobile Applications: Indian Railwayshave developed mobile applications like RailSaathi and UTS for the safety ofpassengers. RailSaathiprovides emergency medical assistance, while UTS helps to avoid the rush atrailway stations by enabling passengers to book tickets in advance. 8. Introduction of LHB coaches: One of the mostimportant adoption of Indian railways in last 2–3 decades is LHB coaches.Traditional ICF coaches were not safe at all especially in case of high speedderailments. ICF coaches use to climb their succissor coaches and cause a lotof damage to the property and lives but LHB coaches are much more safer. Theyare designed in a way that they never climb over other coaches hence they don’tcause heavy damages. 9. Removal of Level crossings: Level crossings arenot only dangerous for vehicles but also for the trains in case of high speedcollisions. Such accidents do result into a heavy damage to the locomotives andin some case derailments do happen. Removing a lot of level crossings and making underpasses has definitely reduced the accidents at the level crossings. 10. Installation of automatic doors: Anothermuch-appreciated step taken by the railways is the shift toward automaticdoors. A closed door ensures more safety for the passengers and reduces therisk of falling down and theft. Apart from abovementioned innovations/steps, Indian railways is also working on few innovationslike 1. Broken RailDetection System 2. Rail Stress Monitoring System 3. Headway Improvement Systemfor suburban section 4.Automation of Track Inspection Activities 5. Development ofanalytical tool by using digital data for improving passenger services 6. Track CleaningMachine App for post-training revision and self-service refresher courses 7. Use of Remote Sensing, Geomatics and GIS for bridgeinspection These are some ofthe innovations that Indian Railways have implemented over last two decadeswith an intention of making railways a much safer mode of transportation. Q5 Why do air conditioners only go to 16? A5 Carcareclub (Natraj. D),Car, Bike,Electrical (Repairs & maintenance) advisor12h Temperaturesetting below 16° is not suitable for human body inside an enclosed space andhence this is the minimum setting available on all air conditioners Q6 What are some of the interesting facts aboutIndia? A6 GN Mounika, M.Tech from VelloreInstitute of Technology, Vellore (Graduated 2017)Updated 2y 1 Jaipur’s Maharani Gayatri Devi was included inTop Ten Beautiful Women in the world listed by Vogue Magazine in 1960 2. A SpecialPolling center is set up for Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas who is the SingleVoter from Banej in Gir forest, Gujarat 3. India has largest population of vegetarians in theworld 4. The traditional Living tree bridges in the state ofMeghalaya 5. PadmanabhaswamyTemple is the richest in the world 6. There are Over300,000 Mosques in India 7. Tripura CM Manik Sarkar (1998–2018) poorestpolitician, who proudly wears the badge of honesty 8. India producemovies twice as many as US and ten times as many as UK film industry. 9. Indian companyis largest private sector employer in UK 10. 22.2 MillionPeople Are Under Trial In India, Far More Than There Are People In TheNetherlands 11. The Baileybridge, has been built by the Indian Army. 12. SachinTendulkar fielded for Pakistan once A Test series in1987, India and Pakistan were playing an exhibition match where Imran Khan'steam was short on fielders. It was then, a 13-year-old Sachin was asked tofield for Pakistan. 13. Major Dhyan Chand has a statue with 4 hands and 4hockey sticks in Austria He was honored byAustrian citizens in Vienna. They made a statue of him with 4 hands and 4sticks to depict his magnificent skill and control with the ball. 14. Fuhrer of Germany Adolf Hitler was so impressed byDhyan Chand’s stick work that he offered him Germancitizenship and the rank of Colonel in his army. My note- A few refreshing information are there along with new information. Q7 What would be a nightmare for you? A7 Jai Narayan, Mar 21 The nightmare Ibelieve is everyone's and always has been. After suffering for 12 days from a mysterious illness,Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 B.C. at the young age of 32. Strangely, hisbody did not begin to decompose for a full six days. This led many of his followers to believe that this wasproof that he was a god. But now one expertbelieves that his body did not decompose for a much more troubling reason. He believes that Alexander had notyet been completely dead. Although severaltheories about Alexander the Great's death have emerged over the years, thisnew finding suggests that theyoung king may have suffered from an autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barrésyndrome. And this diseasecould have paralyzed him and made his breathing appear almost invisible todoctors. If, in addition, they had refrained from checking his pulse, thistheory would be even more likely. In this case, Alexander the Great was falsely declareddead up to six days before his actual death. Perhaps he was evenburied alive. Perhaps heheard everything and saw everything that was going on and could not communicateas in a locked-in syndrome. More nightmare than that, Idon't know. Q8 Why does an electric wire consist of abunch of thin wires instead of one thick wire? A8 Surendra Kumar, Msc physics fromMaharshi Dayanand Saraswati University3y This is just because of the skin effect of the conductor.If dc current is flowing through the wire than it flows through its whole crosssection but ac currentwith higher frequency like 50 htz or more tend to flow through outer thin layerinstead of whole cross section of the conductor so the impedance gets higher. To overcome this the total area of effective thin layer ofcurrent flow is increased by taking a bunch of thin wire instead of a singlethick wire of same diameter. Think it will help 2nd answer- Krishna Reddy,·Former Retired Assistant Engineer in HMTLtd. 3y To make it aflexible wire, instead of a thick stiff wire, it is made of multi strand thinwires. This multistrand flexible wire has more advantages than that of a single stiff, rod likea wire. For wiring of an electrical panel board the flexible multi strand wireis used and it is more convenient to draw the wires into the plastic channelsinside the panel board, as well it is used for the industrialmachine wiring. Howeverthe stiff wire is used for the concealed system of the domestic house wiring.Stiff wire is more convenient for the concealed wiring to be drawn inside thewalls through conduit pipes. My note- Bothanswers are correct. If the current drawn is less, single conductor isbest for conduit wiring. Q9 Did the ancient Romans know and use thecatenary test when building arches and bridges? A9 Ashton,Mar 17 The ancient Romans did not use the catenary testspecifically when building arches and bridges. Thecatenary test is a mathematical concept that was not developed until the 17thcentury, long after the construction of many Roman arches and bridges. However, the ancient Romans did have an advancedunderstanding of engineering and mathematics, and theywere able to build impressive arches and bridges that still stand today. They used various techniques toensure the stability of their structures, including the use of keystone blocksto distribute the weight of the arch and the use of a semicircular shape forarches to evenly distribute the weight. Additionally, Roman engineers would havelikely used trial and error, as well as their knowledge of mathematics andphysics, to design and build structures that could withstand the forces ofnature and daily use. While they may not have used the catenary testspecifically, they were able to achieve the same level of stability anddurability through their ingenuity and expertise. Q10 Is jackfruit difficult to learnhow to eat? A10 Chee-Eng, Lim, Studied at School of HardKnocks Updated 2y Eating is the easy part. Depending on thesize of the fruit, itfeels like slaughtering a green scaly hippopotamus.It tastes good,when ripe and the seed can be eaten after boiling with a dash of salt. Green jackfruits are used for making curries andimitation meat. Check it out with South Asian andSouth East Asian. They are tasty. The jack fruitpieces will expand while chewing. One cannot talk while jack fruit is in themouth. Hence the saying about a personnot answering a question- “vayil enna chakkapazhama” All the above QA are from Quora website on 28-03- 2023. Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers . Compiled and posted by R. 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