KNOW THE MEANING OF THESE YELLOW AND WHITE LINES ON THE ROAD !

We travel almost daily on roads and see various lines that are drawn on the road. Sometimes we get confused between various patterns and color of the road line. Knowing road marking is very important when it comes to road safety. In this article, we will tell you the meaning of various types of road lines.

Dashed white line

The most basic marking on roads, it means you may change lanes and are allowed to overtake a vehicle when it is safe to do so. A white line separates lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.

Solid white line

Solid white lines separate two lanes going the same direction. Basically seen on areas of strategic importance, when the line is solid it means that you are not allowed to overtake the car in front of you and should drive in a queue. These are also often used in construction areas to discourage drivers from moving around too much.

White lines on both sides of the road

These solid white lines running along the edge of the road indicate the “shoulder” of the road and let you know that — if the line is on your right side — you’re headed in the same direction as traffic.

Single Solid Yellow Line

Used in areas where visibility is low, it implies you are not meant to overtake any vehicle and should drive on your side.

Double Solid Yellow Lines

Usually used on dangerous roads or 2 lane roads, it strictly prohibits anybody from crossing over into the lane with traffic going in the opposite direction. A double yellow line indicates that passing is not allowed from either side of the road. It is mostly used in 2 lane roads.

Combo of one dashed/one yellow line in the center

This means vehicles on the side of the broken line can cross the line to the other side. Vehicles on the side of the unbroken line cannot.

Also, note that these conventions are region-specific. So, now you know the meaning of various color coding of road lines. Thank you for reading this article.

KNOW WHY CANDLE FLAME ALWAYS POINT UPWARDS EVEN IF IT IS TILTED !!

We all have seen that a flame from candlelight always points upwards. It will point upwards even if we tilt the candle. Ever wondered why it is happening? Let us discuss the reason for this in this article.

When you start a fire, the fuel combines with oxygen to release heat, light, carbon dioxide, water vapor, soot, etc. The heat energy generated in this process heats up the air around the flame which in turn reduces its density** (a good analogy is water vapor which is hotter and less dense as against water which is colder and heavier). This hot air around the flame then starts rising up and the surrounding colder heavier air rushes down into its place accelerating the hot air upwards which in turn causes the flame to shoot up.

So, in short, a combination and gravity and gravity-induced buoyancy cause the hot air to rise up causing the flames to point upwards here on earth.

If there were no gravity (space or NASA simulated micro-gravity chambers) there would be no reason for the heavier, colder air to flow downwards & the flame would be just a blob around the wick (or the material that burns)

Just in case you are curious as to why hot air is less dense than cold air in the first place - the heat gives the molecules in the gas higher (kinetic) energy. So these molecules can move faster and further apart because they now have the energy needed to overcome their binding forces. The molecules being farther apart means that the material is less dense.

Thank you for reading the article!

KNOW THE MEANING OF "N95" IN N95 MASKS !!

During the coronavirus pandemic, masks have become a common part of our life. Out of various types of masks N95 masks have become quite famous and are in demand nowadays. But have you ever thought what does "N95" in this mask mean? Let us find out the answer in this article.

N95 respirators and surgical masks (face masks) are examples of personal protective equipment that are used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face. These are also known as ‘air-purifying respirators’ because they protect by filtering particles out of the air as you breathe. These respirators protect only against particles—not gases or vapors. Since airborne biological agents such as bacteria or viruses are particles, they can be filtered by particulate respirators.”

WHAT DOES "N95" RATING MEAN:

The different ratings in place for respirators indicate how well the mask would protect against oils and are rated as N, R, or P.

N - Not oil resistant
R - Resistant to oil
P - Oil Proof
So, here N means the mask is not oil resistant.

95: Masks ending with 95 have a 95 percent efficiency (Removes 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter). Masks ending in a 99 have a 99(Removes 99% of particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter) percent efficiency. Masks ending in 100 are 99.97 percent efficient and that is the same as a HEPA quality filter.

So, in short, N95 masks are not oil-resistant masks that remove 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that the general public wear N95 respirators to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including coronavirus (COVID-19). The CDC recommends that members of the public use simple cloth face coverings when in a public setting to slow the spread of the virus since this will help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.