Friday, 22 January 2021

KNOW WHY POLICE LIGHTS ARE RED AND BLUE INSTEAD OF JUST RED!


You might have seen police vehicles installed with red and blue light. Have you ever wondered why this combination is chosen? Can’t be there any other colour? Let us find out the answer in this article.


The aim of the police vehicle is to generate a sense of alertness among the people. These lights have a call to action which is to indicate people either slow down or stop. In nature, red is a warning color. We’re all programmed to respond when we see red colors— that’s why stop signs are red, for example. Red is a color of alertness, awareness, paying attention, and being cautious which are exactly the things police cars want people to do when they see a police light.


But, we see many colours on the road like white light of the headlamp of vehicle, yellow light of fog lamp and red light of the tail light. But we hardly see any blue light. So, in order to prevent the mixing of the red light of police vehicles with the tail light of other vehicles, additional light is added to make it stand out. As blue light is hardly present on roads, this light is chosen as an additional color.


Thus, a sense of urgency is created by red light, and to make it stand out, blue light is added. Also, it has been theorized that red lights are easier to see during the day, while blue lights are more likely to be visible at night. According to this theory, blue and red flashing lights are therefore adaptable and will be able to warn road users and pedestrians of a police vehicle’s presence regardless of the time of day. 


Finally, some experts believe using both red and blue lights eliminate problems associated with people who are colorblind. People who have trouble seeing red often have no trouble seeing blue. Using both red and blue lights thus helps to alert everyone, even those with colorblindness 

Although, the exact color of police lights varies by state, for the most part, red and blue are the norm. As mentioned above, red and blue flashing lights, when used with a police siren have a number of benefits that help to alert other road users of the presence of a police vehicle, which in turn makes the roads safer for everyone else to use. 

Wednesday, 13 January 2021

KNOW WHY BRICKS ARE SOAKED IN WATER BEFORE USING !!


You might have seen builders or constructors or daily labors soak the bricks in water before it is used in construction. Have you ever wondered why bricks are soaked in water? In this article, we will understand the reason for soaking the bricks in water before using them.


Bricks are one of the most important building materials used in construction. It is available in rectangular shapes and has standard dimensions. Brick masonry is a great art of construction in which bricks are laid systematically with respect to bonding, jointing, and finishing. In brick masonry, bricks are bonded together with the help of mortar (Cement + Sand+Water). The strength of brick masonry majorly depends upon the quality of brick and type of mortar. 


The process of completely immersing the brick into water is known as soaking. Bricks are porous in nature and have a tendency to absorb moisture. When the brick to be used for construction are soaked in water, the air is released and it absorbs water. Now when the soaked brick is used, it will not absorb any water from the wet mortar. If the brick absorbs water from the mortar and this will reduce the strength of the mortar to a great extent. Thus, it will fail to make a strong bond between bricks and mortar. Ultimately, it will make the bonding of masonry wall weak.

Also, the dirt and soluble salts present on the bricks get removed by soaking them in water.


Bricks should be soaked in water before use for a period so that the water penetrates the entire depth of the bricks. Normally it is suggested to soak bricks for atleast 12 hours. Soaking of bricks should be continued till air bubbling ends.


So, these are the reasons for soaking the brick in water before using. Hope you might have got a clear picture of this topic. Thank you for reading the article.

Thursday, 17 December 2020

KNOW WHY CRUISER BIKES HAVE LONGER WHEELBASE !!

If you look at the motorbikes around you, you will notice the overall length of every motorbike is different. For example, Bajaj Avenger is having more overall length as compared to Yamaha R15. Other motorbikes like Bajaj Avenger for example Royal Enfield Meteor, Honda Revel, etc are also having a higher overall length. These bikes are made for longer route touring and are called cruisers. In this article, we will understand the reason behind the higher overall length of cruiser motorbikes.


One factor which decides the overall length of the motorbikes is the wheelbase. The wheelbase is the center to center distance between the front and rear wheels. Wheelbase plays an important role in the handling of a motorbike. When the wheelbase on the motorbike is long, the motorbike has better stability on the road. Which simply means the motorbike will keep going in a straight line very easily and changing direction easily is a bit tricky. The same is inverse in the case of motorbikes with a shorter wheelbase; the motorbike can be easily maneuvered, but it loses out on the stability of staying on the road. There are chances of the motorbike to wobble easily under extreme speeds which do not happen in the case of longer wheelbases.

Cruiser motorbikes are designed to run straight on highways covering long distances with ease that is why they have a longer wheelbase. Also, a long wheelbase makes a bike less wheelie-prone, and because the rider sits farther from each wheel, he gets a smoother ride. On the other hand, sports motorbike like Yamaha R15, Honda CBR, etc tend to have shorter wheelbase as it makes them compact and light and also makes them very easy to move around and corner at higher speeds. Also, shorter wheelbases tend to be more responsive to steering input.


In short, the longer the wheelbase, the more the stability and less the maneuverability; the smaller the wheelbase, the less the stability and more the maneuverability. We hope you might have got an idea of how wheelbase affects the handling of a motorbike. Thank you for reading this article.