• Question: Do you want to hear a science joke? A chemistry professor couldn't resist interjecting a little philosophy into a class lecture. He interrupted his discussion on balancing chemical equations, saying, "Remember, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate!" ....... i didnt get it either. Q: What do chemists call a benzene ring with iron atoms replacing the carbon atoms? A: A ferrous wheel: Fe - Fe / Fe Fe / Fe - Fe I dont understand the jokes, do you think you could explain them in science terms please??xxx

    Asked by pugsnotdrugs to Alison, Artem, Caroline, John, Gunther on 11 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Artem Evdokimov

      Artem Evdokimov answered on 11 Jun 2012:

      Solution has many meanings. The joke is a play on these two – first meaning is a solution to a problem, i.e. resolving an issue or overcoming an obstacle. The other meaning is that solution is something dissolved in something else (like sugar is dissolved in tea, creating a solution). A precipitate is stuff that does not dissolve, so the joke substitutes the second meaning for the first and then answers with the ‘precipitate’. Not sure if it helps – this is a pretty old joke and it’s lost a lot of its vigor, I am afraid…

      The Fe-Fe-Fe is simple: Ferrous (Fe is Ferrum, Iron) Wheel. Similar to a Ferris Wheel.

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