What’s the purpose of life? Nevermind. What is the purpose of a lot of things that we see daily? Why do my denims have tiny pockets? Or what are those bumps on F & J keys on my keyboard? Or why did the chicken cross the road?
1. Ever wondered why is there a hole in your pen cap?
No it doesn’t keep the ink from drying. Pen manufacturers contemplated early on that pen caps might end up in the mouths of small children and become a choking hazard. So, in case that happens, the hole in the pen will prevent suffocation.
2. Why do airplane windows have little holes in them?
The primary purpose of these holes is to balance the air pressure. Air pressure drops as the plane goes higher. A safe level of air pressure is maintained inside the plane. So, the air pressure outside the plane is much lower than inside. This difference in air pressure puts a lot of physical stress on airplane windows. These window holes help to reduce that stress by minimizing the air pressure difference.
3. Why do jeans have a little pocket?
They are too small to be useful now-a-days, but they had an important purpose back in the day. Those small pockets were meant to hold pocket watches. They were first used with the original Levi’s “waist overalls” jeans in 1890.
4. Why are there metal rivets on denims?
Labourers and miners used to wear denims, but due to the heavy physical labour, the trousers would fall apart quickly. To prevent that, manufacturers started putting rivets on the areas that endured the most strain, such as pocket corners and the base of the fly. The rivets helped hold the fabric together and meant the trousers were less likely to tear.
5. Why do you get some extra piece of fabric with new clothes?
No it’s not for using as a patch in case of a tear. A little piece of the same fabric is included to test the reaction of different laundry detergents on the new garment.
6. Why there are cylindrical bumps on charging cables?
These “bumps” are called ferrite beads or sometimes ferrite chokes. Their main purpose is to reduce EMI (electromagnetic interference) and RFI (radio-frequency interference). Electromagnetic interference is what makes our radios crackle when our cell phones are too close.
7. Why are there small bumps on the “F” and “J” keys on a keyboard?
Those small bumps found on the F and J keys on a keyboard are there to help users, to correctly position their left and right hands without having to look at the keyboard. Once you place your left and right index fingers on the F and J keys, accessing the remaining keyboard becomes easy.
8. Why do some caps have a little spike in them?
So that you can puncture the protective foil of the tube easily. Unscrew the lid and use the spike end to puncture the foil.
9. Why is there an arrow signal on fuel indicator?
It is one of the best kept secrets of the automotive world but it’s too simple. Whichever way the arrow points, that’s the side of the car with the filler cap.
10. Why do we have notebook margins?
This one’s interesting and it’s not for humans. Mice and rat love to eat paper but they’d bite around the edges. So, to protect your “homework” from the rodents, paper manufacturers added these margins to your notebook.
11. Why are there sometimes pockets in your undies?
This pocket isn’t meant for storage. Actually, this isn’t a pocket. This extra layer of fabric is there to protect your sensitive skin from inner seams. It is just an inner layer of soft, natural fabric (mostly cotton) for your comfort and protection. In good quality undies, the ‘pocket’ is usually stitched up. But some manufacturers leave it open to save time.
Now you know!
