QI - The Shape of a Raindrop

[flodnak]

And the Old Baltimore Shot Tower is still standing, right at the end of Interstate 83. It hasn't been used for anything for ages, but the people of Baltimore seem to want to keep it around, fortunately!

[tastyscavenger]

wrong, a rain drop's shape is actually dependent on its size.

[ArchiveEverywhere]

Stalagmite has a g (voiced) because m is voiced, stalactite has a c (voiceless) because t is voiceless. Maybe?

[ArcaneFaith]

Ronni Ancona. would

[thespikescheme]

For those who don't understand why Stephen is offended when a picture of Hugh Laurie is shown, its because they are really close friend s and did a show together in the 80's I think.

[BrandonStover]

@thespikescheme Did a few shows together, A bit of fry and laurie as well as Jeeves and Wooster.

[TheObviousEspionager]

my dad used to always say "when the mites go up, the tights come down"

[nikanj]

Ah of course. he famous Waterloo shot-tower which put the little town on the map.

[dennydaydreamer]

I thought the ball shape is more to do with surface tension than gravity.

[bearchildofdeath]

"Oh lord you don't know me" Haha, he really doesn't. :P Stephen Fry didn't go to public school!

[RachelHurdWood4ever2]

''the world's biggest drip'' *Hugh Laurie* ''No!'' Good old Stephen, defending his friend.

[elgostine]

@RachelHurdWood4ever2 i couldnt tell so i thought it was fry himself..

[beeble2003]

Actually only small raindrops are spherical; larger ones flatten out because of air resistance. The very largest ones become cap-shaped before breaking up into smaller drops. Googling for "shape of raindrops" gives lots of information.

[smallrossy]

biggley big lol

[LSZeitgeist]

-tites have a T, which features a stem going down, while -mites have an M which has two points going up.

Christ, there's a lot of mnemonics for this.

[MrDezokokotar]

@LSZeitgeist with -tites i always remembered tits which also go down with age...

[SGCgunner15SGC]

Stalactites hold tight onto the roof... Stalagmites just Might poke you in the ass :D

[kefka3]

I always found it easy to remember "when mites go up, the tights go down"

[itislupus08]

How dare they call House a drip?!?!?

[timothyjhutchison]

@itislupus08 Hugh and Stephen are best friends. They're always making fun of each other.

[itislupus08]

@timothyjhutchison yeah i know

i was only taking the piss

Anyway it probably wasn't Stephen who did the pictures it was probably the production team, someone such as John Lloyd who was also the producer of Blackadder

[DCdabest]

hahahah Hugh Laurie!!!

dear oh dear....

[TaylerIsAComedyFan]

Ahh cheeky, cheeky QI Elves! Gotta love 'em!

[OB1KXB]

nice to know there's a trick in english to keep the mites and tites apart too :) the dutch way (or my way at least): stalactite (stalactiet in dutch) contains the word "tiet" (boob in english), which hang down usually. leaving the stalagmite to point up

[14597ojai]

@OB1KXB I always learned, stalacitites stick "tight" to the roof and stalacmites "might" reach the roof

[MusicStudyMan]

@14597ojai or "hang down like tights on a washing line"...but that wouldn't work if you know them as pantyhose!

[RhydianTJ]

Nothing to do with gravity....

Surface-tension

[RealSnowWhite]

I love the way Alan says "It's been so long" lol 

[Samantha34oz]

I love ALAN!!!

[weirdlightsaber44]

I love Hugh Laurie. He's brilliant. Poor Stephen got offended. God bless those QI researchers.

[redman8903]

Due to the density of lead compared to water the force of impact on cold water is almost negligible to changing the spherical shape, thus the shot produced is perfectly circular.

[gyped2000]

Phill Jupitus is always great on QI

[SlappaDeBassMon]

Is that Rory Bremner? That's so cool, I never knew he was on QI.

[frogambassador]

VAAST! lollol

[PedoBearWantsYou]

Shall I do a cock and balls?

Leave it to Alan to say that..lol

[04whim]

I'm proud to have learned the difference between stalagmites and stalactites in the ground/ceiling way as well.

[Mojosbigstick]

Prince Rupert's Balls aren't spherical in water.

[katelynna10000]

am I the only one that pictured a 15 year old Stephen in VERY sheer tights, looking very frightened?

[EuskaltelEuskadi]

Thumbs up if you only clicked on this because the thumbnail was a picture of Hugh :P

[GiniBaggins]

LOL Bertie as the biggest drip :P Poor thing

[charms2]

Raindrops are NOT in shape of a perfect circle (or sphere, for that matter), but rather have a "hamburger shape".

[owaffs]

Stalagmites might reach the top, stalactites have to hold on tight.

That's what I was taught.

[B182NP44]

Stephen Fry's reaction to Hugh Laurie as the biggest drip!! Haha!!! :D

[AwdreeHpburn]

<3 Jupitus.

[SamWycombe]

"As mites grow up, tights come down." :P

that's how my dad taught me the difference!

[MrBoboFace]

@SamWycombe Yes! Me too! X-D

[Piccadillyo]

Bertie's no drip!

[majordbag2]

@Piccadillyo who's Bertie?

[Piccadillyo]

@majordbag2 I assumed that was the character Hugh Laurie was portraying in that picture - Bertie Wooster from Jeeves and Wooster. I might be wrong though.

[majordbag2]

@Piccadillyo I just love it how Stephen says "no!" when he sees Laurie's photo, it just sounds funny!

[Orlabobz]

@majordbag2

Bertie is Bertie Wooster from Wodehoses novels Jeeves and Wooster. Played by hugh laurie in the itv series in the early 90's

[TheManWithNoName786]

lol at phil jupitus's rant

[stratman06]

To quantify its bigness would be doing it a disservice!

XD

[SatoTM3]

@stratman06 i'm going to use that in bed tonight ;)

[amphitritie]

Random Bertie Wooster appearance! Lol

[ChristianBrinsxox]

So funny that Ronni didn't say anything until they needed tights information and then they were like 'Nearest woman... Ronni!'

[edaines]

@ChristianBrinsxox ah, women!

[Tendoking]

1:46 -- "Vast." That line, plus Phill's reply...that's just comedy gold right there.

[10mintwo]

this is wrong. they're not spherical. they're hamburger shaped.

[gbraae]

I love the picture of the biggest drip lololol

[TheSilleren1]

@gbraae also love the fact that he's one of stephen fry's best friends x3 ... if he isn't actually his very best friend ^^

[BODYGCB]

Fry, you oaf, those are fishnets!!

[JDLupus]

That was one of the best rebuttals I've ever heard!