1. Know which way is North, always. This impresses the shit out of people and is fairly easy to do. Most streets run north-south or east-west. Look at a street sign. or Hold your wristwatch over your heart, level with the ground, and look down at it. Point the hour hand at the sun. The north-south line is half way between the hour hand and 12 o'clock. In North America the sun rises in the south-east and sets in the south-west.
2. If it works in water, it probably works the same way with whatever your talking about. This applies mostly to physics or electronics problems. Water runs down hill. The steeper the angle, the greater the voltage. The bigger the pipe, the greater the amperage. The smaller the sprinkler hole the greater the resistance.
3. Big thing here. Pop science is nearly always wrong. If you see it on the news or talk shows the studies are probably incomplete. At worst a concept is forwarded for financial gain. If this kind of subject comes up in conversation simply say you can't find the raw data to check it out.
4. Learn and cherish Newton's 3 laws of motion.
1. An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
2. Acceleration is produced when a force acts on a mass. The greater the mass (of the object being accelerated) the greater the amount of force needed (to accelerate the object).
3. For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.
Example: When you throw your laptop at the wall (1st law) it will go as fast as you can throw it (2nd law) and break into many pieces (3d law because the laptop absorbs the reaction. The back is still following the first law as the front is following the third law.)
Ignore that crap.
1. Never grab the pointy end of a soldering iron.
2. Use pliers to hold a nail you're driving with a hammer.
3. If you have to lift a heavy item, get someone else to do it.
4. Always make sure your keys are in your pocket before you lock a door behind you.
5. When you're in the dark you can use your cell phone for a flashlight.
