By davidjwlauridsenjr

David J.W. Lauridsen, Jr. is a graduate of the Ohio State University, a web developer, motorcyclist, pilot and golfer and currently lives in a suburb of Cincinnati, OH. Having a passionate interest in science, technology and the search for knowledge, he has also contributed to `The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience` (ABC-CLIO, 2002.) He loves teaching others and frequently entertains the idea of obtaining whatever education would allow that to be his full time profession. If granted a wish, he would teach logic and critical thinking skills to young adults.

A CURMUDGEONLY CLARIFICATION OF “CAVITATION” AND A CALL TO CORRECT ALL CRACKING CONTENT

Being of a curious mind, I am occasionally fascinated by simple things such as the phenomenon of cracking knuckles. In this respect, I have done some very basic research regarding this phenomenon and have been repeatedly disappointed by the explanations presented on nearly every web site I have seen that attempts to describe the process in question. There are many physiological reasons that our joints make noise, but the description of at least one of these processes is always, well…not what it is cracked up to be. Specifically, virtually every web article mentions “cavitation” as the primary cause of the…