Small Talk

When it just doesn't fit anywhere else.
KingdomBuilder
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Small Talk

Post by KingdomBuilder »

This is a place to share those interesting little thoughts and questions that pop into your mind throughout the day, but aren't necessarily worth creating a full thread/ discussion for.

Hopefully folks will participate here. :)
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MaxPC
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Re: Small Talk

Post by MaxPC »

Some physicist friends of mine once spent 4 days pondering and dissecting why it is that when one drops a piece of bread with a topping of grape jelly or peanut butter, it landed on the topping side 83% of the time. They explored this question without benefit of state or federal funding. It was merely an exercise in curiosity. They turned it into a lab exercise for their freshman students to teach them the scientific method. It worked well and without one penny of grant money from the fed or state coffers.
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Heirbyadoption
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Re: Small Talk

Post by Heirbyadoption »

MaxPC wrote:Some physicist friends of mine once spent 4 days pondering and dissecting why it is that when one drops a piece of bread with a topping of grape jelly or peanut butter, it landed on the topping side 83% of the time. They explored this question without benefit of state or federal funding. It was merely an exercise in curiosity. They turned it into a lab exercise for their freshman students to teach them the scientific method. It worked well and without one penny of grant money from the fed or state coffers.
4 days? Was it not immediately obvious that A. the side with toppings was naturally heavier, and B. the side without had more exposed "holes" in the bread which would catch air as it fell and cause the bread to rotate even more downward? Plus Murphy's Law, of course...
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ohio jones
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Re: Small Talk

Post by ohio jones »

Thank you for this thread, KB. I look forward to many interesting little posts.
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temporal1
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Re: Small Talk

Post by temporal1 »

Heirbyadoption wrote:
MaxPC wrote:Some physicist friends of mine once spent 4 days pondering and dissecting why it is that when one drops a piece of bread with a topping of grape jelly or peanut butter, it landed on the topping side 83% of the time. They explored this question without benefit of state or federal funding. It was merely an exercise in curiosity. They turned it into a lab exercise for their freshman students to teach them the scientific method. It worked well and without one penny of grant money from the fed or state coffers.
4 days? Was it not immediately obvious that A. the side with toppings was naturally heavier, and B. the side without had more exposed "holes" in the bread which would catch air as it fell and cause the bread to rotate even more downward? Plus Murphy's Law, of course...
.. let’s put you in charge of wasteful gov spending! :lol:
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MaxPC
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Re: Small Talk

Post by MaxPC »

Heirbyadoption wrote:
MaxPC wrote:Some physicist friends of mine once spent 4 days pondering and dissecting why it is that when one drops a piece of bread with a topping of grape jelly or peanut butter, it landed on the topping side 83% of the time. They explored this question without benefit of state or federal funding. It was merely an exercise in curiosity. They turned it into a lab exercise for their freshman students to teach them the scientific method. It worked well and without one penny of grant money from the fed or state coffers.
4 days? Was it not immediately obvious that A. the side with toppings was naturally heavier, and B. the side without had more exposed "holes" in the bread which would catch air as it fell and cause the bread to rotate even more downward? Plus Murphy's Law, of course...
:lol:
With the scientific method multiple variables had to be tested of course!
1/8th tsp of jelly vs 1/2 tsp vs 3/4 tsp vs 1 tsp vs 2 tsp, etc. They worked to answer the question of what was the minimal amount of jelly that would flip the bread.

They then tested it on different kinds of bread:
--white (fine holes)
--rye fine holes with seeds
--pumpernickel (larger holes)
--Italian with sesame seeds (larger holes with seeds)

The whole process was repeated for peanut butter.

Then both toppings were tested as to the initial angle of descent affecting the top down landing on each kind of bread.

The entire sequence of the process was repeated in conditions of high humidity and of low humidity; warm temps and cool temps. All conditions of the experiment were recorded for each trial. All resulting data was likewise recorded.

They found that humidity levels had a greater impact than air friction factors from the holes. The bread was heavier in high humidity because of its absorption capacity.

Painstaking, yes. But it demonstrated the need to test multiple variables under controlled conditions and then be able to repeat those tests under identical or near identical conditions to determine if the data varied in the outcomes. In the lab version, students often came up with additional variables to test. It became a valuable teaching tool in experiment design, data collection and analysis using the scientific method.

Don't ask me who ate the leftovers though :lol:
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Max (Plain Catholic)
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
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ohio jones
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Re: Small Talk

Post by ohio jones »

MaxPC wrote:Don't ask me who ate the leftovers though :lol:
Would have been a great opportunity to test the validity of the five-second rule.
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Sudsy
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Re: Small Talk

Post by Sudsy »

ohio jones wrote:Thank you for this thread, KB. I look forward to many interesting little posts.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
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KingdomBuilder
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Re: Small Talk

Post by KingdomBuilder »

Today I thought how weird it is for people to enforce the expectation of men uncovering their heads during a prayer, but not giving a hoot about women's heads. Then it hit me, they really only care because removing of caps/ hats has been adopted by our society as an act of showing respect (i.e. with the national anthem, etc.). They care cause of the World, not the Word, is my guess.
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Hats Off
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Re: Small Talk

Post by Hats Off »

I once had to be told to remove my hat - I walked into a Legion Hall - usually I will even remove my hat in elevators, at the hospital etc. This one time I forgot, and I was told!
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