You may or may not be aware of this, but a few years back, a British University got a government research grant to look into why toast fell onto the carpet butter-side- up!! Honestly!!!!! I'm not joking!!!!! Regards, Steve. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen C. Gallagher" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 1:17 PM Subject: [USMA:14505] Re: Fwd: Physics 106, Spring, 2001 homework > And inversely proportional to the carpet's level of > stain resistance. > > My co-workers from Quebec call this > "La loi de Murphy". > > Stephen > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Carter, Baron" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: July 20, 2001 08:08 > Subject: [USMA:14504] Re: Fwd: Physics 106, Spring, 2001 homework > > > > Actually it's the following law: > > The chance of a piece of bread falling with the buttered side down is > > directly proportional to the cost of the carpet. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Tuesday, 17 July, 2001 21:34 > > To: U.S. Metric Association > > Subject: [USMA:14474] Re: Fwd: Physics 106, Spring, 2001 homework > > > > > > In a message dated 2001-07-17 19:23:47 Eastern Daylight Time, > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > > > > > > > > Such is life, Stephen. One must get used to the fact that there are some > > people out there who know some things that you don't know. There's just > > no way they can protect you from occasionally hearing about those > > things, either. You should see all the mental bruises I have from > > bumping into such things! ;-) > > > > If you want your bread to land on the floor butter-side-up, butter the > > bottom of the slice while it is on the counter. Actually, a reasonable > > explanation for this phenomenon has been devised, but it involves > > moments of inertia and the conversion of gravitational potential energy > > into translational and rotational kinetic energy, given the constraints > > of the tipping force couple created by the front edge of the slice > > leaving the counter before the back edge does. Alas, you'll have to > > master a little more physics before you're ready for the details on > > that. A corollary under consideration still involves an ab initio > > calculation that predicts what would happen if you butter the back of a > > cat and then push it off the counter. Which would land on the bottom, > > the buttered back or the feet? If you choose to pursue the experimental > > approach to solving this you must purchase your own cats, butter, and > > first aid kit. > > > > To keep this reply on topic let me assure you that esu and emu units > > will not make the math any simpler than plain old SI units do for the > > above calculations. Using British or American engineering units would > > definitely make the task more awkward, though. > > > > By the way, the Newton who came up with the law you very approximately > > quoted was Isaac Newton. It was his brother Figaro who invented the > > stuffed cookie (or "biscuit", as he put it). > > > > Jim > > > > > > > > Another interesting physics lesson: A fellow passenger on my commuter > train > > > > said, "When I get up and go to the end door [at the head of the car] to > get > > off, I feel a cold wind. Does the fan come on higher or something?" I > > said, > > "No, cold air [the car is air conditioned] is heavier than warm air. When > > the train stops the heavier cold air pushes forward." > > > > cm > > >
