The Barometer Problem

October 15, 2007 · Filed Under Legends · Comment 

The barometer comnundrum!It is one the urban legends doing rounds around the internet. It has attained such a longevity that it pops up over and over again in different versions, sometimes attributed to a celebrity to bestow it a bit of respectability!

Here is the story:-

Some time ago I received a call from a colleague who asked if I would be the referee on the grading of an examination question. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physics question, while the student claimed he should receive a perfect score and would if the system were not set up against the student: The instructor and the student agreed to submit this to an impartial arbiter, and I was selected.

I went to my colleague’s office and read the examination question: “Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer.”

The student had answered: “Take a barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower the barometer to the street and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building.”
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5 second tomfoolery

December 23, 2005 · Filed Under Legends · 6 Comments 

Heard about the (in)famous “5 second rule” of dropped food?

For the sake of those folks who are allergic to out-navigating from my blog, here is an explanation of the prime elements of this rule:

Ever dropped a cookie on the floor, yelled “Five-second rule!”, then quickly picked it up and popped it into your mouth? The assumption is that five seconds is not a long enough time for your food to pick up harmful bacteria. The exact origin of this urban legend is unknown, but supposedly, Genghis Khan was the first to make such a claim, specifying a lenient 12 to 20 hour period for food left on the ground to remain safe. The fast food industry also has been credited with the “rule,” supposedly to help minimize food waste. Whatever its origin, the “5 second rule” has become a readily accepted practice by young and old alike, especially to rationalize the eating of sweet foods like cookies that have fallen to the ground.

And an interesting find by a survey shows that women are more likely than men to eat food that’s been on the floor! May be they are more active conservationists!

Ok, Now enjoy this video clipping on the 5 second crap! Read more

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