Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: chris on 11/02/2007 22:47:08

Title: Why does bread land butter-side down?
Post by: chris on 11/02/2007 22:47:08
If all objects, irrespective of mass, are equally accelerated by gravity, why does bread always land butter side down?

Chris
Title: Why does bread land butter-side down?
Post by: paul.fr on 11/02/2007 23:04:49
Hi Chris,

I don't think it has anything to do with the butter or additional weight on one side. I can think of two explanations.

#1 The person tends to drop the bread "face Down", then again surely this is a game of chance and successive drops with have a 50% ratio of buttered and unbuttered side landing face up.

#2 The person drops his/her bread more often than they think, but only remembers the times they land buttered side down because they have to make a fresh slice as the butter is full of carpet hair...
The times when the bread lands buttered side up we forget about because a quick brush on the back of the bread and it's "okay" to eat.

Paul
Title: Why does bread land butter-side down?
Post by: Karen W. on 11/02/2007 23:17:02
LOL LOL!! SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!
Title: Why does bread land butter-side down?
Post by: neilep on 11/02/2007 23:51:49
There is a direct correlation between the value of the floor covering, the nature of the bread (wholemeal, granary, white) and whether it's butter or margarine or any other alternative.

For Example:

Posh Carpet/Expensive tiles + Posh bread + Posh butter = butter side down every time !!

Crap carpet/linoleum + el Cheapo white bread + watery marg = 50/50 odds


This is fact !
Title: Why does bread land butter-side down?
Post by: Karen W. on 12/02/2007 00:01:37
  LOL LOL HUmmm Me thinks you should test your theory Kind Sir!
Title: Why does bread land butter-side down?
Post by: syhprum on 12/02/2007 00:13:04
I think this is due to the fact that when the toast starts to fall it is normally butter up and has a certain amount of rotation imparted to it as it leaves the table, whether of not it lands butter up or butter down then depends on the height of the table which varies little from one to the other.
In Japan or Korea with very low tables no doubt butter up landings would be more frequent.
Of course butter down landings are more memorable.
Title: Why does bread land butter-side down?
Post by: jason2679302 on 12/02/2007 00:46:02
This was on mythbusters!  myth busted i do believe