A Problem Squared 123 = The Science of Fries and Mounting Sea Level Rise
4 snips
Dec 8, 2025 Explore the fascinating differences in nutritional value of frozen chips cooked in air fryers versus ovens. Discover how moisture loss affects calorie counts and cooking outcomes. Delve into a whimsical calculation estimating how a 2.2-meter dredged seabed could form a towering mountain. Matt's amusing math leads to the conclusion of a 44 km high hill, though practicality and environmental concerns come into play. Plus, hear about Bec's emotional Totoro stage experience and Matt's thrilling lunar-gravity flight experiments.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Lunar Gravity Flight Experience
- Matt described his ESA lunar-gravity flight with 31 parabolas giving one-sixth gravity for ~20 seconds each.
- He noted experiments included human biology, rock sorting, and controlled burns onboard the plane.
Calories Vary With Cooking Moisture
- Air frying can change reported calories per 100g because it dries food more than an oven, reducing weight and concentrating solids.
- Manufacturers list nutrition per cooked weight, so drier air-fried fries show higher calories per 100g than oven-baked ones.
Shape Controls Cooking Outcome
- Chip shape affects moisture loss: chunkier chips have higher potato-to-surface ratio and retain more moisture when air fried or oven baked.
- Surface-area-to-volume ratio controls how cooking method shifts nutrient concentration per mass.