The Physics of Spaghetti

[chromedome]

...because people get curious about the strangest of things.

 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/08/mit-scientists-crack-the-case-of-breaking-spaghetti-in-two/

[Smithy]

I figured someone would post about this! 😂 I'm especially amused at the idea of Dr. Feynman and his buddy having a floor littered with bits of spaghetti while they tried to get a perfect break, as told in the Washington Post's version of the story here. They'd have been fun dinner companions.

[ChocoMom]

This has irked me for decades.  Now I know how to do it!    I can impress my friends and family next time I serve sketti for dinner!!! LOL!

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Aren't they talking about doing a single strand at a time with special equipment? If I want to break long pasta in two, I take a manageable amount for my hand strength, usually a single serving, and grasp it firmly in both fists that are touching each other. Snap in two, many strands at a time. Easy, and no special equipment required. Sheesh!

 

I know it's funny, but I'm sure this project came at a cost. Seems like they should be curing cancer, developing an ultra-cheap energy source or coming up with calorie and cholesterol-free butter or something to me. 

[Smithy]

They are talking about one strand at a time, and it has to have a round cross-section. As with so many scientific discoveries, it starts as sheer playful curiosity and becomes something more. The ArsTechnica article notes that the modeling required to figure this out has already helped in an Adobe application. It also says:

 

Quote

The MIT scientists say their new work could be used to better understand how cracks form and spread in similarly structured materials and brittle structures—bridge spans, for instance, or human bones. 

 

And yes, I too grab a handful and break it - with the bend pointed downward into the pot, so it doesn't go flying all over the kitchen. I learned that one the hard way, believe it or not, so I know what a floor littered with spaghetti pieces looks like! 

[liuzhou]

I don't understand. Why break spaghetti?

There is a big taboo here in China against breaking or cutting lengthy pasta. The long strands are thought to represent long life and cutting or breaking them is an omen of lack of longevity.

[dcarch]

5 hours ago, liuzhou said:

There is a big taboo here in China against breaking or cutting lengthy pasta. The long strands are thought to represent long life and cutting or breaking them is an omen of lack of longevity.

 

Exactly. That's why it was a big mistake to allow Marco Polo to steal Chinese noodle technology.

 

dcarch

[liuzhou]

13 minutes ago, dcarch said:

 

Exactly. That's why it was a big mistake to allow Marco Polo to steal Chinese noodle technology.

 

dcarch

 

Except he didn't. Noodles were known in Italy long before Marco Polo.