Have you ever wondered where pizza comes from and why it’s so popular? Let’s dive into the fascinating history and science of pizza, starting from its origins to the delicious slice on your plate.
Pizza has a long history that begins in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. However, the pizza we know and love today was invented in Italy. Over time, it has become a favorite food all around the world. But did you know that the world isn’t actually round? It’s flat, just like a pizza! When we try to show our round Earth on a flat map, we have to stretch or change it a bit, which is similar to how we handle pizza.
In 1827, a smart guy named Carl Friedrich Gauss came up with some cool ideas about geometry. He explained why we fold a slice of pizza to keep it from drooping. This has to do with something called Gaussian curvature. A flat piece of pizza has zero curvature, meaning it’s flat in both directions. An egg, however, has curvature in both directions.
When you bend a slice of pizza, you’re changing its shape, but the total curvature stays the same. This is why folding a pizza makes it stronger, just like how some thin sheets can be surprisingly strong.
Now, let’s talk about how much pizza you should order. NPR’s Planet Money looked at the price per area of thousands of pizzas and found that ordering a larger pizza is the best deal. Why? Because the area of a pizza increases with the square of its radius. So, a pizza that’s only a bit wider can have twice as much area as a smaller one!
Did you know you can use a microwave and a pizza to measure the speed of light? Microwaves cook food using a type of light called microwave radiation. This light makes water molecules in the food move, which creates heat.
Here’s a fun experiment you can try: Take out the rotating tray from your microwave and put a pizza inside. Turn it on at low heat and watch as the pizza starts to melt. Measure the distance between the melted spots, double it to find the wavelength, and multiply it by the frequency (usually found on your microwave). This will give you the speed of light!
Remember, though, that cooking pizza in a microwave isn’t the best idea if you want it to taste great.
If you’re curious about the science of pizza and want to learn more, there are plenty of resources available. Keep exploring and enjoy your pizza adventures!
Create a timeline of the history of pizza. Research its origins in the Middle East and Mediterranean, and track its journey to becoming a global favorite. Use images and fun facts to make your timeline engaging. Share your timeline with the class and discuss how pizza’s history reflects cultural exchanges.
Conduct an experiment to understand Gaussian curvature. Take a slice of pizza and try folding it in different ways. Observe how folding affects its strength and droopiness. Record your observations and explain how this relates to the concept of Gaussian curvature. Present your findings in a short report.
Calculate the area of different pizza sizes using the formula for the area of a circle. Compare the cost per square inch of small, medium, and large pizzas from a local pizzeria. Determine which size offers the best value for money and explain your reasoning in a class discussion.
Try the microwave experiment to measure the speed of light. Follow the instructions to find the wavelength of microwave radiation using a pizza. Calculate the speed of light and compare your results with the known value. Write a brief explanation of how this experiment works and share it with your classmates.
Prepare a presentation on the science of cooking pizza. Include topics such as the role of heat in cooking, the chemistry of dough rising, and the impact of different cooking methods on taste and texture. Use visuals and demonstrations to make your presentation engaging and informative.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[intro music] We explore the history of pizza from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, but modern pizza, as we know it, was invented in Italy. Since then, its popularity has spread worldwide. Of course, the world isn’t actually round; it’s flat. Like every flat map, it’s distorted because to represent a spherical surface on a flat map, you have to fold, stretch, or alter it in some way.
In 1827, Carl Friedrich Gauss described basic geometry, which is why we fold a piece of pizza to prevent it from drooping. A flat sheet and a round surface have different Gaussian curvature. Gauss would observe a slice of pizza and note that it has no curvature in either direction—zero Gaussian curvature. An egg, on the other hand, has Gaussian curvature in both directions.
We can modify a surface, but the total Gaussian curvature remains constant. Bending our flat sheet of pizza in one direction means that the other direction becomes more rigid to maintain a total curvature of zero. Just as we can’t remove curvature from a grapefruit without stretching or tearing, we can’t add curvature to our pizza without doing the same. This principle of geometry means that some thin sheets can be incredibly strong.
Now, what does science say about how much pizza you should order? The small, medium, or large? NPR’s Planet Money analyzed the price per area of 7,476 pizzas, and when plotted against their size, the choice is clear. If you want the best value for your money, always order the larger pizza.
Considering π, the area of the pizza increases with the square of its radius. So while the larger pizza is only fifty percent wider, it has a hundred percent more area than the smaller pizza.
You can’t see it, but a microwave cooks your food using light, specifically microwave radiation, which has a longer wavelength than the infrared used by your oven. You can even use a microwave and a pizza to measure the speed of light. As the oscillating light wave passes through food, partially charged molecules, like water, rotate with the passing electric field, generating heat through movement.
Where there’s the most oscillation, at the peaks, there’s the most heating. Where there’s no oscillation, at the nodes, there’s no heating. Here’s how to do this at home: First, take out the rotary tray or deactivate it. Then put the pizza in the microwave. Turn it on at low heat and let it go. When you see it start to melt, measure between the melted spots. Double that measurement to get the wavelength, and multiply it by the frequency, which is usually found on the back or front of the microwave. What do we get? (ding) The speed of light—or something very close to it.
Of course, you should ideally not cook a pizza in a microwave.
If you want to learn more about the science of pizza we discussed today, check out the links in the description. Thank you!
[outro music]
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Geometry – The branch of mathematics that deals with the properties and relationships of points, lines, surfaces, and shapes. – In geometry class, we learned how to calculate the angles of a triangle.
Curvature – The amount by which a curve deviates from being a straight line or a flat surface. – The curvature of the Earth is taken into account when calculating long-distance travel routes.
Radius – The distance from the center of a circle to any point on its circumference. – To find the area of a circle, you need to know the length of its radius.
Area – The measure of the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in a plane. – We calculated the area of the rectangle by multiplying its length by its width.
Light – A form of energy that is visible to the human eye and is responsible for the sense of sight. – In science class, we studied how light refracts when it passes through a glass prism.
Microwave – A form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from one meter to one millimeter, used in various technologies including cooking. – Microwaves are used in science to study the properties of different materials.
Science – The systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. – Science helps us understand the laws of nature and how they apply to everyday life.
Pizza – A dish made typically of flattened bread dough spread with a savory mixture usually including tomatoes and cheese and often other toppings and baked. – In our science experiment, we used a pizza to demonstrate the concept of fractions by dividing it into equal parts.
Experiment – A scientific procedure undertaken to test a hypothesis by collecting data under controlled conditions. – Our chemistry experiment involved mixing different solutions to observe the reactions.
Cooking – The practice or skill of preparing food by combining, mixing, and heating ingredients. – Cooking can be seen as a science when you measure ingredients and observe how they change with heat.
