Ink and Equations

Real science, written as stories, poems, satire and speeches

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Ink and Equations

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Real science, written as stories, poems, satire and speeches.

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  1. How an Old Ball Swings the Wrong WayUnpacked, 8 Nov
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  3. Why Measles Needs Almost Everyone VaccinatedUnpacked, 7 Nov

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    Under pressure

    From a pressure cooker in Leh to the back of your fridge.

    123 3 pieces, best read in this order

    1. Stories The Rajma That Defeated My Grandmother A family trip to Leh, a pot of rajma that refuses to soften, and a pressure cooker that suddenly makes sense. The idea Water boils when its vapour pressure equals the pressure of the air above it, so at altitude, where air pressure is lower, it boils cooler; and because cooking reactions slow sharply as temperature drops, food takes far longer.

      The next stop goes deeper into this one.

    2. Unpacked Why Water in Leh Gives Up at 88 °C The rajma in Leh refused to cook at 88 °C. Here's the full science of why, and how explorers once used boiling water to measure mountains. The idea Boiling happens when a liquid's vapour pressure equals the pressure around it, so the boiling point depends on where you are. Opens once you’ve read “The Rajma That Defeated My Grandmother”
    3. Deep Dives Your Fridge Is Secretly Heating Your Kitchen Heat naturally flows from hot to cold. Your fridge spends all day forcing it the other way. Here's how. The idea A fridge pumps heat from its cold inside to the warmer room, which heat never does by itself: a refrigerant boils at low pressure inside the fridge, absorbing heat, and is then compressed so that it is hotter than the room and can give that heat away, with the compressor's work paying for the uphill trip.