Conservation of mass/episode of Brainiac

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around an episode of the show "Brainiac" that featured an experiment on the conservation of mass, where a girl's weight was measured before and after eating a quarter pounder burger. Participants express curiosity about the discrepancy in mass observed after the experiment and explore potential explanations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes a discrepancy in mass after eating the burger and questions where the mass went.
  • Another participant asks for the exact difference in weight measured after the burger was consumed.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of a control group in the experiment, with suggestions that weight could fluctuate due to various factors like sweating and breathing.
  • Some participants mention other potential factors that could account for weight loss, such as giving off heat or doing work.
  • One participant humorously speculates about extreme measures taken by the girl to maintain her weight.
  • Criticism is directed at the scientific rigor of the show, comparing it unfavorably to fictional portrayals of science.
  • Another participant questions the accuracy of the scales used in the experiment, suggesting that experimental error could explain the discrepancy.
  • A humorous suggestion is made about whether the girl might have eaten the packaging of the burger.
  • Another participant mentions that skin loss and oil transfer could also contribute to weight changes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views regarding the experiment's validity and the factors affecting weight measurement. There is no consensus on the reasons for the observed mass discrepancy, and multiple competing explanations are presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight potential limitations in the experiment, including the absence of a control group and questions about the accuracy of the weighing scales. The discussion also reflects uncertainty about the extent of weight fluctuations in a short time frame.

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Conservation of mass/episode of "Brainiac"

I saw an episode of Braniac recently... I believe it's an english show... the yankees might not know it... but anyway, on it, they conducted an experiment in which a girls mass (pounds) was taken, to four decimal places.. then she ate a Mcdonalds quarter pounder burger (which was also weighed, and had ketchup added to it to make it a quarter of a pound accurately). Immeadiately after this, she was weighed again, and the measurement was less than one quarter of a pound more than her previous mass... fascinating, but the so-called "brainiacs" offered no explanation for it... very dissapointing indeed.

so tell me... where does the mass go?
 
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How much was the difference?
 
Did they have a "control"? Someone else who didn't eat anything who was weighed twice? Did they try weighing this person every 10 minutes or so to determine how much weight change that person experienced over time?

You can loose weight through sweat, and I suspect just through breathing, burping and ... farting too! lol
 
And giving off heat and doing work.
 
How many times did the skinny girl throw up to keep herself thin after she ate the quarter pound?
 
You can learn about as much science from Braniac as you can learn about nuclear reactors watching Homer Simpson at work. Its all about entertainment, not at all about science.
 
(I think) it was an ounce off... no they had no control group... but does your mass really fluctuate that much within 10 mins? All she did was eat the burger & get straight back on the scales... I wouldn't imagine she did too much work/sweating/giving off heat between weighings... burping/farting maybe... I guess... but would that account for a whole ounce?
 
How accurate were their scales? Because a great deal of it could be experimental error.
 
Did she eat the packaging?

Carl
 
  • #10
Hell your skin coming off coudl result for parts of it, oil from touching things... all sorts of crap.