"Common Mythconceptions" by Troy H. Cheek on Mar 31, 2008
With April 1st being right around the corner, some websites will no doubt resort to producing obviously false stories just to get a cheap laugh. Here at Cheek.Org, we would never stoop to such a level. Instead, I'm going to take this opportunity to correct some common misconceptions with which we tend to fool ourselves every day.
Myth: The 55 MPH speed limit was enacted to save lives.
Fact: The speed limit on Federal highways was reduced to save gasoline. This was in the mid-1970s when gas prices had soared to upwards of $1 a gallon, causing a national energy panic. The speed limit was reduced to 55 MPH because studies showed a 20% increase in fuel efficiency over the more common 70. Although it is true that lower speed collisions tend to result in fewer deaths, this was an unintended side effect. Critics claim that lowered death statistics resulted not from lower speeds, but rather from improved vehicle designs which went into effect during that same era. Some critics even go so far as to say that higher fuel efficiencies were also the effect of improved designs.
Myth: Microwaves cook from the inside out.
Fact: Microwaves only penetrate an inch or two into foods. Only this outer layer can be heated directly by microwaves. Inner areas are heated by conduction. This can be easily observed by heating a round container of water or light soup in a microwave oven. Only the liquid around the edges will boil. This myth arises because of two attributes of microwave cooking. First of all, microwaves heat the food and not the air around it. The outer layer of food will immediately begin to lose heat to the cooler air around it (as well as to the cooler inner areas), resulting in a deceptively cool potato with a very hot interior. Secondly, food with high moisture content heat better, so a pastry crust or breaded chicken skin will absorb very little heat content from the microwaves, while the fruit filling or moist meat will heat up quickly. Which reminds me of another microwave myth...
Myth: Microwaves heat because they have the exact same frequency is water molecule vibrations.
Fact: If this were true, the first water molecules to get hit by a microwave would instantly vaporize, creating a dense steam cloud which would block further microwaves from heating the rest of the food. Microwave ovens actually produce a range of microwave frequencies which roughly correspond to water molecule vibrations. This allows for maximum molecular agitation (and eventual boiling).
Myth: Hot water freezes faster than cold water.
Fact: Hot water actually takes slightly longer to freeze than cold water, as the water has to release more heat energy before it even reaches the temperature where ice crystals start to form. Recently boiled water, however, does indeed freeze faster. Boiling the water releases some of the contaminants in it which would otherwise act as a kind of antifreeze and inhibit the formation of ice crystals. Without these contaminants, ice forms more quickly.
Myth: Beef Jerky is made from cow meat.
Fact: The package might say "USDA Approved Grade A Beef" and, indeed, it probably is exactly that. The problem is that while the average consumer, and indeed the average farmer, considers meat from cows (and only meat from cows) to be beef, and beef (and only beef) to be meat from cows, Federal agencies like the United States Department of Agriculture tend to define things in their own terms. In this case, "beef" is defined as red meat (certain number of blood vessels in the tissue) with a sufficient level of marbling (certain amount of fat in the tissue). While domestic cattle certainly meet these criteria, so do buffalo, bison, oxen, moose, elk, deer, hippopotamus, elephant, emu, ostrich, and other Rhea birds. Contrary to a related myth, humans are yet another white meat.
Myth: Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage are the Mythbusters.
Fact: Producer Peter Rees created Mythbusters and approached Jamie Hyneman, whom he had interviewed in the past, to be the host. Jamie felt that he wasn't interesting enough to host the show on his own, so he asked Adam Savage to join him. That's the official story and is true as far as it goes. The false part is that the Adam Savage is actually a fictional character. Adam the character was created by Jamie and Grant Imahara during their days as robot warriors. Grant came up with the idea of a "primal wild man" persona that he and Jamie could use to rattle their opponents during competitions. The part of Adam was usually played by Grant, to the point that Grant actually did special effects work and even acting under Adam's name (as well as his own). Since Grant was not available to join the show at the time, another person was brought in to play Adam. Enter Andrew Martin, an LA-based prop comic whose comedy act was mostly based on the premise that he was a mad scientist whose experiments always blew up in his face and whose inventions inevitably turned on their creator. Given acting pointers by Grant and engineering pointers by Jamie, Andrew became the accident-prone Adam. Once it was obvious that the show was a hit, Andrew Martin had his name legally changed to Adam Savage. When Grant eventually joined the cast, observant viewers who noticed that many of Adam's mannerisms were also Grant's mannerisms were told that the two were simply longtime friends who had worked together many times before. In early Mythbusters episodes, Andrew Martin is listed in the credits while Adam Savage is not. Adam is also referred to as "Andy" in some dialog, particularly by Kari Byron. The Discovery Channel later "corrected" the credits and had the dialog replaced or edited out, so later showings and DVD collections refer to him only as Adam. The Discovery Channel took longer to catch all the references in the closed captioning.
Well, that's all the myths and misconceptions I have time to clear up this year. Take care!
