Summary of Helen Czerski's Storm in a Teacup

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The inside of a popcorn kernel is made up of a germ, which is the start of a new plant, and the endosperm, which is there to provide food for the new plant. The endosperm is made up of starch packaged into granules and contains about 14 percent water. As the kernels sat in the hot oil, the water began to evaporate, turning into steam.

#2 The rules change when the hard shell finally succumbs. The insides are exposed to the atmospheric pressure in the rest of the pan, and there is no volume limit any more. The starchy goo expands explosively, until the pressure inside matches the pressure outside.

#3 The laws of gases are a great example of how simplicity can be achieved from complexity. As the pressure on a pocket of air increases, its volume decreases. This is Boyle’s Law, and it says that gas pressure is inversely proportional to volume.

#4 The most precious treasure the whale carries down into the gloom is oxygen, which it needs to sustain the chemical reactions that power its swimming muscles. But the gaseous oxygen supplied by the atmosphere becomes a liability in the deep, as it becomes compressed by the weight of water above it.

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Rafbók: 12 juli 2022