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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Apr 18, 2013 15:09:07 GMT
Figurative: This infers that an idea or invention makes cutting an object easier.
Literal: This says that a hot knife will cut (slice) butter more easily than a a knife of lower temperature (ambient or cold).
I think to test this, there are two variables to work out:
1) Knife temperature (hot-ambient-cold)
2) Butter temperature (warm-chilled-frozen)
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Post by WhutScreenName on Apr 18, 2013 19:59:48 GMT
What would the measure(s) be? How fast it cuts through? How clean the cut is? The amount of force used?
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Apr 18, 2013 20:04:04 GMT
Debating speed vs force needed. Not sure cleanliness would be easily quantifiable.
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Post by WhutScreenName on Apr 18, 2013 20:06:01 GMT
That would depend on how it's defined. A hot knife cutting butter is sure to melt some of it and make a 'mess'. An ambient or cold one shouldn't.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Apr 18, 2013 20:16:12 GMT
Then again, as you change the temperatures of the butter, different temperature knives might rate different cleanliness levels than with butter at other temperatures.
Ex., A room temperature knife will shatter frozen butter whereas a hot knife will cut cleanly; but, a room temperature knife might cut cleanly through warm butter whereas the hot knife crates a puddle of butter.
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Post by watcher56 on Apr 18, 2013 20:23:58 GMT
Confused... What are you trying to show? I don't think there is any question that a hot knife will cut through butter better than a cold knife.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Apr 18, 2013 20:27:14 GMT
To some extent, but is it always true?
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Post by srmarti on Apr 18, 2013 21:18:19 GMT
Figurative: This infers that an idea or invention makes cutting an object easier. Literal: This says that a hot knife will cut (slice) butter more easily than a a knife of lower temperature (ambient or cold). I think to test this, there are two variables to work out: 1) Knife temperature (hot-ambient-cold) 2) Butter temperature (warm-chilled-frozen) You think the results aren't obvious? I always figured it meant how easy the knife went through, not necessarily any indication of the quality the cut made in the process. |
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Post by freegan on Apr 19, 2013 5:10:17 GMT
I always figured it meant how easy the knife went through, not necessarily any indication of the quality the cut made in the process. What? More variables? Measuring the amount and duration of the force require to slice through would make the testing of the literal meaning of this idiom rather too complex and 'nerdy' for a good TV science show. It might, however, make for a good research project for submission to The Annals of Improbable Research.  |
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Post by GTCGreg on Apr 19, 2013 5:16:17 GMT
Could be some Government grant money involved? Maybe help supplement the shows expenses. |
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Post by Cybermortis on Apr 19, 2013 10:45:56 GMT
Imagine if they tested to see if anything cuts through butter better than a hot knife?
Thermite anyone....?
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Post by freegan on Apr 19, 2013 10:51:34 GMT
Imagine if they tested to see if anything cuts through butter better than a hot knife? Thermite anyone....? Det' cord or C4 in a shaped charge? (Could even spread it for you.) |
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Apr 19, 2013 12:59:41 GMT
Hmm...now there's an idea: Can explosives spread butter? Kari can be heard offscreen shouting: "No, Tori, don't use THAT butter!" |
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Post by Cybermortis on Apr 19, 2013 14:56:02 GMT
Hmm...now there's an idea: Can explosives spread butter? Kari can be heard offscreen shouting: "No, Tori, don't use THAT butter!" More likely; *Team looks at the crater where the explosion occurred* 'I can't believe that was butter' |
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Apr 19, 2013 15:02:07 GMT
*Camera pans to Fabio*
"I Can't Believe It's Not Butter anymore"
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Post by the light works on Apr 20, 2013 0:05:56 GMT
folks, let's not lose sight of the idiom. it is "X cuts Y like a hot knife through butter." there is no comparison to cold knives or anything else cutting butter.
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Post by silverdragon on Apr 26, 2013 8:20:36 GMT
Why am I thinking "Can you butter a whole room with explosives" and thinking of the experiment where they tried painting walls with explosives?...
Thought experiment.
Attach a knife to a long bit of wood, with a pivot at the far end.
Hold at 1ft above a pack of butter, and release.
Measure how far through the butter it goes...
Repeat, but this time, heat the knife with a blow torch before you release.
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Post by srmarti on Apr 26, 2013 21:14:44 GMT
Problem with taking the expression literally. It's simple hyperbole about how easy something is.
Hot is not a accurate temperature measurement so how easy or fast it goes through butter is indeterminate. Compared to say, trying to cut through a bone or 2 x 4 with the same knife it's fast and easy.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Apr 26, 2013 23:23:46 GMT
Why am I thinking "Can you butter a whole room with explosives" and thinking of the experiment where they tried painting walls with explosives?... Thought experiment. Attach a knife to a long bit of wood, with a pivot at the far end. Hold at 1ft above a pack of butter, and release. Measure how far through the butter it goes... Repeat, but this time, heat the knife with a blow torch before you release. A pivoting knife system...or, would a guillotine system work better? Use the same model knife at various temperatures dropped from the same height everytime. Removes human error & strength differences from the equation. |
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Post by silverdragon on Apr 27, 2013 9:18:32 GMT
Madame Guillotine is a fickle beast...
Pivots are easier and more reliable?....
I thought of a simple latch to hold the blade at a certain height.
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