There should be a handful of wonderful moments a person can look back on in life. One’s graduation, their first love is another, scoring the winning goal might be a third. You know, the usual stuff. Well, today’s the day I get to add one to my list as this article officially makes me a “Professional Farticle Writer.” This is totally going on my LinkedIn profile.
The wonderful folks over at ASAPScience have been bringing massive amounts of scientific education to the masses for years with their own brand of unique insight and humor and they often cover topics that most would never dare bring up in a classroom setting. Paired with informative and entertaining drawings, their videos are as enlightening as they are fun to watch. Their recent “Could You Outrun A Fart?” is certainly no exception and seeks to answer a question, whether or not you’d admit it, we’ve all had at one time or another.
Delving deep into the science of farts (I love my job so much for sentences like that), the video goes into the composition of a fart, the variables involved in their movement, and even apply some serious equations to figure out running away from one is possible. Speaking in average terms as it’s pointed out that our “farts are like snowflakes”, the average fart contains around 59% Nitrogen, 21% Hydrogen, 9% Carbon Dioxide, 7% Methane, 3% Oxygen, and only about 1% actual stank (Did I mention I love this job?). Everything from air composition, pressure, temperature, and wind direction determine the life of a fart. Our own senses even have a hand in determining how brutal a toot can actually be.
Ultimately, no one can outrun the speed of fart particles (I’d use “Farticles” here again but it would just confuse things) but the video concludes that with some luck and in the right conditions, it is possible to properly make your exit without having to fall victim.
I can’t believe I’m writing this next part. What do you think of farts? Did ASAPScience TOOTally blow your stinkin’ minds? Let’s discuss in the comments below! [Editor’s Note: Oh, dear God, the puns.]
Image: ASAPScience
