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October 29, 2004

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. You may have counted calories before but not like these: (1) How much quick-energy candy would it take to power you mountain-climbing 29,000 feet to the top of Everest? (2) If your day's food intake were converted into energy to light a 100-watt bulb, how long would it shine? (3) How many 40-inch lifts of a 175-pound weight would let you shed 1 pound of body fat? (4) Alternatively, to shed the pound on the crazy ice diet, how much ice must you eat? (Don't try this!)

    A. (1) Assuming you weigh 160 pounds, you'd need about 11 140-calorie fat-free granola bars for the climb; (2) about 24 hours of shining; (3) around 19,000 reps to burn off a 3,500-calorie pound; and (4) theoretically, you'd need to swallow an impossible 65 pounds out of the freezer, surrendering body heat to melt the ice. (From "Fundamentals of Physics, 4th Edition," by David Halliday, et al.)


     
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