Pasta physics - best way to eat spaghetti not making a mess - Brief Article

Science World, Oct 15, 2001

What's the best way to eat spaghetti without splattering the sauce? Physicist Colin Humphreys discovered the risk of sauce splash is greatest as you roll the last 4.33 inches of spaghetti onto a fork. "A final reckless flick of the wrist can accelerate the spaghetti speed to over nine feet per second;" he says.

The turning motion produces centrifugal force, which keeps an object moving in a circle. When the twisting stops, however, the sauce continues in a straight line--until it smacks your shirt! The trick: Use a fork to roll spaghetti onto a spoon held parallel to the plate. Then eat the pasta off the spoon. Bib not required!