Joshua Campbell and his colleague Jerome E. Dobson, inspired by the article “Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake,” did some research on their own. Campbell tells about it in his Disruptive Geo blog: The Flatness of U.S. States It all started with delicious pancakes and a glorified misconception. In a 2003 article published in the Annals of […]
Tag: flat
Kansans flattered by flatness vs Kansas flatness decriers
Kansans have long been at war with each other over the goodness of the flatness of their state. Some are proud, some are not. The University of Kansas has now issued a press release that creates its own controversy, and then claims to settle that controversy. The press release denigrates a paper we (the Annals of Improbable […]
Kansas is Flatter than a Pancake (again and still)
Today, which pancake authorities have proclaimed to be International Pancake Day, let’s look at the classic study “Kansas Is Flatter Than a Pancake“. We published it in volume 9, issue 3 of the magazine. The article was written by Mark Fonstad and William Pugatch (of the Department of Geography, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas) and Brandon Vogt (of the Department of Geography, Arizona […]
Vi Hart’s visit to Möbius world
Vi Hart tells, in this video, about a visit to a Möbius world: Interest in things Möbius runs in the Hart family. Vi Hart’s father, George Hart, invented the Möbius bagel.
Billiard balls versus the earth
“All balls must be composed of cast phenolic resin plastic and measure 2 ¼ (+.005) inches [5.715 cm (+ .127 mm)] in diameter and weigh 5 ½ to 6 oz [156 to 170 gms]. Balls should be unpolished, and should also not be waxed. Balls should be cleaned with a towel or cloth free of […]
Kansas v. pancake flatness update
Brandon Vogt [pictured here], co-author of the influential study “Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake“, is now an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. NOTE: The state of Colorado, taken as a whole, is less flat than a pancake. BONUS: The man who was provoked by pancakes. […]
Kansas is flatter than a pancake, even in Dundee
The study “Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake“, described ever so briefly during the Ig Nobel show at the University of Dundee this past March (2011), seen in this video snippet: