Spaghetti Connections

Today I had an awesome revelation as I was cooking spaghetti. While I was heating water, I began to observe the bubbles that began to form at the bottom of the pan, which got me thinking about buoyancy, surface tension, and the implications for heat transfer. I know what you are thinking; but bear with me, it all links to my work.

As the bubbles become bigger the buoyant force becomes greater compared to the surface tension up to the point when the hot bubbles rise to the cooler surface of the water; this is known as the boiling point. Anyway, when the bubbles reach the top surface of the water they immediately burst releasing the air inside; which made me realize the air can only escape by going up. Since there are walls on all other sides, it cannot go sideways.

By some logic of my mind, that thought led to the realization that if I were to make a hole on the side of the pan all the water would run out. I know what you are thinking, not very insightful. However, this new insight, in turn, made me realize that fluids (i.e., water) cannot exert force in tension, but only in compression.

I know what you are thinking, how does boiling water, running through the side of the pan, relate to your work? Patience friend, I'm getting there.

Previous to my spaghetti cooking experience, I had been thinking about strings. If you push on a string, it does not push back: Strings can only exert force in tension, but not in compression. In effect, strings and fluids are opposites. Isn't that cool? Hot? Boiling hot? Anyway...

It all ties back to my work. While touring the manufacturing floors of the various GE plants a common topic of discussion was the best practice of "pull". The idea is simple. Suppose making a product requires 2 operations; pull means the second operation sets the pace of the first. In other words, the second operation pulls from the first; the first does not push the product into the second. This pull concept, in turn, got me thinking about strings -- how they can exert force in tension, but not compression (i.e., strings can only pull). What tickled my mind, then, was that I was unable to think of something that could do the opposite -- push, but not pull. The revelation did not come until I started cooking spaghetti.

I know what you are thinking, did I really just read all that crap?. But please, do not be mad; I have a theory for the madness.

INCEPTION, go watch it. Who knows what connections you will, subconsciously, start making while cooking spaghetti.

What do you think?