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ERIC Number: EJ1340093
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1051-1970
EISSN: N/A
Logarithms Are Hot Stuff: A New Rating Scale for Chili Peppers
Douventzidis, Andrew; Landquist, Eric
PRIMUS, v32 n5 p650-660 2022
The typical trigonometry, precalculus, or calculus student might not agree that logarithms are hot stuff, but we drew motivation from chili peppers to help students get a better taste for logarithms. The Scoville scale, which ranges from 0 to 16,000,000, has been the sole quantitative metric to measure the pungency (spiciness) of peppers since its creation in 1912. With justification from the Weber-Fechner Law (perception is the logarithm of stimulus), students were challenged to create a more palatable rating scale for chili peppers. The first author devised a simple but effective 0-10 rating scale for peppers, calling this new rating system the "Ferven scale." While the Weber-Fechner Law has been applied to the senses of touch, sight, and hearing, this paper presents the first known application of this law to the sense of taste.
Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A