READING TIME: < 1 minute
The famous Italian physicist Enrico Fermi once asked a student during an examination: “The boiling point of olive oil is higher than the melting point of tin. Explain how it is then possible to fry food in olive oil in a pan.” (Italian saucepans are wholly made of tinned copper.) What is the answer?.
Concepts involved:
- boiling point, melting point, conduction.