How Many Acres of Potatoes Does a Society Need? Using Food and Historical Claims in an Energy Context

• Nathan T. Moore ^[1]
  1. [1] Winona State University

     Winona State University

     City of Winona, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: The Physics Teacher, ISSN 0031-921X, Vol. 63, Nº. 7, 2025, págs. 595-599
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • One of the main difficulties in a class on sources of energy and social policy is the wide variety of units used by different technologists (British thermal units, barrels of oil, quads, kilowatt-hours, etc.). As every student eats, I think some of this confusion can be resolved by starting and grounding the class with a discussion of food and food production. A general historical outline for this introduction is provided with two interesting historical cultural examples, Tenochtitlan and the Irish Potato Famine. Science and social policy classes are full of bespoke units and involve many different contexts. Starting the class with a discussion of food energy is a nice way for everyone to start with the same context. In addition, discussion of food energy can lead to interesting historical claims.