The Potato Paradox

4,334,625

99,071 0

Published 2018-03-26

You have 100 pounds of potatoes and you know that they’re made up of 99% water. You leave them out overnight and they dry out a bit, so they’re only 98% water. How much do they weigh now? 99lbs? 98lbs? They’ve only lost 1%...

Nope. 50 pounds -- they’ve lost half their weight! But how? Bust out your burlap potato sack, because Kevin is about to do the dirty work of uncovering the answer to a bizarre veridical paradox that just doesn’t seem to add up. Gravy not included.

** SOURCES ***

Origins of Colorado Potato Beetle: phys.org/news/2018-03-major-potato-pest.html

Colorado Potato Beetle Genome Research and Propaganda History: news.wisc.edu/colorado-potato-beetle-genome-gives-…

Czechoslovakian American Beetle Propaganda Video: • American Bug (English subtitles) Comm...

USDA Food Composition Data: ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2958?fgcd=&manu=&l…

***********************************

Vsauce Links
Website: www.Vsauce.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/VsauceTwo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VsauceTwo

Hosted, Produced And Edited by Kevin Lieber
Instagram: instagram.com/kevlieber
Twitter: twitter.com/kevinlieber
Website: kevinlieber.com/

Research And Writing Contributions by Matthew Tabor
twitter.com/matthewktabor

VFX By Eric Langlay
youtube.com/c/ericlanglay

Special Thanks Paula Lieber
www.etsy.com/shop/Craftality

Special Thanks Michael Stevens
youtube.com/Vsauce

Select Music By Jake Chudnow: youtube.com/user/JakeChudnow

All Comments (21)

@Vsauce2 6 years ago

Go tell someone that salad is 5% away from being soup.
@alltheaudios3162 4 years ago

Kevin: what's more water than watermelon? Me: water.
@enione7251 5 years ago

Famous catchphrases: Michael: Or is it? Kevin: WRONG
@happyfakeboulder644 4 years ago

"You must hug your potatoes so that they know that you care." -- Kevin, 2018
@ErikDaGreat 5 years ago

Someone: right? Vsauce: WRONG
@shotbyp4ul 5 years ago

Newborns are 15% away from being soup.
@SirWrender 6 years ago

Next time I get asked if I want "soup or salad" I might have an existential crisis...
@tiny021085 5 years ago

Easier way to explain this. 100lbs and 1% is solid matter. So that's 1lb solid matter. They dry out and now it's 2% solid matter. But still only 1lb. And if 1lb is 2% of the total weight, then the total weight must be 50lb. You don't even have to do the water % math this way to get the same result.
@chriscj9007 4 years ago

The Vsauce paradox: Whenever Vsauce says Right?, It is always wrong.
@TierZoo 6 years ago

I always hug my potatoes so that they know I care
@milothedinosaur2911 6 years ago

Jesus can walk on water, I can walk on Lettuce, Lettuce is 95% water, I am 95% Jesus
@ezip8564 5 years ago

Waiter: soup or salad? Kevin: yes
@azurepelletier1574 4 years ago

“What’s more water than watermelon?” Me: water. “LETTUCE” Me: oh. Right
@unboiledegg5765 6 years ago

“You must hug your potatoes so that they know that you care”- Kevin, from Vsauce2
@DG-ov6ps 5 years ago

but 1+1 is 2 RIGHT? ‘WrOoOnG’
@Turquoise-Official 5 years ago

Kevin: We are humans right? Me: Rig- Kevin: WRONG
@QuantumBraced 5 years ago

The potato paradox is how my 10-year old PC can still play modern games...
@axelvdp1 5 years ago

But steel is heavier than feathers
@X-SPONGED 2 years ago

Kevin : "You must hug your potatoes to show that you care" [3:26] As a person who has gone to Ireland for vacation twice, I can confirm this is why the potatoes there are so high quality
@hmmmmm8716 3 years ago

7:03 yo my dude kevin is a damn robot he just picked up the pen prefectly without looking away from the camera