5 second rule

You’ve heard of the 5 second rule, right? Where if you drop a piece of food on the ground or other potentially dirty surface (PDS), within 5 seconds it is ok to pick it up and eat it? Mostly a joke, but I’d like to analyze this further.

Let me introduce some factors that apply.

[time] – The amount of time that passes, measured in seconds, during the contact between food and the PDS
[moisture] – This is the single most important factor to the 5 second rule. Any moisture either on the surface of the food, or on the surface that it touches, instantly nullifies [time] as a result of a phenomenon that can be best described as “instant stickiness”
[hardness] – The hardness of the food item can actually increase the [time] factor, due to less surface adhesion
[location] – Importantly, the location where the food item contacted the PDS is important. Just think about it.

Examples:

Situation 1: You dropped a jellybean [hardness = good] onto a marble floor [moisture = false] at home [location = acceptable] for 3 seconds [time = acceptable].

Situation 2: You dropped a jellybean from your mouth [moisture = true] at home [location = acceptable] for.. nevermind.

NOT OK

Situation 3: You dropped a sandwich [moisture = true] on the sidewalk [location = not acceptable], in the rain [moisture = true] for 1 second [time = acceptable].

NOT OK

Note:

- If [location] is ever a bathroom, it’s auto-fail.

- Anything outside for 24 hours is auto-fail.

- Taking something that previously failed and washing it under running water can sometimes make it ok to eat, given that it is not too porous and has a smooth, washable surface. For example, a jawbreaker is ok. A sandwich is not.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my logical analysis of the 5 second rule. Eat healthy