Sod’s Law
The 1970’s British version of ‘Murphy’s Law’, which originated in the USA in the 1950s – the British version being based on the concept of ‘the unlucky sod.’
Both say the same thing – ‘If it can go wrong, it will.’
There is even a version known as ‘Finagle’s – as defined in Science Fiction writings by a Larry Niven – the only difference from the two above – is the addition of:
‘at the worst possible time.’
It doesn’t get any better.
Scientific Investigation.
Whilst these concepts are referred to as ‘Law’s – they are not, of course – in any scientific sense.
This anomaly was addressed, in the late 70’s by a group of British scientists – who, obviously had more time and funding than they should have – who set out to prove or disprove Sod’s ‘Law’.
The experiment was focused on one of the ‘proofs’ of the Law – that buttered toast – always fell butter side down – when dropped
The experiment was set up in an indoor laboratory to remove any external effects, such as wind or feeding birds – and involved some complex equipment.
A crane like construction with a small grabbing claw, exactly 2.4 metres (8 foot) above the landing area – controlled remotely and designed to hold and drop the toast without damage. Plus, CCTV monitoring to verify the personal observations and the digital record.
Plus – 50 identical slices of toast – each with an exact quantity of butter on one side, spread with an automatic comb.
- A man on a step ladder feeding the grabber with one corner and the remote operator dropping one every twenty seconds.
The Count
Following independent verification:
Butter Side
32 Down
18 Up
Not quite the certainty they would have liked.
However – after much discussion – and aware that they had run out of bread – they announced that Sod’s Law was in fact proven as a Law.
Because – on the 18-landing butter up – they had buttered the wrong side of the toast!