Toast Really Does Fall Buttered Side Down (Physics Explains Why)
There's actual physics behind why toast tends to land buttered side down - it's related to table height and rotation speed.
About this fact
The phenomenon of toast landing buttered side down isn't just bad luck - it's physics. When toast falls off a table, it typically undergoes exactly half a rotation before hitting the ground. This is because the average table height (about 30 inches) gives the toast just enough time to complete half a turn during its fall. Since toast is usually buttered on the top side when it falls, half a rotation means it lands buttered side down. If tables were either much shorter (less rotation) or much taller (more rotation), toast would be more likely to land buttered side up. This was actually studied and confirmed by physicist Robert Matthews, who won an Ig Nobel Prize for his research.