Crushing it: Development of a new, food‐based training method for estimating soil rupture resistance

Rupture resistance is a physical property of soil aggregates that describes how much force the soil can withstand before rupturing. This property is particularly difficult to teach because it requires calibration of fingers and hands to Newtons of pinching or crushing force. A new, low‐cost method for teaching soil rupture resistance utilizes pre‐packaged food items as standard examples. Out of a pool of over 200 food items, 62 food items were selected and evaluated for their rupture resistance using a pinch gauge. Most items had friable, firm, or very firm moist rupture resistance classes. Items with distinct points of failure and high uniformity are reported. Items near thresholds, such as Milky Way bars, are specifically recommended as clear reference points for calibration. In an evaluation of student learning, most students reported that the method increased their confidence in evaluating rupture resistance and that they had developed a mental reference between food items and rupture resistance classes. This method gives teachers another option for teaching rupture resistance that is engaging and memorable.