science

Maggie Murphy hoax

Maggie Murphy hoax is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Maggie Murphy hoax rather than just read about it. In short: The Maggie Murphy hoax was a hoax perpetrated in 1895 by newspaper editor-in-chief W. L.

Key takeaways

Maggie Murphy hoax belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Maggie Murphy hoax to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Maggie Murphy hoax from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Maggie Murphy hoax was a hoax perpetrated in 1895 by newspaper editor-in-chief W. L. Thorndyke. He created an image that depicted farmer Joseph B. Swan holding what appeared to be a giant potato. The photo rapidly spread around the United States, and appeared in a panel of Ripley's Believe It or Not!.

Background The hoax began in Loveland, Colorado. W. L. Thorndyke, editor-in-chief for a local newspaper, had wanted to promote an upcoming street fair. Thorndyke turned to farmer Joseph B. Swan, and wanted to help bring customers to him. Swan had been known for growing more than 70 different types of potatoes and had previously been featured in several news reports for his success with his crop. With the help of local photographer Adam Talbot, they produced a photograph which appeared in an 1895 issue of the Loveland Reporter. It was implied the potato weighed 86 pounds 10 ounces, and measured 2 feet 5 inches. Swan swore that he grew it himself. The image quickly spread around the United States. Over one thousand citizens sent letters to Thorndyke, requesting pieces of Maggie Murphy so they could grow their own oversized potato. Requests for seeds were also common. Thorndyke, realizing that the photograph was beginning to get out of control, admitted that it was a hoax. He wrote that he had asked Swan to carve a fake potato out of wood.

Cultural impact The photograph appeared in numerous publications, including Scientific American and Ripley's Believe It or Not!. It has been reprinted in the book The World of Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, however, no mention is made of the photograph being a hoax. When Ripley's Believe It or Not! was adapted into a television series, the photograph was used in the opening segment. In 2012, Colorado playwright Rick Padden adapted the tale of the hoax into a two-act play, entitled The Great Loveland Potato Hoax.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Maggie Murphy hoax

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Maggie Murphy hoax claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Maggie Murphy hoax before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Maggie Murphy hoax ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Maggie Murphy hoax

In research: Maggie Murphy hoax appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Maggie Murphy hoax in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Maggie Murphy hoax is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1895 in Colorado, 19th-century hoaxes, History of the potato, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Maggie Murphy hoax outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Maggie Murphy hoax in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Maggie Murphy hoax means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Maggie Murphy hoax out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maggie Murphy hoax in simple terms?

The Maggie Murphy hoax was a hoax perpetrated in 1895 by newspaper editor-in-chief W. L.

Why does Maggie Murphy hoax matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Maggie Murphy hoax?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Maggie Murphy hoax.