Planet Pizza is the home of the first recipe designed for Extraterrestrials and also hosts the election for World Ambassador. The landing page of this website is home of the pizza recipe, downloadable in PDF form via the button found at the top left of that page. If you are reading this, that means you've found the human side of this website. It is here where the justification for the pizza recipe can be found (see below), and where links to the World Ambassador election can be found (see above).
Why Pizza? Pizza is simple, versatile, delicious, and most importantly, worldwide. Every country in the world enjoys pizza to some degree; and, pizza is just "pizza" in most languages of the world, with only mild variations in the pronunciation. As a species that strives for that sweet release of dopamine, pizza is a worldwide peacemaker and a perfect representation for one of the little joys which makes a human, human. Earth very well may be the only planet in the Milky Way Galaxy, or maybe even the only planet in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies that enjoys pizza. If extraterrestrials visit as friends, explorers, or researchers, it would be very beneficial to use this site to simultaneously describe broad sections of our math and science system as well as to teach the makeup of one of our planet's most agreed upon pleasures.
In the beginning, a list of assumptions are made of the extraterrestrial(s) (ET) which is/are viewing the Landing Page:
The content justification for each of the tables on the Landing page is inherently arbitrary, as the reasoning and pattern recognition capabilities of an extraterrestrial may or may not be similar to that of a human. Therefore, the explanation for the layout and content of the tables will be explained via one possible thought process in chronological order, but the actual means or path of understanding may vary, of course.
If being viewed on a computer, the ET ideally should only have access to scrolling and zooming capabilities. On a computer, the ET would likely recognize that the start of the document is at the top due to the behavior of the vertical scrolling and since the scroll wheel would start at the top of the page. However, if this is being viewed as a printout, the ET would likely recognize that certain patterns which are easily visible within the document (e.g. standing illustrations of humans or incrementing stars that demonstrate binary) happen in one of either ascending or descending order, which would suggest that the start of the document is either at the top or bottom of the page. Then, as the ET starts to attempt to understand the contents from either the top or bottom, the ET will likely realize that when starting from the top, an easily recognizable binary type of pattern emerges; and when starting from the bottom, no easily discernible pattern emerges without prior information - hence, the start of the document is at the top. It would also help, in any case, if the ET had human assistance, as they could likely help the ET understand that the top is the start simply via body language (e.g. pointing).
This table serves several purposes. Firstly, the ET's ability to recognize the figures as humans, man and woman, would confirm pattern recognition capabilities, especially those represented in two dimensions (on the page). Secondly, the standing figures give orientation to the page, so it becomes obvious that the document is interpreted vertically. Lastly, the familiarity with the contents of this table will help guide the idea that this table is the start of the document (as opposed to working from the bottom-up).
Additionally, this table is the first homage to the Pioneer plaques designed by Carl Sagan and Frank Drake.
The main lesson in this table is understanding binary, but a number of other important symbols must be extrapolated along the way. Each column of the table begins with the series of digits or symbols that are meant to be learned or extrapolated (as many of the tables throughout the recipe has). This first table is likely to be one of the most difficult steps for the ET to interpret, as no prior knowledge is expected to be had, so starting off is reliant purely on pattern recognition. Without understanding anything else, the following list of steps is one possible way in which the ET can begin to understand the meanings of these tables:
A couple of things that may still be misunderstood at this point are the commas between the symbols in the heading of the first column, as well as the underline-line in either column's heading. Each of these things will become a pattern after interpreting the next table - at which point extrapolations can be made.
This table demonstrates the more commonly used (on Earth) decimal system by comparing each value to its equivalent binary value. With the use of the previously learned ellipsis, this table should be relatively easy to grasp. On top of the general decimal demonstration, it will have become a pattern at this point that the symbols and digits which are to be learned in each table (assuming there is a new one to be learned) are listed at the top, separated by a common symbol (',').
This table demonstrates the method of representing decimals and/or portions of a whole.
This table introduces the concept of negative numbers via a simple (to us) number line.
Simple examples of the results of different arithmetic with enough of each to deduce a pattern which describes each operator's function.
Simple examples of the results of different powers and roots with enough of each to deduce a pattern which describes each operator's function.
This tables serves the purpose of acknowledging the existence of the symbols in the alphabet. Applying any use to them is not necessary for this table.
Recognizing the positive and negative signs, the value listed below the graphics corresponding to the number of protons, and a third neutral color which not always corresponds to the number value (specifically Lithium-7, used here instead of Lithium-6 since it is the more commonly found isotope of Lithium in nature), should be enough to determine that these graphics represent atoms.
Directly below the atomic number can be found the element's symbol, which would be meaningless until the following Table, however the letters in each symbol would be recognized as part of the Alphabet from Table 8.
From left to right, the first three elements would be recognized from their symbols from Table 9. This would suggest the purpose of the rest of the table (namely the elements). The periodic table itself has many patterns to the way it is structured (metallic affinity, ionization energy, atomic radius, electron affinity, etc.), and an extraterrestrial that knows their chemistry would likely be able to deduce many, if not all, of these.
This table demonstrates a few simple chemical equations using the elemental symbols learned in the previous tables. Simple arithmetic symbols are employed here, however the addition of the arrow is included here. An intelligent ET would likely recognize that the arrow is employed for something similar to an equals sign, but not exactly the same.
Using the simple chemical equation from Table 11, the equation is expanded and accompanied by the molecules' stick structures to demonstrate their in-real-life appearance a little bit better and to further clarify their orientations (since some more complicated chemical formulas may have the same atoms but different structures, see table 22 for an example).
Having developed an implied pattern between the chemical formula and the corresponding stick structure in the previous table, this table simply expands on that with a few more common stick structures.
Demonstrates that the absence of an element's symbols in a complicated stick structure implies the presence of Carbon to Hydrogen bonds.
This table simply defines the value which makes up a mole.
This table is extremely important. Attempting to define the meter is unlikely to be successful in this table alone (considering different screen sizes displaying different distances), but the idea that it represents some type of distance is enough for now. The second animation is a simple demonstration of the duration of a second. This was accomplished with video editing software which rendered at 24 frames per second on an animation that was 24 frames long. The Kg is represented by the number of moles of water molecules it would take to equal 1 Kg. The joule is the simplest to represent since it can be represented algebraically by math that has already been described.
Should any of these units be misunderstood by this table alone, the following table should help to aid in any confusion or incompleteness.
This table helps to supplement the understanding of the information in the previous table, and also another homage to the Pioneer plaques. Considering the fact that Carl Sagan, one of the greatest minds in recent history, believed this diagram to be sufficient enough for an intelligent species to understand as representing the Hydrogen Line, it's validity extends to this pizza recipe. Using this constant behavior of Hydrogen, the units previously introduced can be more clearly represented. The speed of light is also introduced here as "c", which, after understanding the unit of "s" and of "m", should be a clear definition.
Temperature proves to be a difficult property to describe without using language. However, using the Kelvin scale, a temperature of 0 K is as cold as it gets (which is easy to come to terms with [as an ET] as opposed to Celsius or Fahrenheit equivalents), and recent calculations have shown that the hottest the universe can get before physics begins to break down is approximately 1.4*10^(32) K. A commonly known property somewhere between these two values is the freezing/melting point of water, hence the ice water point on the number-line-style diagram.
This table introduces the properties of a circle (represented with distance markers which would have been learned when introducing the meter). The constant π is also described as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.
Using the information described up to this point, the remaining tables describe the ingredients and simple steps to making a basic pizza. Images of the ingredients are initially provided, followed by their chemical makeups and/or components.
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