Here is an excuse to get your mate naked into the bathtub: an ancient physics experiment.
A while back, LoDown reported that Hong Kong Polytechnic University textiles expert Fan Jintu had devised a volume-height index (VHI) as a more accurate predictor of women's attractiveness than the traditional body mass index (BMI).
Professor Fan has now shown VHI is equally applicable to men, in an article in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society in London. He asked 43 volunteers of both sexes to rate dozens of 3-D scanned male bodies, arguing that their ratings matched his VHI formula - take the body's volume in litres and divide it by the square of the height in metres. BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height squared, in metres.
Obviously VHI is more difficult to measure than BMI, so LoDown will reintroduce the ancient method of Archimedes. This means getting all naked, then: 1) Submerge yourself completely in bath water. 2) Mark the water level. 3) Step out of the bath and mark the lowered water level. 4) Use a measuring jug to add water until it reaches the first level; the amount of water added is your volume. 5) Measure your height, square it, then divide your volume by the resulting value.
The magic number for attractive men, according to Professor Fan, is around 18 - like Brad Pitt's wax dummy (above) - while the ideal for feminine beauty is about 14. Do try this at home.
