As previously stated, I prefer miniature Reese’s to the full-sized cups. In fact, I prefer most miniature candy bars to their standard equivalents. I justify this preference texturally: There seem to be more crunchy edges to mini candies.

　　Today I learned that no less than legendary astronomer Galileo Galilei has a mathematical law that explains my preference. His square-cube law, credited to him though other scientists and even lay people like myself intuitively understand it, states the ratio of two volumes is greater than the ratio of their surfaces. Put another way, if a solid object shrinks, its volume shrinks more than its surface area does.

　　Ergo! A miniature candy has a higher surface-to-filling ratio, which I like. The square-cube law also has implications for biomechanics and rocket engines—but we’re just here to debate mini vs. full-sized candies, right?