For three days, freshman Sam Mitchell went home after school to methodically cut and analyze dozens of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in standard, king size, miniature, mini and special Halloween varieties.

     After dissecting the candies, measuring their lengths and recording his findings, he calculated the volume ratio of peanut butter to chocolate to determine which type had the highest proportion of peanut butter, presenting the information on National Public Radio’s podcast series, “How To Do Everything.”

     “I’ve always loved doing math since I was little, so when the producers [of the podcast] asked me to find which Reese’s [peanut butter cup] had the most peanut butter, I was really interested,” Sam Mitchell said.

     On Oct. 13, Sam Mitchell was a featured guest on “How To Do Everything,” which focuses on answering a central question. He was asked by the producers to find the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shape with the highest percentage of peanut butter, which the hosts of the show assumed to taste the best.

     Sam Mitchell reported his calculations on the show and answered questions about his research process and results. He found that the cup with the highest content of peanut butter was the king size, pumpkin-shaped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

     Sam Mitchell said he used basic volume concepts to solve the problem, measuring the diameters and heights of the peanut butter and chocolate sections to compare their proportions. The shape he based his calculations off of was a frustum, or “a cone with the tip cut off.”

     “I saw that a typical, round Reese’s [Peanut Butter Cup] is in the shape of a frustum, and that the special Halloween editions were in the shape of an elliptical frustum,” said Sam Mitchell. “I just made sure all my measurements of the diameters and thicknesses were correct and then used volume formulas.”

     According to Sam Mitchell, the phone interview for the segment was during the school day, so teachers and faculty helped coordinate a quiet place to do the interview. One staff member was Maria Vasilopoulos, instructional supervisor for the math department.

     “They ended up changing the time, so we had to move rooms due to [reservation] conflicts,” said Vasilopoulos. “Sam had to miss his lunch and gym.”

     Candace Mittel, producer of “How To Do Everything” and Sam Mitchell’s math coach, said she chose to have him featured because she was impressed by his aptitude for math after working with him for three years. Although the podcast typically features experts or professors, Mittel said Sam Mitchell spoke just as well as them.

     “Even though he is just 14 years old, Sam was able to be just as articulate, precise and personable as the adults,” said Mittel. “I think it just shows how mature and talented he is.”

     According to Sam Mitchell’s mother Elisa Mitchell, he has always been a natural problem solver.

     “I remember in fourth grade, Sam’s teacher called me one day and told me his math ability was way higher than what she was able to teach,” said Elisa Mitchell. “… I think that natural knack and passion for math was really highlighted in the podcast.”

     Sam Mitchell said he will never forget being on the podcast.

     “Eating all the Reese’s [Peanut Butter Cups] was pretty delicious,” said Sam Mitchell, “But hearing my voice on that podcast and knowing others were hearing it too, that was pretty awesome. I think that’s the most memorable part of the whole experience.”