This document is an introduction to of some of the science relevant to preparing boiled eggs. It has evolved from a letter published in the Last Word section of New Scientist magazine (04-April-98) which answered a question by Chris Finn, who asked 'Does anybody have a formula to calculate the boiling time for a soft-boiled egg, given its weight and initial temperature?'.
Much of the information presented here is well-known and compiled from secondary sources (e.g. nutritional information printed on egg boxes!). As far as I know, the formula for the time required to boil an egg given its size and initial temperature is novel. However, it's very easy to derive so I would be surprised if it hadn't been previously discovered independently by others. Please let me know by email C.D.H.Williams@exeter.ac.uk if there are points in this document that need clarifying or correcting.