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Re: AC electricity in CA



John M. wins the phys-l humor award for January 2001!




Steven T. Ratliff
Associate Professor of Physics
Northwestern College
3003 Snelling Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55113-1598
U. S. A.

Internet: str@nwc.edu (or stratliff@nwc.edu)





John Mallinckrodt <ajmallinckro@CSUPOMONA.EDU>
Sent by: "phys-l@lists.nau.edu: Forum for Physics Educators" <PHYS-L
01/18/01 10:05 AM
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Subject: Re: AC electricity in CA


I was listening to NPR on the way home and the lead in to the power
crisis
said that they were not enough electrons to go around.

Further evidence to support the contention that we should never
try to communicate subtle concepts from modern physics to
laypersons. Obviously, the NPR folks had simply heard about
Wheeler and Feynman's suggestion that there is only one electron
and drew their own understandably faulty conclusions about the
relevance of that fact to the the California energy crisis.

I can personally attest to the fact that news reports on the
energy crisis have been purely sensational. As I write this, we
are supposedly in the throes of a third stage alert as has now
become a daily occurrence. Nonsense; if energy is so short, how
come I am able to sit at my computer and write this messa