Re: Boiling

[Jim Green <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>]

> Because the boiling point is so close to 100 and the freezing so
> close to 0, I doubt this information will make much practical
> difference in the lives of my general education students.

I don't know that I agree here.  Intro and HS students use 10 for g
routinely, but they know that this is just a close approximation so
pedagogically mox nix in my opinion.  OTOH students and their teachers (as
witnessed by comments on this thread) and for that mater apparently authors
of current texts (Serway, H&R, & Apostle, et al.) advertise (and apparently
the CRC Handbook) that Celsius is just another name for "Centigrade") It
will take years to overcome this error -- just as it is taking years
(centuries) to overcome other legends.

It is not he inaccuracy in the data that I abhor as much as the poor
conceptualization.

> But it is, nonetheless, very interesting trivia, and I will

I don't look upon this issue as trivia -- it is conceptually wrong to
preach the traditional errors

> definitely save this post.  I'll probably even forward it to my
> students (with your permission, I hope, Jim).

Be my guest -- but don't use my name. <g>

> Thanks, Jim, for the
> very clear summary of an interesting topic.  I think that as physics
> teachers we at least ought to be _aware_ that the two temperatures
> are not 0 and 100 exactly, and maybe inform our students, at least in
> passing.
>
> Do our physics texts contain this information, or do we all have to
> go to PChem books to find this?

I would be please to hear of _any_ current intro physics text which
explains this correctly.  I was sorely disappointed to have to find this
referenced in a PChem text.



Jim Green
mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen