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Re: How do we get something hot?



Leigh Palmer writes:
Herb asked his class "What is heat?" The question is not the correct
one. The first meaning of heat should be as a verb, and this question
conceals that completely.

According to Webster's dictionary, heat is a noun with 14 different
meanings.

Precisely the problem. In physics it should be a verb with one
meaning and a noun with the meaning of the quantity associated
with the process described by the verb. A multiplicity of
meanings is detrimental to understanding.

His second question, "How do we get something hot?"
Is much more to the point, but the puerile reaction he received should
indicate that some thought must be exercised in formulating this
question.

Your classification of the reaction that I received as "puerile" is
interesting. According to the dictionary the word puerile means,
childish, siill, immature, silly. Actually the reaction that I received
from the class was none of these. It reminded the class that there were
other meanings to the word heat that are usually unmentionable in a
formal classrom setting.

The etymology would have that as "boyish" rather than "childish",
and yes, I fully understand the inference drawn in the context.
That is quintessentially boyish. Did you also observe puellish*
behaviour?

Leigh

*Don't bother to look that up unless you have the right dictionary.
It's not in our language.