Correcting a solid myth
To the editor:
There is such a pervasive, wasteful, troublesome misconception in this boarding home that I’ll bet it has been promulgated throughout the industrial world by an industry that stands to gain higher profits while wasting our natural resources, taxes and personal finances.
The consequence is that our ice cream in this boarding home is served half melted, everything in our freezer thaws partially and has to be refrozen, the walls of the freezer have to be refrozen and we have to wait longer for ice cubes.
Have you guessed what the misconception is yet? It is that hot water freezes quicker than cold water. It is rooted in the obvious fact that heat escapes from a red hot object sensationally faster than from a warm or cold object. While this is factually true, it is a misconception to think that this cooling speed continues unabated all the way to zero degrees.
So will you help save our planet by promulgating this simple, obvious law of physics, a warm object takes longer to freeze than an exact cold one.
Lucille Toussaint, president
Resident Council
Westfield
