Condensation- Words without Meaning
Often in my workshops and presentations I tell the story about going to a microbrewery after the day ends with a group of teachers attending a summer institute. Having presented on the topic of misconceptions, and how students can use words wothout meaning, I frequently illustrate an example by asking a question of the bar tender that goes like this: ” I was wondering why there is all this water on the outside of my beer mug?”. In this example (and the teachers were sitting with me waiting to hear the response), the bar tender replied “Oh, that’s just condensation.” But then I asked, “But where does this water come from?” Well, that is when it got interesting as he pointed to the inside of the glass and said, well, it kinda comes out of here and then goes out here and touches the glass…” The point is-even adults, like this college age bar tender, can use the word “condensation” but not know that the water comes from the air.
Well, I was in Austin, Texas a couple weeks ago and told this same story to the group I presented to. That night I went out to a BBQ joint with my friend Vanessa and decided to replay the scenario I described in my presentation. I said to the cute, college-age, young server, “My friend and I were curious about all this water on the outside of my margarita. Can you tell me why it’s so wet?” He gave the predicted answer- “Oh, that’s just condensation.” Well, I then asked (looking at my friend with a twinkle in my eye)- “Yes, but I just don’t understand where it came from- how did it get there?” Then it got really interesting as he explained the permeability of the glass and then went on to talk about molecules and energy transfer on the outside of the glass. I stopped him and said, “But I don’t understand, are you saying it came from inside the glass or outside?” He answered by saying “Both- because it is permeable.” Well, I thanked him and then it got even better when he said, thinking we were two women who didn’t have a clue about science, “I was a biology major in college and I really love this stuff.” Clearly- he threw a lot of concepts out there but didn’t know how to put them together to make sense of the phenomenon.
If you have never tried “Where Did the Water Come From?” in Volume 4, try it with your students, your spouse, servers at resturants, your children, etc. The answers you get may surprise you!