Dear Humans,

As a kid I spent a lot of time thumbing through football cards. And those football cards–tiny little books full of information–told me almost everything I needed to know about a football player: their position, their height and weight, their statistics, and where they went to college. 

Because each season has over a thousand players making tens of thousands of plays, and the only way to be able to make any sense of it all is to break it down into the important parts.

We do the same thing as scientists. We know things in the world by their properties. By their shape and color and mass and density and many, many others. This not only allows us to see things and know things (even when they’re hiding), but to communicate with others about this shared reality we call life.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt