Dear Humans,

Yesterday we learned about the history of thermometers and the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales that we use to measure temperature. And I told you that water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is true in the way that most things can only ever be true–it’s true under certain conditions. 

Pure water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level. But where we live at over 5,000 feet, pure water boils at about 203 degrees. But, again, it depends on the conditions.

We use tools to try to understand the natural world, but these tools often show just how complex and dynamic that natural world is. It does not easily give itself up to our understanding. And yet our attempts at understanding it will never stop.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt