[TheForge] Slack tank...POL OT edging back on topic

[peter fels & phoebe palmer]

So; if Frosty needed to quench an anvil face in the frozen winter,
He might haul it out on thick ice ( over a shallow bottom),
and flop it face down..
Mmmmmm, maybe not...Picturing the anvil popping up and down  in an ice 
shaft ,on  repeating steam explosions.

On 12/18/2010 11:28 AM, Mike Spencer wrote:
> To get this slightly back on topic...
>
> If your 400 gallon stock tank has half an inch of ice on top and you
> toss in a 500# red-hot anvil, everybody will agree that there is
> GTW. [1] If, OTOH, you quench a few or a few dozen pieces of hot 1/4"
> round, you'll get some 1/4" holes in the ice and most spots on the ice
> or in the tank will remain unchanged.  Imaginary micro-folks living
> near a quench point will see stormy/steamy weather and maybe a little
> flooding but will rely on news from down the ice that things remain
> normal. And they may sneer at any GTW scenario. Semper eadem. [2]
>
> But if you go on quenching those 1/2" rods, a few dozen every minute,
> there will come a time (allowing for the imprecise specs of this
> rather cavalier model) when all or most of the ice is gone.  Then
> things will begin to get interesting, exciting or even scary.
>
> I'm pretty much with Bruce and thought I'd just try to wrangle this
> back On Topic, however precariously. :-)
>
>
> [1] Global Tank Warming
>
> [2] Semper eadem: "Always the same". Personal motto of Q. Elizabeth I,
>      on the coat of arms of England during her reign.  She was a snappy
>      dresser but her motto was overly optimistic.
>
>
> Bruce wrote:
>
>> *In a a room at normal "room temperature", place a thermometer and
>> an ice cube or two in a cup of water and stir well.  The thermometer
>> WILL read 32*F (0*C).  (This is a fact and is not subject to
>> debate.)  Keep stirring and watch the ice and the thermometer.  The
>> thermometer will continue to read 32*F until the ice is GONE.  (This
>> is also a fact, not subject to debate.)
>>
>> At that point the water temperature will begin to rise (at a rate
>> dependent upon many things) until it eventually reaches room
>> temperature.  Note that while ice is present in the glass, the
>> temperature does not change despite the fact that warming is clearly
>> occurring.  This is due to the distinction between heat (which is
>> increasing) and temperature (which does not increase until the ice
>> is melted).
>>
>> Now apply this to the Earth.  The average temperature on earth will
>> not increase significantly till all the ice is melted.  (Due to
>> inhomogeneity of mixing, this statement is not such an absolute as
>> the statements about the ice water, but in general it is true.)
>> What this means is that "global warming" refers to an overall
>> increase in the BTU content of the Earth, and NOT to an overall
>> increase in its temperature.