Cold falls

If I had lived back in the really old days, I would have been an “observational scientist,� like Copernicus or Aristotle. Lacking real tools, much of what they believed was based on simple observation and deductive reasoning.

Today it is generally believed that heat rises. Simple observation will tell us that in actuality, cold falls, pushing heat upwards by displacement. Let’s look at this objectively.

The first thing I observe is the falling snow. An avalanche is the most dramatic example; tons of snow hurtling down mountainsides. A smaller, but more easily observed example is the ice sliding off of the roof and the icicles hanging down from the eaves. On a larger scale we see icebergs breaking off of the poles and floating toward the equator. Look at your globe. It is obvious that the ones from the North Pole are sliding down.

The South Pole is also sliding down. It is not immediately obvious because we are used to thinking of the North as the top and the South as the bottom, but in reality the equator is the bottom and the poles are both at their respective tops. This is supported by the observable motion of the icebergs.

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Now you might ask why the bergs do not sink to the bottom of the ocean. That is because the water is actually colder, although it feels warmer, kind of like how liquor makes you feel warmer when it is actually lowering your body temperature (this is also why you want to lay down after a few drinks). You must simply observe the position of the icebergs for confirmation.

Now somebody will come running with a thermometer to “proveâ€� that the temperature is the other way around. Well don’t you believe it.  They will tell you this is a fact. Well, you can prove anything with facts. Who says that red line in there actually measures heat? Maybe they put the numbers where they wanted on the gauge after they saw which way the red stuff was moving.

Let’s take this to the personal level. What is the first part of the body to experience the cold? The feet! The lowest part. In fact the feet can become so cold that they drag the rest of the body down. Just look at the hapless person trying to walk on ice.

They are constantly falling down. When you have injured yourself and want the swelling to go down you run, or hobble, for the ice pack. Finally, when you have a cold you are possessed by an overwhelming desire to lie down.

Oh, sure, here they come with those thermometers again. You’re not fooling anyone you know.

Bill Abrams resides (or, should we say, “chills out�) in Pine Plains.