Coming from the Great Lakes area, I am no stranger to cold and frigid temperatures. However learning that Kamloops has very dry summers and cold long winters does not entice me to move and adjust to Kamloops climate. Apparently, they have freezing temperatures that are possible six months out of the year.
Pros: Low cost of living, a growing economy, and excellent healthcare and education systems.
Cons: Homelessness, rattlesnakes, dry summers and long a&$ winters.
Being used to frigid temps, I have learned a few things growing up that are important to know when living and driving in a cold region. Especially during the winter, I was taught to get my vehicle emergency-ready. My mother and grandfather suggested that I put the following items in my vehicle:
- Blankets
- Flares
- Jumper cables
- Flashlight
- Shovel
- Sandbags
- Dry food of some type
- Extra pair of boots, gloves, and a wool hat
As my ancestors taught me, if you’re going to break down in the winter, you had better be prepared! However, there was a time when, even with the above items in my car, it did not help the situation I was in. At work one evening, there was an ice storm, and when I went to leave, my doors were frozen shut, and I could not open them. Below, let’s discuss how to defrost vehicles when something like this happens.
Can you pour hot water on a frozen car?
No, absolutely not. You should NOT pour hot water on a vehicle when it has frozen over. The American Automobile Association (AAA) and the Automobile Association (AA) both recommend against using hot water on a windshield, which can crack or shatter glass due to the sudden change in temperature.
Pouring cold water is also a bad idea, as it can freeze on the glass and make matters worse. Once the ice has started to melt, you can begin removing it with a scraper and brush.
Rapid temperature changes in glass can cause it to crack, and automotive glass is no exception. Science tells us glass is an insulator, so when glass experiences rapid changes in temperature, one side of it shrinks faster than the other, leading it to crack.
How about moving on to more of the science end of all this and why the glass cracks?
Why does glass break with hot water?
Once you pour boiling water into/onto the glass, the inside part of the glass expands due to heat while the outer layer remains cool. Once exceeded or expanded as far as it can and the glass can no longer contain the pressure, it will start to crack. This is also known as “thermal shock.”
In mechanics and thermodynamics (disciplines of physics), thermal stress is mechanical stress created by any change in the temperature of a material. In general, the greater the temperature change, the higher the level of stress that can occur. Thermal shock can result from a rapid temperature change, resulting in cracking or shattering. Yikes!
When my younger son was a toddler, he and I used to like to make up science experiments (or, as he called them ‘spearmints”) when we were outside playing in the snow or when he was in the bath with water. Most of it was natural science or physics type of stuff.
What are the activities related to physics?
Physics is a diverse and intriguing field that involves a plethora of activities and experiments designed to understand the natural world. One fundamental activity in physics is studying the behavior of pendulums, calculating their swing distance, speed, and duration. This simple yet profound experiment helps in understanding the principles of motion and gravity. It was also a way I taught my son how to understand rhythm in a musical context.
Light is an essential aspect of physics and is explored through the study of refraction and reflection, particularly as it pertains to lenses and prisms. This exploration extends to the study of how light, including radio waves, is transmitted, reflected, or absorbed by various objects. Additionally, the polarization of light is examined in terms of reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, and birefringence, showcasing the intricate behaviors of light under different conditions.
Magnets are super fun for kids to learn about physics and their interactions. Experiments often involve observing how magnets attract or repel each other, identifying the metals or elements they are attracted to, and understanding the historical discovery of these magnetic reactions. Similarly, the forces involved in simple machines—such as levers, wheels, gears, and pulleys—are critical subjects in physics, shedding light on fundamental mechanical principles.
Sound waves are also meticulously studied, with a focus on pitch (frequency), loudness (amplitude), and quality (harmonics). This study includes observing sound wave behavior through various materials and frequencies and examining how different objects affect these waves. Related to sound, the behavior of waves in water, including both transverse waves like tsunamis and longitudinal sound waves, reveals the dynamics of wave energy.
The study of electrical phenomena includes the operation of various electrical instruments and the effects of supply circuits. This area expands to cover the production of electrical energy, its transmission through power lines, and its distribution to homes and buildings. Additionally, how electromagnetic waves transmit energy over distances using wires, open spaces, and screens is a crucial part of understanding communications and power distribution.
Chemistry and physics often intersect, particularly in studies of chemical reactions. This includes understanding the relationship between reaction rates and temperature, the role of catalysts, and examining atomic-level properties such as structure, bonding, and behaviors under heating or cooling—experiments like examining the boiling point of water at different altitudes or atmospheric conditions illuminate real-world applications.
Understanding force is another critical area, encompassing different forms and applications to various objects. This also involves analyzing the balance between external work and internal reactions, often questioning if more work necessarily yields better results. Within this realm, the effects of collisions, both elastic and inelastic, and the potential and kinetic energy of bodies in motion are further explored, considering factors like speed, acceleration, and mass.
The innovative use of waves to uncover secrets about natural phenomena, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and ocean depths, demonstrates the practical applications of physics. This extends to studying the kinetic energy of a moving object, considering its speed, direction, mass, and position, and defining work as the use of mechanical force to move objects over a distance.
Kamloops pros and cons
In conclusion, although pouring hot water on a frozen windshield is NOT such a good idea, there are a variety of other activities in physics to do, from studying the laws of motion to dividing up colors into different spectrums that will hopefully not warrant a claim on your automotive insurance!
