The Skinny on Windshield Protectants
On a day when the sun is reported missing across the Northern Hemisphere and spring is later than an eBay parcel mailed from Mongolia, I distract myself with online quizzes to kill time, or at least wound time. For example:
The statement, “A
chemical reaction never creates products that weigh more or less than the
reactants” is based on three centuries of experimental observation. This statement is an example of:
· a law
· a theory
· a
hypothesis
· a datum
If you guessed “a law”, congratulations. You’ve remembered something from Grade 10, besides going to the prom with Bill Gurney.
But if you care about practical applications of your knowledge, I’ve made up a quiz of my own. Give yourself 20 seconds to correctly answer this question.
Which of these
substances are said to clean the exterior windshield of your car and cause it
to repel rain water?
- Beechnut tobacco
- A wet, cooked corn cob (no butter)
- A raw potato cut in half, jabbed with a
fork to release secret juices, then rubbed all over the windshield
If you circled ALL THREE answers, congratulations. You are a fine judge of human ingenuity.
