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No half measures at the gas pump
We keep saying we have the definitive answer, you keep proving us wrong.
“As a fluid dynamics engineer,” writes Mike Papworth – and that’s not a phrase we relish as the opening to an email – “I have watched with amusement the philosophical discussions over the half full/half empty glass issue.
“In fluid dynamics terms the glass is always full. All that happens is that it moves from being 100 per cent full of a liquid to being 100 per cent full of a gas.
“At no time is it half full or half empty: as full and empty are volumetric rather than density terms the change of fluid is irrelevant.’
Which may be true, but we don’t think the clientele of The Stack would settle for this when they’re served a pint of air.
Look, sorry to burst the bubble but half-full and half-empty are not indicators of optimism or pessimism unless you persist in using one only. The real answer is simple: it depends on whether you have been drinking it down or filling it up. The difference between half-full and half-empty is in the direction of progress.
Posted by :Anthony Rose | October 2, 2007 2:15 PM