#Conduction May 7

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In 1976 I was taught a real “Life Lesson’ about CONDUCTION.

For the month of May the #Coach4adayChallenge is to share Life Lessons. This particular lesson is on thermal energy. The class occurred on a Friday evening in a small Lee County (NC) unincorporated crossroad called Lemon Springs NC. It happened inside of a small country store. I was in Lee County evaluating a high school basketball player in 1976 for East Carolina University who played a game that evening.

The reason for me being exposed to this Physics lesson is not very flattering but it is true. After the basketball game I was looking for a few beers to drink on the ride home from Lee County to Pitt County NC. Remember this was 1976, I was 23, and stupid for drinking and driving. I am not offering up an excuse but I wasn’t the only person I knew who did this. Attitudes and behaviors about drinking and driving have dramatically changed in this country but that wasn’t the case in January 1976. I had a two hour drive back to East Carolina University and wanted a cold beer.

I stopped in a store and immediately saw 6 packs of beer piled in the aisles near the cold drink display. I looked inside of every cooler door and didn’t see any beer. The only beverages were on the floor. I was befuddled and thought maybe the clerk was lazy for not stocking what was in the aisle into the cooler. I went up to register and asked where was the cold beer. He replied that the law in the Lee County prohibited the sale of “cold” beer. It could only be sold hot. I was amazed that there was such an ordinance. I headed to the door when the clerk said “Do you really want cold beer?” Well yea!

He told me that for $1.00 he could get my warm beer cold in two minutes. I was apprehensive but I choose a six pack up off the floor paid my $3.00 for the warm beer and slipped him another $1.00 for the privilege of getting cold beer. He told me to drive around back and he grabbed my six pack. I now thought I was about to be scammed because he had my $4.00 and I had no beer, hot or cold. I drove to the back door and he waived me inside. He had a large galvanized tub of ice and was spinning my 6 beers frantically with all ten of his fingers . After two minutes he stopped and told me in a country twang, “This beer will make your back molars hurt”. I grabbed the beer from him and was amazed at how cold it was. I had just paid $1.00 for a physics lesson on CONDUCTION. It is a lesson I have never forgotten.

For those that need a refresher Heat CONDUCTION or thermal CONDUCTION is the transfer of energy from a warmer substance to a colder one through direct contact. My ingenious store clerk friend had used CONDUCTION to circumvent some archaic alcohol regulation. He showed me that we can learn a “Life Lesson” from just about anyone.

Here is a video that shows how someone has also invented a drill attachment to assist with CONDUCTION. Apparently warm beer is still a issue in America.