THE TEEMING MILLIONS POUNCE
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Alex, I want you to know that I am filled with Christian love for you, your insufferable personality notwithstanding. Permit me to amend your objection so it makes some sense. The second law of thermodynamics states that, left to themselves, things tend to go to hell in a handbasket. The truth of this assertion is irrefutable, but it has no bearing on the present discussion. What you’re thinking of is Einstein’s equation E = mc2, which suggests that the extraction of energy from matter (e.g., during digestion) involves some loss of mass.
Now suppose somebody opens a window. Does the weight of the plane change? Of course, because everybody is sucked out of the cabin and killed. But that’s not the point I was trying to make. Let me think. Oh, yes. Antecedent to the loss of payload, the plane still weighs significantly less, if not necessarily a whole pound less, because it’s no longer a closed system. Some of the downward force of the air being beat down by the pigeon’s wings is dissipated to the exterior darkness. This may not seem like a big deal, and perhaps it isn’t, but I have always thought an appreciation of the thermodynamic realities enhances one’s quality of life.
