Subject: Sublimation
From: rjg@umnstat.stat.umn.edu (Robert J. Granvin)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 93 4:30:02 EST


Some time ago, I was taking a ground school class for private pilots. During the sessions on weather, the instructor wanted to discuss the concept of sublimation--the act of going from a gas to a solid skipping the intermediate stage(s). e.g., frost--water vapor in the air becoming a solid on surfaces without first going through the liquid stage.

Wanting to see if the class had understood the concept, the instructor asked if anyone could provide an example of something that went straight from a solid to a gas (expecting ``dry ice'' as the answer), a previously unknown section of my mind took control of my mouth and immediately emitted the word ``burrito.''

It took the instructor about 10 minutes to regain an academic composure.


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