I was working in a scrap yard in
Southern England during summer vacation at an engineering university. I
used to work repairing construction equipment.
One afternoon, I was taking apart a piling hammer that had some very
large bolts holding it together. One of the nuts had corroded on to the
bolt; to free it, I started heating the nut with an oxy-acetylene torch.
As I was doing this, one of the dimmest apprentices I have ever known
came along. He asked me what I was doing. I patiently explained that if
I heated the nut, it would grow larger and release its grip on the bolt
so I could then remove it.
"So things get larger when they get hot, do they?" he asked.
Suddenly, an idea flashed into my mind (I know not from where.)
"Yes," I said, "that's why days are longer in summer and shorter in
winter."
There was a long pause, then his face cleared and he said,
"You know, I always wondered about that."
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