How to Explain a Virus to Kids and Dumb People
Mr. Science Fellow here! I have the easiest ever demonstration you can try at home.
Let's back up here. I saw a person who was obviously intelligent in other areas make the stupidest objections to the latest CDC directives. It inspired me to help you understand why the rules change indoors, outdoors and in other situations.
Here's a list of what you need for this science experiment:
- 1 spray bottle, preferably of a lightly scented, non-toxic substance, like Febreeze
That's it. That's all you need. Now let's get on with the experiment.
Step 1: Pick any room in your house and spray the mist into the air. Notice how it almost forms a little cloud and takes a few seconds to start to dissipate and head to the ground. Also, notice how some of the fragrance is still in the air? That means some smaller droplets you can't see are still there.
Step 2: Head outdoors and spray the mist into the air. Notice how the mist and the fragrance are both gone much, much faster, and, in some cases, you won't see a mist/cloud form at all?
Now, imagine those two occurrences were someone's hot breath, cough or a sneeze. The longer the moisture in those hangs, the more chances you have to breathe it in repeatedly, which means the greater chance you have to catch something like COVID-19.
We can make this experiment simpler just by using words. Would you rather be trapped in a car while someone passes gas, or would you rather be next to them outside when they pass gas? You have literally been proving why places with greater circulation, especially of fresh air, are healthier your whole life.
This even extends to the idea of wearing a mask to your table in a restaurant or when you go to the bathroom there. At your table, there's a much smaller likelihood of you encountering a person you don't know's "moisture bubble."
None -- and I mean none -- of this is hard to figure out. If you just think for a split second, you can keep yourself safe.
We're almost to whatever the new normal is going to be. Let's not ignorant of basic, provable science because we don't like being inconvenienced.