So, I’m going to try to finally put to rest the debate over the glass half full versus the glass half empty.
I have long maintained that I refuse to debate this question…I’ll simply steal the glass and at least have it to show for my efforts (as opposed to a silly argument).
The answer above doesn’t seem to satisfy many, so here’s my attempt to lay out my logic.
There is no such thing as a glass half full or a glass half empty. Here’s why:
As you know, we are surrounded by an atmosphere that fills most everything around us, or attempts to crush it with relentless force.
If you fill a glass 1/4 full of water, the rest of it is full of air. Were it not, there would be a vacuum above the water. Note: water boils in a vacuum and would quickly disappear out of any glass lacking air/atmospheric pressure. Therefore, a glass that is 1/2 full of water, is also 1/2 full of air and is, by very definition, completely full (of both air and water).
Measuring the amount of liquid in a vessel is not an exact science. If you took chemistry or physical science, a fairly significant amount of time should have been spent teaching the class how to read a graduated cylinder. Here’s the reason:
Due to surface tension, water does not lay level in a vessel. It forms a concave surface, which is rather subjective to read (see graphic to left).
If you are trying to get exactly 1/2 of a vessel full of water, it becomes rather difficult to be precise.
When trying to fill a vessel to exactly 1/2 full, sometimes less than a drop is needed to bring you to exactly 1/2. Often, a drop will take you to more than 1/2. Removing a drop may take you below 1/2. It’s nearly impossible to get anything exactly 1/2 full.
You will also note that water evaporates. Let’s pretend you can get a glass exactly half full. The second you accomplish this, evaporation will decrease the water to below half. In fact, the very act of pouring water into the glass increases the amount of water evaporating. Even if you could magically attain a glass 1/2 full, it would only be 1/2 full for a fraction of a second in time.
Thus, I reject the very premise that there can be a glass half full or half empty. I can only hope I get a glass out of the deal.
