Tags: steam engine
Categories: Pseudo-explanations
An example of anthropomorphism in popular science writing (about the Newcomen design of steam engine):
"Initially the piston rests at the top of the cylinder. Once this is full of steam, the inlet valve closes. Cold water is sprayed into the cylinder, cooling the steam inside, causing it to condense into water. Because water occupies much less space than steam, this creates a partial vacuum below the piston. Atmospheric air will always try to fill a void, and the only way it can do so in this arrangement is by pushing the piston down."
Paul Sen (2022) Einstein's Fridge. The science of fire, ice and the universe. William Collins.
Read examples of anthropomorphism in science
