Science 300

Scene:

It’s dark outside. It’s late at night. I come home after a long day ready to be in my own house and ready to unwind. I turn the key in the lock and push the front door open and attempt to turn on the light. I flip the switch on. Darkness remains. I flip the switch off, then on again, repeatedly, hoping that this nightmare will end. But, alas, it does not end. I am standing, lightless, in my front room, in complete and utter despair.

I compose myself after cursing everything under the sun and stop to think, “The light is out, now what? “ My mind is racing with possible causes of my front light’s demise. I fear the worst: maybe the power company has shut down?! Maybe there is a pole down outside somewhere cutting power from the entire neighborhood?! Is it my house?! Does it need to be completely rewired?! Did the switch break somehow?! Then I calm down and I wonder if maybe the light bulb simply needs to be changed…

As my nerves calm, I take a look back outside and observe. The streets lights are still on. The neighbors seem to be able to power up all of their electrical domestic devices. So their goes that theory! It’s not the worst! The power company has not gone bankrupt or shut down for any other reasons! There is not a pole down on some mountain affecting the surge of power that runs to my ‘hood. An outside source is not the cause of the lack of light in my front room.

I begin to look around my house and observe. Are my other electrical domestic devices powered up-like the refrigerator? How far away is the closest light switch? Can I make it there in the dark to flip the switch? I have an “ah-hah!” moment and pull out my cell phone to use the little bit of light it emits to fumble down my hallway to the next light switch. I go for the flip and viola! Success!! The hall light comes to my rescue and sheds light where there was none!

I’m still unsure as to why the front room light has forsaken me? There are at least two possible reasons that I could...