Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site rabbit.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!rabbit!ark
From: ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: $7400 coffepots
Message-ID: <3224@rabbit.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 11-Oct-84 14:19:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: rabbit.3224
Posted: Thu Oct 11 14:19:07 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Oct-84 05:57:28 EDT
References: <638@pucc-i>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 14

I can think of one thing that might make a coffeemaker designed
for use at high altitude very expensive.

If you have a vessel full of nearly boiling water
and there is an abrupt decompression, that water will all
start to boil very suddenly, and spray all over whoever is
nearby.  I can see how (1) designing a coffeemaker that
doesn't do this could be considered a non-trivial safety
issue, and (2) building one might be expensive.

Pilots of light airplanes are warned to be extremely
careful when opening a thermos of hot coffee while
flying, because the change in pressure can cause
exactly this sort of abrupt boiling.