Substances do not Boil at Boiling Temperature

Abstract

In scientific jargon there are many terms that, due to historical tradition, subsist despite not keeping strict semantic rigor with a given phenomenology. In this way, different scientific meanings can coexist in a denomination. This “polysemy” causes confusion in the interpretation and in the use that students of initial science courses make of them (terms and concepts). In this paper, we present examples of some of these terms and denominations within the topic of changes of state, focusing on the boiling temperature. Its definition generates the incongruity that substances do not boil at the boiling temperature. In addition to the discussion on the possible origin and implications of this paradox, we present a proposal for the modification of certain definitions that, beyond the difficulties that its imposition could entail, tries to generate a space for reflection on the subject among teachers that could be extended to the classroom, enriching students’ learning.