Wikipedia:Discuss The Same Subject
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This is an essay. It is not a policy or guideline, it simply reflects some opinions of its authors. Please update the page as needed, or discuss it on the talk page. |
In articles on topics of some contention, and on talk pages where the points of view are opposed on an issue on one or more levels, please take the time to determine if the subject you are discussing is actually the same subject being discussed.
For example, if the topic under discussion is water vapor, it is of great importance to know where the water vapor is, what temperature it is at, and what in what context it's being used. Steam is not the same as clouds nor as evaporation nor as greenhouse gasses. As an example, here are what the pages here on Wikipeia have to say about those four:
- Water Vapor:
- Gaseous water represents a small but environmentally significant constituent of the atmosphere. Most of it is contained in the troposphere. Besides accounting for most of Earth's natural greenhouse effect, which warms the planet, gaseous water also condenses to form clouds, which may act to warm or cool, depending on the circumstances. In general terms, atmospheric water strongly influences, and is strongly influenced by weather, and weather is modified by climate.
- Greenhouse Gasses:
- Greenhouse gases are components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Certain human activities, however, add to the levels of most of these naturally occurring gases.
- The major natural greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36-70% of the greenhouse effect on Earth (not including clouds)
- Steam:
- In common speech, steam most often refers to the white mist that condenses above boiling water as the hot vapor ("steam" in the first sense) mixes with the cooler air. This mist is made of tiny droplets of liquid water, not gaseous water, so it is no longer technically steam.
- Clouds:
- A cloud is a visible mass of condensed droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. The branch of meteorology in which clouds are studied is nephology. On Earth the condensing substance is water vapor, which forms small droplets or ice crystals, typically 0.01 mm in diameter. When surrounded by billions of other droplets or crystals they become visible as clouds.
However, don't let that stop you from being bold and if needed you can also ignore all rules. Just make sure the topic is the same one, and not just a bunch of people having an unrelated conversation between two or more people involved.
