Solved cryptogram
Hard water is water carrying dissolved rock, which is why a kettle scales up and soap will not lather.
Chemistry Facts, sourced to U.S. Geological Survey.
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What it means
Rain that soaks through limestone or chalk picks up calcium and magnesium, and those stay in the water when it comes out of a tap. Heat it and they come back out of solution as scale on the element of a kettle or the inside of a pipe. They also react with soap to make an insoluble scum instead of a lather, which is why the same bar washes differently in two towns. Nothing about hardness makes water unsafe.
The claim comes from U.S. Geological Survey.
- SourceU.S. Geological Survey
- CollectionChemistry Facts
- Difficultyeasy
- Length82 letters, 19 unique
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