The Beauty of Explaining Things in Simple Terms

Berkeley, Sunday, February 1, 2026 00:54 AM

Life is consistent.

But sometimes focus and attention no.

There is a beautiful prayer before starting the liturgy of the hours or Divine office, which says as follows:

“Lord, open my lips to praise your holy name. Cleanse my heart of any worthless, evil or distracting thoughts. Give me the wisdom and love necessary to pray this Office with attention, reverence, and devotion. Father, let my prayer be heard in your presence, for it is offered through Christ our Lord.” Amen.

As usual, after thanking the Lord for the opportunity to be alive, and to continue entrusting myself to his guidance. It is good to acknowledge silly errors, probably for being in the wrong space, even if digitally.

OK. Rushed to sleep to do things tomorrow.

On the simple things:

I was trying to make sense of the about 210,000 m3/s or 230,000 m3/s, which is about the average water discharge of the Amazon River in its lower reacher, probably, or likely that its the mean annual discharge to the Atlantic Ocean.

Well, depending how is my routine. If it is a normal, productive, writing and reading one, I might have a 1 litter water bottle with me. I have not necessarily tracked how much water I do drink. Let’s say two litters on a day. I do not always drink from that water container, if I am at home, I have other jars.

But I am using the typical 1 liter hydro flax water bottle. Well, my actually is 21 oz. Ok. So 1 litter is about 33.814 oz. Thus, 21 oz would be 621 ml

If the Amazon River on average discharge about 6,600 Km3 per year to the Atlantic.

But also using the range from the first line, that would mean that about 22 million litters of water with sediments flow through a cross section of the river at who knows, near Obidos or Monte Alegre in the lower Amazon. So, about 35.4 million of a content equivalent to my water bottle, would be the volume of water per second that would flow in one of those cross section. 35.4 million of my water bottles. I mean it is important to have clear measurable reference that one could make sense of. But those numbers are still impressive. Hard to fully grasp. So, better to use the standard measurements, and then a physical reference.

Assuming that the velocity of river flow is 0.75 meters per second, which would be about 2.7 km per hour, or 1.67 miles per hour. That is very slow. It is slower than walking. So, I should check that velocity.

Well, an about average width of the river in that area, might 6.2 km. It be wider in high flow.

A depth could be about 48 meters.

So now, in terms of volume. and making and assuming that the land between MLK and Milvia from Virginia until Berryman, would be flat, which is not. Because there is a small underground creek there, and also starts the divide between that creek and Codornices creek in that land. But regardless, assuming that it is flat for this exercise or that water level can be paralell to the ground, then if that land area were full of water up to my neck, or about 1.50 meters, that volume of water would be the equivalent of what is flowing per second in the lower Amazon. In one second. And that is the average flow, which range would be equivalent to counting the volume from either Virginia St or Cedar st to Berryman. Some blocks are longer than usual in that area. But it would be between 4 to 5 blocks South to North, times 2 blocks east to west.

Also, a similar measure, and likely flatter would be along Shattuck, well between Shattuck and Milvia, from Vine to Hearst. Same, water up to my neck. Same Analogy.

Back to the velocity flow of 2.7 kilometer per hour. The equivalent dimensions of the cross section, would through MLK from Chevron (Hopkins) until Mac Arthur station in terms of wide. That is huge cross section, 6.23 km wide. The equivalent of the depth would be from Patty’s house to Elizabeth house. Or about the short block in Rose, between Henry and Shattuck, where UPS is located.

I will think of something of that depth to make the analogy of the average cross section.