Ask the experts.... Trivial questions

[reds4ever]

Originally posted by Tau Ceti
While we are talking about strange things in the English language, how did "before" and "without" get their current meanings? Earlier (in Shakespearean times, at least) they had their logical meaning, being the opposites of "behind" and "within", and you would use the lovely "ere" and, um, whatever you would use for "without" instead. So what happened?

they evolve and get distorted the same way as 'terrible' (full of terror??), ruthless ( no compassion?) etc

[KrazyHorse]

More Importantly

Why is it that the US Postal Service delivers the "mail" but the Royal Mail delivers the "post"?

Why is it that Canada Post can't be arsed to do either?

[Wittlich]

Originally posted by rah
Personally, I've always loved.........

You park on a driveway, and
drive on a parkway.

RAH

Actually, a driveway is named because you drive on it to, normally, get to your carport/garage. A parkway was named because these "roads" normally ran through a park or wooded area, hence "parkway" or a way through the park.

[Provost Harrison]

I've heard it called either to be honest with you

[reds4ever]

the earth rotates on its axis (no not of evil) every 23 hours 56 mins, where to the other 4 mins get to?

[Provost Harrison]

I presume they are accounted for by the rotation of the earth around the sun which adds, effectively, another rotation every year, hence the other 4 minutes a day And they do add the odd 'leap second' here and there too to account for any other discrepencies...

[reds4ever]

now i Am confused

[Provost Harrison]

Bah, because I don't know how to explain it

Look, imagine the earth didn't rotate at all. However the rotation of the earth around the sun would still mean that the part of the earth exposed to the sun would change during the year due to the movement. And it is this effective rotation that accounts for the extra 4 minutes...

Did that help?

Probably not. Can someone else explain?

[Tuberski]

Why, oh why, do people where I am from use the non-words irregardless and unthaw??????!!!!!!!!

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by reds4ever
the earth rotates on its axis (no not of evil) every 23 hours 56 mins, where to the other 4 mins get to?

Difference between a sidereal day (measured wrt the stars, which are a basically fixed reference frame) and a solar day (measured wrt the sun). In one year, the Earth rotates 366.2422 times wrt to the stars, but only sees 365.2422 solar days.

365.2422/366.2422 * 24 hrs = 23 hrs 56 min

[Provost Harrison]

Yes, that is what I am trying to say, although I don't think that explanation really helps the layman either

[reds4ever]

Thanx, Provost, i think iv'e got it! but don't you think it's a coincidence that the time it takes the earth to revolve is so near a day? thats not the case for the other planets?

[KrazyHorse]

I could just tell him to apply the transformation matrix to go between the two frames of reference.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by reds4ever
Thanx, Provost, i think iv'e got it! but don't you think it's a coincidence that the time it takes the earth to revolve is so near a day? thats not the case for the other planets?

I think it is because of how long a rotation of the earth is that a day is such a length. And no, not all days are the same length. I think the day of Jupiter is about 10 hours, and Mercury's about 88 days IIRC.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by reds4ever
Thanx, Provost, i think iv'e got it! but don't you think it's a coincidence that the time it takes the earth to revolve is so near a day? thats not the case for the other planets?

1 solar day = 1 day because that's how it's defined.