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Expressing Measurements Via Analogies & Comparisons

Indeed.

To return to slagging off lazy journos:


That's actually quite a good analogy: 28 cyclists' power output = one electric kettle!

Unfortunately it's not true: Guy showed his kettle drawing 2800 watts so that rates the cyclists at 100 watts each. 100 watts is the rule of thumb output for a man (probably a young man) at rest. That average cyclist must be able to put out at least 300w for short periods.

sedentary oxo
The average cyclist probably has far more 'resistance' when they are asked to produce the extra 300 watts!
 
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I had a mate who used to give people street directions based on locations of sex shops/massage parlours... (In a certain district of a certain city).

No distance measurements involved, but whoever he was trying to help had to know to take a left at Jenny's Massage Parlour or whatever.
 

Asteroid the size of 48 eggplants to pass Earth Tuesday - NASA​


https://www.jpost.com/science/article-740160

"Asteroid 2023 HF4 is rather small as far as asteroids go, being estimated by NASA JPL to be around 12 meters in diameter at most."

I think the Jerusalem Post is just baiting us so we post links to it.

I had a mate who used to give people street directions based on locations of sex shops/massage parlours... (In a certain district of a certain city).

No distance measurements involved, but whoever he was trying to help had to know to take a left at Jenny's Massage Parlour or whatever.

Once, when I was in the waiting room of a shop that specialized in muffler replacement, I heard someone give directions based entirely on muffler and auto repair shops.
 
Let's ask them...

Dear Aaron,

Please can you include as one of your future analogies, an asteroid/meteorite etc compared to an amount of footballs?

Thanks.

That way we might find out if they read this forum.
Would that be "soccer" balls? American/Canadian footballs? Australian rules?
 
It's Israel so it would normally be footballs as in what you call Soccer.

There are a variety of sizes, but for professional games size 5 is used all over the world.
I think we need something more obscure than footballs to test this. Kumquats? Beer kegs? Hugh Lauries?
 
An excellent site here which details each of the traditional 'imperial' measurements of length, how they relate to other measurements, and where they got their names from and how their usage came about. (it also has pages on area, weight, volume etc)
Tres interesting.
https://www.theedkins.co.uk/jo/units/length.htm
Thank 'Ee for a most intriguing 40 minutes Trev...Everything fell away and I was in Saxon times, Iron age times - even earlier. I was down the Pits with both Grandads, and then back up to to the Bonk, and then in my twenties, working on the Compositing floor as a proofreader.

My days on the tools weren't listed unfortunately, where a Bee's bum, and a gnats arse were common utterances, among others that meant nipped up - or nice and tight (I'll leave that one out), and the shimming measure of 5 thou...which I shall also leave out.

Once again Trev - thank you Mate. A very enjoyable 40 minutes.
 
An excellent site here which details each of the traditional 'imperial' measurements of length, how they relate to other measurements, and where they got their names from and how their usage came about. (it also has pages on area, weight, volume etc)
Tres interesting.
https://www.theedkins.co.uk/jo/units/length.htm
Seems like they made use of anything at hand with a fixed length, or other form measure.
 
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An excellent site here which details each of the traditional 'imperial' measurements of length, how they relate to other measurements, and where they got their names from and how their usage came about. (it also has pages on area, weight, volume etc)
Tres interesting.
https://www.theedkins.co.uk/jo/units/length.htm

Pleased they included the golden ratio as a good approximation between miles and km, though not the consequence that you can use successive terms of the fibonacci sequence to convert.
 
Pleased they included the golden ratio as a good approximation between miles and km, though not the consequence that you can use successive terms of the fibonacci sequence to convert.
Had to look it up online to find out exactly what this 'Golden Ratio' was. . . started out - to find that it's the basic measure of a snails shell! Fascinating stuff, when you realise that all these shapes are the basic frameworks of... EVERYTHING!

1682852682494.png
 
An excellent site here which details each of the traditional 'imperial' measurements of length, how they relate to other measurements, and where they got their names from and how their usage came about. (it also has pages on area, weight, volume etc)
Tres interesting.
https://www.theedkins.co.uk/jo/units/length.htm
I love that this handy piece of information was written by a woman:bthumbup:
 
On another forum, a chap was showcasing his new patio laying* handiwork. His wife was stood at t'other end, and of course her added:
Wife for scale!




*Queue dark patio/spouse jokes
 
No. It's 5 pictures of Miss Marple but 4 different actresses.
But if you're being pedantic, it's only 1 Miss Marble Marple.
Being pedantic - yes of course I was, as to being 'visually accurate' is more important!
 
Asteroid the size of 20 bald eagles to pass close to Earth Monday - NASA

An asteroid the size of around 20 bald eagles is set to have a close flyby of the Earth on Monday, May 22, NASA's asteroid tacker said.

The asteroid in question has been designated 2023 JK3, according to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

https://m.jpost.com/science/article-743719

maximus otter
 
The headsmaking silliness of some these measurements have been compared to three and a half giddy limits.
And why so many asteroid descriptions? All I care about is, is it landing here and if so, do I need to be worried? A 20 bald eagles sized asteroid passing "close" is not worrying to me.

Usually the "close" distance is an ocean span at least (I'm not good with ridiculously large measurements) . Why don't they describe what close is?
 
And why so many asteroid descriptions? All I care about is, is it landing here and if so, do I need to be worried? A 20 bald eagles sized asteroid passing "close" is not worrying to me.

Usually the "close" distance is an ocean span at least (I'm not good with ridiculously large measurements) . Why don't they describe what close is?
Two Phews distance?
 
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