User talk:DOwenWilliams

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Welcome to Wikipedia, DOwenWilliams! I am EWikist and have been editing Wikipedia for quite some time. Thank you for your contributions. I just wanted to say hi and welcome you to Wikipedia! If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a message on my talk page or by typing {{helpme}} at the bottom of this page. I love to help new users, so don't be afraid to leave a message! I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

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EW_ikist^Talk 14:17, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

External links

Welcome to Wikipedia. Although everyone is welcome to contribute to the encyclopedia, one or more of the external links you added do not comply with our guidelines for external links and have been removed. Wikipedia is not a collection of links; nor should it be used as a platform for advertising or promotion, and doing so is contrary to the goals of this project. Because Wikipedia uses nofollow tags, external links do not alter search engine rankings. If you feel the link should be added to the article, please discuss it on the article's talk page before reinserting it. Please take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia. Thank you. 69.181.249.92 (talk) 20:06, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Equation of time

Would you please add a citation to Equation of time to explain what reliable source you obtained the QBasic program from? Jc3s5h (talk) 19:46, 24 August 2010 (UTC)

(Reply copied to more appropriate place)

You sent me a note asking for a source of the QBasic routine I posted on the Equation of Time page. The short answer is, the source is in my head. I wrote the code myself. It is taken from a much longer program called ETIMSDEC, which can be found, along with a whole lot of explanation and other related material. at [Link]. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Run ETIMSDEC, and you'll see how accurate it is!

I have studied solar stuff for several decades, and also pride myself on being a competent programmer. I assure you that what I posted is good stuff.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 20:33, 24 August 2010 (UTC) David Williams

Thank you for your reply. Just so you know in the future, comments about other users should be made on the user's talk page, such as User talk:DOwenWilliams or User talk:Jc3s5h. I will look at the web site you provided to see if it is suitable to be cited as the source.

Please take a look at WP:Verifiability which explains the need to provide reliable sources. In this particular case, if a person had the capability of checking the program himself, he probably wouldn't need the program to begin with. Jc3s5h (talk) 20:58, 24 August 2010 (UTC)

I am not sure how well known the Green Life Innovators site is, so I have asked if it is a suitable source at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard‎#Source for QBasic program. Jc3s5h (talk) 21:14, 24 August 2010 (UTC)

Actually, I wasn't suggesting that every user should check the program himself. I was suggesting that if an editor, e.g. yourself, has doubts about its reliability, he could check it by running ETIMSDEC, and then decide whether or not the routine should be in Wikipedia.

I have no idea what they'll tell you about Green Life Innovators. But I am quite certain that the code I posted is good.

Delete it if you want. I have plenty of other copies to use myself! Other people won't know what they've missed.

I'm not sure what you mean by referring to "comments about other users". I just replied to the note you sent me, which didn't refer to anyone else. I thought I put my reply on your User talk page, but I may have made a mistake. If so, sorry.

While I have you, let me ask you an unrelated question. Does anyone ever compare articles that are written in different languages? I can read several languages reasonably well, and have sometimes looked at articles in English, and also the corresponding articles in Spanish, French, Italian, and (with some effort) German. Often, they are nowhere near alike. It's like Spanish-speaking people live in a whole different universe...

DOwenWilliams (talk) 22:59, 24 August 2010 (UTC) David Williams

Computer code to calculate Equation of Time and Solar Declination

The following subroutine, here written in QBasic but easily translatable to other languages, calculates the Equation of Time and the Solar Declination on any day of the year. It is quite accurate. Its Root-Mean-Square error for the Equation of Time is only 3.7 seconds. The Declination is calculated with errors that are always small compared with the angular radius of the sun as seen from the earth (about 0.25 degrees).

I originally posted this on the main pages entitled "Equation of time" and "Declination", here on Wikipedia. However, it was removed by editors because I could not provide a citation to a previous publication, other than to ones I had written myself. I could, and did, refer to a computer program including this routine, which demonstrates its accuracy. But apparently direct observation does not satisfy the rules.

Anyone who wants further information should follow the following link: [Link] The program that includes the routine is ETIMSDEC. There are instructions how to run it. The article titled "The Latitude and Longitude of the Sun", which I wrote several years ago, describes the astronomical logic behind the routine.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 21:26, 29 August 2010 (UTC) David Williams

FUNCTION ET.Dec (D, F%) STATIC 
  ' Calculates equation of time, in minutes, or solar declination, 
  ' in degrees, on day number D of year. (D = 0 on January 1.) 
  ' F% selects function: True (non-zero) for Equation of Time, 
  ' False (zero) for Declination. 
  ' STATIC means variables are preserved between calls of function 
 
  IF PI = 0 THEN ' first call, initialize constants 
 
    PI = 4 * ATN(1) 
    W = 2 * PI / 365 ' earth's mean orbital angular speed in radians/day 
    DR = 180 / PI ' degree/radian factor 
    C = -23.45 / DR ' reverse angle of earth's axial tilt in radians 
    ST = SIN(C) ' sine of reverse tilt 
    CT = COS(C) ' cosine of reverse tilt 
    E2 = 2 * .0167 ' twice earth's orbital eccentricity 
    SP = 12 * W ' 12 days from December solstice to perihelion 
    D1 = -1 ' holds last D. Saves time if D repeated for both functions 
 
  END IF 
 
  IF D <> D1 THEN ' new value of D 
    A = W * (D + 10) ' Solstice 10 days before Jan 1 
    B = A + E2 * SIN(A - SP) 
    D1 = D 
  END IF 
 
  IF F% THEN ' equation of time calculation 
    C = (A - ATN(TAN(B) / CT)) / PI 
    ET.Dec = 720 * (C - INT(C + .5)) ' this is value of equation of time
    ' in 720 minutes, earth rotates PI radians relative to sun 
 
  ELSE ' declination calculation 
    C = ST * COS(B) 
    ET.Dec = ATN(C / SQR(1 - C * C)) * DR ' this is value of declination
    ' arcsine of C in degrees. ASN not directly available in QBasic 
 
  END IF 
 
END FUNCTION

December 2010

Thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia. Before saving your changes to an article, please provide an edit summary, which you forgot to do before saving your recent edit to Marlborough College. Doing so helps everyone understand the intention of your edit (and prevents legitimate edits from being mistaken for vandalism). It is also helpful to users reading the edit history of the page. Thank you. Trafford09 (talk) 18:04, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

I was a student at Marlborough during the 1950s, while Thomas Garnett was the Master (Headmaster). As I was glancing through the Wikipedia article about the college a few days ago, I noticed that his name had been mis-spelled in a link, with the result that an article about someone named Tommy Garrett was shown in error. So I simply fixed the spelling of the name. It didn't seem like a big enough deal to warrant a long explanation. DOwenWilliams (talk) 19:59, 31 December 2010 (UTC) DOwenWilliams David Williams

Hi David. Thanks for the reply (it's fine for you to just reply here - I leave people's talk pages on my wp:watchlist, if I've added to them). It was good of you to correct the misspelling, as you did. It's just that we are supposed to supply an edit summary with each edit - even if it's just (in this case) 'sp' which people will assume means spelling correction. And another tool we registered users have at our disposal, of course, is being able to set the 'wp:minor' flag. Both these actions mean that any edit-patrollers don't need to go into our edits to examine them for vandalism. Hope that makes sense.

Anyway, happy continued editing. Regards, Trafford09 (talk) 23:40, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

It must be nice to be able to rely on vandals not to write "sp" in the edit summary space or set the "minor" flag!

I just saw the edits you made on my main user page. Sure! I don't mind! Those ones where I had written "prosecutions's" were well worth doing. I must have read the words 100 times without noticing the extra "s". You made an edit on another page a few weeks ago where I had written something like "grass may be be green", and you deleted the extra "be". Again, I had read it many, many times without spotting it. Thanks!

I didn't actually sign those posts on my user page. I copied them there from User talk:Fountains of Bryn Mawr, on which I was having a discussion with him about the value of citations. I signed them there, and didn't bother to delete the signatures when I copied them.

Happy New Year.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 16:16, 2 January 2011 (UTC) David Williams

Reverting Heliostat Edits

What edit did I make to the heliostat article are you calling erroneous?Ywaz (talk) 16:52, 15 November 2011 (UTC)

See some paragraphs I've just written on the talk:Heliostat page. DOwenWilliams (talk) 22:37, 15 November 2011 (UTC)

Regarding the use of "due to."

The example you cited from the Concise Oxford Dictionary is an example of the correct use of "due to." In the strict grammar that I was taught and taught my writing students "due to" is only properly used in a linking verb construction such as the phrase you provided: "the difficulty is due to our ignorance." "Due to" should not be used to introduce a clause; for example, "Due to the bad weather, I won't be able to work outside."

You are right, however, in that the use of "due to" as a synonym for "because" has become common usage. I always told my writing students that if they couldn't understand the grammar rule for the use of "due to" to avoid it and use "because."

My apologies, by the way, for not providing an authoritative source, as you did for your comment. I moved on to another career decades ago and gave away almost all my stylebooks and grammar guides.49oxen (talk) 02:45, 28 November 2011 (UTC)

The function of red links

Hello DOwenWilliams, I am writing to you to explain why I am reverting this undo.

I think what you meant by "Links should link to something" is that you wanted to get rid of the red links. While red links are of course not perfect, they do have a function at Wikipedia. As the nutshell at Wikipedia:Red link explains, "They serve as a clear indication of what articles are in need of creation, and encourage it." The way I see it is that the Wikipedia editing process is like diffusion; each editing step may go in a random direction and end up in an intermediate strange place, but there is an overall gradient that we're trying to follow. So, while I agree it's desirable to get rid of red links, the preferred direction is towards resolving them, rather than simply removing them. In this case, I agree with the IP editor that an explanation of the technical terms would be much more in order than links to the family of birds that happen to decorate the device.

So, what to do? There are several ways to resolve red links (these are described in the section Wikipedia:Red link § Dealing with existing red links, but I find that section quite confusing, so here's my understanding): If there is an article that explains at least part of the "red" topic, then one can either change the link or create a redirect to that article or section.

For carriage pole, I was first thinking of making it a redirect to some appropriate section of carriage or chariot, but I wasn't able to find any such section, either. Those articles, while relying on the term don't even explain it. Encarta World English Dictionary defines it as "Shaft on a horse-drawn vehicle", so one might think a link to shaft might be in order, but that doesn't contain the correct item either, which is, as Encarta goes on to explain, "a single shaft projecting forward from the front of a vehicle between the animals that draw it and to which those animals are hitched". After I wrote this, I found that there also exists an article horse-drawn vehicle, which has at least a short explanation of the term. Maybe that could be clarified and expanded. (BTW, I just realized that the article seems to link to none of the articles, carriage, chariot or horse-drawn vehicle, which also makes it harder to find the explanation for such technical terms.)

The case of trip-mechanism is a bit more involved, as well. A google search yields a number of articles that might be relevant, but it seems they use the term in different meanings. Maybe instead of a redirect, a disambiguation page would be more appropriate here. I To decide which of these is meant here, I would have to spend more time understanding the mechanics here than I have right now. What do you think? You seem to be interested in and good at technical issues, so maybe you understand right away which one is meant here. If you have a solution, please don't hesitate to implement it as you see fit. Thanks, — Sebastian 01:32, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Yes. I thought of changing the words "carriage-pole" to something like "harness-pole", since the function is to be something to which the horses are harnessed. However, since the passage is a quotation from someone else's text, I didn't feel free to change it.

The "trip mechanisms", I am sure, were devices that initiated something like the ringing of a bell when the road wheels had made some pre-set number of rotations. They are mentioned in the description of Wu Deren's vehicle, which functioned as an odometer as well as a south-pointing chariot. Ancient Chinese odometers were very different from the tame little devices that can be found linked to the speedometers of modern cars, telling how far the vehicle has travelled. Chinese odometers were more like travelling circuses, with gongs that sounded, horns that blew, figures that whirled on trapezes, and so on, all controlled by the revolutions of the road wheels. There was no numerical display that showed how far the device had travelled, but anyone who watched and listened to the circus acts could figure out the distance. However, all of this is only obliquely relevant to the south-pointing chariot as such, so I don't feel that we should go to great trouble, in this article, to explain what trip-mechanisms do. There is an odometer page. Maybe there is a description of these mechanisms there.

I dithered for several days before deciding to revert the edit you made that set up the red links. (At least, I suppose it was you.) If you're passionate about keeping them, I don't really object. There's a whole lot much worse in Wikipedia. I find some every day.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:52, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Funny that you would think I was the same editor. Do you doubt the veracity of my statement "I agree with the IP editor"? Is it really so improbably that one editor would agree with, and stand up for another editor here?

That said, I will go with Hanlon's razor, and suppose you simply overlooked my statement. So, let me tell you what motivated me to write to you. It wasn't that I feel so strongly about these particular links.

Firstly I saw a familiar pattern. I've been around here quite a while, and I have seen many good and dedicated editors - just as you and the IP editor seem to be - run into black/white situations that ended with one or both giving up in frustration. That hurts because it's a triple loss - for the involved editors, for the readers, and for the other editors whose time is wasted cleaning up the mess. The most common start for this downward spiral are "I-know-better-than-you" reversions that disregard the intentions of the other editor.

Secondly, I needed to make you aware that thre simply is no such rule as "Links should link to something", and I don't think it is good to assert such made up rules towards editors who appear to be new and inexperienced. This is why I titled this "The function of red links" and why I tried to understand and address what I think you meant.

These two reasons are also why I'm spending more time than I should on this talk page again. As you rightly say, there's a whole lot much worse in Wikipedia. I am afraid that if you mistake this for a mere disagreement over one or two second-rate links, you are missing the point, and you will run into the same situation with the next editor soon. I would really therefore strongly recommend to consider that (apart from vandals, of course) other editors usually have a reason for the edits they do, and that simply reverting them often implies a negation of these reasons, which naturally doesn't go down very well with many people. So please take some time to think what the other editor intended, and look for a way to accommodate both her and your intention.

Finally, please don't take this personally. I am very happy that you care about Wikipedia; I am grateful for your contributions so far, and I wouldn't write this if I didn't have the strong hope that it will help you navigate some of the all-too-human cliffs in our waters. I know that you mean well, and I'll be happy to assist you when you need help from an administrator. — Sebastian 11:30, 27 December 2011 (UTC)    (I may not be watching this page anymore. If you would like to continue the conversation, please do so here and let me know.)

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Declination formulas

In Declination, you combined 360°/π × 0.0167 to the value 1.914, but given 360°=2π, this instead yields 2π/π × 0.0167 = 0.052 ≠ 1.914. Which one is correct? j.eng (talk) 21:49, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

360°/π × 0.0167 is correct. The eccentricity has to be multiplied by 2. But that 2 cancelled out with the one in the denominator. DOwenWilliams (talk) 01:36, 30 April 2012 (UTC)

External links (again)

Please note that the external links to appropedia.org fail to meet Wikipedia's inclusion criteria listed at WP:ELNO, specifically #12 "Links normally to be avoided .... Links to open wikis, except those with a substantial history of stability and a substantial number of editors." This is the same issue and for the same external site that I see an earlier warning (above) from 2010. --- Barek (talk • contribs) - 15:40, 1 May 2012 (UTC)

The amusing thing is that Wikipedia itself would clearly fail to meet the criterion of a history of stability. DOwenWilliams (talk) 16:16, 1 May 2012 (UTC)

"Laws are for the guidance of wise men and the blind obedience of fools." (Solon, the Lawmaker of Athens, d. 559 BC). DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:49, 4 May 2012 (UTC)

Earliest / latest sunrise dates

Hi DOwenWilliams - thanks for adding to the sunrise page. I had a question for you about the analemma / equation of time / sunrise dates issue. My understanding is that the earliest sunrise and the summer solstice do not correspond because there is an "east-west" component of the analemma (really a left-right component of the figure-8 shape, I think). The equation of time article says that the east-west component of the analemma is caused by the obliquity of the ecliptic and the eccentricity of Earth's orbit. Your revision said that "Only the orbital eccentricity causes the earliest/latest sunrises/sunsets to be shifted from the solstices." Can you clarify this a bit more? Thanks. TWCarlson (talk) 12:13, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

You're right. I goofed somehow. I'll fix it. Thanks for pointing it out. DOwenWilliams (talk) 14:43, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

I hunted in the Analemma, Equation of time, Sunrise, and Sunset articles, and couldn't find the wording you quoted above. I did add a few words to the Sunrise article, mentioning the effect of the axial tilt where it should have been mentioned and wasn't. (It hadn't been mentioned in any version of the article for at least the last two years.) I would like to correct the sentence you quoted, but can't find it. Could you point me to it, please? Thanks. DOwenWilliams (talk) 15:20, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

I was referring to the edit summary, not the actual article content of your revision, when I quoted you as saying "Only the orbital eccentricity causes...".

Where did you add a mention of axial tilt where it wasn't mentioned before? TWCarlson (talk) 13:18, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Compare these two revisions, and you'll see it:

(cur | prev) 14:54, 29 May 2012‎ DOwenWilliams (talk | contribs)‎ m . . (15,066 bytes) (+29)‎ . . (→‎Time of day) (undo)

(cur | prev) 12:41, 26 May 2012‎ Velella (talk | contribs)‎ m . . (15,037 bytes) (+179)‎ . . (Reverted edits by 92.96.165.80 (talk) to last version by Waldir) (undo)

Maybe that omission, which dates from long ago, misled me into making that stupid edit summary. Oh well.. DOwenWilliams (talk) 14:23, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Arclength of an ellipse as function of central angle

If you could add some info regarding the length of an arc of an ellipse considering the central angle, please do so. It would be appreciated--82.137.9.72 (talk) 12:48, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

There must be a way of calculating this, but I can't find it in any book I have here. It looks like a fairly horrible integral, which I don't feel like tackling right now. Even if I did, and got sn answer, I couldn't put it into Wikipedia. That's called "original research", and is a no-no.

If I had to find a numerical answer, I'd probably write a computer program to add a huge number of terms, each representing the length of a tiny segment of the ellipse. That shouldn't be too difficult. I've done that kind of thing in the past. See, for example:

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Focus-Balanced_Paraboloidal_Reflector

Good luck!

DOwenWilliams (talk) 14:56, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

See Elliptic integral

I'm more than ever convinced that I'd tackle this problem by programming a computer.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 17:38, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Long Branch

Hi David.

Looked at Long Branch today (moreso lately because of the recent vandalism) and saw your change.

I think that the section should go after the paragraph about Sam Smith and before the paragraph on incorporation (followed by the street naming paragraphs).

That keeps the chronological development of Long Branch in place early on the page.

Historical sites should refer to more specific sites in Long Branch. I kind of understand moving the paragraph where you did, but the page will read better if its moved above the street sections.

Paul — Preceding unsigned comment added by Paul Chomik (talk • contribs) 18:40, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Hi David.

Have restored order to the chronological history under "HISTORY", so that there is continuity between Col. Smith's family and the Eastwoods.

The vandalism (the edit you refer to) is posted by Teksavvy Solutions Inc., under the names; Fwagent (currently blocked by Wikipedia), IP 206.248.139.134 (currently blocked), HarrisArsenault, 206.248.138.236, and currently, Jason Steeven Peck.

Whoever that is is deliberately posting false content that does not apply to Long Branch.

The more people who monitor this page and reverse the vandalism, the better.

This guy is seriously compromising the integrity of Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.254.52.246 (talk) 17:48, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

I used to be a high-school teacher. I learned that when a kid is disruptive, constantly correcting him can be the worst thing to do. It rewards him by giving him attention. It's generally better to ignore him until he gets fed up and quits, then quietly correct whatever he has damaged.

Blocking vandals from editing is of limited usefulness. They can always just go to an internet cafe and sign on with a different address. It might be better to block everyone from editing this article, except a few selected individuals.

Fortunately, in the grand scheme of things, Long Branch is pretty unimportant. I imagine that almost nobody reads the article except those of us who live here, and know the facts from direct observation. I doubt that anyone is being misled by the vandalism.

Regards.

David

DOwenWilliams (talk) 20:49, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

Horizon

Hello DOwen,

I wanted you to see what I see when I'm flying around 8,000'. If you look at the horizon just above the clouds, you will see a clear curvature of our Earth. I'm not implying you substitute this photo for the one from NASA; I just wanted you to know I'm not completely nuts!..Thanks for all the fun and education.

Your friend....Pocketthis (talk) 19:23, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

Zero-g fire extinguisher?

• Hello Dowen,

I'm here in reply to the question you presented to me on my talk page. I had to sit and think about it a bit, and in theory it sounds like something worthy of further thought. My only concern is the Oxygen factor. I don't know how much oxygen there is at 30,000 feet where Commercial Aircraft fly, however, I fly small single engine craft; and never above 10,000'. I can promise you there is still plenty of oxygen at 10,000'. Even with no gravity, logic would dictate that fire would not extinguish with just the lack of gravity with oxygen present. To discover if your idea holds water, you should contact NASA and ask them if someone in the space station has ever tried to light a match. Those guys float around in zero gravity with almost pure oxygen surrounding them. Of course that's why we see them on TV with no spacesuits on. Interesting subject I'll admit. I would tend to think that the match would light with oxygen present in zero gravity; however, I sold my Spaceship last week, and can't test it for you. :) Pocketthis (talk) 18:12, 31 December 2012 (UTC)

There are people (idiots, in my opinion) who climb to the top of Mount Everest, which is about 30,000 feet high, without carrying oxygen tanks. So there must be enough oxygen up there to keep them alive. Also, of course, there's enough to keep the jet engines of airliners running.

But the amount of oxygen in the air is not the important factor in my idea. The important thing is that there would be no convection if there were no gravity. I remember, at the time of the Apollo 1 fire, it was said that the fire would not have happened if the capsule had been in orbit, even though it contained pure oxygen at 16.5 psi pressure. Incidentally, one result of the fire was that later Apollo craft, including all the ones that were actually launched, had nitrogen-oxygen atmospheres, not pure oxygen. See Apollo program#Disaster strikes. I'm not sure about the space station, but I suspect it also uses nitrogen-oxygen. The Russians always used nitrogen-oxygen. They were very leery of pure oxygen.

I'll try to find out more....

DOwenWilliams (talk) 21:08, 31 December 2012 (UTC)

• You might do yourself better conversing with a science editor than with me on this subject. I have a BA, not a BS. I'm artistic and logical; however, when the subject gets too technical, I don't have much to offer. I also repair watches. I'm a 3rd generation watchmaker; but if you asked how a mechanical watch movement would function in outer space, I'd have to guess and say it would run fast because of the lack of gravity. The key word in that last sentence is "guess". See what I mean? You're probably asking the wrong man to evaluate your theory. If however, you feel that zero gravity alone (even with the aid of oxygen) is enough to eliminate convection, then your parabolic path auto-pilot idea may be a lifesaver. It's certainly worth more investigation for sure. I wish you the best of luck with it; and if you become famous because of it, I can always say: "The Man ran it by me first"...:) Pocketthis (talk) 21:53, 31 December 2012 (UTC)

When John Harrison invented the first good marine chronometer, he used a balance wheel and hairspring because they are virtually unaffected by the varying accelerations of a ship at sea, unlike the pendulum mechanisms that had been tried previously. His balance wheel system is essentially the one used in mechanical wristwatches, so I am sure that a watch would continue to keep good time in zero gravitational acceleration. A pendulum mechanism would not work at all, of course.

I'll ask around about the fire thing... Thanks for letting me run it past you.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:59, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

• Well that one was easy to figure because the pendulum functions 'because' of gravity. If there was no gravity to swing the pendulum back down, the action would cease. The reason I think a watch with a balance wheel would run a bit fast, isn't because of the balance wheel itself. The balance is pushed with an escapement system from the maim spring, and the hair spring aids in the return action to the pallet. However, the tolerances in the movement are very touchy. One movement screw too tight, and the movement slows down. In zero gravity, the tolerances in my opinion would be affected slightly, and it may run a tad fast. Again, it's an educated guess. If the movement was assembled in zero gravity, the tolerances would be preset for that environment, and it would run just fine. The tolerances are so touchy in a mechanical movement, that if one was set up in a humid climate, and was shipped to an arid climate, the watch would run a few minutes faster; because the oils are affected by the climate change. I deal with it all the time. I personally had never heard about the parabolic path until you educated me on it, so I'm the wrong Pilot to ask. Sorry about that, but thanks for the education. P.S. You are now an apprentice watchmaker. :) Pocketthis (talk) 16:17, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

• • One more tad of info on my watch theory: Mechanical movements are set to "positions". The more positions a watch is set for at the factory, the more expensive the movement becomes. The arbors that the wheels run on (axles), are set between the jewels. When you flip the watch over, the arbor is now running on the opposite jewel. Gravity pushes the arbor down, and gravity dictates what jewel the arbor is gliding on. There must be some space between the jewel and the arbor, or the watch would freeze up. In zero gravity, there are no positions. When you flip the watch over in zero gravity, the balance wheel staff (arbor) wouldn't budge. It would be floating between the upper and lower jewels. Thus, less friction......more speed. Fun as always D0wen......:) Pocketthis (talk) 16:37, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

• Did some NASA research for us on this watch issue. NASA was concerned about three factors concerning the use of watches in space. #1: The G forces on the movement in take off are 9 times that of normal operation. #2: The lack of 'Positions' from zero gravity. #3 No Automatic movements, since the rotor that winds the watch operates on gravity to shift it from position to position. Solution: Electric movements are the official NASA watches. Bulova Accutron seems to be the watch of choice. Watch Case closed....:) Pocketthis (talk) 18:30, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Yes. I'm sure NASA uses electronic watches *now*. So do I. I own a few mechanical ones, mostly heirlooms, but I never wear them.

But what did NASA do at the dawn of spaceflight, in about 1960? I don't think electronic watches had been invented then. Those first astronauts (and Russian cosmonauts) must have worn mechnical watches, if they wore any at all.

I always assumed that there was enough springiness in a watch movement thet the staff could lightly touch both jewels, without producing excessive foces. Oh well... Live and learn.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 21:21, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

• They made sure it was a Wind-up, and not an auto wind. I believe I remember reading the 1st model was a Sea Dweller, and there were self winding issues from zero gravity. Then they switched to manual wind, and eventually high end electrics. Nothing was ever mentioned about the timing issues, other than their concern for accuracy from 'positions'. The lack of positions was a major concern about whether or not the mechanical watch could be trusted in space. The NASA article was more of a history lesson in what watches were used and when, as opposed to any problems they encountered using them. Funny, typing all that text about mechanical watches in space, and I forget about the Rotor working strictly from gravity. Happy New Year D0wen Pocketthis (talk) 21:48, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

The rotor is not totally dependent on gravity. If the wearer shakes his wrist from time to time, the rotor will turn and wind the watch just because of the varying accelerations, even in zero gravity. Only if the wearer never moves vigorously is gravity essential.

I never trusted rotors anyway. I like to have several watches and choose which one to wear each day, but that means that each watch is unworn for several days. Rotor-driven ones stop.

My biggest complaint about electric watches is that they are often affected by static electricity. In cold, dry, winter weather, my clothes rub against my watch and produce static. If it has a digital display (which I like), I often find it telling ridiculous times. Analog displays don't suddenly jump to weird times, but I suspect they are affected to small extents. A digital watch with some kind of static protection would be good for me, but I have never seen such a thing for sale. Oh well...

DOwenWilliams (talk) 22:14, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

• I have a few Rolex watches I switch between. They are all Automatics: A Date Just, Sub Mariner, and Daytona. I have a winder I bought on Ebay. Beautiful Wood box that holds 4 watches that spin at a slow rate constantly. My watches haven't stopped running since I cleaned them last....about 4 years ago. I wouldn't wear an electric timepiece unless forced to at gunpoint. :) Pocketthis (talk) 03:10, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

Then you should come to Canada. Not many gunpoints here. Yes. Old-fashioned technology is often beautiful, but not as practical as newer things. DOwenWilliams (talk) 06:34, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

• Actually, the folks holding me at gunpoint would be my family, whom were put out of business by the advent of electric watches. There are some really classic beautiful electric watches, like the Cartier Panther. I would own one, but I would fear for my life...:) Pocketthis (talk) 15:54, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

Maybe you should use your skills and put an electric movement into a case from a mechanical watch. It might fool your relatives. ;-) DOwenWilliams (talk) 16:15, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

• Funny, I did that once when my Dad was still alive with an old Rolex case I had left over from a repair job. , it took him all but 5 seconds to notice that the seconds hand wasn't sweeping....:)Pocketthis (talk) 18:24, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

Hmmm... You should have used a movement from an electric watch which has a second hand that moves continuously.

Another advantage of electric watches, of course, is that the dial is easily illuminated for use at night. I used to have a mechanical pocket watch, with radium-energized luminous paint on the hands and hour marks. It worked just fine, and was very easy to read in darkness. But I tried leaving it face-down for a few hours on a piece of x-ray film. When I developed the film, the hour marks were clearly visible, along with a blur left by the moving hands. The radiation from radium easily penetrates a watch glass, and even the metal case. Nowadays, people are too paranoid to use radioactive paint, so mechanical watches have to be illuminated, e.g. with a flashlight, to be read. But electric watches can use electroluminescent backlighting, which works just fine. ::DOwenWilliams (talk) 18:52, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

• Ok Mr. Wizard. Hard to believe that you are such the experimental scientist, that you would actually place a luminous dial on a piece of x-ray film to see if it left its impression. This thread is now definitely out of control!! You need to get out more often. Or are you locked up by some chance? I know you're not in a straight Jacket unless you're typing with your nose. :) Pocketthis (talk) 19:09, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

Long ago, I learned to type "by feel", with my hands tied behind my back.

I did that little experiment when I was working in an x-ray diffraction lab. We had lots of film, developing equipment, and so on. The experiment was very easy to do, and I found the result quite interesting. From then on, I wore the watch facing outward, even though the risk of breaking the glass was increased. Much less radiation came through the movement and case, and out from the back, than passed through the glass to the front.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 19:33, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

• So your experiment ended having practical results. Did you do it initially to see if you were at a radiation risk from wearing the watch? Fortunately, none of my pocket watches have luminous dials. They are mostly Railroad grade watches. I love the movements in them, and it boggles the mind to see the technology involved in the manufacture of watches that were around just after the turn of the century. Pocketthis (talk) 19:45, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

I did it to see if the amount of radiation was detectable that way, and was surprised to see how much there was. I had done some work with radioactive isotopes, and was used to wearing a radiation monitor, basically just a bit of x-ray film, to check my dose. The dose from the watch was, locally, well past the acceptable dose leval for long-term whole-body exposure. So I wasn't worried before doing the experiment, but I was, slightly, afterwards.

Other people must have been concerned, too. They stopped using radium, and switched to tritium, which is much safer, but is also more expensive and has a short half-life so the paint only shines for a few years. At about the time when electric watches came in, the use of radioactive paint was discontinued. Luminous paint is still used on some analog displays, but it isn't radioactive, and therefore does not glow for long after being exposed to light.

I wonder where that watch is. I haven't seen it in decades. I vaguely remember it getting broken. Oh well....

DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:33, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

• If you ever find it, I'll fix it for you...if I can borrow your radiation shield..:) Pocketthis (talk) 03:50, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

Miles/Kilometers

• Would like your opinion and comment (should you choose to leave one) here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Moon subect at bottom of page= "Miles". I would find it interesting to see what a Brit thinks of this discussion. There is a certain Admin (you will see his name in the messages) that doesn't like to discuss anything. It's the "World according to him". I finally got fed up with his terrible excuses and total lack of communication, and put my two cents into this discussion at the bottom. Give it a read when you get a chance, then you can reply back here, and tell me how wrong I am. :) My logic is: If it's good enough for NASA, it should be good enough for Wiki. Thanks Pocketthis (talk) 23:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

• Needless to say......asking you to comment in that discussion was a miserable mistake. You not only were rude and obnoxious, but wrong about India being number one. They are number 2. (http://www.indiatribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9705:india-worlds-second-largest-english-speaking-country&catid=107:coverpage&Itemid=471)

I didn't appreciate the "Yanks dictating comment", and will never trust a Limey again. I am appalled at your reply there. You should be ashamed of yourself David. Won't be going to bat for you again anytime soon. Pocketthis (talk) 03:36, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

I have never previously heard an American objecting to being called a Yank. Most of them wear the title proudly. Likewise, Brits don't object to being called Limeys. It hearkens back to the useful discovery that eating fruit prevents scurvy (Vitamin C deficiency).

A lot of people in the rest of the world do feel that Yanks attempt to boss them around. It may or may not be justified. That's a different question.

OK. If you don't want to be friends any more, so be it.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:55, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

I looked up your reference about numbers of English speakers in India. Whether there are more or fewer thn in the U.S. is, according to that article, a matter of definition. There may be 350 million "English users" there. The total US population is about 315 million.

Certainly, if you add together the English-speaking populations of all other countries in the world, in almost all of which the metric system is used, they vastly outnumber the US population.

A few years ago, I was in Egypt, and noticed that a large percentage of public signs in Cairo were in English. I was told that more Egyptians are literate in English than in Arabic.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 04:10, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

• Well David, I guess I can't expect you to be a scientific genius and be socially acceptable as well. Geekhood definitely has its drawbacks. It's actually my fault for sending a candid geek like you over there in the first place; however, I didn't dream this trivial subject would end up hitting a cord, or sore spot with you. Funny, because in my opening post to you here, I mentioned a "certain Admin." saw the world as "according to him"... Then you show up and imply that Americans only see the world according to them. Quite an interesting turn of events; however, I'm pretty sure you have noticed in all of our communications, that I am an extremely open minded person. Actually, it's the only way we learn anything. I'm glad we all seemed to come to a consensus of agreement (except for that certain Admin. whom got lost after the discussion got too hot for'em). in the Miles and meters discussion. It really was just a matter of logic having both units of measurement, since there are as many or more that come to this Wiki with no meters education at all. See you in the threads... Pocketthis (talk) 23:27, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

I am, actually, a graduate of Oxford University, in England. That's a pretty good ticket to social acceptability, at least, over there! DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:30, 6 February 2013 (UTC)o

• Someone scalped your ticket....:) Pocketthis (talk) 03:44, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

It certainly wasn't yours. Didn't you promise not to come back here? DOwenWilliams (talk) 16:20, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

• Actually, I deleted the sobbing post here about you not knowing what a friend is, so as not to deface your talk page any longer. I figured we had put our differences behind us, and was trying to be funny here, and move on. But alas...I guess it didn't work. Our sense of Humors are from different sides of the world; and being sociably acceptable isn't a Ticket. It's an attained personality. If I bump into you in the threads, it will be in the utmost respect. Thanks for all the science education. I have learned much from meeting you. All the best. Pocketthis (talk) 00:56, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Almost everything is seen through the prism of local culture. In England, the criteria for social acceptability are different in many ways than in the States. Members of royalty, or the artistocracy, are accepted pretty well anywhere, regardless of attained personality. Members of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are similarly accepted by default, although to become a member one has to succeed in a fearsomely difficult exam, which in itself is an attainment. I'm not saying that this is a good sytem, but it's the way it is.

Later...

Cheers.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 01:50, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Talk Sun

• David, in the talk Sun section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Sun#Edit_request_on_9_February_2013 , there is a new fellow who makes a pretty good case to change some grammar and rewording in the composition section. I agree with his grammar suggestions, but not being a science editor, I'm not going to get involved in any changes. This is perfect for you. Why don't you take a look. Bottom of Talk Sun Page. Thanks. Pocketthis (talk) 16:26, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

I've taken a look at it. I agree with the "new fellow" and with you. I suggested that he should just cut and paste his revised wording into the article. Better that he should do it, and get whatever credit may be due, than that you or I should. DOwenWilliams (talk) 20:55, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

• Actually, he couldn't, but it doesn't matter now. The reason he came to the talk section was because the article is "protected"; and he's too new to edit there. But it's fine, another science editor took care of it. Thanks... Pocketthis (talk) 22:48, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

Oh yes! I didn't notice teh "protected" thing. DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:16, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Parabola diagram

David, I answered your question on 'my' talk page. Thanks Pocketthis (talk) 20:09, 19 February 2013 (UTC)

• David, there are plenty of nice charts on that page; unfortunately, I don't know which one he made for you....:)

What text is it opposite? Also, in reply to your comments about the page views in articles: That's how I determine what photos to keep in the galleries and articles; as you can also use that system to get the stats of any particular photo, and see how many folks clicked on it in any language, on any Wiki. That's why you might notice me changing photos in the galleries so often. Thanks Pocketthis (talk) 15:42, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

Sorry. It's in the section called Parabola#Conic section and quadratic form. There's only one diagram there, and that's it. DOwenWilliams (talk) 16:13, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

• The kid has talent. It's really beautifully done. Glad you guys finally got it worked out. With your science knowledge, and his art design abilities, you make a strong team. Now you can click the page views for the chart in a few days and see how it's doing. However, it's been my experience that most folks don't click on charts too often; but other Wikis will eventually pick them up from Commons and use them in their respective Wiki pages in many different languages. You can get that info by clicking on the chart and seeing where it is being utilized. Till next time....Pocketthis (talk) 17:13, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

Yes. I've done that sort of thing, and have lifted diagrams from other Wikipedias and put them in this English one. For example, the diagram in Parabola#Proof of the reflective property came from German Wikipedia, via Commons, of course.

As far as I've seen, the English Parabola article is better than those in all other languages (that I can understand), though the Spanish one is also pretty good. I imagine that, eventually, quite a lot of it will be copied into other languages.

Fun stuff.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 03:02, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

• The biggest kick I get out of contributing here, is when a foreign Wiki grabs one of my photos and uses it to headline one of their articles. Very fun stuff. Pocketthis (talk) 03:28, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

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North-facing vertical sundials

You are right about north-facing sundials in the tropics. It is a special case. I was actually about to add a footnote to that effect, when my connection crapped out (I am in Kuwait). When I got back online, I found your message! Waugh does say "No vertical dial can ever catch the sun's rays for more than 12 of the 24 hours in a day", Chapter 10, page 83 in my book, and that's the citation I gave. I'd say that his statement is generally true, and true even for north facers at latitudes greater than about 25º. I believe the maximum amount of sunlight possible for any vertical dial is about 13.5 hours, on a north-facing dial on midsummer's day right at the Tropic of Cancer. I don't think Waugh understands north-facing dials too well, actually, because he also says on page 86 that hour lines "below the horizon" need not be shown on north facing dials, which only shows that he never made one! I am actually just below latitude 29N at present, constructing a northeast dial that declines about 12º east, and even now, just a week before the solstice, with the dial declining to the east, the wall loses the sun around 10AM (and it doesn't really pick it up again till after 4PM). I'm not used to using the talk pages, so I hope I've done this the right way! Tyger27 (talk) 21:53, 13 June 2013 (UTC)

Good enough. some people insist on a whole lot of rules for postings on their talk pages. I don't care what people say or how they say it, so long as they are civil.

Yes. You're right about that quote from Waugh. I just checked it. You're probably also right in saying that his understanding is/was limited.

I have been just south of the Tropic of Cancer on June 21, and observed a north-facing wall being in sunlight for more than 12 hours in a day.

Fun stuff.

DOwenWilliams (talk) 01:34, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

From what I've read about Mr Waugh, sundials were his passion: he had quite a collection of old dialing books and kept voluminous notebooks on his own investigations, which I believe he bequeathed to the University of Connecticut, his employer. Even his wife found it a bit odd: "What a strange obsession for a grown man who owns a watch!" (Sundials, p. viii) But anyone can make a mistake, I guess, especially when one is only considering the majority of cases (or those closest to home), and not the exceptional ones. One thing that sort of threw me for a loop when I first started reading his book was his reliance on logarithmic arithmetic, but then I realized he was working in the days before cheap electronic calculation, when slide rules and trig tables were the order of the day. Needless to say we can "simplify" much of it these days: e.g. (p 79) his formula, log tan SD = log sin D + log cot ϕ, can more "easily" be expressed as tan(SD)=sin(D)/tan(ϕ). We no longer prefer addition to division now that we don't need to do the division by hand! Tyger27 (talk) 16:44, 14 June 2013 (UTC

I, too, was raised in the pre-calculator world. At school, we science types always carried a slide-rule in our breast pockets. It was like a badge of honour. Later, when I was a high-school teacher, I started using calculators in class, to the horror of the other teachers who wanted to keep to the old way. DOwenWilliams (talk) 21:19, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

Moon

You placed a rather specific paragraph in the lead to that article, which I moved to a more appropriate section. However, it is still unsourced and I would appreciate it if you added citations as soon as possible; Moon is a featured article and doing this is akin to placing it on probation for de-listing. Serendi^podous 05:37, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

I noticed you moved that paragraph, which is fine by me. As for sources, I took an astronomy course at university some years ago, and found this information in the notes I took then. I guess I quoted a lecturer. But I don't have any direct sources from literature. If you want to delete the paragraph, go ahead. DOwenWilliams (talk) 14:45, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Parabola problem

About six weeks ago, you left a message on my talk page in response to a comment I had made on the Talk:Parabola page reporting a problem with some of the images. Please forgive me for not getting back to you sooner; I don't often log into Wikipedia, so I didn't see the message until this evening. I have taken another look at the page, and it does appear that you have fixed it. Thank you very much! LBourne (talk) 23:19, 17 November 2013 (UTC)