Scot Zediker wrote:
> Guess they're geared a
> lot higher than my car,
Which gave me a major epiphany (thank you Scot).
This touches on a confusion I've always had about gearing
terminology. From an engineer's point of view, the total gear
ratio is measured as the rate of rotation of the crankshaft
divided by the rate of rotation of the wheel of the car. That
means 1st is higher than 2nd, etc.
But often times, the colloquial terminology is the opposite. As
an engineer, one would say that a Vette (for example) is geared
lower than a Miata (for example). However, I've heard people
(Scot, for example) say the opposite while meaning the same
thing. That means the layman's meaning, and the engineer's
meaning, of the same word, may be opposites.
So in layman's terms,
1. Is 1st gear higher or lower than 2nd gear?
2. Is 1st gear taller or shorter than 2nd gear?
3. Is 1st gear "bigger" or "smaller" than 2nd gear?
P.S.
I think I'm finally understanding why people argue about power
and torque so much -- they actually agree, but they attach
opposite meanings to the same words!
--
Michael R. Clements
mrc01@flash.net
We must make clear that communism and the governments it now
controls are enemies of every man on Earth who is or wants to be
free.
-- Barry Goldwater
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