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Itâs really true. Even a little reality can totally freak out humans. I can understand how Calvin reacted. Iâve been there so many times in my life.
When I was in grade school, I used to play 78 rpm records on the take-up reel of my old Silvertone wire recorder and record them ontothe wire that was feeding it from the smaller spool that contained about two miles of steel wire a bit thicker in diameter than a thread.It turned out quite well for the technology of the day⊠That was ages ago for that old tube wire recorder. When the wire broke, (As it often times did) You had to first untangle the horrible mess and then tie it in a square knot to resume your playing or recording.Those were fond memories of the day for me. Thank heavens reel to reel tape recorders hit the scene shortly after and I bought a good old Teac.
And if the record were large enough, the outside edge would go at the speed of light. The math is left as an exercise for the reader, as Professor Abramoff would say.
Reminds me of the time worn trick of asking someone right before bedtime how Adam and Eve could have had a belly button if they never had an umbilical cord. Every painting or depiction Iâve ever seen of them in church or art books showed them having one.
So MY question is, if I am a jockey in a horse race (oval track), which gate do I want? I donât want to be crowded up against the rail in the first gate ⊠but I sure donât want to be on the far outside because (as we have just learned) my horse would have to run farther. ⊠Whatâs the math to solve this problem?
This one always got me. Consider the physics of a car tire. The hub of the tire is moving at the same speed as the car. The top of the tire is spinning forward, and thus going faster than the car. The bottom of the tire is spinning backward, and thus moving slower than the car. All good? Now the tricky part. The portion of the tire in contact with the road is stopped. It has to be, unless the car is skidding.
At least Dad is giving him accurate information in this case. Dad often pranks Calvin with misinformation and then says some version of âIf you donât believe me, check with your Mom!â
And remember, Calvin, there is an infinite number of values for the area of the record, because there is an infinite number of values of pi to choose from.
Well Dad could have got into string theory, Heisenbergâs Uncertainty Principle or Schrodingerâs cat that would have blown the kidâs mind just like it does most P Chem students, particularly the ones who partied.
Ahh yes, made back when records were still somewhat common but were being eclipsed by CDs and cassettes (1990.) Of course, Calvinâs Dad probably still preferred records over CDs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8v09-wlFiM. See this needleOh see my hand Drop, drop, dropping it downoh so gently here it comestouch the flameTurn me upwonât turn you awaySpin, spinspin the black circle Spin, spinspin the black, spin the black Spin, spinspin the black circle Spin, spinwhoa
Calvinâs dad should have been a bit clearer, the points have different linear speeds but the same angular speed. So he was both right and wrong in saying the points travel at different speeds depending on which speed he was talking about.
Once a birdwatcher I knew was wondering why birds canât just fly out of the way of whirling windturbine blades. I tried to explain how the speed through the air is faster and faster as you measure it further and further from the hub. He looked at me like I was nuts and informed me that it does not.
Iâm so glad that Iâm not smart enough to get this one. Kinda like the Simpsons episode where Homer goes through the Far Side calendar saying, âI donât get it⊠I donât get it⊠I donât get itâŠâ
So this is why the Spacex orbiter has to accelerate to get to the orbit of the space station. They actually have to get passed it so they have to go higher then slow down to lower the orbit and dock. on the other side. Be careful donât accelerate into the space station!!
When I first noticed that, when probably a tad older than Calvin, I was fascinated. What a cool insight! I told my sibs: (nobody cared), my mom: (busy) and my dad: âWhoa, interesting. How fast do you figure the outside point is going?â⊠and then I learned the formula for the circumference of a circle, an approximation for Ï (22/7) and that the record I was playing was 10 inches in diameter. So a little under 31 and a half inches per revolution, 33 of those per minute, for about 86 and a half feet per minute.
That was the start of my understanding that math could be fun⊠with a side helping of finding out that dimensions (feet, inches, seconds etc) can be converted to each other in a systematic way⊠and THAT insight, eventually, got me a long way toward passing college physics with good grades.
BE THIS GUY over 4 years ago
And Dad did this to him on a school night!
The Calvinosaurus That Calvin Wanted To Discover over 4 years ago
Fun facts build character.
codycab over 4 years ago
âRound and round, the record spins all day!â
Pointspread over 4 years ago
Gee Dad, thanks for nothing!
Kymberleigh over 4 years ago
Dad: âAnd not only that, Calvin, neither of those speeds are the one identified on the record label!â
Calvin: âNever mind all that, when are you getting me something to play streams instead of forcing this antiquated technology on me?â
chovil over 4 years ago
Itâs really true. Even a little reality can totally freak out humans. I can understand how Calvin reacted. Iâve been there so many times in my life.
enigmamz over 4 years ago
Kids today: âWhatâs a record??â
PoodleGroomer over 4 years ago
CDâs DVDâs, and BlueRay are constant velocity instead of constant rotation rate.
Algolei I over 4 years ago
This is how you make a flat-Earther. Also, a record denier.
favm over 4 years ago
Math and physics can be terrifying.
KA7DRE Premium Member over 4 years ago
When I was in grade school, I used to play 78 rpm records on the take-up reel of my old Silvertone wire recorder and record them ontothe wire that was feeding it from the smaller spool that contained about two miles of steel wire a bit thicker in diameter than a thread.It turned out quite well for the technology of the day⊠That was ages ago for that old tube wire recorder. When the wire broke, (As it often times did) You had to first untangle the horrible mess and then tie it in a square knot to resume your playing or recording.Those were fond memories of the day for me. Thank heavens reel to reel tape recorders hit the scene shortly after and I bought a good old Teac.
whahoppened over 4 years ago
This on top of Hobbes telling him heâs tiger food!
su43dipta over 4 years ago
Linear speed is proportional to distance from center. Thatâs circular motion for you.
M2MM over 4 years ago
Way to go dad! Tormenting your kid just before bedtime.
Tog over 4 years ago
This was a classic. I was only thinking about it a few days ago.
Cpeckbourlioux over 4 years ago
Thatâs me, tonight. Thinking this in terms of spiral galaxies.
Milady Meg over 4 years ago
And if the record were large enough, the outside edge would go at the speed of light. The math is left as an exercise for the reader, as Professor Abramoff would say.
Chithing Premium Member over 4 years ago
This was always my fatherâs favorite one.
Starjo over 4 years ago
did anyone understand what he said?
jpayne4040 over 4 years ago
Science is so scary!
jagedlo over 4 years ago
Wait until you get older, CalvinâŠthen there will be things that will REALLY keep you up nights!
donwalter over 4 years ago
Quick way to figure it out, is a good old fashioned game of âcrack the whipâ
cubswin2016 over 4 years ago
A record? I seem to remember seeing something like that, but the memory is foggy.
More Coffee Please! Premium Member over 4 years ago
EXACTLY!
crobinson019 over 4 years ago
Math is WEIRD!
Troglodyte over 4 years ago
Dad always puts a different spin on things, Calvin!
Jimvideo over 4 years ago
This is what happens when I try to explain to people how technology works. Sometimes itâs better to let people just enjoy it. :)
uniquename over 4 years ago
Whatâs impressive is that Calvin understood that well enough to be bothered by it.
well-i-never over 4 years ago
How he was conceived is gonna kill him!
vaughnrl2003 Premium Member over 4 years ago
Never think to much about physics, unless you really want to look like Albert Einstein.
David Jones Premium Member over 4 years ago
One of my very special favorites!
rshive over 4 years ago
Confoozuling, to say the least.
NRHAWK Premium Member over 4 years ago
Reminds me of the time worn trick of asking someone right before bedtime how Adam and Eve could have had a belly button if they never had an umbilical cord. Every painting or depiction Iâve ever seen of them in church or art books showed them having one.
nyscotsman1 over 4 years ago
Now my head hurts.
pony21 Premium Member over 4 years ago
So MY question is, if I am a jockey in a horse race (oval track), which gate do I want? I donât want to be crowded up against the rail in the first gate ⊠but I sure donât want to be on the far outside because (as we have just learned) my horse would have to run farther. ⊠Whatâs the math to solve this problem?
Hungry_Ghost over 4 years ago
For once Calvinâs dad tells him a truth about how the world works and it breaks his brain.
Rauderi over 4 years ago
Yeah, that wouldâve fâed me up as a kid. âŠactually, itâs fâing me up now.
Squoop over 4 years ago
He should never tell Calvin about quantum mechanics.
Snolep over 4 years ago
My reaction is the same as Calvinâs.
micromos over 4 years ago
H=CĂSĂpiĂ·r
Auntie Socialist over 4 years ago
How many grooves on a vinyl record?
Brainiac1975 Premium Member over 4 years ago
A similar math/physics quandry that puzzled me was: âHow come a mirror changes you from left to right, but not up and down ?â
gantech over 4 years ago
âOh, how can you be in two places at once, when youâre not anywhere at alllllllllâŠ.â
Ed The Red Premium Member over 4 years ago
This one always got me. Consider the physics of a car tire. The hub of the tire is moving at the same speed as the car. The top of the tire is spinning forward, and thus going faster than the car. The bottom of the tire is spinning backward, and thus moving slower than the car. All good? Now the tricky part. The portion of the tire in contact with the road is stopped. It has to be, unless the car is skidding.
Otis Rufus Driftwood over 4 years ago
Dad is about as good at building Calvinâs mind as he is at building his character.
dv1093 over 4 years ago
This one has me thinking, too.
mistercatworks over 4 years ago
Tomorrow weâll do the math in polar coordinates.
johnec over 4 years ago
Spaceman Spiff should have known this instinctively â since he flies around in space, right?!
ForrestOverin over 4 years ago
At least Dad is giving him accurate information in this case. Dad often pranks Calvin with misinformation and then says some version of âIf you donât believe me, check with your Mom!â
Whatcouldgowrong over 4 years ago
And remember, Calvin, there is an infinite number of values for the area of the record, because there is an infinite number of values of pi to choose from.
TampaFanatic1 over 4 years ago
Well Dad could have got into string theory, Heisenbergâs Uncertainty Principle or Schrodingerâs cat that would have blown the kidâs mind just like it does most P Chem students, particularly the ones who partied.
swanridge over 4 years ago
Really, the best scientific thing that I learned about records at that age was what happened when you played them at faster (or slower) speeds.
DanWolfie over 4 years ago
Ahh yes, made back when records were still somewhat common but were being eclipsed by CDs and cassettes (1990.) Of course, Calvinâs Dad probably still preferred records over CDs!
SunflowerGirl100 over 4 years ago
Watterson said in some interview that he based Calvinâs Dad on himself and that heâs the one he identifies most closely with.
djmz33 over 4 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8v09-wlFiM. See this needleOh see my hand Drop, drop, dropping it downoh so gently here it comestouch the flameTurn me upwonât turn you awaySpin, spinspin the black circle Spin, spinspin the black, spin the black Spin, spinspin the black circle Spin, spinwhoa
R. A. Schwartz over 4 years ago
Calvinâs dad should have been a bit clearer, the points have different linear speeds but the same angular speed. So he was both right and wrong in saying the points travel at different speeds depending on which speed he was talking about.
codedaddy over 4 years ago
Donât understand this one. I might have expected an eye roll or a yawn.
cmxx over 4 years ago
Once a birdwatcher I knew was wondering why birds canât just fly out of the way of whirling windturbine blades. I tried to explain how the speed through the air is faster and faster as you measure it further and further from the hub. He looked at me like I was nuts and informed me that it does not.
Alberta Oil over 4 years ago
This.. is why you need to do well in school Calvin.. then, it will be clear to you.
CeceliaWD Premium Member over 4 years ago
This is second only to the Sunday panel about color film in a black and white world. I love it when his dad messes with him.
Flatworm over 4 years ago
I love Dadâs âexplanations.â
BigNateBeast over 4 years ago
https://discord.gg/46YMeZ
pcmcdonald over 4 years ago
I think it has something to do with what Einstein said about things going faster get there younger.
Robert4170 over 4 years ago
And Dadâs point isâŠ?
Dr. Quatermass over 4 years ago
Iâm so glad that Iâm not smart enough to get this one. Kinda like the Simpsons episode where Homer goes through the Far Side calendar saying, âI donât get it⊠I donât get it⊠I donât get itâŠâ
Stephen Gilberg over 4 years ago
Put on some Dead or Alive.
DCBakerEsq over 4 years ago
Science is fun. And terrifying.
AndrewSihler over 4 years ago
This would be a good time to introduce the concept of the radian.
alexius23 over 4 years ago
You can see how Calvin gets some of his traits from his Dad
57BelAir over 4 years ago
So this is why the Spacex orbiter has to accelerate to get to the orbit of the space station. They actually have to get passed it so they have to go higher then slow down to lower the orbit and dock. on the other side. Be careful donât accelerate into the space station!!
bloodykate over 4 years ago
This is hilarious!
verticallychallenged Premium Member over 4 years ago
Oh yeah, Dad: Calvin is definitely your son.
sperry532 over 4 years ago
That is so evil. Good on ya, Dad!
Sailor46 USN 65-95 over 4 years ago
New knowledge leads to new questions, some are scary until you need that knowledge.
WCraft over 4 years ago
âYou say you want a revolutionâŠâ
jamesbaird1572 over 4 years ago
Usually Dadâs explanations are idiotic. this one was true. thatâs whatâs worrisome.
STACEY MARSHALL Premium Member over 4 years ago
And everybody on planet earth goes around once in every 24 hours, regardless of their speed.
einarbt over 4 years ago
Calvinâs mind is spinning 78 rpm.
Concretionist over 4 years ago
When I first noticed that, when probably a tad older than Calvin, I was fascinated. What a cool insight! I told my sibs: (nobody cared), my mom: (busy) and my dad: âWhoa, interesting. How fast do you figure the outside point is going?â⊠and then I learned the formula for the circumference of a circle, an approximation for Ï (22/7) and that the record I was playing was 10 inches in diameter. So a little under 31 and a half inches per revolution, 33 of those per minute, for about 86 and a half feet per minute.
That was the start of my understanding that math could be fun⊠with a side helping of finding out that dimensions (feet, inches, seconds etc) can be converted to each other in a systematic way⊠and THAT insight, eventually, got me a long way toward passing college physics with good grades.
lordhoff over 4 years ago
That would have made me want to figure out why.
LeggoMaEggo over 4 years ago
Calvins eyes tho
satravix over 4 years ago
How to explain your son âWhat is angular velocityâ.
Botted_Account about 1 year ago
I lost so many brain cells while trying to read this one