EPONYMS
- Dr. Goodword
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EPONYMS
The latest addition to our features is a Glossary of Eponyms. Unlike those found at other websites, ours focuses on words with genuine eponyms, i.e. common nouns created from proper ones. We also provide definitions for the words in our glossary, their parts of speech, and detailed explanation of how they came to have eponyms.
• The Good Dr. Goodword
eponyms
Dear Dr.
I was wandering through the new glossary,and I think you got the definition of "bel" wrong.
The Glossary says a "bel" is "1/10 of a decibel," which immediately struck me as being not in keeping with the naming conventions for metric units, "deci" being the
prefix used to refer to the unit that is 1/10 of the base unit and "deca" being used to refer to 10 base units. Consider "decahedron," "decaliter" and "decameter" in contrast to "deciliter" and "decimeter." (I guess there is no such thing as a "decihedron")
Wiki defines "decibel" as "a common measure of sound intensity that is 1 tenth of a Bel on the logarithmic intensity scale."
So a "bel" should be 10 decibels, not the other way around.
Otherwise, a useful addition to the reference shelf.
I was wandering through the new glossary,and I think you got the definition of "bel" wrong.
The Glossary says a "bel" is "1/10 of a decibel," which immediately struck me as being not in keeping with the naming conventions for metric units, "deci" being the
prefix used to refer to the unit that is 1/10 of the base unit and "deca" being used to refer to 10 base units. Consider "decahedron," "decaliter" and "decameter" in contrast to "deciliter" and "decimeter." (I guess there is no such thing as a "decihedron")
Wiki defines "decibel" as "a common measure of sound intensity that is 1 tenth of a Bel on the logarithmic intensity scale."
So a "bel" should be 10 decibels, not the other way around.
Otherwise, a useful addition to the reference shelf.
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- Grand Panjandrum
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Good catch BJ.
As the answers.com Sci-tech encyclopedia states:
Decibel
A logarithmic unit used to express the magnitude of a change in level of power, voltage, current, or sound intensity. A decibel (dB) is 1/10 bel.
In acoustics a step of 1 bel is too large for most uses. It is therefore the practice to express sound intensity in decibels.
--seems to be fixed now in the Eponybase. Side note: the letter index seems to work intermittently
Anyway, nice addition, Doc!
Now what about Rube Goldberg?
As the answers.com Sci-tech encyclopedia states:
Decibel
A logarithmic unit used to express the magnitude of a change in level of power, voltage, current, or sound intensity. A decibel (dB) is 1/10 bel.
In acoustics a step of 1 bel is too large for most uses. It is therefore the practice to express sound intensity in decibels.
--seems to be fixed now in the Eponybase. Side note: the letter index seems to work intermittently
Anyway, nice addition, Doc!
Now what about Rube Goldberg?
Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots! Knife no one, fink!
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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- Location: Crownsville, MD
Since it's a logarithmic scale, something that is 3 dB greater than something is twice as large, 6 dB is four times as large, 8 dB is eight times as large, and so on.
See the Wikipedia article on Decibel for more information.
See the Wikipedia article on Decibel for more information.
Regards//Larry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
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"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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