Re: I surrender

[Joel Rauber <Joel_Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU>]

> GAD! I just can't keep up with reading phys-l. Here's a piece
> that seems
> to be everywhere, so I can't properly attribute it. It deals
> with units
> and burocracy, so I thought it belonged in this group.
>
> I spent some time at school today writing on a piece about
> work done by
> the force of friction. I will eventually finish it and post
> it. As with
> much of what I write many are not going to like it, but it will fuel
> debate. I hope I can get back in step.

Leigh, I look forward to the posting; generally I like what you write or you
end up convincing me; in the rare occasions where you don't, you always make
me think about matters more carefully and I learn from the exercise; so keep
up the work of writing what "we don't like"!


> Story follows. I can attest to plausibility but not to accuracy.
>
> The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet
> 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number.  Why was that
> gauge used?

rest of story <snipped>

I agree as to the plausability, but have some non-definitive problems with
this story.

The same beaurocratic tradition didn't seem to follow in Spain, where the
Roman influence has a longer tradition and the wheel ruts are presumably
deeper (so to speak); and the same need to keep your wagon wheels from
breaking must exist.

One can perhaps explain the different Spanish gauge as a concious defence
decision (made later) in much the same way that Imperial Russia bequethed
the same difference in gauge to Soviet Russia.  But it never-the-less makes
me wonder about the accuracy of the story.

Joel