this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2024
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Science Memes

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submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (3 children)

this would also be society if counterclockwise and clockwise were swapped. it’s the universal way to talk about 2d rotations but pretty much nothing (except a clock) ends up turning clockwise. it didn’t have to be this way

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago (1 children)

that's not arbitrary - the hour hand of a clock mimics the shadow of a sundial.

it makes sense, in the northern hemisphere, where 90% of people live.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

so it goes the opposite direction that the earth does, great

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You can get a clock that is set up counter clockwise to mess with people

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Ahh! Don't let the secret of time travel get out!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

Ummm.... Have you ever used a screw? Bottle cap? "Right tighty, lefty loosey"? A car wheel when going forward? Literally 99% of things tighten clockwise.

You're the person people have to say "no, your other left" a lot to, aren't ya?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Just wanna say, a car tire moves a different direction based on your perspective.

If you're looking at the driver side of the car, the tires move counterclockwise, whereas if you're looking at the other side, the tires appear to rotate the other way.

Perspective changes a lot of things, it's pretty cool.

edit: Driver side in my case is (when viewed from the back) the left side

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I thought you messed up the sides but then realised driver side is not the same on every country

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

oh I also forgot that lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Fair point. Car wheels are a bit of a bad example. Probably shouldn't have included them, but I'll at least argue that means that 50% of wheels are clockwise and 50% are counter, so it negates itself.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Also 99% of things loosen anticlockwise. So why preffer tighten over loosen?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Tighten = on/activated. You use a cap buy putting it on to seal the container. You out a screw in to join the wood. You do the thing it's meant to do in a clockwise fashion.

What's the purpose of a cap? To keep things in. The purpose of the spout itself is to let them in.

Clockwise wins.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The purpose of a cap is to both open and close the lid. A seal is usually used to keep it tight

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The purpose of the cap is to BE the lid. Otherwise it's a bottle.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

*Be the lid that opens as well as close

Not just to close

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (2 children)

i don’t ever use bottle caps or cars. but in the case of screws (and bottle caps), the choice to make them tighten clockwise and loosen counter clockwise is entirely arbitrary.

my main point is that i think it’s confusing that clockwise is negatively oriented and counterclockwise is positively oriented (in the mathematical sense). and the mathematical definition of orientation is ultimately dependent on trigonometry. and it just feels wrong that clocks are negatively oriented.

You're the person people have to say "no, your other left" a lot to, aren't ya?

no.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

I'm not sure why you're saying its clocks that are wrong rather than the other stuff. Currently we have x = r cos(𝜃) and y = r sin(𝜃), and that's what makes anti-clockwise rotations mathematically natural. But if we instead just used x = r sin(𝜃) and y = r cos(𝜃) then clockwise would be the natural positive rotation. And in that case, the unit circle would start at the top and go around clockwise... like we do for compass bearing (and clocks of course). So perhaps that would be better than changing what clocks do.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"the choice is arbitrary".

Except it's not as many other have pointed out. You're just confused and trying to spread your confusion to others. Yes, advanced math gets complex, that's advanced math. Don't drag trig into this when you're just confused.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

"the choice is arbitrary".

Except it's not as many other have pointed out. You're just confused and trying to spread your confusion to others. Yes, advanced math gets complex, that's advanced math. Don't drag trig into this when you're just confused.

Also "I don't use bottle caps or cars"? Seriously just buzz off with that. You don't live anywhere where you're not using the simple machine of a screw. I hope Archimedes is rolling clockwise in his grave right now.