Chiff and Fipple Forums

Nicely said! The important concept that people fail to grasp is that of LEGAL versus ILLEGAL activity. Or maybe they just conveniently ignore it..?

But yes, I agree that the wall will do little to slow the flood of illegal activity. However...even a little bit is something, so I support them.

Here's a thought: all machines are tools. Not all tools are machines. Discuss. Hmm...tools are devices that give you a mechanical advantage, meaning it takes MY muscle input and multiplies it. Do all machines give you a mechanical advantage? If I'm running a CNC lathe, sure it's a machine, but does...

With lenses for near or far sighted-ness, you aren't "changing" the energy, you are just refocusing it to a different point in space (or your eyeball). True, but the definition talks about modifying the energy, not changing it. A pulley doesn't change energy, it just modifies it. Is a mic...

Where does the "fairly independently" come from? A lever is a machine, so is a pulley; there's nothing independent about them, they need something (usually *someone*) to operate them in order to fulfil the requirement of work. I was going by another definition I found on the Web that was ...

http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article?tocId=9370846&query=machine&ct= which I submit is a more appropriate definition of 'machine' than the one found on the likes of hyperdictionary.com :) That link says, "Device that amplifies or replaces human or animal effort to accomplish a physica...

I refer you to my previous answer, and expand upon it by suggestion that a lens doesn't modify energy. Even if the lens were completely lossless, then energy in=energy out, and therefore no modification has occured at all. Not quite. The light's vector has been modified. Furthermore, to get nitpick...

Eyeglasses are more than just lenses, they also have mechanical properties such as hinges, springs, etc. That's a good point; glasses are more than just the lenses. However, the difference between a machine and a tool is that a machine must operate fairly independently. A hammer modifies energy to ...

I.D.10-t wrote:Machines belong to classical Neuton physics; light was conceived differently back then and would not have fallen under the same concept of work as movement of things.

Classical Neutonian physics deals heavily with vector forces, which is exactly what a lens deals with.

A lens DOES do something. It alters the vector of light energy. It doesn't have to have cogs, chains, and bearings to be a machine. Anything that modifies energy to assist in the performance of tasks is a machine.

The definition of a machine is a device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of tasks. The difference between a tool and a machine is that the machine is fairly independent. A lens takes light input, modifies it, then transmits it into our eyes in such a way that...

The far-right British National Party are already trying to gain political points from this tragedy. The implication is that the far-right politicians are doing a bad thing (and I agree that they are). it's miniscule compared to the death and destruction the US and British terrorism has wrought on I...

Humor, simply humor. Do you honestly believe that Gary Kelly would wish anyone dead? :-? So lamenting the fact that our president DIDN'T die is humorous. That's interesting. Even through the crazy days of the Clinton impeachment, I don't recall anyone joking about how it's too bad the president did...

Oh, my goodness! What in the world??! You wish he had DIED?! I thought liberals were supposed to be against violence and hate.

izzarina wrote:I'm assuming you don't know?

I figured your question was rhetorical (in both senses of the word), that you were trying to suggest something based on the fact that it's funded by federal money.

izzarina wrote:

Jeff Stallard wrote:The mission cost $330 million, and NASA's budget is ~$14 billion. This mission represents 2.5% of their budget.

I forget now....who is it that pays NASA's bills?

Your point?