Anything can be defined....

[The Bear's Key]

I have lots of work coming up, so for anyone who posts a new entry: if you want, go ahead start up the poll for it over in The Sandbox.

 

Although, I've been thinking of just selecting judges rather than voting, as it'd be easier for judges to assign points for entries in my absence -- if the work schedule's keeping me busy. So if anyone wishes to volunteer being a judge, do it by PM, then I'll announce the judges. (Remember that you'll be asked to judge based the four criteria in the OP)

 

Now without further ado, I have a new entry -- and remember: don't vote on it as I no longer will be a contestant, although you can still "grade" my entries here if you feel inclined to.

 

 

The definition...

 

An insistence -- arising naturally from within a sentient being -- to ensure the continued existence and well-being of something, and to experience its presence, in order to both calm/relieve that insistence and bask in it.

 

The word is ___?

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A guideline to help determine what's an optimal entry for the thread, it's something I used to toy with mentally as a kid (and through life)...

 

How can you describe something to a being who never has experienced it? Say a machine or alien that hasn't experienced something nearly all of us have -- for instance an emotion or abstract concept that we all know or are familiar with -- and so take it for granted such a thing doesn't need explaining. Also, probably due to that, we haven't bothered to describe it fully as we can just use another person's own experience as shorthand in the description.

 

I'm pretty sure many of us have thought about it occasionally.

 

So keep that in mind when creating a definition. How effective will it be for communicating its meaning to a being who's never experienced it? Bare in mind all they'd have to go by is the definition, i.e. you wouldn't be around to show them in person.

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Icefire's first entry was voted on twice for a 12 average.

 

Photon

 

A minute body of mass that maintains its velocity and a constant rate of periodic motion. When it collides with a mass it will be either absorbed, reflected, or pass through the object with an altered velocity depending on the form of the mass.

 

Accuracy/longevity: 2 (the mass part hurt it)

Standalone: 3 (good, but "constant" and "reflected" make it not standalone)

Brief/challenging: 3 (did pretty good describing it simply)

Obvious: 4 (the description is almost readily obvious to physics laymen)

 

Total 12

 

 

Next is Icefire's update...

 

Photon

 

A minute particle that maintains its velocity and a constant rate of periodic motion. When it collides with a mass it will be either absorbed, reflected, or pass through the object with an altered velocity depending on the form of the mass.

 

With the minor change, let's give it one more point of accuracy. (No more voting, from now on I'll directly judge the entries until volunteers fill in).

 

Accuracy/longevity: 3

Standalone: 3

Brief/challenging: 3

Obvious: 4

 

Total 13

 

 

Mr Skeptic has two entries. The first is a piggyback...

 

Photon

 

"A massless electromagnetic wave containing an amount of energy equal to h*f, where h is plank's constant and f is the frequency."

 

Accuracy/longevity: ___ (Need advice on this)

Standalone: 2 ("massless" and "electromagnetic" were giveaways)

Brief/challenging: 5 (Awesome in each)

Obvious: 4 (Almost technical, but does the job well)

 

Total 11 + ?

 

I shall return to finish judging its accuracy/longevity, going to seek input.

 

 

Mr Skeptic's next entry. Since it's not a piggyback, I'll take the opportunity to move "accuracy" over with "Standalone". It looks pretty damn good, except for using "wave" as a dead giveaway, and except for defining something of two words -- but who cares, I'll let it go. Still, I'm gonna need a knowledgeable other to "grade" it.

 

electromagnetic wave

 

"A self-contained wave propagated by its own oscillating electric and magnetic fields" or "the solution to Maxwell's equations given zero charge"

 

Accuracy/longevity: ___

Standalone/challenging: ___

Brief: ___

Obvious: ___

 

Close thread, please. It's over for now, be returning after work on a new thread. Clarifying the rules and improving the structure.

 

Thanks for participating, great entries, and Mr Skeptic I'll get to yours.

Edited March 21, 2010 by The Bear's Key
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[tomgwyther]

The definition...

 

An insistence -- arising naturally from within a sentient being -- to ensure the continued existence and well-being of something, and to experience its presence, in order to both calm/relieve that insistence and bask in it.

 

The word is ___?

 

 

Is the word "Happiness"? or maybe consciousness

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I'll have a go

 

#5

A useful response to a threat

From a predator who's appetite is whet

Its employment is expedient

In thought, action or movement

Albert's constant thought

and when time over distance is sought.

[Mr Skeptic]

I'll have a go

 

#5

A useful response to a threat

From a predator who's appetite is whet

Its employment is expedient

In thought, action or movement

Albert's constant thought

and when time over distance is sought.

 

Cute. Seems like "speed".

[mooeypoo]

<pedant>Velocity.</pedant>

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Where was direction mentioned in the definition?

[mooeypoo]

Where was direction mentioned in the definition?

Since it wasn't, and the definition mentioned Einstein's quest *and* distance/time, it's the default.

 

 

Smartass.

[Mr Skeptic]

I thought about velocity, but that doesn't fit "action".

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Since it wasn't, and the definition mentioned Einstein's quest *and* distance/time, it's the default.

 

 

Smartass.

 

tomgwyther said time/distance, if we're going to be pedantic.

[mooeypoo]

tomgwyther said time/distance, if we're going to be pedantic.

Good point. Inverse velocity.

 

I thought about velocity, but that doesn't fit "action".

Neither does speed...

Edited March 24, 2010 by mooeypoo
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[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Good point. Inverse velocity.

He said distance, not displacement, so it's not a vector.

[mooeypoo]

Okay, you wanna play it this way, here it is:

A useful response to a threat

From a predator who's appetite is whet

You *better* run in a particular direction or you're toast. Velocity.

Its employment is expedient

Could be either directional or not.

In thought, action or movement

Neither fit anyways.

Albert's constant thought

VELOCITY.

and when time over distance is sought.

Inverse velocity, and if you're a smartass captain, then perhaps inverse speed.

To summarize:

2 directional statements -> Velocity

2 either-or or neither -> Velocity or Speed

1 that is strictly directional -> Velocity

 

w00t.

[tomgwyther]

I didn't realise my little poem would cause such a debate.

The concept/word I had in mind was speed. velocity would have done equally as well.

Speed will help you escape a predator

to employ speed will help to ensure a task is expediently dealt with. whether that be speed of thought or speed of action

The universal constant being the speed of light, which Eistein used in E=MC2

I should have written distance over time rather than time over distance

The former doesn't fit the poem's syllabic rhythm quite so well but would have been more technically correct.

 

 

Here's another

 

Without it, life wouldn't be here

A major ingredient in beer

at zero, you get triple points

It helps oxidise iron levers and joints

Inhale it and you just might die

it precipitates and humidifies.

[Mr Skeptic]

water

[The Bear's Key]

The definition...

 

An insistence -- arising naturally from within a sentient being -- to ensure the continued existence and well-being of something, and to experience its presence, in order to both calm/relieve that insistence and bask in it.

 

The word is ___?

 

 

Is the word "Happiness"? or maybe consciousness

Nope. Hint: you can offer it and experience it at the same time.

 

Ok new entry.

 

 

The definition...

 

A joint series of changes that 1) progresses naturally, 2) is noticeable only when measured from a smaller part of that series and/or when compared against a separate joint series of changes, and 3) quickens or slows depending on the level of energy within those changes.

 

The word is ___?

[tomgwyther]

Nope. Hint: you can offer it and experience it at the same time.

[/b]

 

Love?

[The Bear's Key]

Love?

Yep, got it.