Pendula

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Posted by John Haine on 20/11/2022 18:03:18:

I don't know if it's the same one Nick, but there is a very impressive one in the Musee des Arts et Metiers which I visited 3 years ago. The Paris equivalent of the Science Museum, and very much worth a visit. Allow an afternoon at least.

Hi John, thanks for your link, i can't remember if I knew about that one, or if that was undergoing some refurbishment at the time, but the one we were going to see is in the Paris Panthéon and is a copy of the original, which is in the Musée des Arts et Métiers, however, we didn't have any time to change our plan of the places we would visit, as we only did our tour on foot in the few days we were there. I don't know when, if ever, that I'll be going to Paris again, but I can keep both places in mind if I do.

Regards Nick.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Posted by David Noble on 18/11/2022 08:56:02:

I've been thinking about pendulums (pendula)?…

No doubt you wrote in jest but I have just noticed that Britten's Guide says "pendulums".

[David NobleParticipant @davidnoble71990]

Posted by ega on 25/11/2022 12:55:23:

Posted by David Noble on 18/11/2022 08:56:02:

I've been thinking about pendulums (pendula)?…

No doubt you wrote in jest but I have just noticed that Britten's Guide says "pendulums".

Thanks ega, it was only partly in jest because I know how engineers like correct terminology!

David

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by David Noble on 25/11/2022 15:48:15:

Posted by ega on 25/11/2022 12:55:23:

Posted by David Noble on 18/11/2022 08:56:02:

I've been thinking about pendulums (pendula)?…

No doubt you wrote in jest but I have just noticed that Britten's Guide says "pendulums".

Thanks ega, it was only partly in jest because I know how engineers like correct terminology!

David

Though described as 'archaic' pendula is given as a plural in my Shorter OED. It's allowed!

More power to David's elbow. As everyone should post an obsolete technical spelling every day, I shall refer to Paraffine from now on!

Dave

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

My understanding is that once a Latin word has been adopted into English then English grammar norms apply, so we have pendulums. People who want to show off their classical education use Latin plurals as in stadia. This doesn't work all the time you don't have alumnuses. Who said English was easy.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

What happens when the plural is adopted at the same time. Stadia should remain when talking of distance surely.

Maybe alumniis are alumnii raised to the second power sort of allumnii squared.

;o)

keep 'em coming, Martin

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Omnibus / Omnibii?

Latin was taught at my school, but I didn't do it…

Rob

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Posted by Grindstone Cowboy on 25/11/2022 17:42:05:

Omnibus / Omnibii?

Latin was taught at my school, but I didn't do it…

Rob

Trouble is omnibus doesn't mean omnibus in Latin.

. . . . as in Ceasar sic in omnibus Brutus sic in hat

:O)

[KEITH BEAUMONTParticipant @keithbeaumont45476]

I have just come across this post and thought I would add an experience I had with Big Ben a long time ago. In the summer of 1957 I was visiting Westminster Abbey with my girl friend and got mixed in with a viisting group from a Horological Society. Their next place for them to see was Big Ben and as 3 members of their group had not turned up, invited us both to join them. When we were up the top, being lectured by the guide, he made a big point about the pennies on the pendulam being used to adjust for time. If my memory is correct ,there were 4 of them, just laying on the top about 12 inches from the edge. This information caused raised eybrows and some smiles among the group and afterwards they were unaminmous in saying that it was a good story, but total rubbish and was probably thought up by a previous guide, years before,to impress the tourists. I can remember being impressed with how crude the works were.being more Blacksmith than precision Engineering. The pedulam looked like a raw casting with a couple of lumps of iron bolted to the top, presumably to add to the weight. We were up ther when it struck 2 oclock. we were advised to put our hands over our ears, but I had toohache for the rest of the day!

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by Martin Kyte on 25/11/2022 17:34:21:

What happens when the plural is adopted at the same time. Stadia should remain when talking of distance surely.

Maybe alumniis are alumnii raised to the second power sort of allumnii squared.

;o)

keep 'em coming, Martin

The stadion (ancient Greek) or stadium (ancient roman) is clearly not an imperial measure and so cannot be discussed on this forum without inviting a choleric response. It was anglicised as the stade, but at 606.9 ft I don't think it is all that useful unless your sat nav speaks Latin.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Nice one Duncan although if Imperial Rome use it it must surely be an “Imperial “ measure.

Martin

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

On Martin's basis we can call modern metric an imperial system, after all Napoleon was an emperor.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

and the American non metric system should maybe be termed federal

I do enjoy stretching a point you can have such fun.

Edited By Martin Kyte on 27/11/2022 14:03:08

[David NobleParticipant @davidnoble71990]

Isn’t it interesting how far an innocent question can lead 😁

David

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi David, well not many youngsters would have heard Roger Millers song from 1965 Called England swings, and the next four words are: like a pendulum do. It only got to number 45 in the hit parade and was there for only one week and the hit parade was only 50 then.

It wasn't the most exciting song, but you can listen to it sHTC2eG_nE">England swings

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 27/11/2022 15:04:34

[Author]

Posts