Ambiguities
Ambiguities
(OP)
It is quite frequent to find newspaper headlines containing ambiguities such as:
Grandmother of eight makes hole in one.
Queen Mary having bottom rubbed.
Safety experts say bus passengers should be belted.
Panda mating fails; veterinarian takes over.
Two ships collide, one dies.
Red tape holds up new bridge.
Prostitutes appeal to Pope.
Question: do this kind of ambiguities also appear in engineering reports ? Any comments ?





RE: Ambiguities
Those are poorly written headlines. In some cases, logically unambiguous headlines would have been more complicated and less attractive. You have to make sacrifices to achieve brevity.
Logical ambiguities like that should not appear in engineering reports. Engineers should all be top notch writers. Journalists, including headline writers, should all understand engineering and statistics. While I am at this, I ought to wish for a pony or something. :)
JHG
RE: Ambiguities
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Ambiguities
My girlfriend told me about a traffic accident... with one fatality.
The newspaper headline: FERTILE WOMAN DIES IN CLIMAX
It's one thing to grab attention... but not in such a display of tactless-ness.
Of course... it could be just an "urban legend"...
Windows XP / Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 5000 / SolidWorks 2007 SP2.2 / SpaceBall 5000 / Lava Lamp
www.Tate3d.com
Jack L. Tate says: "Right-click... It's friggin' magic!"
FAQ376
RE: Ambiguities
(http://www.mcadcentral.com/)
Irish Department of Education Buys SolidWorks (SolidWorks)
I didn't know that the Irish Dept of Education had the resources to buy the entire SW company, I'd have thought that buying a couple of seats would have been the cheaper option
Kevin Hammond
Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
RE: Ambiguities
Matt
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
sw.fcsuper.com
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
RE: Ambiguities
I'm sure they are educational seats
Kevin Hammond
Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
Kevin Hammond
Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
RE: Ambiguities
Where are they going to store 25 000 seats?
A.
RE: Ambiguities
No one example springs to mind but in my current position I help write some company standards, procedures etc.
I'll often write something that makes perfect sense to me but to other people, or even me a few days/weeks later, makes no sense or is ambiguous.
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
The book (Ernest Gowers' "The Complete Plain Words" - an acknowledged classic which is still in print) has a whole chapter on ambiguity including the, allegedly genuine,
"If your baby will not drink milk, try boiling it".
A.
RE: Ambiguities
==========================================
Business Card http://mech.e.tripod.com
__________________________________________
Cycle Heaven.......www.tailofthedragon.com
RE: Ambiguities
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Ambiguities
My responsibilities at work include large electric motors, but not the small ones. So the signature line attached to every one of my emails is as follows:
(except I use my real name instead of my handle.
Guess I should go on a diet...
=====================================
Eng-tips forums: The best place on the web for engineering discussions.
RE: Ambiguities
xxxx cons engineers.
I used to tell people it was company policy to print our mission statement on our credit cards.
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
and "Prostitutes appeal to Pope" are my favorites lol
RE: Ambiguities
http://
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
Oh well. I used to work for DES ANAL in our old phonebook, at BL. That's design analysis, you cheeky monkeys.
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: Ambiguities
If, perish the thought, things did go wrong for your boss then he could kiss his ARSE goodbye (Boom, boom)
Kevin
“Insanity in individuals is something rare, but in groups, parties, nations and epochs it is the rule” Nietzsche
RE: Ambiguities
Cheers
Kevin
“Insanity in individuals is something rare, but in groups, parties, nations and epochs it is the rule” Nietzsche
RE: Ambiguities
"Eye protection must be worn at all times"
Damn, my glasses are too new.
RE: Ambiguities
became
The War On Terror
after about a week.
RE: Ambiguities
Ah Basil, fond childhood memories.
RE: Ambiguities
became
The War On Terror
after about a week"
but at what point did it become "The War OF Terror"??
And would it have gone more smoothly if Brush (Basil) were in charge instead of Bush (George)
RE: Ambiguities
"fire exit, must remain closed at all times"
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
Or maybe they're refering to the action the security guards might take if they catch you
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Ambiguities
RE: Ambiguities
"Kids make great snacks"
RE: Ambiguities
Then there is an engineering company in the Dallas area named Haff Associates. What were they thinking when they named the firm? I don't work there, but I could surely see myself refrerring to my employer as a half a$$ outfit from time to time if I were to.
rmw
RE: Ambiguities
The widgets tested well.
The results were good.
This is one thing I am always trying to explain to people who use these words in engineering reports, or emails even. I was taught as an engineer that you never, ever use subjective words in engineering when describing results especially. Be objective and tell the numbers.
RE: Ambiguities
"In this paper a fully integrated implementation of the classical Howland current source is presented as a compact solution for exciting resistive and piezoresistive sensors."
Those resistive and piezoresistive sensors are pretty exciting, aren't they?
RE: Ambiguities
"Never use ink-ket paper to prevent failure."
RE: Ambiguities
"Nothing works faster than Anadin"
Well take nothing then!
RE: Ambiguities
Is it really that dangerous to use a different web browser....
Kevin
“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown
"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown
RE: Ambiguities
is the page
Kevin
“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown
"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown
RE: Ambiguities
Is that some new form of overtime? I thought they were all sixty seconds long.
RE: Ambiguities
Is that some new form of overtime? I thought they were all sixty seconds long."
That took me a couple of seconds to understand.
RE: Ambiguities
"Why we need plate washers for slotted holes as per code. When we can use ordinary washers on slotted holes?"
This is where the language problem and Ambiguities comes in. I think I know what he wants to know, but I'm not really sure. I would have to check it out by rephrasing the question. Then...would he understand it properly rephrased? ???
Mike McCann
McCann Engineering
RE: Ambiguities
Computer Aided Design Engineer.
So, am I an Engineer that uses Computer Aided Design or...
Am I some kind of Cyborg Design Engineer enhanced with a computer/electronic components like the million dollar man?
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Ambiguities
The latter sounds like it would be more fun.
Until the Robot Rebellion starts.
RE: Ambiguities
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Ambiguities
Think terminator, a thin skin of humanity is enough to scare the holy living s$*t outta most. Could have some serious benifits when it comes to dealing with people who disagree with your checking methods...LOL
Kevin
“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown
"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown
RE: Ambiguities
Dave Wichern
http://www.dedalusenviro.com
Science is a business of empiricism.
RE: Ambiguities
CAE engineer
or
Computer Aided Engineering Engineer
Which perhaps suggests that I may qualify for Kenat's cyborg army, but what would an engineering engineer be?
Apart from a tautology.
Are there any non-engineering engineers?
RE: Ambiguities
There are loads of non-engineering engineers in the world nowadays. We now have 'engineers' who instal cable TV, 'engineers' who work in sewers etc etc etc Aaaaarrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
[Rant Off]
Kevin
“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown
"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown
RE: Ambiguities
I had my fight for the month over in thread731-194524: Do You Use What You Learned in School for Your Job?. I don't want to get into another one, or no one will answer my questions!
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Ambiguities
It's just one of those silly little things that racks me off, and I know should be able to get over it ('You are a grown-up, aren't you?', to quote my wife) but sometimes you need to just shout and stomp your feet.....
I'm done now and those pills are just wonderful
Kevin
“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown
"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown
RE: Ambiguities
"Sexual Harassment training"
Do they teach you to sexually harass better?
I was reminded of this because for the first time ever I saw it referred to in a more logical way by, HR
“Training - Preventing Harassment in the Work Place”
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Ambiguities
I saw that and asked if that meant that I was doing such a poor job that they thought I needed a refresher.
I was told that my asking such a question was indicative of my need for sensitivity training.
old field guy
RE: Ambiguities
Matt
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
sw.fcsuper.com
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
RE: Ambiguities
Apparently it is a charity set up to prevent bullying over the internet, and NOT a facility for tormenting local kids at the click of a button when they annoy you.
They realy should have been more clear with the name.