A few questions to irritate electronics experimenters

[climatex]

I used to make fun of electronic know-it-alls by asking them these questions, which -of course- are illogical, or they cannot be simply answered to. Like so:

"What do you measure with a potentiometer?"
"Is 1 watt bigger than 1 volt?" or "How do you convert between volts and amperes?"
"Where's the positive and the negative terminal on my lightbulb? Show me."
"Do you connect that transformer's primary to live and the secondary to neutral? Or is it vice-versa?"
"Why you become temporarily deaf and blind when you try to measure the amperage rating in your mains?"
"I want to measure how many mA's is my 20kV supply providing on short-circuit, but I think I won't be able to get an ammeter which would withstand 20 kilovolts..."
"If my vacuum tube fell down and broke to pieces, what's the best choice to glue it back together?"
"How many watts does a short circuit consume?"

Share yours

 

[daddles]

"What do you measure with a potentiometer?"

You're probably too young to know that this has a perfectly valid answer: voltage.

 

[climatex]

Well daddles, English ain't my native language and a translation of the word "potential" was, if ever, rarely used here for "voltage" all alone. Nothing to do with age, unfortunately.

 

[daddles]

A potentiometer is a type of nulling voltmeter that has been used for more than a century for making voltage measurements. Generations of students were introduced to it in their basic science classes as the slidewire potentiometer. Leeds and Northrup made some models that were very familiar to thousands of chemists (and you can still buy them used if desired). The principle of the method is still used for high impedance measurements impossible with digital voltmeters. The method is also rather intimately related to the operation of a Wheatstone bridge.

Since you used this question to make fun of others, it appears you're a chappie that had one explode in the breech, what? (I'm reading a bunch of Wodehouse at the moment; hence the erudition... )

 

[climatex]

Nah, some answered "potency", when translated, it means "fertility" here. That was the joke.

You can say, for example "mains potential" in English, but not in my language.

And the potentiometer alone was not used for measurements. You had to use a dial instrument along with it.

 

[daddles]

Nah, some answered "potency", when translated, it means "fertility" here. That was the joke.

You can say, for example "mains potential" in English, but not in my language.

And the potentiometer alone was not used for measurements. You had to use a dial instrument along with it.

Yep -- fertility is one meaning of potency, so now I get the joke...

You're also right about needing a galvanometer, but this was always assumed and many potentiometers came with one and the usual use was to refer to the whole instrument.

Your English is pretty good -- what's your native language?

 

[climatex]

I'm from Slovakia; pleased to meet you.

 

[daddles]

I'm from Slovakia; pleased to meet you.

Ditto... I would love to visit that area some time because the satellite pictures make it look like interesting country. I have a friend and his wife who have been spending a couple of years in Hungary. He says the language has been a tremendous challenge (learning a new language in your 60's isn't one of the easiest things in the world).