BS: Zogg's Compass

Subject: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: John Hardly
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 01:40 PM

wa-HOO!!! Zogg celebrate his 35,000th birthday this week!!! More candle than cake again this year.

Back on Zogg's 16th birthday, Zogg get automobile for birthday. Automobile have three-speed -- first, second, and third. Auto not move in first. Just like concept of "zero", concept of "neutral" not invented yet either.

Getting side-tracked.

Anyway, on dash of auto was magnetic compass. What direction did compass always point when Zogg sixteen?

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: jeffp
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 02:09 PM

Down

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 02:24 PM

since the magnetic North pole moves in time, it can be hard to say exactly where it was 35,000 years ago....

Try the article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth's_magnetic_field and get the picture.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Amos
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 02:30 PM

Direction names are arbitrary and had not been invented, probably, by Zogg's 16th birthday. By magnetic definition, the answer in our language is "north". By sidereal definition, who knows? As for "true" bearing, no telling, as per Bill's remarks.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 02:55 PM

I dunno about Zogg, but the 'North' end of my compass (for some reason) insists on pointing away from the 'South' end

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: jeffp
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 03:24 PM

Actually, none of the automobile compasses I have seen have had needles. Instead, they are more like the compass on a boat with a cylinder with the degree markins rotating inside a clear case with a line on it. Such a compass does not point at all, it merely indicates.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Amos
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 03:27 PM

ooo jeff, such precision!!!!

A

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: jeffp
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 03:49 PM

It's a curse.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: John Hardly
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 04:08 PM

Apparently Zogg look for Santa somewhere other than north pole. Maybe west pole. Santa wear cowboy duds when come from west pole. Hawaiian shirt when come from east pole. Dance like Robin Williams when come out of south pole.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Grab
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 04:52 PM

Although the magnetic poles do wobble, the last reversal was apparently 780,000 years ago. So Zogg's compass would point roughly the same way now as it did then, give or take a few degrees.

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 05:28 PM

The movement of magnetic North since about 1600

yeah...35,000 years ago, it would have been vaguely in this pattern.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Amos
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 06:18 PM

John, are you testing the hypothesis that Catters will make a thread out of damn near anything?


:D


A

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Peace
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 07:09 PM

Fact of the matter is this: Zogg is always facing north. It solves lots of problems. One never says to Zogg, "Go West young man, go West." One says, yep you guessed it, "Go North young man, go North." Of course, if you say that to Zogg when he IS actually facing West, he will go there. It's all in the timing.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Amos
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 07:16 PM

Peace:

I hate to point this out, among friends, and all, but is there anything you could do to get the Canadians to hold that pole a little more steady?   A lot of folks are counting on 'em, and it looks like they delegated the job to some real hoser, eh? Wanderin' all around like that is bad enough when sober, but this is magnetic North we're talkin' aboot, eh?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Bunnahabhain
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 07:25 PM

Of course, if you make Zogg a bit older, then you can get a more interesting range of answers, They'll still default to North or South, but the land masses will be pointing in a different direction...

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Peace
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 07:37 PM

It does get around.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Peace
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 07:43 PM

Had a night like that once . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: bobad
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 07:46 PM

How do they figure that out?

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Peace
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 08:44 PM

It left a trail in the ice, Bobad.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Skivee
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 09:05 PM

Zogg in pickle . (first Mrs. Zogg have to invent pickle for Zogg to be in) Zogg think this am big brain trick question. Zogg think this not mean, "Where am North Star"?
But Zogg think that if Zogg know answer to this one. Zogg maybe start Homo Sapiens Sapiens big brain club, not Homo Erectus Club (teehee, Zogg say Homo Erectus Club)
Zogg think that real question am diffici…diffi…diffi,…hard to understand owing to the assumptions underpinning the tautological exercise.
Hmmm, Zogg not know where that come from. Maybe Zogg spend too much time near black perfect rectangle rock that sing and make planets line up. Hmmm what am planets? What am perfect rectangle having 1:4:9 planar relationship?
Zogg think that celestial procession of planet (hmmm, there that word again) make Polaris not North on Zogg's 16th birthday but closest to star Greeks not yet call Emiar in constellation Cepheus, because Greeks not yet around to invent squat. Zogg invent squat.
Polaris not North star for long time.
Maybe later, when Zogg's children fly through air, (teehee, like that happen) but … not if Zogg have anything to say about it.
So Zogg think that question am about "big lumpy magnetic compass is which way". Wooow, big think make Zogg feel dizzy.
Dizzy Zogg think of wobbly path that magnetic North follow, and think it not matter where compass needle point. Zogg answer," because of inherent electro-magnetism of planet (hmm Zogg getting used to that word) core and drift caused by interaction between inner and outer core, Magnetic North define self. So needle point North."
So answer am, "That way."
Now Zogg have to draw plans for Bessemer Process furnace in snow with yellow water, allowing Zogg to smelt iron and replace lumpy magnetite compass with iron compass needle. Much smaller. Better. Lumpy Magnitite compass ruin line of dash.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: bobad
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 10:01 PM

Oh.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Skivee
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 10:21 PM

BTW, jeffp.
The marine compass does point . You just can't see it. There is a compass needle concealed under the compass rose disc card. The whole deal is floating in oil to damp the motion of the disc.
This is why I have no friends.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: jeffp
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 10:28 PM

Makes sense. Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 10:34 PM

"This is why I have no friends."

but MANY envious enemies! ;>)

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:07 PM

Did Zogg's car come with the compass already installed, or did Zogg install it himself? I only ask because, knowing Zogg, he probably wouldn't have known to calibrate the compass to cancel out the magnetic effect of all that iron in the car body. If that's the case, I don't know what direction Zogg's compass pointed toward, but it was probably the wrong one.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Skivee
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:28 PM

Zogg's car probably made of rock

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 06:33 AM

"It left a trail in the ice, Bobad. "

Yellow, I suppose...


some Canadians are permanently pissed...



at the USA in particular...

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Bunnahabhain
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 07:43 AM

It leaves an even better trail in the rocks...

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: skipy
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 08:20 AM

So it moved all that way between 4 o'clock & 8 o'clock, what speed is that?
Skipy

I'll get my compass.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Bee
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 09:05 AM

North is right outside my door this morning. It is damn cold.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 02:57 PM

Somewhere 'way back up there:

I dunno about Zogg, but the 'North' end of my compass (for some reason) insists on pointing away from the 'South' end

True, of course, but it suggests the clarification:

Since the "north" pole of a magnetic is usually defined as a pole having the same properties as the earth has at (or near) the geographical north pole, and since it is unlike poles that attract each other and like poles that repel, on a simple needle or bar type compass, the end of the bar that points north is the south magnetic pole of the bar.

Of course if one exercises the free choice of defining the north magnetic pole of the bar as the pole at the end that points to the north, then of course the magnetic pole of the earth near the geographic north pole should be properly called the south magnetic pole.

Got it now?

I'm sur Zogg understands it.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: Skivee
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 04:55 PM

Zogg want to know.
Mr John Hardly, big Brain, simply make hypothetical question or have answer he want inside big brain?
Zogg have to go now. Zogg try out for new GEICO commercial series. If get part, Zogg will play handsome caveman. Many cavewomen want Zogg, then.
Not tell Mrs. Zogg?

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: jeffp
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 05:07 PM

Secret safe here.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: John Hardly
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 05:22 PM

Me'n Zogg have been pondering this problem ever since I heard a lecture -- the informal kind -- about geomagnetic dating.

The banjo player that I regularly jam with is archeology professor at nearby ND. As we were driving back from a three-hour jam, he started telling me the concept behind this kind of dating.

He thought I'd be interested because I'm a potter and one of the things that comes up when discussing this kind of dating is the possibility of dating fire pits.

Seems that the iron particles are "freed" up when heated enough. When this happens, they point toward wherever magnetic north may happen to be at the time.

Thus, he said, if one could be aware of the orientation of one of my pots as it sat in the kiln, one could deduce by this manner of dating, when the pot was made.

Of course, they could just ask me when I made it.

Subject: RE: BS: Zogg's Compass
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 07:10 PM

Dear, Dear, Dear, more missing posts again...

it would only have been funny to Canadians anyway, i suppose...