[time-nuts] Delay through GPS antenna splitter/amplifier--ananswer, and a question

[Ulrich Bangert]

This brings the following story back in my mind:

When I was a student at the university of Bochum/Germany the department
of physics owned an electron synchrotron and storage ring. Not really a
big gun in international terms but with 800 MeV energy also not exactly
a child's toy. Once a year the university had its "open day" when the
public was invited to visit the numrerous research facilities. 

There was this old lady who had listened to the lecture that the
scientist responsible for the accelerator had given. Although the
lecture had clearly been public-adressed she had hardly understood a bit
of what it all was about. After the lecture, when the other vistors had
already left the laboratory, she talked to the scientist: "Sir, thank
you for your highly interesting lecture. Its just that I missed one
thing: What do you need it for?"

The scientist, anticipating that explaining it to the old lady might be
a task of hours or perhaps impossible, answered: "Mam, it is kind of a
hobby of mine. You know, other men own model railways and watch the
small trains running in circles. What I do is pretty much the same only
with electrons and at a bit more speed". The old lady went away
completely satisfied because now she had really understood....

Cheers
Ulrich Bangert, DF6JB   

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com 
> [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] Im Auftrag von MUELLER, 
> STEVE (ATTOPS)
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 14. März 2007 18:57
> An: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> Betreff: Re: [time-nuts] Delay through GPS antenna 
> splitter/amplifier--ananswer, and a question
> 
> 
> I suppose an answer could be "Time will tell"
> It's better than "Because I can"
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com 
> [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On Behalf > Of Thomas A. 
> Frank
> Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 7:32 PM
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Delay through GPS antenna 
> splitter/amplifier --ananswer, and a question
> 
> 
> > This is the basic problem with our hobby... I proudly tell 
> people that
> 
> > I
> > can measure time to trillionths of a second, but am hard 
> pressed for a 
> > good answer when they ask "why do you need to?"
> 
> 
> "For the money, for the glory, and for the fun.  But mostly for the 
> fun..."
> 
> (with apologies to Burt Reynolds)
> 
> Tom Frank, KA2CDK
> 
> 
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