[time-nuts] Cautionary tale #4711

Magnus Danielson magnus at rubidium.dyndns.org
Tue Oct 6 08:27:08 UTC 2009


Mike S wrote:
> At 08:39 PM 10/5/2009, Magnus Danielson wrote...
> 
>> I think others can share similar experiences when they think back a 
>> little...
>>
>> The tidying up in the lab seems more and more sensible.
> 
> I've more than once blown a $7 fuse in a Fluke multimeter by overloading 
> the Ampere range. :-)

As long as you did not try to measure how many ampere the outlet would 
let you have, then I still have some hope for you. ;)

> 4711? Isn't that an Eau de Cologne?

Yes, and it is a prime number, so it is used as "large arbitrary number" 
at some universities here in Sweden. An "arbitrary number" is 17. 
Another common arbitrary number is 42. The reason the number got in 
swing is, according to the tale as I heard it, that one lecturer was 
fond of that Eau de Cologne and referenced it in that fashion in his 
lectures. The number itself comes from the street address of the 
manufacture, again according to the tale I have heard.

Cheers,
Magnus




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