2754: Relative Terms - Revision history

2001:14BA:A070:6700:CD64:7788:CC2A:8470: /* Explanation */

2025-11-01T19:22:56Z

‎Explanation

42.book.addict: template:fact does not exist

2025-09-10T17:03:05Z

template:fact does not exist

FaviFake: added Category:Giraffes using HotCat

2025-05-18T08:55:15Z

added Category:Giraffes using HotCat

172.70.90.100: /* Explanation */ Punctuation

2023-04-30T08:26:44Z

‎Explanation: Punctuation

172.71.166.249: It is literally in the name, was this original description written by an AI?

2023-04-29T23:17:28Z

It is literally in the name, was this original description written by an AI?

Xurkitree10: /* Transcript */

2023-04-25T05:21:27Z

‎Transcript

Xurkitree10: /* Explanation */

2023-04-16T10:20:37Z

‎Explanation

Xurkitree10: /* Explanation */ Completing table

2023-04-16T10:20:16Z

‎Explanation: Completing table

172.71.154.4: /* Explanation */

2023-04-14T03:29:50Z

‎Explanation

141.101.98.100: Added descriptions for train, tuba, airplane and cannon in item descriptions.

2023-04-07T17:40:31Z

Added descriptions for train, tuba, airplane and cannon in item descriptions.

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 The terms "small" and "big" are used to refer to size; the terms "loud" and "quiet" are used to refer to (audial) volume. While these terms are relative, they are often used even when there is nothing obvious being compared against (e.g. "A windmill is a big thing" or "An ant is a small thing").
-This comic humorously suggests that the item defined to be in the middle of all four terms ("neither small nor big; neither quiet nor loud") is a sewing machine, as a sewing machine seems (at least in comparison to the other items on the graph) to be neither particularly big nor particularly small; neither particularly quiet nor particularly loud. A standard sewing machine is roughly 60dB in volume and approximately 42” X 21”, although this is for industrial machines, and those in the home (table-top electric models) would be both smaller and quieter. More antique treadle-powered sewing machines might include the treadle-table, as an integral part of its size, but could be even quieter if kept well-maintained.
+This comic humorously suggests that the item defined to be in the middle of all four terms ("neither small nor big; neither quiet nor loud") is a sewing machine, as a sewing machine seems (at least in comparison to the other items on the graph) to be neither particularly big nor particularly small; neither particularly quiet nor particularly loud. A standard sewing machine is roughly 60dB in volume and approximately 42” X 21” (around 100cm X 50cm), although this is for industrial machines, and those in the home (table-top electric models) would be both smaller and quieter. More antique treadle-powered sewing machines might include the treadle-table, as an integral part of its size, but could be even quieter if kept well-maintained.
 As the reference point, the sewing machine is placed in the center of the chart, while a selection of other example objects are located in the four quadrants around it, based on whether they are considered to be small or big, and loud or quiet. Many of the items might appear to have been placed in the wrong quadrant for their actual attributes; locations may reflect more how Randall generally thinks of these things, as opposed to others' subjective ideas of their real-life relationship to a sewing machine.

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 Most statues are silent, but some may be plumbed in as fountains. Or occasionally equipped with other devices that make sound. There is also "musical statues" being a {{w|party game}}, that can be intermittently loud and quite large.
 |-
-| The Moon || The Moon is very, very big{{fact}}, but it is also completely silent{{fact}} from the perspective of most humans, since sound cannot travel through the vacuum of space.
+| The Moon || The Moon is very, very big, but it is also completely silent from the perspective of most humans, since sound cannot travel through the vacuum of space.
 |-
 | Tree || A tree can be small and big, but generally aren't noisy outside the rustling of leaves and like. This might be a reference to the philosophical question "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?". According to Randall, a tree falling like this would be fairly quiet.

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:55, 18 May 2025
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	[[Category:Volcanoes]]		[[Category:Volcanoes]]
	[[Category:Food]]		[[Category:Food]]
		+	[[Category:Giraffes]]

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 | Harmonica || See Flute.
 |-
-| Popcorn || A snack that, as the name implies, is known for a popping sound when cooked, owing to moisture inside the kernels being heated and creating pressure. May also be annoyingly loud in a cinema setting. However, this is largely due to the otherwise low volume environment, and arguably a sewing machine might be equally or more annoying. Individual kernels, popped or unpopped, are generally smaller than a sewing machine{{fact}}. Actual servings of popcorn in some cinemas may however be larger than a sewing machine.
+| Popcorn || A snack that, as the name implies, is known for a popping sound when cooked, owing to moisture inside the kernels being heated and creating pressure. May also be annoyingly loud in a cinema setting. However, this is largely due to the otherwise low volume environment, and arguably a sewing machine might be equally or more annoying. Individual kernels, popped or unpopped, are generally smaller than a sewing machine.{{Citation needed}} Actual servings of popcorn in some cinemas, however, may be larger than a sewing machine.
 |-
 | Songbird || {{w|Songbirds}}, despite being very small, are well known for their songs that can be heard over a large area.

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 | Harmonica || See Flute.
 |-
-| Popcorn || A snack that is known for being annoyingly loud in a cinema setting. However, this is largely due to the otherwise low volume environment, and arguably a sewing machine might be equally or more annoying. Also, some helpings of popcorn in some cinemas may actually be larger than a sewing machine.
+| Popcorn || A snack that, as the name implies, is known for a popping sound when cooked, owing to moisture inside the kernels being heated and creating pressure. May also be annoyingly loud in a cinema setting. However, this is largely due to the otherwise low volume environment, and arguably a sewing machine might be equally or more annoying. Individual kernels, popped or unpopped, are generally smaller than a sewing machine{{fact}}. Actual servings of popcorn in some cinemas may however be larger than a sewing machine.
 |-
 | Songbird || {{w|Songbirds}}, despite being very small, are well known for their songs that can be heard over a large area.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:21, 25 April 2023
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	==Transcript==		==Transcript==
−	~~{{incomplete transcript\|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
−
	:[A chart, with "Quiet" to "Loud" on the X-axis, and "Small" to "Big" on the Y-axis. It is split into four quarters, with "Sewing machine" in the center.]		:[A chart, with "Quiet" to "Loud" on the X-axis, and "Small" to "Big" on the Y-axis. It is split into four quarters, with "Sewing machine" in the center.]

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:20, 16 April 2023
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Created by a BOT THAT IS LARGER THAN A BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
	The terms "small" and "big" are used to refer to size; the terms "loud" and "quiet" are used to refer to (audial) volume. While these terms are relative, they are often used even when there is nothing obvious being compared against (e.g. "A windmill is a big thing" or "An ant is a small thing").		The terms "small" and "big" are used to refer to size; the terms "loud" and "quiet" are used to refer to (audial) volume. While these terms are relative, they are often used even when there is nothing obvious being compared against (e.g. "A windmill is a big thing" or "An ant is a small thing").

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 | Butterfly || Butterflies are used as an exemplar of something small, unnoticeable and seemingly insignificant in the metaphor of the Butterfly Effect.
 |-
-| Hat ||
+| Hat || A hat, being a non-living item of clothing, is very quiet. They also come in a range of sizes, hence their position in the middle of the Big/Small axis.
 |-
 | Mouse || A mouse is a very small, quiet animal. This might also be a reference to the expression "quiet as a mouse", meaning very quietly.
 |-
-| Newt ||
+| Newt || A newt is a semi-aquatic salamander. Being fairly small and living in water most of the time, they are very quiet.
 |-
 | Pin drop || The expression "hear a pin drop" is used to indicate that an area is exceptionally quiet; the idea is that the space is so silent that even something as insubstantial and tiny as a pin can be heard hitting the ground.
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 | Popcorn || A snack that is known for being annoyingly loud in a cinema setting. However, this is largely due to the otherwise low volume environment, and arguably a sewing machine might be equally or more annoying. Also, some helpings of popcorn in some cinemas may actually be larger than a sewing machine.
 |-
-| Songbird ||
+| Songbird || {{w|Songbirds}}, despite being very small, are well known for their songs that can be heard over a large area.
 |-
 | Whistle || This is of course a device known as a whistle, as these are small. The human act of whistling, or a whistle produced by, for example, a kettle, has no size (other than that of the whistler or whistling object). A whistle is used as an alert or signal, or could be another musical instrument (see Flute). The loudest human whistle ever recorded was 8372 Hz and roughly 110 DB, which is a C9 in the standard musical scale and is roughly as loud as a jackhammer[https://www.vnews.com/West-Lebanon-man-sets-a-world-record-for-whistling-24480844#:~:text=Guinness'%20website%20says%20Stanford%20reached,in%20the%20standard%20musical%20notation.]. Since a whistle should be able to beat this it must be seen as loud.
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 | The Moon || The Moon is very, very big{{fact}}, but it is also completely silent{{fact}} from the perspective of most humans, since sound cannot travel through the vacuum of space.
 |-
-| Tree ||
+| Tree || A tree can be small and big, but generally aren't noisy outside the rustling of leaves and like. This might be a reference to the philosophical question "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?". According to Randall, a tree falling like this would be fairly quiet.
 |-
 | Windmill || Windmills need to have significant height in order to catch enough air movement to drive them. They are thought of as quiet, relative to other forms of power generation; in reality, though, the passage of the blades through the air can cause considerable noise, as can [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzwqBgWKalI the machinery that they drive].
@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
 | Cannon || A cannon produces a loud sound when fired, and is on average 2.5 meters in length.
 |-
-| Riding mower ||
+| Riding mower || Riding mowers are big in order to accommodate a person, and are known for being very loud, with a loudness of 85-90 decibels on average.
 |-
 | [[wikipedia:Calliope_(music)|Steam calliope]] || A large musical device which functions by sending steam (or more recently compressed air) through attached whistles.
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 | Volcano || Lower right corner. Volcanic eruptions can be extremely loud. The {{w|1883 eruption of Krakatoa}} made a pressure wave of 180 dB, the loudest sound ever recorded.
 |-
-| Waterfall ||
+| Waterfall || A waterfall makes noise as it crashes over rocks. However, the sound of a waterfall is a relaxing sound to many.
 |-
-| Whale ||
+| Whale || Whales are the largest mammals currently living on earth, and are extremely loud in their underwater 'songs' and vocalisations, often reaching over 140 decibels. However, the frequency of these sounds is well outside the range of human hearing, which is why they're placed close to the center on the Quiet/Loud axis.
 |}

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 ! Item !! Description
 |-
-| Anaconda ||
+| Anaconda || Snakes typically aren’t that loud, especially constrictors like anacondas.
 |-
 | Giraffe ||  Giraffes can be quite loud, but they usually vocalise using frequencies well below the range of human hearing.  So, to a human, giraffes are quiet.

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 ! Item !! Description
 |-
-| Airplane ||
+| Airplane || An airplane produces a loud sound from its engines, while also being between 40 and 50 meters in length.
 |-
-| Cannon ||
+| Cannon || A cannon produces a loud sound when fired, and is on average 2.5 meters in length.
 |-
 | Riding mower ||
@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 | [[wikipedia:Calliope_(music)|Steam calliope]] || A large musical device which functions by sending steam (or more recently compressed air) through attached whistles.
 |-
-| Train ||
+| Train || A form of public or cargo transport with carriages, variable size and noise production.
 |-
-| Tuba ||
+| Tuba || A musical brass instrument that creates a musical note by air blown through its mouthpiece.
 |-
 | Volcano || Lower right corner. Volcanic eruptions can be extremely loud. The {{w|1883 eruption of Krakatoa}} made a pressure wave of 180 dB, the loudest sound ever recorded.