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bachus
Joined: Feb 29, 2004
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Location: la-la land --- stick it
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 Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 8:29 am Post subject:
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| Fozzie wrote: | | Well, you could just as well say a quantum leap is literally a "leap of a certain size". It just doesn't correspond to the physics-connotation of the word quantum. In Dutch you have 'kwantum-korting' ('quantum reduction on sales prices') that signifies the reduction in price you get when you buy in large amounts. |
I think it's a mater of linguist context. In Ameriknenglish the use you suggest is virtually never heard (I don't think I've ever heard it the sixty+ pluse years words have been striking my tympanic membranes ) and is on the verge of becoming archaic.
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parabola
Joined: Apr 30, 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Trondheim/England
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| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 3:01 am Post subject:
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Looks fantastic. I definatly want one. No idea of the pricing, I was laughing too much to check.
Like a very sadistic game of darts, perhaps??
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Inventor
Joined: Oct 13, 2007
Posts: 1168
Location: Florida, USA
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| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 5:54 am Post subject:
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Surgery scares the bejeebus out of me! Anything that helps the surgeon do his/her job better is a welcome contribution to humanity as far as I'm concerned. I worked on a medical device for a few years and it was very satisfying work. Now if the FDA would only *APPROVE* the device, I'd feel better about it! Medical engineering is definitely not a career for the impatient, oh well...
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EdisonRex
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Joined: Mar 07, 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject:
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| Fozzie wrote: | | bachus wrote: | | Fozzie wrote: | | EdisonRex wrote: | I hate that "quantum leap" bullshit. A quantum is actually rather small, like electron kinda small.
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 No, no, no! T'is not like that my friend. Especially for the physics-preoccupied souls here 
http://www.worldwidewords.org/topicalwords/tw-qua1.htm
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Seems to me the link justifies Rex's complaint. Is it not the distinction between the clasical concept of change being allowed in infintesimally small increments and there being a smallest unit of change (particularly in electron energy) -- the quanta which prevented the ultaviolet catastrophy. Which problem was the shard in the eye Newton. |
Well, you could just as well say a quantum leap is literally a "leap of a certain size". It just doesn't correspond to the physics-connotation of the word quantum. In Dutch you have 'kwantum-korting' ('quantum reduction on sales prices') that signifies the reduction in price you get when you buy in large amounts. |
Oh, so a quantum is q where q is an arbitrary number? That makes a quantum leap an even fuzzier term. I think marketing droids should find other words like "major breakthrough" or "light years ahead" or something quantifiable.
I'm just pedantic sometimes. 
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Antimon
Joined: Jan 18, 2005
Posts: 929
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 3:29 am Post subject:
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"This tool represents a leap of a certain size in medical science!"
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bachus
Joined: Feb 29, 2004
Posts: 1981
Location: la-la land --- stick it
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:05 am Post subject:
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| EdisonRex wrote: | | That makes a quantum leap an even fuzzier term. |
Well gee-wiz a quantum leap is always fuzzy till the fat lady sings.
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EdisonRex
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:13 am Post subject:
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| bachus wrote: | | EdisonRex wrote: | | That makes a quantum leap an even fuzzier term. |
Well gee-wiz a quantum leap is always fuzzy till the fat lady sings. |
heh, indeed.
Nifty device, though.
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bachus
Joined: Feb 29, 2004
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 9:05 am Post subject:
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Yea, I'm with Inventor on that. I want my surgeon to have the best possible tools ( and the skills to use them).
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K. Vonnegut
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