Sunday, April 16, 2006

A challenge for my readers.

So in physics when learning the Resistor colour code we're given a mnemonic device. Currently it still appears to be Bad Boys Ravish Only Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly. There are obvious issues with this, and I only heard one professor ever say it which was only to me to point out how f*ed up it is.

The folks at Cosmic Variance have issued a challenge. It is the 21st century and we should have a better mnemonic device. Since I know many of my readers do not read the physics blogs, but would be offended by above mnemonic device I thought I'd give you a chance to participate. Post it here, post it there, let's change the super sexist (which also used to be the super racist Black Boys Rape Only Young Girls But Virgins Go Without) note how the racism was removed, but not the sexism. (I'm not the only one who noticed, either.) GRRRRR.

The Mnemonic device is to remember the followiung sequence: Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

The one I learned was Better Be Right Or Your Great Venture Goes West.

lost clown said...

That's nice, I think someone brought that up in the Cosmic Variance thread. It definitely is descriptive of what happens if you get it wrong.

hexy said...

Oh gods, that's hideous!

Dubhe said...

Bbroy G. Bivgw? Somehow just adding Black, Brown, Grey, and White to the electromagnetic spectrum device doesn't seem to work...

Biting Beaver Reads Only Your Greatest Blogs of Vocifierate Gender Writings?

Bah, I suck.

Anonymous said...

This is my favourite, posted by one of the commenters on that site:

Bad Ben Runs Over Your Garden. Vengeance Grows Within.

I think it's the easiest one to remember because it's divided into two logical parts (longer sentences are more difficult to remember), it's a coherent narrative, it's easy to create an image in your head of the narrative, there's a single emotion and action you can attach to it (which makes it easier to remember), and there are a lot of poetic sound resonances (making it easier to memorize).

Anonymous said...

but this one's still better (despite my analysis)...

Better Be Right Or Your Great Big Venture Goes West

I think a lot of professors (and people in general) need a good kick where it hurts.

Mickle said...

Wow.

Reason #259 I went to a women's college. I don't remember this particular mnenomic device ever being mentioned in my four years as a physics major, but I'm pretty sure that if it was, the prof brought it up so we could laugh at what idiots some people are.

Back to the actual topc, since the color scheme is pretty logical by itself, who really needs a mnemonic device to remember every color? Why not just Black Brown Rainbow Gray White?

Better Be Right G...

Bad Boys...

Yeah, I suck at this. sorry.

lost clown said...

Oh don't worry, none of you saw my scribblings. hehehe

spotted elephant said...

The best mnemonics are the ones you make up yourself. Then, even if they don't really make sense, they do to *you*.

I could only come up with a rabbit one. I think I have a problem.

Bouncing bunnies run over your garden beds. Vegetables get wasted.

lost clown said...

Rabbits scare me. It seems like everytime I go to your blog one of them is staring at me, and that creeps me out.

Ravenmn said...

Bitches Build Revolution On Young Girls, But Value Grandmothers' Wisdom

lost clown said...

I don't like the b-word.

spotted elephant said...

I'm sorry for the proliferation of rabbits. Except for around Easter, they should be limited to Mondays. And Bumble is really sweet, he'd never hurt you.

Ever since I was a kid, I've been afraid of...clowns. :(

hexy said...

I like clowns AND rabbits.

*muses over what a rabbit would look like dressed up as a clown*

Ravenmn said...

Sorry about the B word above. How about:

Busy Bunnies Rely On Your Garden But Visit Grocers Weekly

lost clown said...

I may remember that one as bunnies creep me out.

SE: but they're always staring!

spotted elephant said...

They have to stare. They're on everyone's lunch menu. :(

They mean no disrespect.

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