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Discussion of "miltretrebinbo'a"

Comment #1: Issues
Curtis W Franks (Fri Jan 3 09:19:14 2014)

(1) Can someone explain to me how "micro-" implies "between 1/1000 and 1"?
Do you mean "milli-", which is how it now is used.

(2) The way that I understand the word is: (((millimeter)-type-of
meter)-type-of between)-type-of wave. Although I understand that the
intention is for the wavelength to be between one millimeter and one
meter, the way that I understand produces a several problems: (a) What is
a millimeter-type-of meter? (b) What is a (2a)-between? Specifically, it
seems to me that either the things between which we are concerned are
either unspecified (a'o) or exactly one thing (namely, the
millimetermeter); the latter interpretation is bad. (c) How is the wave
between these things? What specific ruler in the world is being used?
(Since a wave is a physical object or signal, its medium must be a
specific physical object. The measurement of a distance is not enough-
the specific ruler doing the measuring must be specified as the physical
medium of propagation for the wave). (d) I really think that you mean
"wavelength" (velbo'a). (e) Perhaps insert a few "kem"'s in there and
convert the terbri structure of boxna a few times?

(3) Usually, one is not actually all that worried with the endpoints of
the interval of size that a wavelength will have for a given wave. One is
usually more concerned with a particular (interval of) wavelength(s) and
every wavelength 'near' it that might be detected. For example, I may be
interested in 21 cm wavelength emissions, so I will have a window that
allows in waves of wavelengths approximately 21 cm long (the narrower the
better, maybe). Thus, in our definitions for waves, I would not follow
the standard malglico practice of sorting wavelengths into intervals that
span three powers of ten (and also arbitrarily including other nice Si
prefixes); note that the precision in the absolute (not logarithmic)
sizing is inconsistent: the micrometer wavelength waves (that is, any wave
of wavelength between 10^(-8) and 10^(-6) meters long) are much more
precisely determined than millimeter wavelength waves (those with
wavelengths between 10^(-5) and 10^(-3) meters long). Thus, I propose
that such Lojban words employ jibni; for example: "approximately ten
nanometer wavelength wave".
Note that all kinds of precisions are permitted by Lojban lujvo making,
rather than the (mostly strictly) logarithmic system that English employs.

Comment #2: Re: Issues
Curtis W Franks (Fri Jan 3 09:28:26 2014)

(4) It should be noted that the usage of this proposed word (or any of its
kin [a'o]) is definitely not as would an English layperson would expect.
It is malglico to say that dinner was cooked in a microwave, (except in a
very pedantic and not-very-layperson fashion). "Microwave oven" should be
used in such a context, wherein the (microwave) radiation could be
specified.

(5) I would just like to note that most contexts probably default to
understanding "microwaves" to be electromagnetic, but as far as these
definitions go, such interpretations would be wrong (malglico and/or
malklu). Any wave that has a wavelength on the order of certain lengths
would be considered to be microwave- even if it is a water wave or a
gravitational wave, or any other wave for that matter. A note stating
such usage would be nice (I recommend).

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