OT: Speed of light [was Re: Why not a Python compiler?]

[Erik Max Francis]

Jeff Schwab wrote:

> So what's the "double mistake?"  My understanding was (1) the misuse 
> (ok, vernacular use) of the term "free fall," and (2) the association of 
> weight with free-fall velocity ("If I tie an elephant's tail to a 
> mouse's, and drop them both into free fall, will the mouse slow the 
> elephant down?")

I presume his point was that physicists have a specialized meaning of 
"free fall" and, in that context, the answer is wrong.

My point was, and still is, that if this question without further 
context is posed to a generally educated laymen, the supposedly wrong 
answer that was given is actually _correct_.  After all, surely the 
technical physics meaning of "free fall" came _after_ a more common term 
was in use, just as with other terms like "force" or "energy" that have 
technical meanings in physics, but more abstract or general meanings in 
the general parlance.  "Free fall" means something specialized to 
physicists, but it means something more general to non-physicists.

A lot of these kind of "gotcha" questions intended to trick even 
reasonable people into demonstrating technical ignorance have precisely 
the same problem:  The desired technical context is not made clear and 
so that the supposedly-wrong answer is not only unsurprising, but often 
arguably correct.  This kind of stuff is little more than a semantic 
terminology game, rather than revealing any deeper concepts.

-- 
Erik Max Francis && max at alcyone.com && http://www.alcyone.com/max/
  San Jose, CA, USA && 37 18 N 121 57 W && AIM, Y!M erikmaxfrancis
   Tell me the truth / I'll take it like a man
    -- Chante Moore