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February 25

Olympic Bobsleding

why do 4 man bobsleds tilt the sled on its side before the start — Preceding unsigned comment added by Browndawg28 (talk • contribs) 08:06, 25 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Can you find an example? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:51, 25 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I noticed the same thing while watching the Olympics. Just before the start, the sled rests on its starboard side. Then the competitors tilt it upright, and begin pushing it down the run until they jump in. Every team did the same thing, so it wasn't just the idiosyncrasy of one team or one sled. <edit> (I can't find a video from this year's competition, but look here for an example at 4:01.) → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 14:38, 25 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

If you leave the sled sitting with the runners pressed to the ice they will tend to freeze to the surface. You will also notice that once the sled is the right way up they keep it moving back and forth to prevent that happening. So the idea is not to put the runners to the ice until you are ready, and then make sure they can't freeze in place, because even if it only took a little extra power to break them away again, that could make a difference in a race determined by tiny fractions of a second. Wymspen (talk) 15:04, 25 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I have been working my way through this wonderful set of films from the Criterion Collection. Early bobsleds as seen in the top row here were incredibly rickety and dangerous. It is also interesting to note, in the early winter games, all of the events were held outdoors. Seeing Sonja Henie skate with the Alps in the background is quite extraordinary. MarnetteD|Talk 16:14, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

As I recall, figure skating was outdoors until at least the early 60s (1960 Olympics indoors but 1961 US championships outdoors), and speed skating was outdoors until at least 1980. The great Eric Heiden won gold outside in the 1980 Olympics. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:59, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

1992 Olympic speedskating was outside. 1984 was outside but Sarajevo so if that was boycotted like Moscow no wonder you don't remember. Otherwise it's been inside ever since. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 22:10, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Neither the 1980 nor 1984 winter games were boycotted. It was only the summer games. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:48, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Its simply to keep the skates in perfect condition. Since they have a hollow shape with very sharp edges and a very high surface finish, which is of course essential especially in competitions where a 1/100 second may decide if its going to be the gold or "just" the silver medal, that will wear off surprisingly fast, no matter they are made of high alloy steel. You probably have seen the same from ice skaters, who put on plastic protection rails on their skates immediately when they leave the ice. --Kharon (talk) 21:23, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

All ice skates seem to have this shape, why? Is it just the best shape to make a modern steel skate that's thick enough to be strong and not chip? Is it to make being cut by the skate less severe without increasing friction? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 22:34, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I googled the subject, and this[1] is the first item that came up. It has a whole bunch of information about skate blades. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:45, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The shape is simply so they can cut into the ice enough to cancel any side drift. Else skaters could not change direction let alone skate sharp curves at high speed. --Kharon (talk) 00:58, 3 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

February 26

Police dogs in South Australia

Who was the first person (or persons) to acquire/import dogs for police work in South Australia?

I realise this is a very specific question, but I'm hoping someone can at least point me in the right direction for an answer. Thanks! LeoP09 (talk) 20:00, 26 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Read through first australian canine unit and see what you get. I'd think they may have been first used militarily. I'd also look for the person credited for creating the first such unit, since the dog breeder/importer may be entirely unknown. μηδείς (talk) 03:26, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I found the first police dog in New South Wales which was 1932, Sydney for Kids - Justice and Police Museum (p. 4), so likely to have been around that time. Rajah (dog) was the first police dog in New Zealand, also in the 1930s. Alansplodge (talk) 12:03, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

However, South Australian Year Book No. 17: 1982 says: "Early in 1974, a Dog Squad of six handlers and six dogs became operational; it now comprises twelve handlers and dogs" (p. 173). Alansplodge (talk) 12:31, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

February 27

1920's question

please see top of page guidelines on homework

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

1. What developments in the 1920's reflected the clash between traditional and newly emerging social values? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Higginsal (talk • contribs) 23:55, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have a second question? Either way, I'm sure there are many examples. One is Babe Ruth, who led the radical change in baseball from "small ball" to the power game. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:46, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Reference Desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. --Jayron 32 02:53, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

February 28

AGS has no ammo?

I have been editing Zumwalt-class destroyer and related articles. The gun used on these ships is the Advanced Gun System (AGS). According to the refrences I can find, AGS can only use ammunition designed specifically for it, and the only such ammunition is the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP). The LRLAP procurement was cancelled and there are no plans to replace it. By implication, the guns on these ships and their entire supporting infrastructure of turrets, magazines, cooling systems, etc. are totally useless and the Zumwalts" cannot fire any rounds, so they are reduced to being just missile ships.

Is this correct or am I missing something? If it is correct, these articles are in need of more extensive editing, as their current tone makes it sound like this weapons system is useful and important even after my modest edits. -Arch dude (talk) 19:12, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

From my reading of the Advanced Gun System article, the entire system is "dead in the water", that is there is no plans to continue the funding or research into it; it's basically done. That's because (again from my reading) its development was closely tied to the development of the Zumwalt-class destroyer; since only three of those will ever be built, have a new novel gun system built and developed for 3 small ships was untennable from a financial standpoint. The Zumwalt-class does have other guns, however. The article you cite, under the section titled "Secondary guns" discusses additional guns installed on the ship. --Jayron 32 19:43, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Its no problem to exchange, replace, update or add parts of big military vessels. In fact this is done all the time. Further your implication of uselessness is wrong because instead of sharp ammunition training "ammunition" can and will be used to train every unit involved. Its unclear why such advanced vessels still need "artillery" btw. Probably only still ideal for warning shots. --Kharon (talk) 23:35, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

With respect: it is a problem. There is no training ammo for these guns. The only ammo is however much is left of the 150 total rounds of LRLAP produced for initial testing, and there is no indication that any of these rounds are aboard the three ships. If they are, then the six AGSs have less than rounds apiece, and there will be no more. If the LRLAP program is re-activated, new rounds will cost at least $800,000 per individual round. Simply modifying the six guns for any other type of ammunition will cost $250 million dollars. Apparently, the Navy agrees with you: there is no longer a need for "large" (188 mm) naval artillery, so the rounds will not be procured and the guns will never be fired. Smaller artillery is used on all other Navy ships and can indeed be used for warning shots, but the Zumwalts have only 2 much smaller (30 mm) Bushmasters. When the Zumwalt class ended with only 3 ships, the Navy started building new ships of the older Arleigh Burke-class.-Arch dude (talk) 04:17, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Goodness. That make's the Royal navy's plan to launch a new aircraft carrier several years before they would have any aircraft that could fly from it seem reasonable. Iapetus (talk) 10:04, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Not as bad as folks make out, a few weeks after commissioning she's already flying helicopters on a trials basis and is working towards "the first embarkation of fixed wing aircraft in the Autumn"; see First fixed wing pilots join HMS Queen Elizabeth (23 Feb 2018). Alansplodge (talk) 12:40, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The parallels are interesting. In both cases, major design tradeoffs were made to support a system that was ultimately abandoned, leaving the ship to fulfil only secondary roles that are better served by much less complex and costly designs. The The new british carrier abandoned an EMALS type system, and the Zumwalts abandoned the AGS. -Arch dude (talk) 19:51, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Well, AGS is not quite "dead in the water"; Raytheon Excalibur Round Set to Replace LRLAP on Zumwalts (Jan 2017), which still seems to be ongoing according to US Navy’s Most Advanced Destroyers to Get New Primary Anti-Ship Mission: The Zumwalt-class will be refocused from land attack to surface strike (Dec 2017). Our article M982 Excalibur describes the munition, but doesn't mention the Zumwalt-class. Alansplodge (talk) 11:18, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I would say the complete Zumwalt-class looks dead in the water, given the 4 billion $ pricetag on a single unite. The similar brand new "multirole", "guided missile with nuclear option", russian build Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates come at just 260 million $ per unit. The Zumwalt class is just 180m long and costs as much as the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. TF!? --Kharon (talk) 19:43, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

That reference from Jan 2017 contains a speculation from one source and a refutation from the Navy. A later reference (Feb 2018) says "no plans" Neither is really a good reference, but the are the best we have so far. -Arch dude (talk) 19:51, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Point taken, the pertinent part of the December article is "Defense officials have told USNI News that studies are underway on how to make the Advanced Gun System accommodate new ammunition, and that the modifications to the three ships’ batteries might cost $250 million". Alansplodge (talk) 11:24, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

And finally, No New Round Planned For Zumwalt Destroyer Gun System; Navy Monitoring Industry (January 11, 2018) from the US Naval Institute which I have added to the Advanced Gun System article. The official spokesman is one Capt. James Kirk, so it must be right! Alansplodge (talk) 16:18, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

March 1

Why are teachers in the UK so well paid?

Closing invitation to debate, per WaltCip's suggestion. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:32, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

I am a sixth form teacher, and am a bit puzzled as to why salaries are so high.

Whilst I agree that the work loads can be high, my bemusement is thus.

First, holidays are long: this is a massive asset.
Second, and perhaps most germanely, the academic demands of the job are quite low, and I fail to see why it constitutes "skilled" work. As such, it is not obvious to me why teachers should expect to earn such high salaries.

My contender explanations are as follow.

That I am exaggerating the importance of academic skills in determining salaries of jobs. Maybe the soft skills of the job are valuable and less-than-ubiquitous.
That I am exaggerating the academic demands of similarly/higher paid jobs.

But, is there something that I am missing?

--Leon (talk) 13:31, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

You're griping that you're getting paid too much? Come to America for a while. Your comments say nothing about your students. Do you find it easy to deal with them all day, every day? If so, you should write a book on how to do that. If not, consider any extra to be like "combat pay". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:44, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

This comparison (from 2015) does not suggest that teachers in the UK are particularly well paid in a global context. Mikenorton (talk) 14:05, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

This compares graduate starting salaries by profession and also doesn't suggest that teachers are doing that well. Mikenorton (talk) 15:37, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

"the academic demands of the job are quite low, and I fail to see why it constitutes "skilled" work", maybe that's because you're doing it wrong. --Jayron 32 14:28, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I contend that I am not doing it wrong! Perhaps I should explain more.

I teach A-level Maths and Physics, and prepare students for STEP. Whilst these are perceived as "hard" courses, the level of difficulty is not graduate level: there are but a handful of graduate-level topics (Laurent series being the most obvious) that I have ever discussed in any detail to my students. As such, I don't see why one needs graduate-level education to teach these topics.--Leon (talk) 15:48, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

There are many jobs where you will find that most of your graduate skills are not used. The advantage of having a degree in the subject you are teaching is that you are less likely to be caught out by tricky questions. (Of course, it is possible that your employers have made an error in calculating your salary, but it's maybe better not to ask about that.) Dbfirs 16:00, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, and they haven't made an error in the sense I believe that you mean!--Leon (talk) 11:10, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I also think you're confusing the rigors of the academic discipline from the rigors of pedagogy. Designing, implementing, and assessing lessons is more complex than just telling people facts that you know, and that's what I meant by "maybe you're doing it wrong". I suppose you could take a pay check for just walking into a classroom and talking about your subject for few hours each day (many teachers do this), but there's a lot more to good teaching that makes the art of pedagogy itself acacemically demanding and is a skill unto itself. --Jayron 32 16:03, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

We'll I'm graded (internally) as a "good" teacher, and I don't see what's so academically demanding about pedagogy. I'll add that I only teach sixth form, if that's relevant.--Leon (talk) 11:10, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Supply and demand comes into the equation. Bricklayers earn a huge amount (not saying it's not skilled work) because there's a construction boom and they are in short supply. 92.19.174.150 (talk) 17:08, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed: perhaps More teachers leaving profession than joining for second year running (June 2017) has some bearing on the matter. Alansplodge (talk) 20:24, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

And I agree, in a way, but I'm coming at it from a different angle.

I'm a little puzzled why that's true. I'm not contending that everyone should want to do it; however, given the other remarks I've made it seems like an obvious profession for many who didn't like/weren't so strong at their subject at university.--Leon (talk) 11:10, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Because not everyone can deal with teaching/managing/supporting/disciplining/caring for/guiding children on a daily basis. That's a whole set of skills and abilities that not everyone is cut out for. NorthBySouthBaranof (talk) 11:15, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

"High" is a relative term. Tell us what you're comparing UK teachers' salaries with. Other occupations in the UK? Teachers' salaries in other countries? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 18:20, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The former, for similar levels of what I believe skill to be.--Leon (talk) 11:10, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

This ref desk question is a request for debate or opinion. We do not and should not answer these.--WaltCip (talk) 12:08, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

You're right. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:32, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

crematoriums isle of sheppey

Hi all, I am a support worker with Grace Eyre in Sussex. My current task is to locate the ashes of the daughter of a young lady whom I work with. I cannot find the names or the phone numbers for the local crematoriums. Are you able to help? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.66.129.148 (talk) 15:42, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Are you looking for ALL crematoriums in Sussex? Do you want to narrow it down to, say, Brighton? Then, you would have The Downs and Woodvale. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 15:58, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I think he's look for a list of crematoria on the Isle of Sheppey, which is in Kent. 81.187.116.230 (talk) 16:31, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

https://www.swale.gov.uk/cemeteries/ is the local government website for the area, but the ashes could be anywhere there is no requirement to bury or scatter ashes at the place of cremation they can be taken away and put anywhere. I would suggest you probably need to find out the funeral director who dealt with the cremation who may have an idea what happened. MilborneOne (talk) 16:39, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The most likely crematorium for the Isle of Sheppey is the Garden of England Crematorium, in Sittingbourne [2] (there isn't one on the Isle of Sheppey itself). If you know the date of death and/or the date of the funeral they should be able to say whether the ashes were returned to the family or the undertakers, held at the crematorium, or scattered on site (most have a garden specifically for such purposes). If that isn't the right one, putting Kent + crematorium into Google will give you a complete list of every one in the county. Similarly, putting Undertakers + isle of Sheppey into Google gives you a list of the four firms of undertakers on the Isle - though there is no guarantee that one of them would have been used. Wymspen (talk) 23:15, 1 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Who arranged the funeral? Was it the girl's mother? 92.19.174.150 (talk) 14:41, 2 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

March 2

Identifying a cartridge (firearms)

Any clue what these could be? They look superficially similar to spent small-arms cartridges, about an inch in length, but 1) are empty inside, with no trace of soot and/or gunpowder; 2) have walls thicker than one would expect for a cartridge; 3) have an unusual tail-end that I can pull to extend a little bit, or push to compress back. The top photo is with the tail-end compressed, and the bottom one with it extended. --77.138.191.65 (talk) 16:14, 3 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I cannot view the images. Nail gun cartridges? Akld guy (talk) 13:13, 4 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any kind of spike or protrusion inside at the bottom of the casing? Either at the center (I'm thinking caliber conversion sleeve) or at the edge (centerfire to rimfire adapter). 91.155.192.188 (talk) 13:32, 4 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

March 4