On Thu, 24 Oct 1996, Ken Sletten B894 C312 x62525 wrote:

> Jeff again:
>
> >Reminds me of the memorable day I heard Ret Adm. Grace Hopper give an
> >address on campus.  She started by coming to the lecturn with a piece of
> >wire in her hand (well, fat telephone cable) about a foot long (knowing
> >the readership, someone can probably supply the exact length).  She
> >referred to this as her "nanosecond" since it was as far as an
> >electrical signal could travel in one nanosecond.
>
> You had the privilege of actually being in the same room
> with Amazing Grace ??.....  I am suitably awe-struck and
> envious....
>
> ....  I seem to remember that one ns is something like
> 11.9 inches.....  Getting more decimal points is left as
> an exercise for some other reader....
>
> Ken Sletten
>

...And getting into decimal points and digits will only get you into more
trouble -- electricity travels through different types of "transmission
lines" at different speeds, so you have to know the type and
characteristics of the cable to know its "velocity factory" and properly
calculate the "one nanosecond" length.  I seem to remember the old
(cheap) RG-59 coax as having a velocity factor of 0.77.  Then again, it
has been a few years and the cobwebs in my brain may have induced an
error, so don't bet the farm on 0.77. ;-)

John
--------------------------------------------------------------
John Korb                            email: [log in to unmask]
Innovative Software Solutions, Inc.

The thoughts, comments, and opinions expressed herein are mine
and do not reflect those of my employer(s), or anyone else.