3106: Farads - Revision history

Treeplate: make it slightly more clear

2025-11-06T01:26:53Z

make it slightly more clear

2.98.65.8: Undo revision 388640 by 2001:4450:813D:C800:54:DB18:3897:57D9 (talk) Vandalism.

2025-10-11T23:48:24Z

Undo revision 388640 by 2001:4450:813D:C800:54:DB18:3897:57D9 (talk) Vandalism.

Show changes

2001:4450:813D:C800:54:DB18:3897:57D9 at 22:44, 11 October 2025

2025-10-11T22:44:18Z

Show changes

2.50.0.22: /* Explanation */

2025-09-24T05:28:31Z

‎Explanation

2.50.0.22: /* Explanation */

2025-09-24T05:27:53Z

‎Explanation

CalibansCreations: /* Explanation */

2025-08-12T15:47:35Z

‎Explanation

Lamda05: /* Explanation */

2025-08-02T05:40:23Z

‎Explanation

FaviFake: WP:DUMMYEDIT: if someone thinks meters can "also be known as pounds", the omission of a comma isn't going to clear things up for them

2025-07-26T14:51:39Z

WP:DUMMYEDIT: if someone thinks meters can "also be known as pounds", the omission of a comma isn't going to clear things up for them

82.132.236.123: Undo revision 381901 by FaviFake (talk) Totally unnecessary commas, whatever Oxford thinks. Three item lists particularly bad: "A, B, and C" could read like "A (a.k.a. B) and C", so steering clear.

2025-07-26T01:05:02Z

Undo revision 381901 by FaviFake (talk) Totally unnecessary commas, whatever Oxford thinks. Three item lists particularly bad: "A, B, and C" could read like "A (a.k.a. B) and C", so steering clear.

FaviFake at 16:15, 25 July 2025

2025-07-25T16:15:57Z

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 ==Trivia==
-Of the three 'normal' unit quantities, the battery gets a comment that it might not necessarily be. Common household versions of {{w|electrochemical cell}} will normally be designed to produce around 1.5 volts (though some fairly common other versions go as low as 1.2&nbsp;V or as high as 2.1&nbsp;V), with single-/multi-cell {{w|List of battery sizes|batteries in general}} often being rated at a simple multiple of that (e.g. 1.5&nbsp;V, 4.5&nbsp;V, 9&nbsp;V, ...). A cell producing nearer just a single volt, as is pointed out, might be significantly discharged and need recharging. If not replacing entirely, having aged due to too many recharges, as it also definitely would if it is a {{w|primary cell}}.
+Of the three 'normal' unit quantities, the battery gets a comment that it might not necessarily be one. Common household versions of {{w|electrochemical cell}} will normally be designed to produce around 1.5 volts (though some fairly common other versions go as low as 1.2&nbsp;V or as high as 2.1&nbsp;V), with single-/multi-cell {{w|List of battery sizes|batteries in general}} often being rated at a simple multiple of that (e.g. 1.5&nbsp;V, 4.5&nbsp;V, 9&nbsp;V, ...). A cell producing nearer just a single volt, as is pointed out, might be significantly discharged and need recharging. If not replacing entirely, having aged due to too many recharges, as it also definitely would if it is a {{w|primary cell}}.
 Also, of all four measures, the {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}} is the only non-SI unit given. A mass of 1 {{w|kilogram}} would also not be too odd a weight to have quoted here, being about 2.2 lb, but may not have been chosen due to its relative unfamiliarity to everyday US readers (even compared to the meter<!--?-->), or else because of its {{w|metric prefix}} (the only one of the {{w|SI base unit}}s, even including the {{w|SI derived unit|derived ones}}, to not be a bare unit) and the gram itself perhaps being even less relatable.

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 For the same charging voltage and load/resistance, a larger capacitor won't deliver greater current or instantaneous power than a smaller one, but the total amount of energy and duration of discharge would be proportionally longer. If the capacitor's wires accidentally touch each other or a third piece of metal, an accidental "short circuit" is created, and all of the capacitor's stored energy discharges very quickly. For example, a 1 farad capacitor charged to 10 volts stores 50 joules of energy, and discharging all of that into a copper wire could cause the wire to heat up by a few dozen degrees Celsius faster than the blink of an eye and cause serious burns (see the [https://old.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1ljxvdo/do_i_not_understand_what_a_capacitor_is/mzqg7ug/ calculation]). Large capacitors are often associated with larger voltages and heavy machinery, which can contribute to the feeling of caution around large capacitances.
-The title text explores the inverse situation, where “1” of a unit is a very <b>small</b> amount. A {{w|becquerel}} (Bq) amounts to one radioactive atomic decay per second, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace {{w|potassium-40}} in the total potassium it contains, a natural proportion of 117 parts per million). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a container for hazardous materials unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness, flammability, or overripeness). For comparison, a 70 kg human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq], and the {{w|Chernobyl disaster|1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant}} (better known as the time "[[2163: Chernobyl|we banged some rocks together too hard]]") released [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10628087/ 2×10<sup>18</sup> (that's 2,000,000,000,000,000,000) Bq]. The earlier common unit for radioactivity is the {{w|Curie (unit)|curie}}, originally defined as the decay rate of 1 gram of radium. It has since been redefined to be 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays/second, i.e., 37 GBq. Radioactive material emitting 1 curie that is small enough to fit into a container for hazardous materials is dangerous enough that it probably ''should'' be in one. Bananas as a unit of measurement for radiation exposure are also discussed in the [[Radiation]] chart.
+The title text explores the inverse situation, where “1” of a unit is a very <b>small</b> amount. A {{w|becquerel}} (Bq) amounts to one radioactive atomic decay per second, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace {{w|potassium-40}} in the total potassium it contains, a natural proportion of 117 parts per million). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a container for hazardous materials unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness, flammability, or overripeness). For comparison, a 70 kg human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq], and the {{w|Chernobyl disaster|1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant}} (better known as the time "[[2163: Chernobyl|we banged some rocks together too hard]]") released [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10628087/ 2×10<sup>18</sup> (which is 2,000,000,000,000,000,000) Bq]. The earlier common unit for radioactivity is the {{w|Curie (unit)|curie}}, originally defined as the decay rate of 1 gram of radium. It has since been redefined to be 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays/second, i.e., 37 GBq. Radioactive material emitting 1 curie that is small enough to fit into a container for hazardous materials is dangerous enough that it probably ''should'' be in one. Bananas as a unit of measurement for radiation exposure are also discussed in the [[Radiation]] chart.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 For the same charging voltage and load/resistance, a larger capacitor won't deliver greater current or instantaneous power than a smaller one, but the total amount of energy and duration of discharge would be proportionally longer. If the capacitor's wires accidentally touch each other or a third piece of metal, an accidental "short circuit" is created, and all of the capacitor's stored energy discharges very quickly. For example, a 1 farad capacitor charged to 10 volts stores 50 joules of energy, and discharging all of that into a copper wire could cause the wire to heat up by a few dozen degrees Celsius faster than the blink of an eye and cause serious burns (see the [https://old.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1ljxvdo/do_i_not_understand_what_a_capacitor_is/mzqg7ug/ calculation]). Large capacitors are often associated with larger voltages and heavy machinery, which can contribute to the feeling of caution around large capacitances.
-The title text explores the inverse situation, where “1” of a unit is a very <b>small</b> amount. A {{w|becquerel}} (Bq) amounts to one radioactive atomic decay per second, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace {{w|potassium-40}} in the total potassium it contains, a natural proportion of 117 parts per million). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a container for hazardous materials unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness, flammability, or overripeness). For comparison, a 70 kg human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq], and the {{w|Chernobyl disaster|1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant}} (better known as the time "[[2163: Chernobyl|we banged some rocks together too hard]]") released [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10628087/ 2×10<sup>18</sup> (that's 2,000,000,000,000,000,000) Bq]! The earlier common unit for radioactivity is the {{w|Curie (unit)|curie}}, originally defined as the decay rate of 1 gram of radium. It has since been redefined to be 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays/second, i.e., 37 GBq. Radioactive material emitting 1 curie that is small enough to fit into a container for hazardous materials is dangerous enough that it probably ''should'' be in one. Bananas as a unit of measurement for radiation exposure are also discussed in the [[Radiation]] chart.
+The title text explores the inverse situation, where “1” of a unit is a very <b>small</b> amount. A {{w|becquerel}} (Bq) amounts to one radioactive atomic decay per second, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace {{w|potassium-40}} in the total potassium it contains, a natural proportion of 117 parts per million). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a container for hazardous materials unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness, flammability, or overripeness). For comparison, a 70 kg human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq], and the {{w|Chernobyl disaster|1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant}} (better known as the time "[[2163: Chernobyl|we banged some rocks together too hard]]") released [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10628087/ 2×10<sup>18</sup> (that's 2,000,000,000,000,000,000) Bq]. The earlier common unit for radioactivity is the {{w|Curie (unit)|curie}}, originally defined as the decay rate of 1 gram of radium. It has since been redefined to be 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays/second, i.e., 37 GBq. Radioactive material emitting 1 curie that is small enough to fit into a container for hazardous materials is dangerous enough that it probably ''should'' be in one. Bananas as a unit of measurement for radiation exposure are also discussed in the [[Radiation]] chart.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 For the same charging voltage and load/resistance, a larger capacitor won't deliver greater current or instantaneous power than a smaller one, but the total amount of energy and duration of discharge would be proportionally longer. If the capacitor's wires accidentally touch each other or a third piece of metal, an accidental "short circuit" is created, and all of the capacitor's stored energy discharges very quickly. For example, a 1 farad capacitor charged to 10 volts stores 50 joules of energy, and discharging all of that into a copper wire could cause the wire to heat up by a few dozen degrees Celsius faster than the blink of an eye and cause serious burns (see the [https://old.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1ljxvdo/do_i_not_understand_what_a_capacitor_is/mzqg7ug/ calculation]). Large capacitors are often associated with larger voltages and heavy machinery, which can contribute to the feeling of caution around large capacitances.
-The title text explores the inverse situation, where “1” of a unit is a very <b>small</b> amount. A {{w|becquerel}} (Bq) amounts to one radioactive atomic decay per second, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace {{w|potassium-40}} in the total potassium it contains, a natural proportion of 117 parts per million). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a container for hazardous materials unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness, flammability, or overripeness). For comparison, a 70 kg human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq], and the 1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant released [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10628087/ 2×10<sup>18</sup> (that's 2,000,000,000,000,000,000) Bq]! The earlier common unit for radioactivity is the {{w|Curie (unit)|curie}}, originally defined as the decay rate of 1 gram of radium. It has since been redefined to be 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays/second, i.e., 37 GBq. Radioactive material emitting 1 curie that is small enough to fit into a container for hazardous materials is dangerous enough that it probably ''should'' be in one. Bananas as a unit of measurement for radiation exposure are also discussed in the [[Radiation]] chart.
+The title text explores the inverse situation, where “1” of a unit is a very <b>small</b> amount. A {{w|becquerel}} (Bq) amounts to one radioactive atomic decay per second, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace {{w|potassium-40}} in the total potassium it contains, a natural proportion of 117 parts per million). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a container for hazardous materials unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness, flammability, or overripeness). For comparison, a 70 kg human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq], and the {{w|Chernobyl disaster|1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant}} (better known as the time "[[2163: Chernobyl|we banged some rocks together too hard]]") released [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10628087/ 2×10<sup>18</sup> (that's 2,000,000,000,000,000,000) Bq]! The earlier common unit for radioactivity is the {{w|Curie (unit)|curie}}, originally defined as the decay rate of 1 gram of radium. It has since been redefined to be 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays/second, i.e., 37 GBq. Radioactive material emitting 1 curie that is small enough to fit into a container for hazardous materials is dangerous enough that it probably ''should'' be in one. Bananas as a unit of measurement for radiation exposure are also discussed in the [[Radiation]] chart.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Explanation==
-In the comic, [[Cueball]] shows off several items that comprise approximately one of a given unit to [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]]. The first three — {{w|Metre|meter}}s, {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}s and {{w|volt}}s — are all units of which "1" is a not extraordinary amount for an item that can be easily held in the hand. As such, they elicit minimal reaction from Megan and White Hat. A meter (a unit of length) is visually verifiable; a pound (a unit of weight) is easy to hold in the hand; and a volt (V, a unit of electric potential) would cause minimal harm even if discharged. White Hat's remark that the battery "might need a recharge" refers to the fact that 1 V batteries are somewhat uncommon, but a battery with a larger voltage like an {{w|AA battery|AA}}, {{w|C battery|C}} or {{w|D battery|D}} cell (typically up to 1.5 V) might read as 1 V if significantly depleted.
+In the comic, [[Cueball]] shows off several items that comprise approximately one of a given unit to [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]]. The first three — {{w|Metre|meter}}s, {{w|Pound (mass)|pound}}s and {{w|volt}}s — are all units of which "1" is a not extraordinary amount for an item that can be easily held in the hand. As such, they elicit minimal reaction from Megan and White Hat. A meter (a unit of length) is visually verifiable; a pound (a unit of weight) is easy to hold in the hand; and a volt (V, a unit of electric potential) would cause minimal harm even if discharged. White Hat's remark that the battery "might need a recharge" refers to the fact that 1 V batteries are somewhat uncommon, but a battery with a larger voltage like an {{w|AA battery|AA}}, {{w|C battery|C}} or {{w|D battery|D}} cell (typically up to 1.5 V) might read as 1 V if significantly depleted, which is likely to make most electrical devices stop working or have performance decline.
-In contrast, 1 {{w|farad}} is an unusually large amount of capacitance. Capacitance is the ability to store charge, a large amount of which could be dangerous. In common use, most consumer electronics use capacitors in the picofarad to millifarad range, and 1 millifarad is already considered a "large" capacitor. A 1-farad capacitor is considered a supercapacitor. Cueball claiming to have a 1 farad capacitor elicits panic from Megan and White Hat, who fear that {{w|Capacitor#Hazards and safety|it could be very dangerous}}.
+In contrast, 1 {{w|farad}} is an unusually large amount of capacitance. Capacitance is the ability to store charge, a large amount of which could be dangerous. In common use, most consumer electronics use capacitors in the picofarad to millifarad range, and 1 millifarad is already considered a "large" capacitor. A 1-farad capacitor is considered a supercapacitor (and some of which are pseudocapacitors, not strictly capacitors). Cueball claiming to have a 1 farad capacitor elicits panic from Megan and White Hat, who fear that {{w|Capacitor#Hazards and safety|it could be very dangerous}}.
 For the same charging voltage and load/resistance, a larger capacitor won't deliver greater current or instantaneous power than a smaller one, but the total amount of energy and duration of discharge would be proportionally longer. If the capacitor's wires accidentally touch each other or a third piece of metal, an accidental "short circuit" is created, and all of the capacitor's stored energy discharges very quickly. For example, a 1 farad capacitor charged to 10 volts stores 50 joules of energy, and discharging all of that into a copper wire could cause the wire to heat up by a few dozen degrees Celsius faster than the blink of an eye and cause serious burns (see the [https://old.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1ljxvdo/do_i_not_understand_what_a_capacitor_is/mzqg7ug/ calculation]). Large capacitors are often associated with larger voltages and heavy machinery, which can contribute to the feeling of caution around large capacitances.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:51, 26 July 2025
Line 10:		Line 10:

	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
		+
	In the comic, [[Cueball]] shows off several items that comprise approximately one of a given unit to [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]]. The first three — {{w\|Metre\|meter}}s, {{w\|Pound (mass)\|pound}}s and {{w\|volt}}s — are all units of which "1" is a not extraordinary amount for an item that can be easily held in the hand. As such, they elicit minimal reaction from Megan and White Hat. A meter (a unit of length) is visually verifiable; a pound (a unit of weight) is easy to hold in the hand; and a volt (V, a unit of electric potential) would cause minimal harm even if discharged. White Hat's remark that the battery "might need a recharge" refers to the fact that 1 V batteries are somewhat uncommon, but a battery with a larger voltage like an {{w\|AA battery\|AA}}, {{w\|C battery\|C}} or {{w\|D battery\|D}} cell (typically up to 1.5 V) might read as 1 V if significantly depleted.		In the comic, [[Cueball]] shows off several items that comprise approximately one of a given unit to [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]]. The first three — {{w\|Metre\|meter}}s, {{w\|Pound (mass)\|pound}}s and {{w\|volt}}s — are all units of which "1" is a not extraordinary amount for an item that can be easily held in the hand. As such, they elicit minimal reaction from Megan and White Hat. A meter (a unit of length) is visually verifiable; a pound (a unit of weight) is easy to hold in the hand; and a volt (V, a unit of electric potential) would cause minimal harm even if discharged. White Hat's remark that the battery "might need a recharge" refers to the fact that 1 V batteries are somewhat uncommon, but a battery with a larger voltage like an {{w\|AA battery\|AA}}, {{w\|C battery\|C}} or {{w\|D battery\|D}} cell (typically up to 1.5 V) might read as 1 V if significantly depleted.