Poll: Is it disk or disc?

[manaman]

@Gxas: Gray is the crazy weird spelling. Grey is correct and doesn't look as rectangular (What!? The spelling 'gray' feels more rectangular than grey. Not in that it feel like it has four sides, but that it feels ... irregular (because it ain't a square) ... don't judge me *pre-emptively dodges judgement beams*)

I believe that gray was an American spelling adaptation for some god-awful reason. Far be it for us to actually abide by the rules that the rest of the world has accepted... Looking at you, metric system.

I remember hearing somewhere that American's changed spellings to distance themselves from the commonwealth. And I'm pretty sure the Australian Labor party tried that and failed (hence why their name is misspelled). Then again, I only heard that, I didn't read it from a credible source, so it could jsut be rumour-mongering.

The really isn't any correct part of that. Even the US distance itself. English law and the works of the like of Locke where the major influence in the creation of the US constitution. There was no purposeful change in the language. Little contact over generations is the reason for the change. To make matters even worse for the arrogant SOBs that like to tell everyone if they are not spelling or pronouncing words exactly as the British are at this moment, well over half the native English speaking world resides in the US. The real kicker through is that the language as used by the US is actually closer to how the language was used at the time the countries distanced themselves.

Pretty arrogant if you ask me to demand a larger group of people keep up with the changes you made in your language simply because it originated in your homeland. Just my opinion.

 

[Macgyvercas]

Depends on what you are talking about. If you are talking about a frisbee or something similar, it's disk. If you are talking about a CD/DVD, it's disc.

 

[Geeky Anomaly]

If it's a CD or other round device, it's disc. If it's square, like a floppy, it's disk.

I pulled that out of my ass, but I think it works.

 

[Carlston]

I say disc. However, I don't see the difference.

Know the CD Compact Disc was the spelling to give it a unique flair to copyright it but that's all i could come up with.

 

[BourneGamer]

I normally see disk used when refering to the older floppy disks and such. Disc when talking about CDs and the like.

 

[AsianMafiaSin]

Disc is for modern, Disk is for earlier tech. (It was floppy disk right?)

 

[Jamash]

Disk is magnetic storage media, whereas disc is optical storage media.

A HDD is disk.

A DVD is disc.

 

[Biosophilogical]

The really isn't any correct part of that. Even the US distance itself. English law and the works of the like of Locke where the major influence in the creation of the US constitution. There was no purposeful change in the language. Little contact over generations is the reason for the change. To make matters even worse for the arrogant SOBs that like to tell everyone if they are not spelling or pronouncing words exactly as the British are at this moment, well over half the native English speaking world resides in the US. The real kicker through is that the language as used by the US is actually closer to how the language was used at the time the countries distanced themselves.

Pretty arrogant if you ask me to demand a larger group of people keep up with the changes you made in your language simply because it originated in your homeland. Just my opinion.

So rumour-mongering then?

Also, I think the important issue is "Why do we use base 10 for our number system?"[sub]This one has been bugging me[/sub]

 

[manaman]

The really isn't any correct part of that. Even the US distance itself. English law and the works of the like of Locke where the major influence in the creation of the US constitution. There was no purposeful change in the language. Little contact over generations is the reason for the change. To make matters even worse for the arrogant SOBs that like to tell everyone if they are not spelling or pronouncing words exactly as the British are at this moment, well over half the native English speaking world resides in the US. The real kicker through is that the language as used by the US is actually closer to how the language was used at the time the countries distanced themselves.

Pretty arrogant if you ask me to demand a larger group of people keep up with the changes you made in your language simply because it originated in your homeland. Just my opinion.

So rumour-mongering then?

Also, I think the important issue is "Why do we use base 10 for our number system?"[sub]This one has been bugging me[/sub]

The reason for base 10 is easy. Go try some multiplication and division in base 2 or base 16. Possible, but not without extra steps. The base ten system makes it all possible. The reason the metric system is so easy for people as well.

 

[vxicepickxv]

If it's round, it's a disc, like discus. Compact Disc, Digital Video Disc, etc.

If it's not round, it's a disk. Hard Disk Drive, 3.5 Floppy Disk, etc.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

@Gxas: Gray is the crazy weird spelling. Grey is correct and doesn't look as rectangular (What!? The spelling 'gray' feels more rectangular than grey. Not in that it feel like it has four sides, but that it feels ... irregular (because it ain't a square) ... don't judge me *pre-emptively dodges judgement beams*)

I believe that gray was an American spelling adaptation for some god-awful reason. Far be it for us to actually abide by the rules that the rest of the world has accepted... Looking at you, metric system.

I remember hearing somewhere that American's changed spellings to distance themselves from the commonwealth. And I'm pretty sure the Australian Labor party tried that and failed (hence why their name is misspelled). Then again, I only heard that, I didn't read it from a credible source, so it could jsut be rumour-mongering.

I actually found out the truth behind that rumor recently. As it turns out, it wasn't congress or any sort of democratic movement to change the spellings; the guy who wrote the first edition of Webster's Dictionary, who appropriately had the last name "Webster," decided on his own to make uniquely American spellings for his dictionary. Americans picked up on it because, hey, the dictionary said that was how to spell it, and who would argue with a dictionary?

OT: As has been pointed out earlier, Disk is for magnetic media like a Hard Disk, a Floppy Disk, or a ZIP Disk. Disc is for optical media, like Compact Discs, Bluray Discs, and Digital (Video/Versatile) Discs.

 

[vxicepickxv]

The really isn't any correct part of that. Even the US distance itself. English law and the works of the like of Locke where the major influence in the creation of the US constitution. There was no purposeful change in the language. Little contact over generations is the reason for the change. To make matters even worse for the arrogant SOBs that like to tell everyone if they are not spelling or pronouncing words exactly as the British are at this moment, well over half the native English speaking world resides in the US. The real kicker through is that the language as used by the US is actually closer to how the language was used at the time the countries distanced themselves.

Pretty arrogant if you ask me to demand a larger group of people keep up with the changes you made in your language simply because it originated in your homeland. Just my opinion.

So rumour-mongering then?

Also, I think the important issue is "Why do we use base 10 for our number system?"[sub]This one has been bugging me[/sub]

The reason for base 10 is easy. Go try some multiplication and division in base 2 or base 16. Possible, but not without extra steps. The base ten system makes it all possible. The reason the metric system is so easy for people as well.

The base 10 thing is even easier. How many fingers or toes does a normal person have?

 

[SuperUberBob]

Basically, if it is round = disc (e.g. compact disc)

If it performs the same function as a CD but is not in the shape of a disc, it is a disk (floppy disk).

 

[nerd51075]

The really isn't any correct part of that. Even the US distance itself. English law and the works of the like of Locke where the major influence in the creation of the US constitution. There was no purposeful change in the language. Little contact over generations is the reason for the change. To make matters even worse for the arrogant SOBs that like to tell everyone if they are not spelling or pronouncing words exactly as the British are at this moment, well over half the native English speaking world resides in the US. The real kicker through is that the language as used by the US is actually closer to how the language was used at the time the countries distanced themselves.

Pretty arrogant if you ask me to demand a larger group of people keep up with the changes you made in your language simply because it originated in your homeland. Just my opinion.

So rumour-mongering then?

Also, I think the important issue is "Why do we use base 10 for our number system?"[sub]This one has been bugging me[/sub]

The reason for base 10 is easy. Go try some multiplication and division in base 2 or base 16. Possible, but not without extra steps. The base ten system makes it all possible. The reason the metric system is so easy for people as well.

Well, if we had all grown up using a binary or hexadecimal system instead of our current system, we would be able to multiply just as easily with either. Personally, I believe that we use the base-10 system because 10 is the product of two commonly seen prime numbers, 2 and 5. Thus, when we divide by either of these, a power of either, or a product of any power of the two, we get a terminating decimal. With base 2 or 16, the numerator would have to be a power of two in order to turn out a terminating decimal. It's easier to use decimals than fractions in practical use.

OT: What everyone else said. "Disc" for optical storage, "disk" for magnetic storage/physics object.

 

[manaman]

The really isn't any correct part of that. Even the US distance itself. English law and the works of the like of Locke where the major influence in the creation of the US constitution. There was no purposeful change in the language. Little contact over generations is the reason for the change. To make matters even worse for the arrogant SOBs that like to tell everyone if they are not spelling or pronouncing words exactly as the British are at this moment, well over half the native English speaking world resides in the US. The real kicker through is that the language as used by the US is actually closer to how the language was used at the time the countries distanced themselves.

Pretty arrogant if you ask me to demand a larger group of people keep up with the changes you made in your language simply because it originated in your homeland. Just my opinion.

So rumour-mongering then?

Also, I think the important issue is "Why do we use base 10 for our number system?"[sub]This one has been bugging me[/sub]

The reason for base 10 is easy. Go try some multiplication and division in base 2 or base 16. Possible, but not without extra steps. The base ten system makes it all possible. The reason the metric system is so easy for people as well.

Well, if we had all grown up using a binary or hexadecimal system instead of our current system, we would be able to multiply just as easily with either. Personally, I believe that we use the base-10 system because 10 is the product of two commonly seen prime numbers, 2 and 5. Thus, when we divide by either of these, a power of either, or a product of any power of the two, we get a terminating decimal. With base 2 or 16, the numerator would have to be a power of two in order to turn out a terminating decimal. It's easier to use decimals than fractions in practical use.

OT: What everyone else said. "Disc" for optical storage, "disk" for magnetic storage/physics object.

I have a lot of exposure to base 2 or binary working in my career field. While it is possible to multiply and decide in base two it's not just a matter of not being fluent with it. It's not efficient. Base ten starting with reasons you mentioned and ending with far more is by far the easiest to work with.

 

[Biosophilogical]

The really isn't any correct part of that. Even the US distance itself. English law and the works of the like of Locke where the major influence in the creation of the US constitution. There was no purposeful change in the language. Little contact over generations is the reason for the change. To make matters even worse for the arrogant SOBs that like to tell everyone if they are not spelling or pronouncing words exactly as the British are at this moment, well over half the native English speaking world resides in the US. The real kicker through is that the language as used by the US is actually closer to how the language was used at the time the countries distanced themselves.

Pretty arrogant if you ask me to demand a larger group of people keep up with the changes you made in your language simply because it originated in your homeland. Just my opinion.

So rumour-mongering then?

Also, I think the important issue is "Why do we use base 10 for our number system?"[sub]This one has been bugging me[/sub]

The reason for base 10 is easy. Go try some multiplication and division in base 2 or base 16. Possible, but not without extra steps. The base ten system makes it all possible. The reason the metric system is so easy for people as well.

Well, if we had all grown up using a binary or hexadecimal system instead of our current system, we would be able to multiply just as easily with either. Personally, I believe that we use the base-10 system because 10 is the product of two commonly seen prime numbers, 2 and 5. Thus, when we divide by either of these, a power of either, or a product of any power of the two, we get a terminating decimal. With base 2 or 16, the numerator would have to be a power of two in order to turn out a terminating decimal. It's easier to use decimals than fractions in practical use.

OT: What everyone else said. "Disc" for optical storage, "disk" for magnetic storage/physics object.

But then wouldn't base 60 be better? It is divisable by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as their pair factors (10, 12, 15, 20, 30, 60). The six is redundant (it is only there because of the 2 and the 3), but being divisible by a higher number of prime numbers seems like a good thing (4 counts because it adds a second 2 as a prime factor; it isn't necessary, but it should reduce decimal places slightly).

So wouldn't it be that the higher the base, the less non-terminating decimals there are? I mean, even haing base 12 means you don't have to deal with thirds, and 60 adds a 5 to the mix, meaning ti has the benefits of 10 (2 and five) as well as 3 and a second 2. Which basically brings it down to a balance between magnitude and practicality. 60 is more practical (more prime factors) but it has a higher magnitude than 10, so it means dealing with 6 times as many numeric symbols (you'd reasonably need 60 different symbols to represent all the numbers for one place-value-bracket thing). But that still begs the question of 12 or thirty. They both have three as a factor (+1 to practicality) and 30 has 5 *ponders*. It seems like it would come down to something random, like personal preference or something.

I hate these queries that have no practical solution.

 

[Bravo 21]

disc, like discus, but I instinctively typed cd disk, so who knows?
well, probably all the people who have better thought out reasoning than me.

 

[Biosophilogical]

-snipped-

I have a lot of exposure to base 2 or binary working in my career field. While it is possible to multiply and decide in base two it's not just a matter of not being fluent with it. It's not efficient. Base ten starting with reasons you mentioned and ending with far more is by far the easiest to work with.

But that still begs the question of what makes 10 preferable to a close alternative such as 12, or if the human mind is actually limited to simplicity (meaning base 30 wouldn't work), or if the simplicity of base 10's magnitude is actually because of how we've been taught. I mean, if human minds could manage base 30 without trouble, and if there was a means by which we could exchange base 10 for base 30 without negative repercussions (I know there isn't, this is hypothetical), then wouldn't it be preferable?