this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2024
469 points (98.0% liked)

Asklemmy

43770 readers
1392 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

The world has a lot of different standards for a lot of things, but I have never heard of a place with the default screw thread direction being opposite.

So does each language have a fun mnemonic?

Photo credit: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Giy8OrYJTjw/Tfm9Ne5o5hI/AAAAAAAAAB4/c7uBLwjkl9c/s1600/scan0002.jpg

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works 38 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (10 children)

This phrase has never made any sense to me. It’s a circle. If one side is moving right, then the opposite side is moving left. So the phrase only makes sense if you specify which side we are talking about, which nobody ever does. Therefore it’s completely illogical to me while everyone else just gets it. Side note: Autism can be a real bitch sometimes.

Edit:

  1. Some people don’t understand how I can see a problem. That’s cool, but don’t be a dick. We all look at the world through different lenses.
  2. This is when I was a kid “helping” my grandfather in the garage. I’m older now and understand that “righty tighty” references the top of the rotation.
  3. Some people rotate their perspective 90° and imagine themselves standing on the screw. Therefore when your face rotates to the right the screw is tightened. I hadn’t ever thought of that. But I had imagined rotating my perspective 90° the other direction –the top of my head as a screwdriver. In that case, “lefty tighty”
[–] MrShankles@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Clockwise and counterclockwise may be more intuitive for some people. Is the clock-hand (wrench) going forward in time, or backwards. But I don't know of any quick rhyme for that

[–] 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, that verbiage makes way more sense.

[–] Backlog3231@reddthat.com 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

But the entire rotation is either clockwise (right) or counterclockwise (left). Ultimately, its just a helpful reminder which way to turn lol

[–] 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works 22 points 3 weeks ago (44 children)

Clockwise and counter-clockwise makes sense.

But when you say “right” it’s not clear which side of the circle is being referenced. If the top of the circle is moving to the right, the bottom is moving left at the same time. So the saying only makes sense when you specify that you’re talking about the top of the circle.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

you have to have never seen a steering wheel to not understand which side of the circle is being referenced. it's always the top. who would even reference anything else and why.

"turn it right"

"which part???"

"the middle of course, you absolute alien"

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 weeks ago

Because people get confused when there is no space for the wrench at the top, and they put the handle at the bottom and try to move the wrench left or right, not referencing the top of bolt.

Because they aren't using the saying as a clokwise/counter clockwise reminder but as a flat out instruction.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yes, it's always the top side of the circle in this context, or you can think about how clock hands do go in a specific direction, because they're a radius, not a circumference. There, now it's cleared up for you.

[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The clock hands move right when at the top but left when at the bottom.

[–] gerdesj@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago

In Australia, it's the other way around and the clock will try to eat you or at least sting you to death.

load more comments (42 replies)
[–] doggle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 weeks ago

If you're looking head on to the screw/nut/whatever then we're talking about the top of the screw/but/whatever.

You can also imagine if the nut was actually a wheel. Which way would you spin it to make it roll left or right.

Confused the hell out of me at a young age. That's how I came around to thinking of it

[–] masterbaexunn@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Don't think about it in 3d space.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They mean is the wrench handle moving left from the 12 o'clock position or left from the 6 o'clock position. You would not believe how many people struggle with lefty righty because of start location.

I defer to clockwise and counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise in UK). Except for new gen that never learned analog clock stuggles with this concept also.

Then they encounter a Left Hand thread and the universe implodes

[–] MrShankles@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Shit, a standard thread feels natural to me, but a left hand thread still fucks my life up sometimes — trying to notice what's going on before I strip it.

My grill can connect to those camping propane tanks, but it's threaded opposite... gets me every time

[–] Bertuccio@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

I have left-hand threaded fittings on a few things and always say to myself aloud "This is reverse-threaded" before I attempt to turn them then still fuck up first turn. It doesn't stop me from fucking it up the first time - it just helps me remember why.

When I train new people on this equipment I tell them to say it aloud, show them, still fuck up the first turn, then they laugh.

Then I have them do it in front of me including saying it aloud - and they fuck up the first turn...

When you've been doing something unconsciously for decades it's really hard to break.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago

I think it was old Chryslers had opposite lugnuts, I can only imagine how many stripped threads happened

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago

I love how half the people in this thread are under-thinking it and don't seem to understand they're doing so. I wonder whether it's a bit.

[–] 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago

I assure you I’m only thinking of it in two dimensions.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] lefixxx@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

I agree but there is a intuitive way once you are holding it. I remember looking at a car wheel and the signal lever not understanding how do people decided that up on the lever means right. Yeah it's connected to the wheel rotation but why turning the wheel clockwise means turning right? When I actually sat on the driver seat there was an instinct.For most people It's more logical to look at the "top" of the circle and corelate it's movement with turning left/right.

A thing that annoyed me is when table top games use a non determinist way to define player order. It always depends on the observer.alIf you just say "then the you pass your turn to the left", what left? From my perspective; from the top down perspective translating it to counterclockwise? From the tables perspective which is the opposite?

[–] blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago

I used to feel the same way. If you're talking about the direction you're moving your hand, it assumes your hand is above, not below.

Had a similar hangup with less than/greater than symbols.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

If it were a wheel which way would it roll?

[–] Seasm0ke@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I remember when my grandpa was like why not just keep going? I was pulling the ratchet end of the wrench off the bolt at the bottom.. I said but that side is left and he laughed and said its just to get you started and told me the clock thing. Dont ever ask me to put a nut on a bolt I will cross thread it every time.

load more comments (2 replies)