Originally Posted by
Metieval
I think the use of Hydraulics on bicycle is a great thing.
I am just confused to why people shorten it to 'Hydro'. The o makes it pertain to water?
why not just shorten hydraulics to 'HYDR' ?
Enlighten me.
As others have pointed out, it's mostly the way it sounds. But, if you really want to get technical about it, hydraulics...the study of fluids in closed systems...is just a subset of hydrodynamics which is the study of fluids. I'm certain that no one thought about it that way but there is that justification.
Originally Posted by
FiftySix
Some of my tech school training was in classes titled Fluid Power (x), which pertained to hydraulics and pneumatics. We were told early hydraulic "fluid" was simply water.
While water is a fluid so is just about everything else that "flows". "Air" or gases are fluids. It's all under the umbrella of hydrodynamics.
Originally Posted by
FiftySix
Edit to add:
Makes me think of the words hydroforming and hydrant. The former uses hydraulic fluid and the latter is usually a water tap of some sort. Which flips the o and a usage.
Isn't English a wonderfully goofy and confusing language? Or I should say isn't American English a wonderfully goofy and confusing language?
Originally Posted by
Retro Grouch
You're right.
As soon as I finish getting everybody to stop using the word "alloy" as a synonym for "aluminum" I'll take up "hydro".
Sorry but you'll have to get in line. We have to convince people that salt isn't "just" sodium chloride, that "chemical" is a bad word (hint:
everything is a "chemical"), that we call them
"derailers" instead of the snooty and completely wrong "French" derailleur, that a tire is not a wheel and a wheel isn't a tire, and that a "saddle" isn't a "seat".
Frankly, people should say "alloy" instead of "aluminum". It's not pure aluminum. They should preface it with "aluminum" but it's not wrong to call it an alloy.