quantum leap

Posted Sep 28, 2006 18:26 UTC (Thu) by gravious (subscriber, #7662) [Link]

agreed - ever since this was pointed out to me by mr. bill bryson in his incomporable book troublesome words the ql phrase has become a source of irritation and mirth for me. the older i get the more i realise how mangled the english langwidge is for common usage and you may as well enrol in advanced cat-herding 501 for all the good it will do you pointing this stuff out to people. btw - iana (i am not anal).

respeck, Anto

Posted Sep 28, 2006 18:44 UTC (Thu) by avik (subscriber, #704) [Link]

That's okay, considering the code wasn't touched for ten years.

Posted Sep 28, 2006 18:50 UTC (Thu) by AnswerGuy (subscriber, #1256) [Link]

As amusing as this observation might be, I think it's reasonably well-understood by those who use and understand the phrase that "quantum leap" is idiomatic (rather than idiotic).

A leap of only one quanta would, of course, be an incremental advance. However to say that this is a "leap" that's akin to the one that lead from classical physics into quantum physics. Also there is the implication that the result could not possibly have been attained by smaller increments ... that their is, figuratively, some chasm that most be lept across --- a paradigm shift (where they old pattern of progress no longer applies).

Of course terms like "quantum leap" and "paradigm shift" are used rather loosely. Often they are hype rather than the result of any real insights into the process by which any particular points of progress have been achieved.

JimD

Posted Sep 28, 2006 19:27 UTC (Thu) by cpm (subscriber, #3554) [Link]

Yeah,
Kinda like Penultimate.

Posted Sep 28, 2006 22:20 UTC (Thu) by felixfix (subscriber, #242) [Link]

Anyone who knows what a quantum leap is AND has even rudimentary language skills (in any language) is will readily understand that it is not the size of the leap under consideration. It is a reference to nothing smaller being possible and of the importance of the change. If I say it is heads and shoulders above the competition, would any of you actually condescend to point out that OCR programs are not humans? If I say it is light years ahead of the competition, how many of you will belabor the obvious, that prorgams don't have physical distances between them?

Ice changes to water over a miniscule temperature rise, but anyone who knows what a phase change is will understand the importantance of that final small temperature difference compared to the previous same change. Anyone who has stood at the edge of a deck or roof or mountain will understand how important that last step is compared to the step before.

Only the truly arrogant and misinformed quibble about the meaning of "quantum leap" in every day usage, as opposed to a quantum mechanics environment. It is smugness at its worst.

Posted Sep 29, 2006 10:04 UTC (Fri) by anandsr21 (guest, #28562) [Link]

Thats like saying noses should not run ;-). Well its English deal with it.