Re: Clockwise without clocks

H. S. Teoh <hsteoh@...> wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 30, 2005 at 12:17:48PM -0500, Geoff Horswood wrote:
>> So how would you express the ideas of "clockwise" and "anticlockwise" in a
>> culture that doesn't have clocks?
>>
>> -movement of the sun? shadows?
>> -to the left/right? (but is that the part closest to you or furthest away?
> [...]
>
> How about the movement of a wheel, whether rotating to the left or
> right? (Left-wheeling and right-wheeling for clockwise/counter-
> clockwise). Should be pretty unambiguous, I think.
Unambiguous? Isn't that the ambiguity "clockwise" and "counterclockwise"
are trying to resolve?

Taking the clock as an example, the hands are "wheeling" to the right from 9
to 3, and to the left from 3 to 9, (and upwards from 6 to 12, and downwards
 from 12 to 6), while the motion is clockwise continuously.

Going back to the wheel, saying that clockwise is turning left implies that
your speakers are focusing on the top end (9-3) of the wheel. This might not
always be the case (maybe if they read bottom-to-top, they might watch the
bottom of the wheel first?)

	*Muke!	
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